Gotham TV Show

[The Drunken Dork Podcast]

So I just finished watching the premier, and maybe it's because I came into it with little to no expectations, but I was surprised by the fact that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Yeah, it was a little clunky & predictable in some spots (but then, most prequels are), but I walked away with a lot of questions about the show and it's characters.

This is far from a "must watch" show, but until they give ne a reason not to, I'll be tuning in.

[numberthirty]

He never said they were friends. He said he knew him.

As for Gordon and law school, what about that character has ever said "Yep. That dude should have been a lawyer."?

[MichaelC]

spoilers:

Theory one on who ordered the Wayne's death: Cobblepot did it to set up his boss. He knew he could manipulate Fish into reacting criminally to it, and did it so he could betray her and get her jailed. Cons: it makes a major canon guilty of something that would tend to get him killed long before Bruce becomes Batman. Theory two: the Scionis family. They have the money, they are jealous of the Waynes, and you could kill them off without creating the stink that killing off a major canon villain would. Would make Bruce saying that a tall man wearing a black mask did it into an easter-eff. Cons: they haven't been introduced yet, and may not even exist in this universe. Theory three: the future Joker did it. It fits with the Burton movie, and TV producers tend to think of the movies as more "real" than the comics. Cons: it again makes a major canon guilty of something that would likely result in him being killed before Bruce becomes Batman. Theory three: Joe Chill really was just a random street-thief who did it for no real reason. This fits with most comics canon. Cons: he had weaponry that such a lowbie shouldn't have, and the way the scene was filmed seemed more like an execution than a robbery gone wrong.

end of spoilers

[Daryl]

My ass wasn't kicked but I will keep watching.

Please, though, lose the shaky-cam shots of them running. It looks more like drug trip images from something like "Trainspotting" than anything else.

[Colonel Mortimer]

Man, I'm so glad they changed the little girl's name to ivy and showed her with a plant in every shot. I never would've gotten it.

[saul_on_the_road_to_damascus]

My ass wasn't kicked but I will keep watching.

Please, though, lose the shaky-cam shots of them running. It looks more like drug trip images from something like "Trainspotting" than anything else.

Agreed those shots were the worst.

[Paul W.]

It was... average. I'm not disappointed by it, but I'm not really jazzed for the next episode.

I'm not sure this is a mistake or anything, or just the director/writers intentionally doing a misdirection, but if the mob doesn't really know who killed the Waynes, then Nigma should know pretty immediately that the gun they found with the pearls is no ballistic match. No, no one came out and said *anything* about the gun, but the deliberate way it was revealed was intended to make the audience think in that direction. So, premeditated misdirection, I guess. The thing is, while Harvey might not care, both Gordon and the MCU *would* care about the ballistics test. Having Montoya ignore *that* is a faux pas.

Speaking of Montoya, the past history with Barbara Keene was clunky and it just felt shoehorned in. I think Cobblepot is a bit too manic for the way I view him, but I guess it's still early in the game. Selina Kyle came off pretty decently in my opinion, and Fish Mooney worked. Not sure, but I think I'm going to get annoyed by Crocodile Alfred. We'll see.

Good enough for another episode, certainly.

But the real winner of the night was Forever, I think.

[Jack Flag]

He never said they were friends. He said he knew him.

As for Gordon and law school, what about that character has ever said "Yep. That dude should have been a lawyer."?

It's a class warfare thing - being a cop is a blue collar kind of thing. People who are DAs - even of they die with a young child - tend to be in the upper echelon of our class system. And being a veteran means Gordon could afford law school than the shitty job of a detective in a hell hole like Gotham.
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If they are going for realism then they stumbled here. Gordon works best as a tough honest cop from a multi-generational cop family - maybe his dad died in the line of duty which impacted young Gordon so much he is immune to bribes and corruption because he is trying to be a good cop in memory of his dad he never knew, etc. That to me would have been a better origin story for the TV show.

[RobinFan4880]

But the real winner of the night was Forever, I think.

Big Bang premiered two new episodes directly opposite Gotham. Big Bang was likely the big winner of the night, although Dancing with the Stars (which was also opposite Gotham) will likely do well as well.

[Jack Flag]

I have to say, Arrow is still the best realized comic book hero TV show ever done. Arrow is what Batman year one TV show should model itself after. And it is fun! A lot of fun! Gotham did not seem fun to me. DC seems to be all over the place with their TV and movie properties. Outside of Arrow and possibly the Flash they are still stuck in the grim and gritty take on comic book heroes to the point its like a heavy weight on their characterizations.

[Crimson Knight]

Could Black Mask be a possibility?

I think, either as an up and comer like Cobblepot, or as an established like Mooney, could work.

Whether he looks like Black Mask usually does is another question, but time will tell.

Remember Mister Freeze being confirmed for Season 1, or Gotham in general. Wonder when that'd be and would he still be Victor Fires then?

[nightrider]

My ass wasn't kicked but I will keep watching.

Please, though, lose the shaky-cam shots of them running. It looks more like drug trip images from something like "Trainspotting" than anything else.

That was a Southland staple. I'm expecting something different from it the next time round though.

[MJ Tanner]

Man, I'm so glad they changed the little girl's name to ivy and showed her with a plant in every shot. I never would've gotten it.

Or within two lines of being introduced someone calls Oswald Cobblepott "Penguin."

It wasn't good, but it was watchable.

[Crimson Knight]

It has a strong visual presence that is for sure. I loved Riddler and Penguin. The take on Alfred is so different. He is basicly an *******. Is this the first time he has been portrayed as such.

I really think that's far too strong a word for him. I'd describe him as kept in, buttoned up and cautious.

Gotham is a corrupt, dangerous, brutal and violent city, full of crime, pain and death.

The young boy he cares for, Bruce Wayne, witnessed an incredible violent and traumatic crime. The murder of his parents, in front of his very eyes, with the killing even going so far as to point the gun at him, then decide against it and walk away, leaving him shaken, afraid, alone and in pain.

Alfred is really the only one around to care for him now, so he needs to be careful about whether or not James Gordon is someone he can trust, or just another corrupt cop, in an increasingly broken city. Was he part of the cover up, the framing, or is he actually an honest cop, trying to do good, who could indeed get Bruces' hopes up, only to have them dashed later on?

Especially when at the funeral, it seemed as if the killer had been killed, and closure had, but it turns out that's false, in some sort of frame job, says a new cop to the city, Gordon.

So I can understand if Alfred was protective, distrusting, or a bit standoffish. He had, I think, plenty of reason to be.

[Hypestyle]

So is there going to be an origin story for Fish Mooney? Especially since Lucius Fox isn’t depicted on-screen yet, the show benefits from having a realistic diversity for the modern urban setting that Gotham is supposed to represent. (Is the precinct captain Montoya's mother?) If this series is meant to last beyond the first season, then the filmmakers need to get as much mileage as possible out of the various principal characters. Everybody’s antsy about the rise of the Penguin, Riddler, et al., but just like Harley Quinn wasn’t part of the Bat-canon originally—it could be intriguing to bring Mooney further into the mythos. It would be a shame to just have Fish be a temporary placeholder for the first season,only to set her up to be killed by Cobblepot in the finale or something. Where’d the (presumably) nickname comefrom? Is Mooney her real surname? Is it a strip club or a regular nightclub sheowns? How did she get involved in crime (the exact rackets of which has yet to be revealed)?