'Gotham' Finale Postmortem: The Cast on That Big Reveal and What's in Store for Season 2

Warning: This post contains storyline and character spoilers for this week’s Gotham season finale.

Well, the smoke has cleared in Gotham: Fish Mooney and Don Falcone are out (for now), and Don Maroni is out (for good). Ed Nygma and Selina Kyle are much closer to becoming the Riddler and Catwoman; Gordon is becoming the lawman that Gotham needs; and Bruce has discovered the future Batcave. We spoke with the cast and creators to get their take on the finale, and what Season 2 has in store for them.

Related: Get Caught Up With Our ‘Gotham’ Recaps

The discovery of the cave is the biggest Batman reveal of the season. Aside from the death of his parents and the moment where a flurry of bats convinces him to don a cape and cowl, the cave — where Bruce Wayne becomes the Dark Knight, and vice versa — is the most important piece of the puzzle.

So we have a Lucius Fox, and we have a cave… will we get to see a young Batboy swing into action next season? “I couldn’t be more looking forward to it,” says David Mazouz about engaging in some physical scenes, though he admits he doesn’t know what’s in store. Executive producer John Stephens hints, “I think there might be a little more than Season 1. [But] he’s not going to have a Batarang or anything.”

For Stephens, the cave represents both Bruce’s investigation into the death of his parents and his own development as a person. “Going into the Batcave is the first step in finding out who his father really was,” says Stephens, adding that it’s a “very physical, Jungian way of becoming a different person. In Season 2, Bruce will become a different person than he was in Season 1, and the journey into the Batcave helps to show that in a really objective way.“

After exploring the sleuthing side of his personality all season, Mazouz is excited to begin playing a new role — part of what Stephens calls their “fracturing of personalities” theme. “He’ll have his party boy personality, his public Bruce Wayne persona,” says Mazouz, whose cheery smile is a much better fit for a playboy than his current, dour onscreen persona. “And he’ll have his 'trying to discover crime and detective stuff’ personality, which will ultimately become Batman.”

Another fractured personality, Ed Nygma, also came into his own in the finale. Cory Michael Smith, whose shy and quiet demeanor seems like the mirror-universe version of Nygma — the friendly one who you’d actually want to hang out with — has nothing but sympathy for his character, despite his actions. Though he’s clearly destined for bigger and badder things, at this point, he’s really just a guy with good intentions.

“When something horrible happens like an accidental homicide… arguably initiated accidentally,” Smith says with a grin, “but executed with much force and purpose… like any good serial killer, you start to leave clues. You want people to understand how smart you are.”

Related: ‘Gotham’ Star Cory Michael Smith Explains How the Riddler Will Find His ‘Evil Nature’

Nygma may not have villainous intentions, but Oswald Cobblepot definitely does. Through a combination of ambition, cunning, ruthlessness, and a bit of dumb luck, the Penguin is now the king of Gotham’s underworld. Robin Lord Taylor, full of the same twitchy energy that fuels his character (though decidedly less homicidal), foresees trouble for everybody’s favorite mama’s boy, now that he’s seized the reins of power.

“We’re all under this misconception that once [our] goals are fulfilled, everything will be solved and all problems will be over,” Taylor says. “But really no, all it does is open a whole new set of problems.” Now that he’s on top, Taylor says he’s not sure that the Penguin’s ready for it. “I don’t know how well he will be able to navigate that… It takes a lot to keep all those people off your back. There is always someone there to take you down.”

Video: Getting to Know ‘Gotham’s’ Robin Lord Taylor: The Penguin Is a Pop Culture Fanatic

Selina Kyle began the season as a thief and ended it as a murderer, killing a man who threatened to expose her and Bruce. But Camren Bicondova — a wicked bundle of energy who all but muscles Smith away for her chance to be interviewed — says it wasn’t a journey for her character: She’s always been that way. “She does anything that’s necessary if either [she] or anybody that she cares about is in danger,” says Bicondova, though she doesn’t think Bruce understands her reasons, which complicates their relationship.

And even though she appears to have embraced her criminal side more, Bicondova believes Selina’s core values haven’t changed: “She’s definitely the same survivor, yet kindhearted person. She’s just going into a different area in her life.” What about next season? Will Bruce be able to draw her to his side, or are there more bodies in her future? “Anything is possible with Selina. She goes off of her instinct, and with that? You never know.”

Gotham will return for Season 2 on Fox.