Gotham - FOX TV Show Discussion

[Red_11]

I thought the first episode was just okay. Nothing terrible about it, but the dialogue seemed weak in places and I didn't like that speed up editing when Gordon was chasing that perp.

Pretty much my thoughts as well. I'd give it a B-. It wasn't great, but it was good enough for me to keep watching. Aside from the dialogue and some of the editing I felt like they tried to pack too much in too soon. I don't think we needed to be introduced to so many characters in the first ep. Also, Selina's physical presence was a bit too self consciously "cat-like." We get it, she'll become Catwoman, trust the audience a little bit, you don't need to beat us over the head with it.

On the plus side I really liked Jada Pinkett Smith. All of Fish Mooney's scenes were great.

All in all it's just the pilot. They'll have plenty of opportunity for improvement.

[themasething]

Eh, I'll give it half a season. It'll either get really good or die completely. Personally I'm thinking the latter only due to a lot of loads being blown in the first episode and there are some changes to the Batman lore that really cause my OCD to kick in and create Fanboy rage.

[The Darknight Detective]

I don't think we needed to be introduced to so many characters in the first ep.

I don't disagree with that. They should have been spaced out a little more.

On the plus side I really liked Jada Pinkett Smith. All of Fish Mooney's scenes were great.

Definitely. Sexy, intimidating, and commanding, Jada has never been better in a role, IMO. Fish is an excellent addition to the Batman mythos.

[The Darknight Detective]

Eh, I'll give it half a season.

I can't see it doing any worse than Arrow, the latter featuring a character not remotely as popular as Batman/Bruce. Plus, FOX is seen by more people than is the case with the CW. I'll be shocked if it doesn't go at least three seasons.

[MikeMC005]

Regarding the Bullock scene at the end, I got the feeling that Bullock knew Gordon hadn't really killed Cobblepot and was in fact testing Gordon to see how straight of a cop he really is. I think he wants to really clean up Gotham but can't do it on his own and has just gone with the flow and surviving up till now. Now there's Gordon to really and honestly work with.

I got this feeling too... He was too proud of Gordon after he "killed" Cobblepot. I think that it was really a test to see how noble Gordon was and if it would be someone he could actually work with.

[Nite-Wing]

More thoughts
I don't have a problem with corrupt Bullock that's the one thing the pilot got right. He barely cares about his job and has to be motivated to do it by more competent detectives
I don't like how the Wayne murder was shot. It looked like the guy was out to kill them
Selina running around as a mini catgirl is kinda random compared to how grounded the show was after that.
Can we just stop with this cockney accent alfred?

[cranger]

I enjoyed this a lot. Sure I could heap some criticism on parts of the show but it was no worse than anything else on television.

As for a couple things mentioned earlier:

- I do not think the apartment is Gordon's. Barbara makes a comment about him moving in to her apartment or something like that. I get the impression that her family is well off.

- Bullock did not come off as corrupt to me. Yes, he turns a blind eye to the crime families dealing with their own problems but he does not seem to be benefitting financially or in any way other than keeping himself out of needless danger. Nothing showed he did not care about his job or the innocent victims of crime.

- A lot of the character introductions may have seen forced or pandering but I think that is just something people more exposed to the comics might feel. For the viewer who only has a little knowledge of Batman it probably comes off as pretty interesting. At least the is the impression I got from my family and friends who all talked about it last night and this morning.

- I will have to rewatch that scene with Gordon and Cobblepott to see Bullocks reaction again. I did find the scene rather odd. As for Penguin killing the fisherman, well he likely snapped and gave in to his homicidal tendencies and/or could not have a witness since he had just been handed a faked death.

[Abishai100]

I think the Penguin, Riddler, and Poison Ivy really stood out, and I thought David Mazouz (Bruce Wayne) was effective as the burgeoning pensive knight.

Catwoman was a little too pickpocket-like, but then again, Catwoman shouldn't stand out too much in a Gotham developing ominous terrorists (she is a pseudo-ally of Batman afterall).

I was worried that the Fish Mooney character would be a space-filler, but it turns out the character was a decent atmosphere wizard.

If we see novelty merchandise associated with this Fox program, we might see it go for 3-4 satisfying seasons. The TV ads during the show were nice; of course, I watched the program in HD.

I'd like to see who could play Two-Face; maybe Haley Joel Osment ("The Sixth Sense" - 1999)?

I was a little concerned with the overly-ambitious talk about street crime (i.e., mugging, etc.).

Could we a luscious cross-over with Green Arrow? There was, after all, a nifty little Harley Quinn cameo on Arrow (The CW).





Street Justice (Syndication)


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[nightrider]

Wow. Definitely an underwhelming first episode cos i was really expecting a lot more after waiting for 3 months. But to be honest, I'm okay with it cos I like how they set up plot lines for so many more episodes. I guess I just didn't adjust my expectations.
But on the plus side, I love Fish Mooney, I love Penguin and wow, Ben Mckenzie gave his best work of his career.
What I need more is suspense, this is playing out a lot like CSI: Gotham, but what I rather have is Gotham: The following. Although to be honest, its really hard to do that when you come off Bruce and Martha's murder, cos everyone knows Joe Chill did it, but moving forward, with more complicated cases, I'll like to see a real suspense playing out, kinda like Hush or Court of Owls and I think Gotham would have the right tools to do it, make it dark like The Following and show us lots and lots of villains and supporting characters.

[Dzetoun]

- A lot of the character introductions may have seen forced or pandering but I think that is just something people more exposed to the comics might feel. For the viewer who only has a little knowledge of Batman it probably comes off as pretty interesting. At least the is the impression I got from my family and friends who all talked about it last night and this morning.

This is a crucial point. Gotham is not, and cannot be, aimed primarily at comic book readers. There don't even begin to be enough of them to support a television show. It is aimed primarily at members of the general public who know who Batman is, who probably have appreciated (and bought tickets for) the various films, and who play Batman-themed video games. After all, there are how many regular readers of Batman comics in the world? A few hundred thousand, including trades and digital? That wouldn't support two episodes on the CW, much less on Fox.

[LoganAlpha30X33]

The producers and such have stated firmly that the end of this series will either be cancellation or the first time that Bruce goes out at night as Batman for the first time.

[Joe Passmore]

I got this feeling too... He was too proud of Gordon after he "killed" Cobblepot. I think that it was really a test to see how noble Gordon was and if it would be someone he could actually work with.

Right? Plus, I can't believe they'd really be allowed to portray Bullock as someone who'd encourage and condone outright murder. The Bullock/Gordon relationship is the core of the show, the solid center, and I can't buy that they'd have Bullock be such an irredeemable and contemptible person.

[Nite-Wing]

I don't see how anyone could have "little" knowledge of Batman. He's been in how many movies,video games and cartoons now? Batman is a firmly mainstream franchise now
I mean this isn't Green Arrow where you would appreciate highlighting the D or C list villains and being on the nose about it
In this pilot you have a little girl who is around nothing but plants and is called Ivy pepper. You have the not joker comedian,Penguin literally being called Penguin as an insult, and then the worst offender the riddler showing up and speaking in nothing but riddles.
I mean I don't think anyone besides children would be clueless as to not get who these characters are

I like Fish Mooney but I suspect being an original character means they have to work a bit harder to establish her outside of just the gimmick everyone else had to work with.

Bullock is corrupt, not sure how you can listen to him lay it out to Gordon about killing Penguin without getting the jist that he's supposed to kill Gordon if he doesn't go through with it. He doesn't even care about the fact that they didn't get the real killer. Someone mentioned that they played him a bit too much like Glass in Year One but for this show it works.

[barryallenfan]

i thought the show was terrible. Bad acting, Bad Script, if this was supposed to take place 20 yrs ago and they are driving old cars..where do the cell phones fit in. I like the lead actor, and the kid who plays Bruce....everyone else looked like a refuge from a Tim Burton or Joel Schumacker Batman movie. This was the worst, I'm done already

[Tupiaz]

I don't see how anyone could have "little" knowledge of Batman. He's been in how many movies,video games and cartoons now? Batman is a firmly mainstream franchise now
I mean this isn't Green Arrow where you would appreciate highlighting the D or C list villains and being on the nose about it
In this pilot you have a little girl who is around nothing but plants and is called Ivy pepper. You have the not joker comedian,Penguin literally being called Penguin as an insult, and then the worst offender the riddler showing up and speaking in nothing but riddles.
I mean I don't think anyone besides children would be clueless as to not get who these characters are

I like Fish Mooney but I suspect being an original character means they have to work a bit harder to establish her outside of just the gimmick everyone else had to work with.

Bullock is corrupt, not sure how you can listen to him lay it out to Gordon about killing Penguin without getting the jist that he's supposed to kill Gordon if he doesn't go through with it. He doesn't even care about the fact that they didn't get the real killer. Someone mentioned that they played him a bit too much like Glass in Year One but for this show it works.

Is it a problem that it is obvious? Also it is Flass not Glass.

i thought the show was terrible. Bad acting, Bad Script, if this was supposed to take place 20 yrs ago and they are driving old cars..where do the cell phones fit in. I like the lead actor, and the kid who plays Bruce....everyone else looked like a refuge from a Tim Burton or Joel Schumacker Batman movie. This was the worst, I'm done already

It is not suppose to take place 20 years ago. It is supposed to take place 20 (more like 10-15) years before Bruce becomes Batman.