Greetings Gothamites! Welcome to the first weekly Gotham review. First and foremost I apologize for the delay. Due to time zone issues, website delays and real life I am late in posting this recap/review. From here on out the recaps will be the day after the episode airs. Gotham is being brought to us by Fox which is unusual given that Arrow and The Flash are coming from CW, as did their predecessor Smallville. It would appear that DC doesn’t want to put all of its eggs in the CW basket. Gotham also marks the first Batman character driven series since Birds of Prey. Be warned, there are quasi-spoilers ahead.
The Episode:
A girl is maneuvering around Gotham; she has just stolen something and is taking a breather on a catwalk. She looks down and witnesses the murder of a man and woman. Their son is left alive as the mugger runs away. Rookie officer Jim Gordon and his partner Bullock are called to investigate the murder which turns out to be one of Gotham’s most famous families, the Waynes. The pair takes the case despite Bullock’s desire to be rid of Gordon as this is such a high profile case. Who is responsible for the death of the Waynes? Was it a simple mugging gone wrong or is there something more than meets the eye going on in Gotham?
The Analysis
Gotham brings to viewers a new view of the world of Batman and Gotham. In essence, it’s a Batman show without Batman. The show focuses more of Detective Jim Gordon, future Commissioner of Gotham and his rise through the ranks. I think this is an interesting way to bring the world of Gotham and Batman back to television. Not only do we see the rise of one of Gotham’s heroes but also its villains.
This episode was not without cameo appearances; perhaps a few too many according to several viewers. Personally, I didn’t mind them and actually thought they were pretty neat with the exception of Ivy. The first villain we run into is the girl running through Gotham, Selina Kyle, the on again off again future love interest of Batman. In case you weren’t aware, she is Catwoman. Next is E. Nygma, other was known as Edward Nygma, The Riddler. In Gotham he is the coroner/forensic scientist at the police station. This was my favorite villain as it is so obvious who he will be in the future. Other villains include Oswald Cobblepot (The Penguin) and a very young Poison Ivy. Additionally, we are introduced to Fish Mooney (played by Jada Pinkett Smith), an all new villain created for this show. Hopefully we will get some origin stories of these villains and others during the run of Gotham. With all the villains both obvious and not so obvious, Gordon will have his work cut out for him.
Speaking of Gordon (played by Ben McKenzie), what we know of him so far is that he was a war hero and his father was the District Attorney of Gotham. The dynamic between Bullock and Gordon is very good cop/bad cop. The future of their relationship given the events of the episode (I don’t want to give too much away) will be very exciting. Gordon’s relationship with now orphaned Bruce Wayne and his butler Alfred is intriguing. Hopefully, we won’t be kept from seeing Bruce Wayne’s development in the show. Having a Batman show without any Batman seems smart in the sense that it will allow Gotham to grow without having to rely on Batman, yet a Batman show without Batman? Did we learn nothing from Birds of Prey?
The Verdict:
To be honest and maybe this is the fan girl in me, but I loved Gotham! I am excited to see what is coming in the upcoming season. All of the relationships and character development in this show is attention grabbing and it will definitely keep me in my seat this season. The mingling of existing Batman canon combined with the new stories and characters means that fans have something to look forward to without the same old story being regurgitated.
Until next time! Same Bat Time (next time actually on time)! Same Bat Channel!
DC
