TV Show Reviews

GOTHAM

Critique

By: Megan Gordon

            I wouldn’t say I’m a critic, but I definitely have high expectations for television these days. If a show can shock and elicit more than one emotion during the length of the episode, I consider that to be good television, but I, as a consumer of multiple multimedia, know that isn’t all that a good show needs to be successful.

            The people of Gotham have harvested something amazing; compiled of a charismatic team of expert actors, casting directors, producers, developers, writers, directors, makeup and the list goes on, these people make sense of the chaos that is Gotham City.

            First off, lets get this statement out of the way: Robin Lord Taylor as the Penguin may be the series’ shining star of the moment, but the work that which the other actors exhibit is simply dazzling, to say the least. Each character seems to have been meticulously chosen for each role and rightfully so, the comic community expects the highest when it comes to doing a superhero justice. I’m not going to say that Batman is the best superhero out there, and there are people that would argue that he isn’t a superhero at all, but widely spread there seems to be a higher demand and obsession over the Dark Knight. In my lifetime at least, there has been multiple renditions of the Batman franchise. This includes comic books, graphic novels, movies, and video games, not to mention all of the merchandise and memorabilia that comes along with that. There seems to be a fascination with everything to do with Batman, and rightfully so.

            Now, not only does Batman have all the coolest gadgets, he’s a superhero without powers. He creates his own power, and out of that the best villains emerge. Come on, who doesn’t have at least a secret love of The Joker? I mean, really. The guy can’t be named: nothing but knives and lint in his pockets. He’s mysterious, and we love it. The character of Jerome played by Cameron Monaghan in Gotham isn’t the real Joker, and we know this right off the bat (excuse the unintended pun) because we know his name and origin, but he gives us the perfect glimpse of what the Joker has to come.

            Now, by those who know me, I am a bit of a fan of the Batman world. I did most of my teenage growing up in the enthrallment of Christian Bale as the studded Dark Knight. By the time The Dark Knight hit theatres, I was hooked: the world of Batman became an obsession and I immersed my life in the world of Bruce Wayne. However, what I like about Gotham is that the series isn’t about Batman at all, Batman has yet to grow up and be invented, and the series focuses on the villains, something that is rarely focused upon in superhero movies and television.

            The intricacy of the storylines, the characters themselves that took shape, and the chaos –oh the chaos, was the best part. Now, the older Batman movies staring Michael Keaton and the like were somewhat of a comic adventure. If these movies were made in the present as they were back in the day, they might have a greater pull towards the comic nature of the Batman world. As we progress towards 2008, we see Batman come to life as part of our world and culture with guns blazing- sorry, grapnel hooks shooting, and the tumbler-tank replacing the insignificant bat-mobiles of the late 80’s. The Dark Knight trilogy really brought to life The Dark Knight and it’s characters into our century.

            All these movies have progressed well on their own and can stand in their own right, but never has a Batman television nor cinema ever played upon the dark chaos, the feel of the real comic book characters, and still bringing the feel of Gotham City to real life. I must say the first few episodes of introduction could have been stronger, but introducing the Batman origin story was a good way to start the series. Yes, yes we’ve all heard this story before, just like all the other fan favourite superhero origins, but Gotham never dwelled on the origin like the movies before.

            The story of Bruce Wayne has been transformed slightly (as variations of stories do). We’re not seeing an older Bruce being ninja trained by middle aged Rhas Al Guhl as in Batman Begins, but as a child being taught by his ex-military butler who was hired to protect Bruce against the scum of Gotham City. This detail- however miniscule at this time- may prove to be valuable as the series progresses.

            Apart from how brilliant the writing of the story has been, the casting proves to be even more perfect. Now I’m not 100 percent sure how long it has taken Fox to bring to life this series, but wow. Simply, wow. The details they have looked for when casting each character is astounding. Not only have they chosen to focus on many of the major characters within the story, but also they have looked for and picked out specific features for each of them, for instance: young Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) as features of a cat. Her eyes catlike in their own right, the actor’s hair in the series is wild and un-kept much like a cat in the wild.

            Each actor seems to throw themselves into the roles with everything they have. It’s almost like each of them are Batman fans outside of the show. Either way, the team of actors and everyone who supports the show are providing the best entertainment for the fans and justice to the history of the Dark Knight. Gotham has provided the best and I hope it will continue to provide the best it has to offer in the upcoming future.