Even though it hadn’t aired yet, Gotham had been one of the most talked about series for the last few months. Reviews for Gotham started to appear long before the show was close to airing. It seemed that everyone had something to say about the series. Some seemed hopeful while others seemed doubtful. Many wondered how they could have a Batman series that didn’t have a Batman and wasn’t focused on how he evolved into the Dark Knight. In other words, early on fans knew that this series wasn’t going to be another Smallville. After watching the first two episodes, we feel ready to a proper Gotham review.
Speaking as one of the hopefuls, I believe that the series has started off rather well. We get to follow a young, fresh on the force Jim Gordon, but he isn’t a total green horn. We get the sense that while he is new to Gotham City’s police department he knows what he is doing. He is already a man of morals, and a hardworking officer. He is unwilling to cross that line into corruption, as seen at the end of the first episode, even when it seems his back is against the wall.
Gordon crosses paths with a number of beings who are down right cutthroat, or a least will become so. Fish Mooney, a character made for the series, is fun to watch. It is very possible that she will appear in the comics at some point in the near future. Penguin is kind of lovable, in a strange way. One gets a sense that he has been pushed around all his life. If this was high school, he would be eating lunch in the bathroom, dreaming about how he will show them that he’s not a nobody.
Fans who love nods to the comics, and foreshadowing, will love/hate moments in the show. Watching a young Catwoman steal milk, or Bruce Wayne trying to overcome fear helps to showcase how far some characters have come. Other nods will be a bit of a headache, case in point the Joker. These are of course just some of Batman’s future rogues that have appeared so far. The first episode has already sparked the debate of “Is this are Joker?” Answer: no. That man is clearly not the Joker. What adds to the mystic of the Joker is that his origin story is a mystery, and it depends on who’s telling his story. Seeing the man behind the curtain kind of ruins the image. Gotham, in keeping with the comics, will most likely have a number of people appear that could one day become the Joker. They will keep his backstory open, and unclear. It’s the only way to do the clown justice. Gotham is clearly going to be an amazing series, and if the series last long enough it will end in one of two ways. Bruce Wayne will start creating the Batcave or he will have his first Batsuit because, let’s face it, you can’t end a Batman series without having Batman appear, even if it’s just in passing.
Images courtesy of Fox
