5 Huge Ways Gotham Set The Stage For An Explosive Season Finale

gotham season 4 one bad day jeremiah
(Image credit: Image courtesy of Fox)

Spoilers ahead for Episode 21 of Gotham Season 4, called "One Bad Day."

Only one episode is left in the fourth season of Gotham, and "One Bad Day" found some incredible ways to raise the stakes for the big finale next week. Events played out that indicate that Gotham City really could become a no man's land before the end of the season, and we should probably prepare ourselves for some killer cliffhangers. Here are five big ways "One Bad Day" set up to Season 4 finale!

(Image credit: Image courtesy of Fox)

Jeremiah And Ra's al Ghul Team Up

The good guys scored some wins on Jeremiah in "One Bad Day." Jeremiah started off with the entire city rigged to be destroyed via overloading self-perpetuating generators, and he had a legion of followers who decided he was worth following after the death of Jerome. Harvey was able to stop the generators from causing mass destruction aside from a clock tower that was taken out to prove a point, and Jeremiah's followers turned on him after they learned he didn't manage to kill Jim. Jeremiah was left with just about nothing... until Ra's al Ghul turned up to offer his help. According to Ra's, they should work together because of a shared investment in Bruce Wayne as well as Gotham City. These are the two arguably most formidable living villains on Gotham; if there's a way to take destroy Gotham and turn Bruce into the future Batman, these two can do it together.

gotham self perpetuating generators

(Image credit: Image courtesy of Fox)

The Generators Are Still Out There

Harvey may have managed to stop all the generators from destroying the biggest buildings in Gotham during "One Bad Day," but most of the generators are still out there. He only disabled a chain reaction by deactivating the first generator with the help of Lucius Fox. While that was obviously a great twist for the good guys and a lot of lives were saved, those same lives are still in danger, especially if people believe that there's no need to evacuate any longer. Jeremiah and Ra's are together now. Ra's has minions of his own, and bJeremiah surely didn't roast ALL of his followers. It may only be a matter of time before the remaining generators are back in explosive condition. "No man's land" is almost certainly still on!

Jeremiah Shot Selina

"One Bad Day" was basically Gotham's interpretation of a Killing Joke storyline. Instead of the Joker crippling Barbara Gordon, kidnapping Jim Gordon to try and drive him mad, and throwing down with Batman as he did in the Killing Joke comic (and movie), Gotham delivered Jeremiah kidnapping Alfred, luring Bruce, and using a combination of fear gas and threat to Alfred to try and drive him mad. At first, it seemed like Gotham was simply skipping the part where somebody important to Bruce is shot in the abdomen by a Clown Prince of Crime. Instead, the episode ended with Jeremiah showing up at Wayne Manor and shooting Selina in the abdomen.

"One Bad Day" didn't reveal whether Selina will sustain paralysis due to the shooting like Babs did in The Killing Joke, but we can bet that her injuries will distract Bruce and Alfred in the Season 4 finale. Bruce might not be much help, whether because he's sticking by Selina's side or because he's on a mission for revenge. He certainly has a bone to pick with both Jeremiah and Ra's.

Trouble In Rogue Paradise

Jeremiah's threat to destroy Gotham was enough to rally the other rogues of Gotham together. Penguin and Butch went to Barbara Kean and Tabitha to team up. Their mission was to use leverage on Jeremiah to get him to demand $50 million from the mayor, then just go ahead and kill Jeremiah after they got their way. Unfortunately for them, they underestimated both Jeremiah's level of craziness and his preparedness. The leverage they had on him wasn't enough to stop him, and their attempt angered him enough that he decided to go ahead and destroy Gotham ahead of the six-hour time table.

Babs and Tabby were understandably sick of Penguin's plans by the end of the episode, and Butch decided to switch sides when it became clear that Penguin didn't intend to prioritize curing him of his Solomon Grundy state. Penguin did state that he can get Strange to fix Butch, so Strange may be back in the mix sooner rather than later. They could make an even bigger mess for Jim and Co. in the finale, although they could also have some surprises up their sleeves. These rogues are big variables for the finale.

Riddler Doubts Lee

Riddler fell in love with Lee Thompkins in Season 4, and it has seemed like she reciprocates his feelings. "One Bad Day" revealed that Riddler isn't 100% confident that her feelings are genuine, however, and his interactions with Jim left him doubting that Lee is with him for any reasons beyond wanting something from him. Jim and Lee had a quiet moment at the end of the episode that pointed toward a connection still existing between them, even if Jim was telling Lee that they were probably done for good. Riddler was waiting in the wings and eavesdropping; if he decides he can't trust Lee in the finale, there's no saying what he'll do. Hell hath no fury like a Riddler scorned, right?

We'll have to wait and see. Tune in to Fox on Thursday, May 17 at 8 p.m. ET to catch the Season 4 finale of Gotham. For what you can watch once Gotham is done for the season, take a look at our summer TV premiere guide. We're still waiting on the fate of Gotham, so be sure to check back with CinemaBlend to discover whether it is cancelled or renewed. Don't forget to read our reasons why Gotham is the best and it would be a huge mistake for Fox to cancel it.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).