Less than 5 – Skip it, 6 – OK, 7 – Good, 8 – Great, 9 – Phenomenal, 10 – You owe it to yourself to watch this episode!
Feeling a bit more CSI then DC, Gotham tries to cram in as many comic flavored Easter eggs as possible at the expense of narrative and direction. The great performances keep the episode interesting but as an entry point into the most hyped show of the fall season Gotham misses the mark.
The episode begins with a young Selina Kyle (Camren Bicandova) roaming the streets a la her future counterpart. She eventual stumbles upon the Wayne family in an alley and witnesses the brutal murders that will lead the innocent Bruce (David Mazouz) down his dark path. From here we are introduced to our main protagonist Jim Gordon, played by Ben McKenzie. The rest of the episode follows Jim around the underbelly of Gotham searching for clues into the Wayne murders and getting acquainted with the city's unique brand of justice. It’s quickly and harshly noted that Gordon is the only man of integrity left in this city and that any change to be made will come at great cost.
Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) after witnessing the murder of his family.
McKenzie does an alright job bringing the good officer to life but his portrayal is a tad one note. His inherent altruistic attitude is never fully explained and in a city full of scum he sticks out like a sore thumb. He is told again and again how the rules of the city work yet he continues to tread along the path less traveled. Normally this would be a good thing, a hero who never falters in his quest for righteousness. But in the context of Gotham his unwavering goodness just gets him into predicament after predicament. As this is only the pilot episode it’s understandable we don’t fully grasp the character, I can only hope that the world the writers are building will make room for a white knight like Gordon to do something worthwhile (even though any Batman fan knows that no matter how persistent Gordon is he will fail).
Alongside Ben McKenzie comes TV veteran Donal Logue, here playing the back and forth Detective Harvey Bullock. Bullock is a sleazy beat cop that has long lost hope in a cleaner Gotham. He now gets along by playing both sides of the legal system and doesn’t care about what happens to the people he is supposed to protect. Logue does a commendable job showing the struggle Bullock must feel double dipping in such a difficult city but the character himself feels a bit sloppily handled. His back and forth nature seems too off the cuff and when it comes down to it he was a reliable partner. Had he been so wishy-washy in his allegiances prior to Gordon arriving in Gotham there is no way he would have lasted as long as he has. It’s just a small consistency gripe with the character but, once again, seeing as it is the first episode this is to be expected.
Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) & Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Taylor) having an argument.
On the villains’ side of our Batman-less epic we have the lovey Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett-Smith) and the psychotic and unsuspecting Oswald Cobblepot (played to perfection by Robin Taylor). Fish Mooney is a completely original character and is relentless in her pursuit of the crime empire the Falconi’s have built up to this point. Smith does a tremendous job showing that she is not simply smart in her management of the criminal underground, but brutal as well. Mercilessly beating up incompetent employees and having officers murdered on a whim prove that Mooney is not just a pretty face. Not to be outdone however is Taylor’s introduction as an up and coming Penguin. Playing second fiddle (if that) to Mooney, Cobblepot relishes the pain he brings upon the defenseless. His torture scene in the alley with the rest of Fish’s thugs goes to show just how unhinged this guy already is, what causes him to go completely off the deep end should prove an interesting watch.
Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish Mooney
There are a number of other classic Batman rogues hinted at throughout the proceedings but they all feel superfluous. Edward Nygma (Corey Michael Smith) gets 2 seconds of screen time as a CSI lab tech and only accomplishes in confusing the uninitiated. The aforementioned Selina Kyle cameo was nice but her constant presence whenever Bruce was onscreen felt unnecessary and odd (why don’t people notice a little girl standing on the front gate, especially as they’re leaving through said gate?). There is even a short Poison Ivy appearance but like the others nothing comes out of it. Hopefully these characters get fleshed out in later appearances but within the context of the pilot they served only as clutter. A tighter narrative surrounding Gordon’s hunt for the Wayne killer and Mooney’s attempt at a criminal uprising would have proved much more interesting and gone a long way in establishing a stronger narrative arc for the show moving forward. Instead we got Gordon vaguely trying to do right in a world where right is an old fashioned notion and a mish-mash of not-yet supervillains waiting for their time in the sun.
A young Selina Kyle played by Camren Bicandova
A distinct lack of comic flavor is also missing from this comic adaptation. Sure, the premise is centered on the more realistic origin of Jim Gordon but fans expect a certain level of graphic pizzazz in their comic book shows. Gotham views more like a typical cop show as opposed to a central piece of history in the life of one of the greatest heroes of all time (Batman). Without a doubt, more time is needed for the story to gain any traction but thus far the pilot has only proven that it is aware of its source material. There is enough narrative here to get us through the first episode but a tighter focus on quality instead of quantity will be a definite step up. Allowing fewer characters to get more depth is a great place to start (read: more Cobblepot and Mooney please).
Overall this episode gets a 6/10