Take Three: Gotham

Gotham: Season 1, Episode 3 “The Balloonman” (C+)

More and more, I’m thinking that this isn’t the show for me. Though it will leave my Monday nights completely vacant, I think giving up on this show could be the right choice, especially considering the wealth of series airing on Sunday night that always tend to spill over into midweek viewing. What I’ll give this episode is the method of killing exercised by its villain: attaching those he deems deserving of death to weather balloons so that they literally float away terrified for the entire city to see. It’s a very comic book plot, which isn’t a bad thing, but little else about this series impresses me. The way that the police, particularly Harvey, use violence to intimidate and question their suspects is far too comical, and it’s hard to believe that James, pure as he is, could exist in this world. The scene in which James refused to let Lamond be carried away by his own balloon was awfully dramatic, but it just doesn’t track that James can behave so nobly and then still be a part of this Gotham universe (Alfred and Bruce are the only other pure ones). We got the very helpful if far-fetched information that Renee isn’t just gunning for James because she thinks he’s crooked but also because she used to date Barbara, who was busy getting high in this hour. Oswald is pretty terrible at following instructions, if his immediate presence in Gotham and his decision to show up at James’ door are any indication.

Round Two: Gotham

Gotham: Season 1, Episode 2 “Selina Kyle” (C+)

Perhaps I was too optimistic about the prospects of this show based off the pilot, and now I’m worried that this show will rapidly devolve just like other shows that are meant to be for sophisticated audiences but take on an all too simplistic air when it comes to portraying heroes and villains. This show has clearly defined its good guys – Jim, Cat, Bruce, and Alfred – and everyone else might as well be wholly evil. That doesn’t exactly make for great drama, but it can create plenty of cartoonish behavior and unfulfilling storylines. I can’t deny the creepiness of the snatchers, particularly the woman portrayed by Lili Taylor, who first made an impression on me as Lisa on “Six Feet Under.” She was joined by Frank Whaley, whose last gig was as FBI Agent Van Miller on “Ray Donovan.” While they were clearly the baddest of the bad, even the not-quite-villains have sinister movies, like Richard Kind’s Mayor James and Zabryna Guevara’s Captain Essen, who far from convincingly told Jim that she couldn’t order him to break the law but that he should anyway. Jim’s behavior is questionable and inconsistent, as he made Harvey believe that he killed Oswald but readily admitted to him that Barbara was the one who leaked the story about the child snatchers to the newspaper. Oswald is leaving quite a trail of destruction in his wake, and it won’t be look before word of his being alive gets back to Gotham, though Fish may be preoccupied with hating Carmine for the way he is treating her.

Pilot Review: Gotham

Gotham (FOX)
Premiered September 22 at 8pm

It would be fair to call this the most anticipated show of the fall. Batman got big over the past ten years because of the positive reviews for Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, and TV watchers are always thrilled about a comic book reboot. In this case, it’s not the CW making a new DC show (like “Smallville” or “Arrow”), but another network that made an ill-fated venture into the Gotham universe with “Birds of Prey” about a decade ago. FOX is actually a great choice for a show like this, since it doesn’t need to be on cable but does deserve to be somewhere that’s able to deliver consistent action, which I think it’s reasonable to say FOX does. The good news is that this show is actually pretty decent, and it may avoid the trappings of a series like this which hinges so much on predicting its own future. Centering the show on a young Commissioner Gordon rather than on Bruce Wayne himself is a smart idea, and it seems to be paying off since he’s a real do-gooder stuck in a dark world plagued by corruption. I’m still a bit worried about all of the characters needed to lead up to their destinies, but it seems like Catwoman and Penguin, at least, will be put to productive use in a way that doesn’t feel entirely tied to their preexisting alter egos in Batman lore. It’s hard to believe that Ben McKenzie is the same actor who played Ryan on “The O.C.” a decade ago, and I think he’s actually this show’s strongest asset as Gordon. It’s interesting to see Donal Logue flip-flop between comedy and drama, and he’s a good fit for bad egg Harvey Bullock. I’m not sold on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Fish Mooney, but I think the supporting characters will just have to grow on me. This was an ambitious pilot, and though things could go downhill, I’m intrigued for now.

How will it work as a series? Gordon has made his choice not to let the city get to him, but his partner thinks that he killed the Penguin, an untruth that’s going to come back to haunt him sooner rather than later if the violent end of the episode is any indication. There is so much in this universe that can be done, and let’s hope this show embraces the “Smallville” model of blazing new trails rather than sticking to the facts as they were invented so many years ago.
How long will it last? This one seems like a guarantee to be FOX’s flagship new show, and pairing it with the success story of last season, “Sleepy Hollow,” is a good sign. The ratings for the pilot were great, and I have no doubt that this show will soon be renewed for a second season.

Pilot grade: B