Gotham: Theo Galavan Had To Die

Gotham star Ben McKenzie explains why James Gordon had to cross that line and kill Theo Galavan in the mid-season finale

The fact that Theo Galavan died in the mid-season finale of Gotham wasn’t all that shocking. But that Jim Gordon murdered Theo Galavan in cold blood was.

That was Jim crossing a line he had been up against all through the second season of Gotham so far, even while people like Leslie Thompkins and Captain Barnes tried their hardest to keep him from that line. Ben McKenzie, who plays James Gordon on Gotham explained to Cinemablend why Theo Galavan had to die, and why Gordon had to be the one to carry it out:

"When faced with letting [Galavan] go again or taking extreme action, [Gordon] gives into Penguin’s fairly logical argument, which is: How can you be assured that if you arrest him again, he doesn’t just escape again? So he goes down that path. … He’s really just done with it all, just over the feeling. He’s surpassed the point of feeling guilt and remorse. He’s simply going to do what he’s got to do, and if that’s killing a man in cold blood who deserves it, then that’s what he’ll do."

Next: Gotham: 5 Standout Moments of Worse Than A Crime

One wonders what repercussions, both personal and professional, crossing that line Gordon will suffer when Gotham returns from it’s Winter hiatus. Also given that when we last saw Theo Galavan he was entering the mysterious and sinister Indian Hill facility, even dead with an umbrella stuffed down his throat, it probably isn’t the end of Galavan’s story either. Will this start Gordon down a very dark spiral? We’ll see when Gotham returns February 29th!