Want to hear more from the actors and creators of your favorite shows and films? Subscribe to The Cinema Spot on YouTube for all of our upcoming interviews!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Something drastic is going down between Oswald Cobblepot and Sofia Falcone. Here is a review of the fourth season’s tenth episode titled Things That Go Boom.
Warning: Possible spoilers ahead!
Plot Summary
In this episode, James ‘Jim’ Gordon tries to uncover the true identity of Professor Pyg. Oswald Cobblepot/ The Penguin confronts Sofia Falcone after discovering something his apprentice Martin had shown him. She escapes the clutches of him and his men only to be captured by Selina Kyle, Tabitha Galavan, and Barbara Kean. When Sofia comes to Jim for help, he realizes that she could be detrimental to his career in the Gotham City Police Department. He takes to diplomacy to make a deal with Penguin.
Meanwhile, Leslie ‘Lee’ Thompkins and Edward Nygma make negotiations with a mobster named Sampson over control of The Narrows, but when he gets the upper hand, Lee has to stand her ground and show the neighborhood that she isn’t a force to be trifled with.
Discussion
In this episode, we find that Pyg wants to become as legendary a criminal mastermind as Jerome Valeska, The Penguin, and Fish Mooney. Of course, he has a long way to go before he can get up to their level. By the end, we learn that his real name is Lazlo Valentin, and he has a Southern accent.
Oswald gets into a war with Sofia and the girls, and this shows that he will do anything to keep his power in Gotham. This means having to lose Martin in the process. For Sofia, Barbara, Tabitha, and Selina, this means taking another step forward in order to win the war.
Viewers are shown that Lee Thompkins should never be underestimated. She teaches Nygma that his brain does not need any serum of sorts, that it can be brought back to normal–assuming his insanity is rendered normal–without having to tamper with it. As this happens, the Riddler persona returns. Will he become that evil again, or will he remain the new good Ed that he now is?
Overall, this episode of Gotham was pretty good, although nothing too significant transpired. From it, however, we learn that there is always good in bad people. In this case, we learn that there is a good side of Edward Nygma. By giving us the calm before the storm and having to balance four stories from four different aspects of Gotham, Things That Go Boom receives 6.5 out of 10. Hopefully, the show does better in future episodes.
Will Nygma become the Riddler again? Will Martin return? Let us know! For more Gotham-related news and reviews, follow Geek Motivation on Twitter (@GeekMotivation) and Instagram (@geekmotivation).
Written by: John Tangalin
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
