We all know the story of Gotham, right? A prequel to the Batman story, Gotham follows Jim Gordon, a rookie detective, trying to clean up crime-ridden Gotham. Pretty straight-forward. The series opens with the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents in an alley and the first episode follows the search for the killer. Along the way, we meet people who will eventually turn into familiar characters: Oswald Cobblepot (The Penguin), Edward Nygma (The Riddler), Ivy Pepper (Poison Ivy), and Selina Kyle (Catwoman). We also meet a new character, created for the show, named Fish Mooney, a tough gangster who wants to take control of the city from the gangster who currently runs the city, Carmine Falcone.
Often times, it is tough to judge a new TV series based on the pilot alone. The cast and crew are still getting their footing, and the writers have to jam a lot of information into a very short span of time. Luckily, since Gotham has a well established backstory and a familiar cast of characters, we can bypass (most) of the expository nonsense and actually move the story forward. The pilot was well-paced and gave a human face to those whom we most often see behind a mask.
The show looks beautiful (at least what I could see in a terrible digital screener). A timeless mix of gothic noir, art deco, and urban decay that somehow evokes the darkness of the city without being so physically dark as to obscure the picture. What is even more interesting is the timelessness of the setting. In the pilot, there were no computers in sight; the cars are a mix of old and classic; and though the characters do use cell phones, they are nondescript flip phones, used for phone calls only.
There was one thing that really pulled me out of the show: this strange, not-too-subtle hint that Jim’s fiancee, Barbara, was once in a secret lesbian relationship with a detective from the Major Case Unit. I know Barbara Gordon Sr’s character isn’t exactly cannon, but it seemed random and unnecessary; a detail that producers put in to make the show seem edgier, sexier, more salacious.
The acting is great all around. Ben McKenzie plays Jim Gordon as a good, decent man without making him seem starry-eyed or naive. Donal Logue as Jim’s seasoned, hardened partner, is a cop whose conscience is dormant due to self-preservation - but it’s still there. Jada Pinkett Smith plays Fish Mooney as tough and sexy, but not cheesy. I’m not crazy about Sean Pertwee’s portrayal of Alfred - I am more used to the cultured, sophisticated Alfred, and Pertwee plays him with a mercenary feel. And David Mazouz plays young Bruce Wayne with a maturity that most child actors cannot achieve.
Gotham may not be horror, but it is dark, it is well done, and it should be on your fall TV schedule.
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