Episode 2 of Gotham aired, and I’m still interested. This week has a little different format, following more of the television cop/detective/crime show. It also shows us that Gotham will partially be episodic. By this I mean each of the episodes, on top of the overall story/theme, will have it’s own mini-story with beginning and conclusion.
This episodes story revolves around a couple of villains kidnapping young homeless teens off the Gotham streets for someone called the Dollmaker (who remains behind the scenes for now). This is pretty dark considering if the Dollmaker is anything like the comic book, its about a psycho who cannibalizes kids and uses their skins to make dolls.
Fortunately, through the detective work of Gordon and Bullock, the kids get saved. The format of the show allowed us to see more of the underworld, and the power battle between Mooney and Falcone (and we see how menacing and dangerous Falcone can be, which is why he’s on the top of the food chain). During the investigation, we also see Gordon knock one of the villain thugs down a creepy hole into some sewer looking area… villain in the making?
We also see the story unfold through Selina Kyle who calls herself Cat (surprise surprise), as one of the kidnapped kids.
Penguin continues to be part of the story, as we see how he’s trying to find somewhere to settle down and plan his ultimate return. We also see Bruce trying to handle the aftermath of his parents death, as he gets moody and dark.
The Good: The Penguin is a huge kingpin in the comics… that’s not something that happens by just putting on a mask when Batman comes around. So it’s interesting to see how his psychopath character will slowly go up the ladder. I’m loving the underworld with Mooney and Falcone, and with Maroni coming into the picture soon, it should get real intense. And though I’m worried they will have too much Cat in the story, I like seeing more of her past too, since she’s a pretty intense character in the comics that “deserves” an origin story (though I hope they keep the cat suit of her, as technically that was influenced from seeing Batman dress up.
The Bad: Though the episodic element will be interesting, they need to make sure they stick to the greater story. That’s what’s going to keep the viewers tied in. This second episode has done a decent job at it, but it’s still too early to tell. Too much episodic might make things cheeky. I’m also afraid of the cameos. They need to avoid putting those in just for the sake of cameos. Nigma (Riddler) is a great example of this. Working at the police station? Was this in the comics, cause I don’t remember that. Either way, it just seems a little tacky here. They need to create a story and get him fired. Then, they have a reason to bring him back as a villain later, which should work better (or just leave the riddler out of it for now… there are plenty of other stories going on).
The Verdict: Though I’m not a fan of the cop/crime tv shows, the fact that this story is in Gotham, full of Gotham characters. And between the Penguin, Mooney and Falcone going at it, and Cat now helping Gordon (since she saw the murder) track down the Wayne killer, there is an overall story that wants me to watch the next one. Most of all, I’m loving the dark side building in Bruce, between burning himself, scribbling disturbing images and still managing to be a young “Wayne” through charity and philanthropy; it’s cool to see how his character builds to the point where he goes bat-crazy (pun intended).
~mozeus
