Gotham

By: Robert Murphy

The city of Gotham didn't always have the caped crusader jumping across rooftops and cleaning up the corruption in the streets. Gotham spent many years as a crime infested city that was secretly run by the mob and others that divided power in the city, even the police were under their thumb. There was man though that started the domino effect that would cause the city to rise above this and that man was Detective James Gordon (Benjamin McKenzie). Yes, Gotham revolves around the early days of the future Commissioner's life when all the big named baddies of the city were not super powered and crazed madmen, okay they were but Batman could handle those guys although they will be making their presence known. It would appear that James has no friends in this upcoming battle and will need to change the minds of the whole city in order to bring justice to the streets.

What I feel is clear going into a show like Gotham is that it is based in a huge franchise about one of the most well known super heroes of today but it is really Gordon's show. Names like Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), The Penguin (Robin Taylor) and Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) are bound to show up but they won't be major players for a few years yet. This doesn't mean that they won't be rising to power in their own ways but for now Gordon has the reins and he has enough things to deal with. Corruption and greed are a fester on the city and James is a straight laced man who just made Detective and has returned to Gotham from war. He is basically like a goody goody newbie to the force with his views as everyone knows the pecking order of things except for him and he needs to tow the line or end up swallowed up whole by the city. The whole plot really plays out like a 70's cop drama where the cops in the GCPD are all on the take in one way or another, even James partner Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue). 

Gordon does take some time to find his groove early on, he already establishes the fact that he is someone who aims to do good by promising to solve the Wayne murders but he doesn't have much maneuverability early on. It takes some time for him to learn the ins and outs of everything and to finally have his own cards to play against the bad guys. Most of the first few episodes he finds himself getting punched, strung up by his ankles and even almost killed so you can see how it would be a bit of a grind for him at the start. Bullock though begins to teach him the ropes, he may be a smart mouthed slacker who usually ignores his duties but underneath there is a good cop. He also knows how the city works and all the big names players like Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith). Fish is a high ranking boss for Carmine Falcone (John Doman) who has her own plans for the city and approaches her role with definite ferocity. She was an instant favorite for me as she moved cunningly across the screen silently creating her own plans but can bring down the hurt just as easily if confronted, she being one of the people to string up Gordon. Through all this Gordon begins to find his footing and some friends along the way, things aren't so bleak for the city as they seem but there is a long way to go yet.

This uneven footing also translates over to a character that I didn't expect it to and that's the young Bruce Wayne. Bruce sort of feels like an unwanted addition to the story much of the time, yes he is needed for the plot and is important to the universe but his stories often don't amount to much. The real hero for the Bruce storyline is Alfred (Sean Pertwee) who is shoved into the guardian role and tries his best to nurture Bruce in anyway he can. He calls upon his military background to teach him how to fight and even take down would be assassins. He started of as a bit of a brute character and one I thought would need time to get use to his role but that quickly ended once I began to see him in action. For the most part too the large cast of character follow the lines of Alfred where they settle in quite nicely to their roles as my statement about Fish Mooney and Harvey Bullock would suggest. Mister Edward Nygma aka The Riddler was a delightful treat as he saunters around GCPD headquarters doing the job of the forensic coroner, even though he isn't suppose to, and handing out information about cases to Gordon in the form of riddles. We also have The Penguin who appears to be a meek underling but subtle he manipulates all the mob bosses in the hopes to one day rule Gotham City as the fearsome crime lord we know he becomes. 

Certain additions from the Batman universe could have been better of left out as they don't receive much time or grooming in the story. A young Poison Ivy (Clare Foley) makes a few appearances throughout the show but her character never gets any detailed information revealed into the person she may become. Characters like hers were best placed in only one episode like the introduction of the young Scarecrow and how he came to be a future enemy of Batman. We also have another large name when Harvey Dent (Nicholas D'Agosto) makes an appearance in a few choice episodes as a fresh faced lawyer who wants to help James with his work. We see the future Two-Face flip his coin a little bit and get a taste of his ill placed temper but he also doesn't shine much and could have best been left out especially since his doesn't carry much weight until later. These were some of the few choice attempts Gotham makes to incorporate a large amount of the universe that is Batman into the show but they really didn't need to. Penguin, Riddler and the other were just enough and were the right characters to add because they were actually enemies of James Gordon and you have to remember that it really is a show about him and not the Dark Knight when you get down to it. 

Overall, things tend to stay on track for Gotham as it keeps the focus on Gordon's rise through the ranks and the struggles he faced to try and clean up the streets long before Batman ever arrives on seen. He not only works to solve the Wayne murders but also faces police corruption and a number of other names from the Batman universe such Carmine Falcone, The Balloon Man, The Red Hood and others. There is some uncertain character work and additions of characters that could have been left out but I felt good about the names that were included such as The Riddler who was executed wonderfully. If the focus that the last half of this first series continues forward into the next then you will certainly find myself watching the shows return. 

Good:

- The gritty and tense cop drama style format

- Seeing young faces to the big name villains of the Batman universe is a treat 

- Benjamin McKenzie and other great actors bring great adaptations to their characters

Bad:

- Some unnecessary additions from the Batman universe

- The uneven footing for the first half of the show

Scully Rating: 8.0 out of 10