Gotham

Gotham chronicles the life of a young Bruce Wayne growing up and young detective Jim Gordon as they take on a corrupt Gotham City. I though Gotham did a great job at building the world of Batman as he grew up and before he actually became Batman. Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie), Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) and the villains were all the real stars of this show. The only weak link is the actor who played Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz). He just doesn't come off as someone who can play a tough guy or beat people up, quite the opposite actually. All his fight scenes were just so unbelievable. But overall the show is very good and worth watching!

As a pretty engaged Batman fan (I read the comics, played the heck out of the Arkham games, saw all the movies, the first Animated Series and I even play the tabletop miniature game) I was apprehensive about this show.

After all, what could be good about a Batman show without Batman? Not to mention the fact that all the rumors mentioned different takes on characters, etc?

I tried it anyway... and I'm glad I did!

There is an awful lot to like here. First of all, the characters are interesting: interesting enough to make you forget all about Batman! You root for Gordon, you're annoyed at Bullock, Fish gives you the creeps and Penguin... let's just say he's moved up in my favorite villains list (and he was near the bottom, let me tell you!).

The acting is great (again I must mention Penguin) and while some have said it's over the top... maybe it is, but it's never distracting and fits within the universe that we're presented with.

As I mentioned above, the series has its own take on the universe - you'll soon recognize certain characters, even though they're introduced in ways that are different than what you knew from the comics - and yet, even as a seasoned Batman fan, I was never bothered by the differences and enjoyed the fresh perspectives on familiar characters.

Also, don't worry about the writers shoe-horning in characters, just to get them on screen. Every character I've seen makes sense within the series.

The first season (which I'm basing this review on) has overarching plot lines, but occasionally has "freak of the week" episodes. I was never bored, though (as I regularly was when watching Flash or Arrow) and it's obvious the writing went towards longer plots when it was clear the show was doing well. It never steeps to "cop show" levels, which is an achievement.

Finally, I must commend the "atmosphere" of the series. It all feels very "Gotham", including the shots of the city skyline, the sets, the extras... it all comes together feeling very Batman, without actually having Batman in the mix...

Do I have any criticism? Not really, no. I would love it if they do a Batman series to tie into this one... there's so much they could work with.

Go see it and enjoy it!

A show set in the Batman universe.. except without Batman? A lot of people didn't like this concept but i was one of the people who did. I wanted to see the villains' rise to power most of all.. but how would they be interesting with no Batman to counter them? Well that's where the early years of Jim Gordon come into play. The show follows Jim as he cracks strange cases whilst trying to help a young Bruce Wayne solve the mystery of his parents' murder. It seemed each week for a while we would see a new villain come in and act like they run Gotham City before Jim and Harvey Bullock shut them down, but it turned into more than that.

After a while the show did start to feel repetitive and i wanted to see more focus on a single villain that on a bunch and we ended up getting that by the end and i absolutely loved the finale, but before we talk about that let's talk about what i liked less. Over the course of the series we were introduced and hinted at early incarnations of villains we could expect to see. Scarecrow, Poison Ivy and even The Joker have been hinted at and whilst these are some of the best Batman villains i feel that they should have been left for later series' and that this series should have focused on three particular villains who i will talk about later. The biggest gripe for me was hinting at Jerome being the Joker.. Joker is obviously a big deal in the Batman universe and i feel without Batman being introduced then Joker should be left well alone, but also early hints to Bruce being Batman felt shoehorned in, i feel less focus should be drawn to him and the Batman references as well as the awful cat puns from Selina Kyle should have been toned down a huge deal.

However, i do feel Gotham is a very entertaining show to say the least. It is ridiculous and some of the characters act even more cartoony than they do on Batman: The Animated Series which is saying a lot. This isn't so much a bad thing because the show knows how ridiculous it is whilst still maintaining a gritty feel to it and i give it props for that. The acting is over the top but Ben McKenzie as Jim Gordon and Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock are absolutely true to the characters (especially Logue) and play well off each other. The villains i mentioned are Fish Mooney, a new character who isn't in the comics played by Jada Pinkett Smith who brings a stylish yet creepy edge to her character, she was one of the best on the show. I also loved Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma, his slow descent into becoming the Riddler was at times shoehorned in but when it worked it was incredible, especially in the finale. The absolute stand out of the show however is of course Robin Lord Taylor who plays Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin. My god, he gave one of the best performances i have seen in TV for years, he made me root for the Penguin's survival and the Penguin has always been low down on my list of favourite Batman villains (that is until now). If anyone can be praised for single handedly making this show work and bringing a whole heap of crazy, ridiculous yet incredible acting skills to the table it is Robin Lord Taylor who honestly deserves a lot more work. He has clearly earned it.

So no, Gotham does not go without its flaws and characters such as Edward Nygma should have got more screen time if they were to be introduced now to let their characters develop but i expect series 2 will open a new set of opportunities for them which i look forward to. If Jerome truly is the Joker though i'm not sure how i would feel. The finale, without spoilers, was very satisfying to me. Some of it felt maybe too ridiculous such as the scenes with Dr. Lee and Barbara but overall i was entertained and am intrigued to see more so that is always a good sign. A fun show that doesn't take itself too seriously. It doesn't quite scale a show like Daredevil but it doesn't exactly try to and it also gives us one of the best characters in recent TV with Penguin.

8.5/10

What a fantastic new take on classic DC characters and stories. A cast chalked full of new face actors and actress's, that are only no names for the time being most of these new actors really have the chops and have delivered very strong performances since season 1 episode 1. This show is stylish, smart, and wickedly entertaining. It does have some plot lines that can be comparable to soap operas but again the acting. Costumes, scenes designs, and creative camera work makes up for that.

Gotham has long been the TV show many like to pick at, its first season, while compelling was mostly a mundane origin tale. Happy to report that since that time, the show has evolved into something really special. Lavish, atmospheric set pieces, great performances and a constant drift from episodic story arcs are just a few qualities to love about this show. Moreover it does justice to many comic book characters that everyone knows. While it does face some tonal inconsistency and gets the villain-of-the-week treatment on occasion, at least it builds its characters and does proper justice to them.