Did Gotham make the right call by killing off another character?

Gotham is back for its final season and the season 5 premiere featured nonstop action and a tragic death, but was that death too much too soon?

Gotham upped the ante by killing off a main character in the season 5 premiere, declaring in no uncertain terms that all bets are off in the show’s final season. But was that death too much too soon?

Spoilers for Gotham “Year Zero”

With Gotham City knee-deep in No Man’s Land, food is at a premium and supplies are running low. While Jim Gordon and Bruce Wayne are trying to help keep the city’s remaining residents from starving, the city’s villains are trying to stake a claim on being in charge.

Edward Nygma is having an identity crisis while Scarecrow is stealing medicine from the hospital. They’re both problematic for various reasons, but they’re not the main focus in the season premiere.

The biggest battle for villainous supremacy comes as Barbara Kean and Penguin face off. Penguin has a supply of ammunition but his people are starving. Barbara has plenty of food but she would like more ammunition. They agree to a deal, but when Bruce flies in supplies they both make a run for them, and Barbara’s longtime partner Tabitha is killed.

Tabitha has been around for a long while. She’s responsible for killing Penguin’s beloved mother, and Penguin is responsible for killing her beloved Butch. They both have reason to hate each other, but her death came as the shocking conclusion to a night full of surprises.

On the one hand, seeing Tabitha killed off so early in the No Man’s Land story is unfortunate. It would have been nice to see what she was capable of in the absence of the rule of law. She’s a tough fighter and loyal friend to Barbara, and together they’re a formidable duo.

On the other hand, Tabitha’s death could serve as a catalyst for Barbara, who has really gone on a journey over the course of five seasons, going from Jim Gordon’s girlfriend to a crazy murderess, from an Arkham-approved reformed killer to the leader of a girl gang, and even the vessel of Ra’s Al Ghul’s powers. Now she has the opportunity to change again, and it’s that change that might determine her final trajectory as either a villain or, dare we say, a good guy.

Was Tabitha’s death a vehicle for another transformation for Barbara? Only time will tell.

Gotham airs Thursdays at 8pm on FOX.