Official Synopsis
Before there was Batman, there was Gotham City. Everyone knows the name of Commissioner Gordon, but what of his rise from rookie detective to Police Commissioner? What did it take to navigate the layers of corruption in Gotham City, the spawning ground of the world’s most iconic villains? Gotham tells the story of the world’s most iconic DC Comics Super-Villains and vigilantes from the very beginning, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer Bruno Heller (The Mentalist, Rome), this crime drama follows GCPD Detective James Gordon’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city, while also chronicling the genesis of one of the most popular DC Comics Super Heroes of our time. Although the crime drama follows Gordon’s turbulent and singular career, it also focuses on his unlikely friendship with the young Bruce Wayne – with his mentorship a crucial element in developing the mythology of Gotham City.
I had some reservations about this idea. Honestly, how exciting could you actually make Detective Jim Gordon’s life once a week for an entire television season? While he is a factor in Batman and DC comics and while he does have some great connections to the Batman universe, Jim Gordon is a side story at best. The deepest and darkest of the bunch, outside of The Killing Joke, is the character’s involvement in Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Even then, Jim Gordon was a side story to a greater adventure.
So, again, I must ask, how exciting could Jim Gordon’s story possibly be for 22 episodes?
Answer — Pretty damn exciting apparently.
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Taking the best elements of a film noir series from the 50s, Gotham uses the prowess, and characters, of the Batman universe to craft an interesting, gritty detective show. What’s shocking is that it really doesn’t need any help from the caped crusader to lead it or the power-driven storylines that usually make comics come to life. Well, it doesn’t need mystical, special or superhero/villain ‘powers’. Although, the entire story is driven by the word ‘power’.
The first act starts with the beginning of Jim Gordon’s (Ben McKenzie) stint as a detective in the corrupt town of Gotham City. Paired with polar opposite detective Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), Gordon finds it tough going trying to keep on the straight and narrow when almost the entire Gotham City Police Department is covered in corruption from local mob bosses, who include Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith — Will, you lucky, lucky man) and Carmine Falcone (John Doman).
The first third of the season is Gordon coming to terms with his situation, while dealing with the constant interference of Mooney and Falcone in both his personal and professional life. That repeating theme is what makes this crime drama far deeper than most would think a set of comic book characters could cultivate. There are lots of intertwining storylines, intersecting mob intentions and what appears to be a real moral and emotional struggle from McKenzie’s Gordon. By the end of the first act you can really see the city is wearing Gordon down a bit and it’s a perfect transition to the second act which comes in hard and fast.
The second act begins with the birth of the Penguin (a.k.a. Oswald Cobblepot — played by Robin Lord Taylor), who is nearly exterminated by Fish Mooney’s request, and by Jim Gordon’s hand. The Penguin starts an uphill struggle to secretly strong arm the mob bosses, and get his revenge on Mooney, while making Jim Gordon his first point of contact within the GCPD (against Gordon’s request). The second act doesn’t rest on its laurels to avoid more weaving of storylines, rather it takes it upon itself to keep putting knots and twists in the overall story design. New groups of people are introduced, new murders start cropping up and new personalities begin to appear that will most certainly play heavy parts in future seasons of Gotham. The main story of Fish Mooney and Penguin hit a crescendo near the end of the second act, as Penguin slowly, but surely begins is ascent to power.
The second act has a lot of Penguin in it. The act really feels his story is an important one to tell, which it is. It also throws in some wrenches into Gordon’s life, as it demands his raw, jaded self to break through his self-righteous shell. In short, you get to see Gotham finally break the man, who it was picking at the entire season, all thanks to the actions of the Penguin. That progression in character evolution is one of the more impressive parts of Gotham and more specifically of act two of the show, and kudos should go to Ben McKenzie for really getting into the character. Anyway, as act two of season one concludes, a lot of unresolved stories spiral towards the third act, some hoping to wrap more than others.
While I won’t give details of the final act of season one, I will say that it ends on a good note (well, on a note that is worthy of the show continuing). It really shows a lot of things to come in season two, while keeping its cards firmly against its chest.
Unlike other shows on Fox, creator Bruno Heller is given ample time to put Gotham’s world together, while still touching upon its heroes and villains along the way (they are not driving points). You’ll see the likes of Ivy, Catwoman and The Riddler in the story, but the series doesn’t depend on their familiarity to keep it interesting.
Along those same lines is how well Heller and crew place and use Bruce Wayne’s story (played by David Mazouz) and his years growing up with only Alfred (Sean Pertwee) in his life. Seeing that sprinkled into the mix, but not overwhelming so (we’ve heard Wayne’s story so much over the last 30 years) is proper for this type of show to develop a life of its own independent of the Batman. There is enough Wayne in season one to keep Gordon on track and Gotham familiar, but not in a way where it absolutely depends on Wayne being a part of the series. There are times where you will probably forget that Bruce Wayne exists within Heller’s Gotham, that’s how good the story is outside of Batman.
Anyway, if you haven’t seen Gotham yet, then prepare yourself for a pleasant (sometimes unpleasant) surprise. It’s one of the better shows from the past year and I hope they continue it for a few more seasons (at least).
On the Blu-ray side of the equation, Gotham’s first season in HD is a successful one. It’s clear, crisp, noir and visually a treat. Having said that, there are a few moments where you can tell that the show’s post-production team has purposely darkened a shot that probably had too much light in it. For example, there is a scene where Gordon is rescuing the mayor of Gotham and rain is out in full force…in the middle of an obvious sunny day. It’s poorly done and painfully obvious on Blu-ray. Other than sparse moments like that, the show is a visual delight.
In terms of special features, here’s what to expect:
– Gotham Invented: Building Our Gotham
– Gotham Invented: Paving the Way for the Caped Crusader
– Gotham Invented: Fractured Villains of Gotham
– Designing the Fiction
– The Game of Cobblepot
– Gag Reel
– Unaired Scenes
– DC Comics Night at Comic-Con 2014 Presenting Gotham, The Flash, Constantine and Arrow
– GOTHAM: The Legend Reborn
Character Profiles:
• Detective Harvey Bullock
• Detective James Gordon
• Oswald Cobblepot
• Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth
• Fish Mooney
• Dr. Leslie Thompkins
• Killer Character
There is nothing quite like a television Blu-ray release packed with extra goodies. You won’t be disappointed with the above features. They’re thought through and actually add some value to the overall release.
