I love superhero shows that delve right into the origins of a comic book superhero and Gotham delivers in spades.
Gotham opens up with the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne in front of their son Bruce (David Mazouz) but this isn’t another take on the caped crusader legend known as Batman.
This story belongs to Detective Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie). Jim is an ex-solider turned cop, who won’t break the rules but at the same time promises Bruce that he will find the killer. Gordon is partnered with Detective Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) who is a complex character with questionable actions that make you wonder if he is to be trusted.
This of course being Gotham City there are bad people everywhere. Mobster Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) wants to control the city but she can’t do that just yet as she answers to Carmine Falcone (John Doman). Fish Mooney has help in the form of a downright creepy Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), who hates the nickname Penguin.
Along the way viewers are also introduced to a young Ivy Pepper (Clare Foley) whose role is small in the pilot but something tells me it’s going to be one of the show’s most interesting characters.
The pilot has so many characters whose exploits are comic folk law seeing how the show charts the characters into their future selves is going to be intriguing and a huge selling point for me. I am left to wonder how the show will handle a procedural case, which isn’t tied into the mythology, though I suspect they will be few and far between.
Everything in the pilot is executed to near perfection however the cheesy dialogue and the use of so many Easter eggs for comic fans are the pilot’s downfalls.
Gotham is a very dark and gritty character piece that has potential to be one of the best TV offerings of 2014
4.5/ 5 stars
Gotham begins with a double episode 8:30pm tonight on Nine.
