So this past week, we were all treated subjected to the series premiere of Gotham. A show that's been highly anticipated by many, anticipated with a cautious skepticism, or even slammed before it aired. I definitely want to make i clear that while skeptical, I'm always excited to see new and exciting comic book properties and ideas brought to the screen, whether that screen be big or small. While I'll go on record as saying the premiere was mediocre at best, there's room for improvement and I wish to lay out my arguments against the show and offer some ways for the showrunners to fix it.
I. CINEMATOGRAPHY
My first area I noticed the show lost me was cinematography. The show seems to borrow elements from ?Batman Begins, as well as the Burton and Schumacker films in terms of painting Gotham as this dirty city. There's a lot of yellows and browns hroughout the show, and unlike a show like Agents of SHIELD which changes up locales, providing multiple opportunities to see the show with a different colour pallete, Gotham seems content with these drab colours. This isn't the worst thing in the world, as some movies and TV shows do quite well with a limited colour pallete; Gotham however stumbles in a few other areas and generally makes the limited pallete less appealing.
WHAT THEY CAN DO: This one is simple, all they have to do is clean up the shots. I mean, the contrast between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is pretty apparent in how crisp and clear he shots are. Over time I'd like to see Gotham employ a similar ideas, especially as it thematically ties to Gordon cleaning up the city.
II. BENJAMIN MCKENZIE
Throughout the first episode, I found myself completely incapable of rooting for Gordon. I mean, he's in a city with people who stand for things. Mooney, Bullock, Oswald, and even Young Bruce Wayne; they all have motivations in the show, and they make it all make sense in a natural way. All McKenzie does as Gordon is basically stands in peoples way, but he's yet to have his moment that defines him. If this wasn't based off of a DC Comics property, I argue you'd have a harder time understanding the motivations and ideologies of Gordon on this show. There are exceptions to this like the opening scene where Gordon incapacitates the prisoner who wants his meds, or the scene where he refuses to shoot Oswald but it doesn't go nearly far enough; I actually find myself moreso waiting for McKenzie to become Gordon rather then Gordon to become McKenzie.
WHAT THEY CAN DO: While this is partially McKenzie's fault as an actor, I also think the directors and writers need to push McKenzie to try new things with the Gordon character while defining him a bit more then being Gotham's latest wet blanket.
III. CAMEOES
Part of the reason I find Gotham so irritating is that while the Bullock/Gordon relationship should be the focal point, we're now getting all these cameoes from various DC villains. Poison Ivy, The Penquin, The Riddler, and (possibly) The Joker all get introduced in this premiere. That's a lot of setting up, especially considering how inconsequential characters like The Riddler or Poison Ivy are to the story. They could and should focus on Gordon, but he's getting sidelined in his own show; and now I'm left confused on who's the protagonist of this show. Is it The Penquin? Selina Kyle? Gordon? Bullock? Young Bruce? The show seems more intent on showing off various DC characters then it is giving us an excellent origin story for Gordon.
WHAT THEY CAN DO: Reducing on the number of cameos, or even making them more transparent. This should be Gordon's show and it frankly isn't as of the premiere.
IV. ALFRED
Why does Alfred have a cockney accent?
WHAT THEY CAN DO: Get an actor who won't sound like a retired rugby player and more like the distinquished Alfred.
That's it for what I think, but what do you guys and girls think? Make sure to click up the red thumb to like this article, and feel free to let me know what you think works and doesn't work with Gotham. For more on my views on Gotham and much more, make sure to tune into my podcast, the Three Angry Nerds podcast!