Gotham TV Show

[Abishai100]

How will this season's seeming focus on Arkham Asylum affect the development of the character of the Penguin?

The Penguin is an eerie fellow, simply because he walks and seems to act like an animal or a penguin.

I thought the last episode would feature the introduction of Dr. Harleen Quinzel, but that didn't happen. "Gotham" (Fox TV) has already taken successful liberties with the alteration of the young Poison Ivy character by renaming her as Ivy Pepper instead of using the comic book name Pamela Lillian Isley.

Gotham City is supposed to represent a social interest in examining the confluence and consumerism traffic on the modern American city and how such variables contribute to greed and crime (i.e., crime syndicates, profiteerism, prosperity daredevils, prostitution, vagrancy, capitalism scarecrows, etc.). After all, our society celebrates Burger King gluttonies almost as much as it celebrates EWTN.

So far the nicest and most appropriate 'shopping totem' presented on "Gotham" (Fox TV) is Penguin's iconic umbrella which was also touted on the Adam West TV series as well as in Tim Burton's "Batman Returns" (1992) and the handsome 1990s TV program "Batman: The Animated Series" (Fox TV).

If "Gotham" (Fox TV) continues to manage themes well, Fox can boast two great Batman (DC Comics) empire trophies --- this show and the 1990s animated series.


Of all of Batman's nemeses, Two-Face (Harvey Dent) is the one most focused on urbanization trends and consumerism confetti cynicism. Two-Face has often been depicted for these reasons as the opposite of a straight-edge Wall Street stockbroker --- a suit-wearing glamour boy rogue vigilante.


So far, the treatment of Harvey Dent on "Gotham" (Fox TV) is satisfying and allusions to his chance/coin obsession is rather accurate to the comics. I'd like to see the writers of the show present Harvey Dent's apartment as a nice urbanization indulgence symbol of 'toy mummification.' Such a presentation has also been used in the engaging Hollywood (USA) film "American Psycho" (2000).








Harvey Dent

American Psycho (Film)

[Crimson Knight]

Yeah, they realized during Dr. Olive-Oil's autopsy that she had the same burn marks as the other two victims. So the Electrocutioner had gotten to her during or before the time Arkham was closed, and the other two were practise for the quiet fellow, whom he seems to have perfect control over.

In other words he's a lot more competent than Arkham Origins Electrocutioner.

Speaking of the Arkham series, I want to see Gotham's take on Calendar Man now. He had the same Lecterish qualities in the games that Gruber had in this ep.

Ah. Thanks. Wasn't quite sure, there, appreciate that, Imrobable.

Interesting. Though, wouldn't someone like Calendar Man, by name and nature, have to be a Season long villain, year round?

So, is Electrocutioner solely from the Arkham Origins game, rather than any other media before Gotham?

[Crimson Knight]

Robin Lord Taylor on theory Oswald Cobblepot will be Penguin AND the Joker:

http://screenrant.com/gotham-tv-show...-actor-theory/

[ImprobableQuestion]

Ah. Thanks. Wasn't quite sure, there, appreciate that, Imrobable.

Interesting. Though, wouldn't someone like Calendar Man, by name and nature, have to be a Season long villain, year round?

So, is Electrocutioner solely from the Arkham Origins game, rather than any other media before Gotham?

Apparently there have been three Executioners in the comics, but none of them have had the Gotham character's name. It seems like someone at DC is really trying to put the character over. It is worth noting that the sort of shock gloves he was wielding in the promo for next week's ep is more similar to the Arkhamverse (and likely comic book) version of the guy.

They could presumably make Calendar Man's year round work into a series of cold cases, with the only current appearances of the character showing up on holidays like the Halloween ep or the winter finale. Then catch him on Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's Day. He could certainly be a season-arcing villain. He's essentiallyna precurssor to the Long Halloween, so elements of that would be cool to show.

[ImprobableQuestion]

Does anyone else find the green question mark sign in between the T and H in the Gotham logo awfully omenous?

[Crimson Knight]

Does anyone else find the green question mark sign in between the T and H in the Gotham logo awfully omenous?

Riddler on the horizon, I take it? Well, maybe, but the dark, the rain, moreso.

Yeah, I just got excited by it all, seeing that green question mark there. Was it always there, Pilot to now, or just now and again?

Anything Joker, Penguin, or otherwise related?

[AndrewCrossett]

I thought the last episode would feature the introduction of Dr. Harleen Quinzel, but that didn't happen.

I certainly hope that Harley is either a child right now, or possibly not born yet. Having her be that much older than Bruce (and Ivy) would be a big mistake, IMO.

Not as big a mistake as turning her into a boring, un-costumed grouch like they did in the Birds of Prey TV series, but a mistake.

[Vakanai]

Not as big a mistake as turning her into a boring, un-costumed grouch like they did in the Birds of Prey TV series, but a mistake.

Wasn't that actress Mia Sara?
Lord she was pretty...

[AndrewCrossett]

Wasn't that actress Mia Sara?
Lord she was pretty...

Yep. But Harley Quinn she wasn't. (Maybe she could have been, but the producers and writers wanted no part of that silly comic book stuff.)

[Crimson Knight]

Yep. But Harley Quinn she wasn't. (Maybe she could have been, but the producers and writers wanted no part of that silly comic book stuff.)

Makes little sense, considering the type of show, but, suppose grounded approach works too.

But, doesn't sound very BHarley.

[AndrewCrossett]

Makes little sense, considering the type of show, but, suppose grounded approach works too.

But, doesn't sound very BHarley.

That show came out at a time when everything had to be gritty and realistic, and the things that made comic books fun and interesting were dismissed as juvenile.

It wasn't really until Arrow came along that they figured out how to balance between the expectations of TV viewers and comics readers.

Dina Meyer was pretty good as Oracle, but everything else about the BoP show was disappointing.

[Crimson Knight]

That show came out at a time when everything had to be gritty and realistic, and the things that made comic books fun and interesting were dismissed as juvenile.

It wasn't really until Arrow came along that they figured out how to balance between the expectations of TV viewers and comics readers.

Dina Meyer was pretty good as Oracle, but everything else about the BoP show was disappointing.

Without turning this into a Birds of Prey thread, what would you do if you were doing one now?

Me, it'd be Starling, but Laurel, Helena and Felicity, and add as you go, with two in the field, one directing them. Same universe and actors as Arrow, least for them.

[maczero]

That show came out at a time when everything had to be gritty and realistic, and the things that made comic books fun and interesting were dismissed as juvenile.

The show may have tried to be gritty but it definitely wasn't realistic. Huntress was a meta-human and a big part of the show's storyline was a riff on the X-men. Basically meta-humans were coming out and were on their way to becoming a persecuted minority class.

[AndrewCrossett]

Without turning this into a Birds of Prey thread, what would you do if you were doing one now?

I'd base it on the Gail Simone versions of the team... Oracle, Huntress, Black Canary, and a lot of interesting allies and adversaries. As much focus on character development, interaction and dialogue as on action. Keep costumes, but modify them a bit from their comic book versions.

But if I was going to include Harley Quinn... there's pretty much no way to go too far over the top, even on live TV. And she certainly doesn't work as a string-pulling, finger-steepling criminal mastermind.

The show may have tried to be gritty but it definitely wasn't realistic.

It tried to look realistic, though. Helena was a metahuman but her "powers" were really nothing more than any hyper-competent urban action hero would have.

And don't even get me started on what they did with Dinah Lance.

Anyway, bringing this back around to Gotham... Gotham takes what Birds of Prey was trying to do -- depict what could be real people in a real city -- and keeps just enough of the off-the-wall comic bookness to make it interesting. There are no costumes (at least not yet) and apparently no metahumans, but we still get the impression of a city on the verge of turning into some weird dark circus.

[maczero]

It tried to look realistic, though. Helena was a metahuman but her "powers" were really nothing more than any hyper-competent urban action hero would have.

Not really. The dialogue was as cheesy as Gotham's. And as for Helena's powers, they were using CG for her roof top leaps so she was definitely well beyond peak human in terms of physical feats.