Gotham - season 1 (1 Viewer)

[todd s]

I wonder if ratings aren't where they want it. The studio/producers may fast forward the show a few years to see an older Bruce Wayne..even a pre-Batman.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Isn't Donal Logue the kiss of death on any show he appears on?

 

[Matt Hough]

Vikings is still going strong.

 

[joshEH]

Is Jada Pinkett Smith's character named "Fish" only as a setup for when Penguin stages a coup and usurps her at the end of the season, and has a line like, "Penguins eat fish, ya know..."

...possibly.

I did see a snippet in a making-of vignette where Cobblepot appeared to be beaten and left by the side of the road, and as he's limping, gets picked up by some dude-bros who go, "MAN, you walk just like a PENGUIN."

Here's to hoping they get these cringey callbacks out of their system very quickly. Otherwise, this show will have to be seriously horrific to make me wanna check out early.

 

[DaveHof2]

I'm usually an easy mark for any superhero related fare, but this is just a Smallville take on Batman. Yes, Smallville had its moments but there weren't enough of them in 10 seasons, and the payoff fans waited a decade for never came. I don't think I'm up for another series set in an established superhero universe, that has everything but the main character that is central to that universe. What's next - a Wonder Woman series that focuses only on Steve Trevor and Etta Candy?

 

[joshEH]

Reports indicate that this series is much more Gotham Central than Smallville. Considering that the former is my favorite Batman comic book of all time (Nolan mined it pretty heavily for his trilogy, especially The Dark Knight), I'm definitely onboard for this.

Would love to see Zsasz put in his first tally-mark. Hopefully they'll keep the villains more grounded and human, and away from the monster-types like Killer Croc.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

So this finally premiered.I loved the noir look of the show. It really sets it apart from the other procedurals on the air right now. I also love the look of Gotham in the aerial shots; it exists somewhere between Anton Furst's Gotham City from the 1989 Batman film and the real New York City around the time Abe Beame was mayor and the city was on the verge of bankruptcy.Right off the bat, they introduce some interesting tweaks to the Batman mythology with Selina Kyle being a witness to the Waynes' murder. Speaking of Selina Kyle: I don't know if Camren Bicondova can act, but she's the first live action Catwoman to have the physicality of the character down. She operates in that three-dimensional space, and has the agility and lightness of foot that a cat burglar requires. And because she witnessed the worst moment of Bruce Wayne's young life, she sees him as more than a poor little rich boy. The way she was weaved silently throughout the episode as she investigated Bruce was one of the most effective parts of the episode.I also think David Mazouz is brillant casting as the just-orphaned Bruce Wayne. He was terrific on "Touch", and he brings a completely different dimension to this role. In the opening, we see the scared little boy. And then, at the graveyard, we see the naive little boy. But in the last scene, at the Wayne mansion, we see a glimpse of the adult Bruce Wayne coming out of this twelve year old boy. And the fact that Mazouz is able to bring that through is just astounding.Sean Pertwee's also fascinating, because he doesn't play Alfred Pennyworth like any previous live action incarnation of the character. His performance takes some of the backstory from Michael Caine's take on the character and pushes those elements to the foreground. The downside of that is that I'm not entirely sure I believe that this guy would have kept a job as the Waynes' butler. The upside of that is that it colors Alfred's relationship with young Bruce in interesting ways. Instead of the traditional Alfred who tries to get Bruce to move on and have a complete life, the Alfred who only reluctantly goes along with Batman's escapades, this Alfred sees a broken system and has little confidence in its ability to achieve productive outcomes. It's entirely possible he'll turn out to be an enabler in Bruce's journey toward becoming Batman instead of the gentle guardian who tries to lead him back into the light.Donal Logue is predictably great as Harvey Bullock, capturing a detective who is a reflection of Gotham City's rot and decline while imbuing the character with humor and self-awareness. Ben McKenzie is honest and steely-eyed as newly minted detective James Gordon, which is more or less what you'd want to see from the character.The villains and environment pose real dangers, and the villains -- while campy -- demonstrate real menace and a real threat.The writing needs to get sharper, though. The Batman references are often too on the nose, stating things that should be implied.

 

[Brian McP]

Would only like a Commissioner Gordon show if it was based on the character as portrayed by Neil Hamilton -- that would be a pretty fun show, but realize this isn't 1966 and the Batman legend has moved on into another realm since then.

 

[Matt Hough]

I enjoyed the episode, but I hope they don't feel obligated to squeeze all these villains (or future villains) into every episode. I could see that wearing out its welcome very quickly.

Performances were all top notch; after loving Sean Pertwee as Inspector Lestrade on Elementary last season, I really found him quite wonderful as Alfred.

 

[Sam Favate]

I enjoyed the pilot. Visually, it was great, and the performances were top notch. I thought it did a good job of setting up how corrupt Gotham is. Gordon may find the Wayne's killer, but the roots of the crime will likely go much deeper into Gotham's political establishment, setting up Gordon's (and Bruce's) lifelong crusade.

And BTW, I'd watch a Neil Hamilton Gordon show. I bet he was something as a cop in the post-WWII years.

 

[Bob Gu]

This dark stuff is wearing thin for me. I hope the Supergirl producers go extra light.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Visually beautiful. Just really looked splendid. I didn't mind a multitude of villains in the pilot as an introductory device, but I really hope they intersperse them throughout the series. Either as story arcs, or one this week, one the next, etc. My feelings on Donal Logue tend to run hot and cold but here I thought he was a good fit for the series. Looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

I've enjoyed Bruno Heller's other series, so seeing his name in the credits raised my expectations.

- Walter.

 

[sidburyjr]

I was worried about the hype but was pleasantly surprised with how things worked out. The acting was uniformly good. I though there might have been too many villains-to-be at this early stage. I REALLY liked the obviously painted backdrops that looked just like the comic books. This will be a keeper for me in the new season.

 

[Gary Seven]

Would only like a Commissioner Gordon show if it was based on the character as portrayed by Neil Hamilton --

They did already... it was called Police Squad.

 

[Johnny Angell]

I really liked this, but here's a question: what time frame is this placed in. It has an old feel and look to it, but they've got cell phones.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I really liked this, but here's a question: what time frame is this placed in. It has an old feel and look to it, but they've got cell phones.

It's a deliberate mash-up, designed to feel slightly past tense, regardless of when you watch it.

 

[Jason_V]

Sean Pertwee's also fascinating, because he doesn't play Alfred Pennyworth like any previous live action incarnation of the character. His performance takes some of the backstory from Michael Caine's take on the character and pushes those elements to the foreground. The downside of that is that I'm not entirely sure I believe that this guy would have kept a job as the Waynes' butler. The upside of that is that it colors Alfred's relationship with young Bruce in interesting ways. Instead of the traditional Alfred who tries to get Bruce to move on and have a complete life, the Alfred who only reluctantly goes along with Batman's escapades, this Alfred sees a broken system and has little confidence in its ability to achieve productive outcomes. It's entirely possible he'll turn out to be an enabler in Bruce's journey toward becoming Batman instead of the gentle guardian who tries to lead him back into the light.

Alfred was the one piece I didn't like here. Sure, he is nothing like any live action version of the character and has some of the sarcastic wit of Alfred from Batman: The Animated Series. But this version seems...snarky just for the sake of being snarky. The line near the end when Bruce essentially tells him to shut up made me chuckle because I was thinking the same thing the entire hour.

I really dug Gotham, at least the pilot. There's a lot going on to set up the world and lots of relationships which are seeded here. I was wondering how far they go with Barbara and Montoya in the first episode; part of me wanted them to go farther, but another part is okay with them keeping that reveal for later....as long as it's done in a smart way.

It's a dark city and universe, but at least the production knows how to light every single set unlike the folks at Arrow and The 100 (both shows I enjoy immensely even if my most common criticism is the production needs one more light). I'm okay with that since the world of Batman is dark.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

There are moments in this that feel like "Batman: The Animated Series" come to life. The warehouse scene toward the end, in particular; the bad guy is prowling down the alleyways between giant crates, and the shadows creep in from all angles. A noise from behind startles her. I practically felt the Batman perched in one of the hidden corners, ready to lunge and tackle the villain.Jada Pinkett Smith is approaching Eartha Kitt levels of scenery chewing on this.Quite a final beat to end on.

 

[Matt Hough]

Only a so-so episode for me tonight. Looks like we will be checking in with Oswald, Edward, Salina, and the other crooks every week plus Bruce and Alfred and then Jim and his partner solving a case of the week. Makes for a very crowded episode but the subplots will be fighting one another for attention.

Did like Carol Kane as Oswald's mother. A gruesome twosome for sure.

 

[Sam Favate]

Episode two: Excellent.