Gotham - 1x04 Arkham - Review

And the war continues to escalate

As members of Falcone's and Maroni's political branches are being taken down by an assassin, Cobblepot makes his return known to Jim Gordon. Elsewhere, Fish Mooney has a talent search for a new, "weapon."

This episode once again revolves around another staple of Gotham City: the Arkham District. There is a political struggle over what to do about the district and the asylum that will one day become an important part to the myth that is Gotham. And that struggle is between reigning kingpin Carmine Falcone and his rival to the throne, Salvatore Maroni. I'm not quite sure about the details for The Arkham Plan or the major politics behind it. Probably because I didn't really care. Which is really starting to become a major recurring theme coming with the case of the week stories. But there is someone who does care about what is happening to Arkham and how it effects the oncoming war between the two bosses: Oswald Cobblepot.

Robin Lord Taylor is definitely the standout of this series. As much as I enjoy watching Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue as Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock, I can't help but feel a lot more excited when Taylor's Oswald Cobblepot is onscreen. It speaks volumes if the most interesting character in the series and probably the most interesting overarching plot of the series revolves around a minor character and a minor sub plot. That is how good this guy is and I can only hope that this series goes to continue to show off his talents and grow his character. It is strange that out of all the Batman villains this show has hinted or shown, he is the one who is the most fascinating. It is probably because we are intrigued by how this character eventually becomes The Penguin. In here we see his character grow in ways that we know will lead him to become the notorious Batman villain he will be. At the beginning of the episode he is just a lowly worker at Maroni's restaurant, but by the end of the episode he becomes the restaurant's manager through a brilliant display of manipulation he planned. If anything, he is the primary reason to keep watching the series. Which is saying something considering I'm talking about him first rather than the main plot of the episode.

And that main plot involves the two people who are suppose to be our heroes: Gordon and Bullock. I keep wondering why is it that as of lately I'm not really that invested in what's going on with them? I remember in the Pilot they were these two extremely fascinating characters who are forced to work together. That was great television! But then for some reason it just seem a little bit repetitive with them fighting over the same thing. And while it seems unfair to complain about repetitiveness in a procedural show when Sleepy Hollow has an almost repetitive nature between their two leads, at least Sleepy Hollow benefits by having a really off the wall character like Ichabod against a really sassy yet grounded character like Abbie. In here you have the makings of a great relationship between good cop and crooked cop. THERE IS A LOT THAT CAN BE DONE WITH THAT! Yet for some reason they both seem to be stuck in this repetitive nature that really started to show itself in the previous episode. At least in episode 2 there was some sign of character development, and it was very little. Yet that very little shows that having a some type of character development can hide the repetitive nature that is all the episodes.

That doesn't mean there is no character development in the show. It just comes off as almost annoying or not needed right now. And that character development for Jim falls into the hands of his soon to be wife, Barbara. In this episode she starts questioning Jim about Oswald, to which Jim quickly puts the pieces together that Montoya has been planting seeds of doubt into Barbara. At that moment, Barbara lets it out of the bag that the was a lesbian before she met Jim and that Montoya was her girlfriend. This was a revelation that the audience knew could not stay hidden for long, but at the same time it felt like something that should've been addressed in the last episode. It really is about the question of trust in their relationship. The fact that it is falling apart so soon when the audience have yet to see any good from it, really makes this fallout to be as powerful as it should be. You will feel sorry for both of them, but it is the way that friends would feel sorry for one another when something bad happens just because friendship obligates them to feel sorry. It could've made for a great development moment for these two, especially for Erin Richards' Barbara. But in the end it really seems to not matter in the grand scheme of things.

There is a minor subplot that has been speckled throughout the episode involving Fish Mooney. She's been having girls audition to be singers for her night club, but she seems to be looking for someone who can be more than just a singer. Mooney asks both singers to try and seduce her if they want the job. One who is obviously the more talented singer does not seem to possess the powers of seduction, while the other is not a fairly talented singer yet has the right stuff. While the answer as to who Mooney should hire is pretty obvious, she does the most Gotham thing to do when it comes to making big decisions. Have the two girls fight each other until one is left standing. And in the end the one that is left standing, is the one the audience knew was going to be her pick no matter what. Was this just a ploy to see if Mooney's pick is really willing to go the distance? Or is it because this is Gotham City, every decision made has to be done in the most cruel way possible. The subplot doesn't really reveal why is it so important for Mooney to have this girl in the war between Falcone and Maroni, but I can only assume it has something to do with her using the girl as a honey trap. If you don't know what that means, it involves sex and murder. 

This is another by the numbers episode with a fantastic story in the form of the Cobblepot plot. I really hope that this show regains the awesomeness of its two leads that was shown in the first episode, because if the writers can accomplish that, then this show will be incredible. But for now it seems to be Cobblepot is running Gotham, the show, while trying to run Gotham, the city.

SCORE: 7/10 - That 7 belongs to the Cobblepot plot and the brutal American Idol bit

STATUS: May continue to watch - I went over my 3 episode hump, but it seems this show may lose me eventually

Review of Previous Episode - Click here

Gotham - 1x03 The Balloonman - Review

The vigilante rises

Or rather the vigilante's victims rise. When the corrupt of Gotham City are tied to weather balloons and doomed to float in the air till they eventually fall back to Earth, Gordon and Bullock are put on the case. And while the city continues to change in the coming war, Oswald Cobblepot continues to work his way up the food chain.

Already? This series is going to be dealing with vigilante justice already? Um. Okay. It is a strange form of vigilante justice. The villain of this week is a vigilante dubbed, The Balloonman. From the synopsis, it should be pretty easy why he's given that name. What is interesting is how he's pretty much the big reference of this episode. By reference I mean he dresses up like two characters from superhero lore. One of them being the most obvious for Batman fans, a Prof. Pyg reference. The Balloonman's first appearance was as the insane pig masked villain, which was meant to throw fans off as to who he is. His second appearance however was a direct reference to The Shadow, aka one of the inspirations for Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the creators of Batman. This one signals that he is definitely a vigilante and may actually be fighting on the right side. This visual character development was both simple and was used to put references in a show that seems to be full of references from the first two episodes. It was definitely a more subtle reference rather than the in your face ones for the casual Batman fans.

But this episode also solidifies to Gordon that the police know what their priorities are: if bad things happen to scum, don't act; if bad things happen to police officers, unleash hell. That was a mentality that has been hinted at in the previous two episodes, but in here it is shown in full force. Gordon is starting to realize that if anything is going to get done at the speed it is suppose to, it means that a cop has to die. That is the sad truth. And while it may be the truth, we do get some more of that awesome Gordon and Bullock buddy scenes. We get some insight on how exactly Bullock goes about getting his information. Which mainly involves beating the crap out of guys and hitting on hookers. Which in Gotham, it does seem like the only effective way of doing things. However, it is starting to seem a little bit formulaic. Don't get me wrong, procedural cop dramas are always formulaic yet still compelling. But given that this show is trying to be an overarching narrative while being a procedural at the same time, it has to find a way to hide its procedural nature. Arrow, Sleepy Hollow, and Hannibal have mastered this, but this episode seems to be the first crack of that illusion of not being procedural. And it is a shame that it has to be when Gordon and Bullock are doing their thing. They really are great to watch, but looking back it almost seems predictable. They'll fight about philosophy, they'll do things one way, they'll get attacked, they'll find the one clue that matters. I hope that's not what happens.

But what seems to be hiding the cracks of being the procedural is the subplot that actually seems to have a continuous narrative in each episode. And that is the evolution of Robin Lord Taylor's Oswald Cobblepot. He is fast becoming the star of the show. I can almost imagine the only reason why some casual fans are still watching the show are because they're actually fascinated to see how this young man will become the Penguin. Taylor is definitely going to go down as the standout actor of this series once the season finale comes. Mostly because he is the only one who seems to be forwarding his own plot. The show is obviously trying to make the murder of the Waynes the overarching story arc of season one, but given how the only mention of the murder was a small bit involving Gordon and Selina Kyle, it seems the writers haven't quite mastered making it really matter. But that is mainly because Gordon and Bullock are locked into going through the procedural plot, while Cobblepot is free to do his plot without the restraint of the procedural. His actions in this episode actually puts him closer to power because he's working at the favored restaurant of Salvatore Maroni. Batman fans will know that Maroni is Gotham Kingpin Carmine Falcone's nemesis and only rival. Cobblepot makes it clear to Maroni that he is smart enough to know what is going on, and Maroni admires that. It'll be interesting how this all plays out.

And then of course we got two more subplots that are kind of interesting but seem out of place. The first one involving Renee Montoya and Cripus Allen of Major Crimes Unit. What makes their subplot interesting is that like Cobblepot, they are not restrained to the procedural nature of the show. But what they are restrained to is the disappearance of Cobblepot. And unfortunately, that is becoming predictable as well. Allen and Montoya will find clues that connects Gordon to Cobblepot disappearance which will then lead to Montoya trying to have a lesbian moment with Barbara Keane, Gordon's fiancé. While it is predictable, it can't be denied that the interaction between Montoya and Barbara is definitely interesting and well done. I just hope there is more to it than them being former lesbian lovers. 

The final subplot of this episode is probably one that is not really needed. The Bruce and Alfred subplot. Unlike the other subplots, they don't seem to be involved with the main plot or the main narrative of the show. The story in Wayne Manor appears to be existing in this realm of. "he's going to be Batman." Which was not obvious in the pilot, and was more forward in the second. But this one seems to be really pushing it by showing Bruce's fascination with the Balloonman and pictures of his parents' murder. It suffers from a different kind of restraint. We've seen Bruce Wayne become Batman. So really, the plot of young boy Bruce Wayne does not seem to be compelling. But what I do commend is that Gordon does not give Bruce a pep talk in this episode. Smart move.

All in all, this is still an interesting and entertaining episode. But at the same time it seems to be very procedural. However it is definitely a lot better than what is going on in The Strain but seems to fail doing what Sleepy Hollow excels at. Embracing the craziness. And while this show seems to walk a thine line between gritty and comic booky, they have to decide which one should it fully embrace.

SCORE: 7.9/10 - Cobblepot's story is the reason to keep watching

STATUS: Continue to Watch - It has me hooked enough to see the next one

Review of Previous Episode - Click Here 
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Gotham - 1x02 Selina Kyle - Review

Her name is "Cat"

When homeless children are being abducted by a pair of eccentric kidnappers, Gordon and Bullock are put on the case.

That is pretty much the basis of this episode. Then what does this have to do with Selina Kyle aka the girl who will become Catwoman? Well, she is one of those homeless children who is being abducted. But unlike the other homeless street kids, she's smart enough to know that when two really cartoonish eccentric people walk up to you and offer you food, they're not to be trusted. Also given her cat like reflexes and extremely efficient parkour skills, she's able to get away. Other than being considered a witness to these crimes, she's not really as important as the story makes it out to be.

This is mainly because of the efficiency of Gordon and Bullock as detectives. The chemistry between Ben MacKenzie and Donal Logue is definitely the anchor of this show. It continues to show their growing partnership as well as their clash of ideologies. This is evident when Gordon is against Bullock beating up a child to get information, but would later allow Bullock to beat up a suspect (with a phone book) repeatedly after discovering the horrifying truth about what happens to the kids. It is really obvious that while they won't get one to fully "see the light" to their point of view, they can't work well without each other. Which again, shows how efficient they are by solving where the two eccentric cartoon villains were getting their drugs from.

But let's talk about those two eccentric cartoon villains for a moment. Doug and Patti played by guest stars Frank Whaley and Lili Taylor are the really cartoonish cohorts of the mysterious Dollmaker. Yup, another Batman reference. At least in this one he's only mentioned in name only and we never see him. But again, back to these two cartoon characters. The reason why I say cartoon is because for some reason they were directed to really ham it up. Their performances were definitely eccentric and delightful... the kind of performance you'd see in a Joel Schumacher Batman movie. Which is strange, because the pilot establishes the show's tone and look as a strange hybrid between the Tim Burton films and the Chris Nolan films. Now, a Schumacher reference is fine as after all it was the Burton films that led to the Schumacher ones, but for some reason their cartoonish villainy seemed a little too far. To give a comparison level of what seems fine about being a cartoon villain in this show is looking at two of the main players.

Fish Mooney played by Jada Pinkett Smith is both a very serious threat while at the same time an obvious cartoon villain. Yet there is something slightly more subdued about her that makes it slightly tolerable while at the same time still reminding you this is a comic book villain. Then of course there is Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot aka the man who will be Penguin. He is definitely a cartoon villain, but again it is subdued. This is a testament to what a scene stealer Robin Lord Taylor is as he is slowly going crazy while at the same time growing more calculating as a criminal mastermind. A glimpse of his mother in this episode also kind of explains where the crazy comes from, which is also a little cartoony, but again not played as cartoony as our guest star villains. When a level of how far cartoon villainy should be taken is already established, all guest villains should adhere to that feeling. We'll see how this goes with other villains that are sure to be on the show, right now it doesn't seem good.

What else is there to talk about? Oh yeah, Bruce Wayne and Alfred. Sean Pertwee portrays an Alfred who seems to have not broken out of his military roots and into the more loving father figure we all know and love. This is shown from how incapable he is at handling Bruce's tendencies to self inflict pain. Alfred seems to be at a lost of how to deal with his new position as a father figure, which means once again Gordon has to step in to be the surrogate father until Alfred can grow to become the surrogate. This might get annoying as the show is better focused on Gordon, Bullock and Cobblepot rather than Bruce and Alfred. But still, as this show is still young there is room to grow.

But what about the title character? Selina Kyle? I did state that she's not that important. Well, she's not important to the plot of this episode, but she does make herself important to the overarching plot of this season which is the murder of the Waynes. Camren Bicondova shows herself as a competent actress as she excels with playing someone who will definitely turn into the seductive cat burglar fans love. Particularly a key scene in which she deals with one of the kidnappers that shows just how vicious she really is. It is a shame that she doesn't really become important till the end of the episode, but with what she has shown, she is definitely worthy of being called Selina Kyle. It's just unfortunate that for an episode bearing the character's name, didn't seem to serve her to her full potential. We shall see how this all plays out.

SCORE: 7.5/10 - It is not a bad episode, still entertaining, just poorly constructed
STATUS: Continue to Watch - There is still a lot of potential

Review of Previous Episode - CLICK HERE
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Gotham - 1x01 Pilot - Review

Everyone Begins

That can pretty much sum up this first episode of FOX's new series, GOTHAM. After Thomas and Martha Wayne are murdered in front of their son Bruce (David Mazouz), Detective Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) and his new partner Jim Gordon (Ben MacKenzie) go on the hunt for the killer.

The average fan of Batman knows where this event will lead. The death of Bruce Wayne's parents is the pivotal moment that will change the course of Gotham's destiny. It is kind of fitting that we begin this series with that murder. Yet at the same time... I could've done without it. The murder of Bruce's parents has been filmed in far more effective ways in Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher's Batman movies as these strange vivid memories while Christopher Nolan showed us the real hard hitting drama in Batman Begins. However this show failed to do what the others did: make us care about their deaths. Thought arguably it is a more realistic approach of how a murder would go down, because of what has come before, it comes off as an unfitting intro into this world. Sure we've seen it lots of times, but each time has been different. This one didn't.

But then again, Bruce is not the main character of this story. New Detective Jim Gordon is. And he is not exactly a well liked new arrival in Gotham PD. Ben MacKenzie has huge shoes to fill taking on the iconic role, but this is a world he's familiar with. First of all, he was a police officer in the gritty and fantastic show Southland. So he knows how to be a police officer, especially one who has just been promoted to detective. And he was also the voice of Batman in the animated movie, Batman: Year One. So he knows Gotham and he knows that he's now entered the world a second time. And as of right now, he delivers on convincing us this is the man who will become the future Commissioner of Gotham. His performance was strong and it shows from the internal conflict boiling inside him. But he is nothing compared to his partner.

Donal Logue takes on the role of Harvey Bullock, a fan favorite from the comics and animated shows who has never been brought to the live action medium. Expectations for him were not as high as Ben's performance as Gordon, but that doesn't mean he won't deliver. There is a pressure of playing someone who has never been portrayed in a live action format before, and Logue has even stated how honored it is to be the first. And he made sure that if anyone was to follow him in the future, he's going to give them a hard time doing so. Logue is the standout of this show. The scenes with Bullock are intense and blurs the lines between right and wrong. He's the perfect foil for Gordon, as he is not afraid of doing what has to be done. He even berates Gordon for not killing a prisoner who threatened a cop. This man is dirty, but that doesn't mean he's completely corrupt. There is still a good man there, it's just hard to find.

These two are tasked with finding out who killed the Waynes, a case that Bullock did not want to take. Unfortunately for him, Gordon drags him into accepting the case. The fact that Bullock is afraid of dealing with the death of the Waynes shows that he knows things. Like what to avoid and who to talk to. Like Fish Mooney, a new character played by Jada Pinkett Smith. When we first meet her, she comes off as a cliched comic book villain, but as the show progresses that comic book nature begins to subdue for something more subtle and cunning. She apparently had information involving the murder of the Waynes, which helps Bullock and Gordon find the killer. But as this is Gotham, nothing can be solved that easily.

One of the main concerns that people had about this show was the cramming of so many Batman villains into one episode. I should say this right now that the only one who really gets the spotlight in this episode is Oswald Cobblepot, The Penguin, played brilliantly by Robin Lord Taylor. If it wasn't for Logue's performance as Bullock, Taylor would be the standout as Cobblepot. That shouldn't diminish the fact that he does an excellent job as the small fry who dreams of big things. Then of course there is a non speaking appearance of Selina Kyle played Carmen Bicondova. She's only in the intro and the end of the episode as she serves as an unknown witness to the murder of the Waynes. That's all she does, but Bicondova has the cat qualities down to a tee. There is also a small appearance by the girl who would become Poison Ivy, but it was a small one. But probably the smallest cameo of a comic book character, yet the most memorable, was of Edward Nigma played by Cory Michael Smith. If he can make an impression with just one scene, how much more if we get a lot more of him? Time will tell.

Other players are introduced in this episode, such as Barbara Keane played by Erin Richards and Renee Montoya played by Victoria Cartagena. If there is something I have to say about Barbara, aka future Mrs. Gordon, is that she momentarily took me out of the show. Her actress, Richards, is extremely stunningly beautiful. Almost too beautiful and looks almost too young for MacKenzie's Gordon. I know this is suppose to be the younger years of these comic book icons, but something about Barbara being way too beautiful and sexy irked me. Its weird that I'm complaining about someone being too sexy, but that's a compliment to Erin Richards who does great with her role. I just never imagined the role to belong to someone as beautiful as her. 

All in all, this was an introductory episode for not only the character but the way the city operates. All comic book characters were handled nicely and given the amount of time that is needed for them in this episode. So no it wasn't cramped, and its a good thing it can juggle so many to feel like a true ensemble. But this is the story of Gordon and Bullock. Gordon sees now that nothing is easy and that everything in the city is filled with lies. While we see he is a man who genuinely wants to change the city, we also know that he won't be able to do so. But his mission to change it will definitely influence one person: Bruce Wayne.

SCORE: 8.5/10 - A weak start with a masterful finish that makes the whole episode great

STATUS: Two Episode Countdown - If I can like the first three episodes, then this show is in good hands