Gotham

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Written by KTP

Gotham:  It’s like watching a comic book show without anything that makes it great.

Gotham has potential, to put it mildly. Imagine a show set in a city before Batman and all of the comic book pandemonium, where we see a young Jim Gordan working cases as a new to the job detective. It offers a brand a new perspective of Gotham City where stories center around various crime families and power struggles between the political and criminal elements of the city. We can start to see the corruption at the city's heart and the emergence of the villains the Batman story is famous for. It has such great potential, but instead we get this:

Gordon and Bullock. The Abbot and Costello of morality.

Gordon: It's a lead. Our only lead.

Bullock: Says you.

Gordon: You can't be this lazy.

Bullock: Lazy? Maybe I just work smarter than you. Ever consider that?

Gordon: Yeah...I considered it. (pause) Look, this Arkham vote is tomorrow. We don't find this guy by then...

Bullock: What? What happens?

Gordon: Worst case? A major gang war. People will die. Maybe a lot of people. We find this guy, we can stop it. And where are you going?

Bullock: To work the case. You have your ways, I have mine.

Gordon: Tell her I said hi.

”HEY EVERYONE!!! I’M GOING TO BE CATWOMAN WHEN I GROW UP!!! COOL RIGHT?!!!”

One of the biggest problems with the show is it's case of identity crisis. It has no idea what it wants to be. Is it a detective story starring an up and coming Jim Gordan, or is straight from a comic book with goofy villains and horrible dialog? Will it be a light-hearted romp through the streets of Gotham, or a hard, cynical look at oppressive corruption? I don't fucking know and neither do the writers apparently. Everytime I get excited whith what could be an amazing detective story, 'BOOM!', shitty dialog dripping with heavy cheese shits it up. They also have these interjections of a young Bruce Wayne in the aftermath of his parent's death where we get to see the formation of the future Batman. Young Bruce Wayne is about as interesting as a young Boba Fett from Attack of the Clones. No one really give a shit. Don't even get me started on Alfred's reboot. I would forgive all of this if the actual show was set at night most of the time, but no. Three quarters of the scenes are shot during the day or inside the most useless crime boss's nightclub. Gotham is suppose to be dark and gritty, not a well lit CSI set.

”Riddle me this. What show lacks subtly, solid writing, and characters that use common sense?”

What started as mild curiosity with a lining of optimism has devolved into disappointment. Four episodes in and I can't go on. At the time of this writing, the show has gotten the greenlight for a 22 episode first season, so the chances of Gotham fixing their problems are slim. We can only hope that one of the best ideas for a show can pull its head out of its own ass and reach its potential. Let's also hope, for the fan's sake, that the Riddler gets less retarded as the series goes on.