This weekend will be an analysis of one of the new highly viewed shows on television, Gotham. This review will focus on the pilot episode, which can be one of the most important episodes in any TV series as the first impression is key in hooking an audience.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of one of the most popular and well-received fictional characters of all time, Batman. Batman has dominated all forms of media, from comics to cartoons, to Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan films, and even has been making groundbreaking video games with the Batman Arkham series.
However, other than the 1960’s Adam West series, the Dark Knight has not seen as much success with live action television. The world of Batman has such interesting characters to analyze that someone can make plenty of stories of a supporting character or villain. This series seems to take advantage of it, as we see the origins of Batman’s allies and supporting cast, but does Gotham utilize it well, or should we pretend it never happened like Joel Schumacher’s films?
Gotham is a crime drama series that primarily focuses on one of Batman’s greatest allies, James Gordon, and follows his days before he was a commissioner and Bruce put on the cowl. The pilot starts off with the iconic scene of Bruce Wayne’s parents being shot by a mugger. Detective James Gordon and his partner Harvey Bullock are sent to investigate the crime and find out who killed Bruce’s parents. Gordon wants to make sure justice is served.
Viewers may be disappointed that Bruce is not the protagonist, but this is a good thing. Batman, as well-received as he is, is one of the most overexposed characters in the media to the point where we know what to expect from his character. Gordon has the origin that can carry the series as a good cop in a bad city. Gordon’s not just there to clean up the streets, he has to clean up the department that everyone thinks are the good guys. There are several appearances made by characters that will become important in Gotham’s future, good or bad.
The series is likely to focus more on Catwoman and Penguin the most in terms of the villain origin stories. We also see how Bruce copes after the death of his parents, and it will be interesting to see what the young actor brings to the table.
One of the highlights of this new series is the production design. It is extravagant and it perfectly fits into the world of Batman. Certain live action Batman productions have struggled to find that mix of grounded reality with a little fantasy, like Batman: The Animated Series, one of the best versions of the character and his world.
The series is certainly not perfect. The pilot itself introduces too many characters, and a good chunk of them did not contribute to the plot.
The actors varied from great to mediocre. Ben McKenzie portrays Gordon, and seems somewhat bland. It’s understandable that he wants to play a serious character, but I felt he could have shown a little more emotion than just being a tough but understanding cop. Robin Lord Taylor does a decent job as the Penguin portraying an unpredictive role.
The one’s who steal the show are Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock and Jada Pinkett Smith as mob boss Fish Mooney. Logue does a great job showing that such a minor Batman character can have a good sense of depth.
Is Gotham the must watch show on TV right now? It’s decent, but I don’t think it’s the breakout show of the year that people are going to binge watch. If you want a show focused more on superhero action and characters, Arrow or The Flash on the CW could satisfy your needs. Batman does have great production values, decent acting, and you can satisfy your Batman-related needs until Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice comes out, so this isn’t a bad choice of show to watch.
-Brady Lass