GOTHAM - BATMAN Prequel TV Series

[Sweet Rabbit]

I'm still not sold on this yet

 

[Johnny Utah]

I want this show to do well, McKenzie is good as Gordon, reminds me of Chris Pine as Kirk. I just don't want it to finally get great then get axed. The city is the best character so far.

 

[Scareb]

Barbara is the name of gordons wife in th r comics and they name their daughter Barbara as well.

 

[batfan08]

What time period is this set in? Gotham seems to be cut off from the rest of the world cause Penguin being picked up in that SUV totally threw me, seemed out of place unless I've got the time period wrong

It almost seems like they're doing the same thing as TAS and the Burton films, where it's kind of a timeless place. People drive cars from the '70s, and Burlesque shows are commonplace and popular, yet cell phones and computers are commonplace.

 

[ironwez20]

Wonder why the second episode was called selina kyle when she wasnt the main focus until the towards the end.

 

[Rambler]

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[devilof76]

It introduced her as a player in the central action, that being the Wayne murders.

 

[SwedishHeat]

This show needs to be re-tooled in a major way. Get rid of Fish Mooney, ditch the camp. Write the characters as real people, not comic book characters.

 

[Hologram AI]

Hearing Bruce's mating call when his parents died killed my ears. Was not a good idea to watch that part with earphones.

 

[devilof76]

This show needs to be re-tooled in a major way. Get rid of Fish Mooney, ditch the camp. Write the characters as real people, not comic book characters.

Gotham True Detective?

 

[SwedishHeat]

Gotham True Detective?

Sounds good to me. Or Gotham The Wire. . . either one would be good with me.

I understand that I am not the intended audience for Gotham, but I just felt like throwing my 2 cents in.

 

[batfan08]

Gotham True Detective?

I like this show for what it is, but, if I was in charge, that'd probably the route I would take. Selina wouldn't be "catgirl," but, rather, the illegitimate daughter of Carmine Falcone and a Gotham prostitute, and who is basically Jodie Foster's character in Taxi Driver, once her mother died and she was forced into working the streets. Bruce would be a tormented child who is seeing a psychiatrist, one Dr. Hugo Strange, and who is also recovering from a bullet wound (I've always thought that a cold blooded criminal probably wouldn't take pity on the lone witness to the crime). Gordon wouldn't be too different. The one good cop in a city full of corruption. Maybe have Officer Merkel and Harvey Bullock (a beat cop, at this point), as a few of Gordon's allies, with Bullock skirting the line of moral ambiguity. I suppose they could have a young, fresh faced Harvey Dent working as a county clerk or something.

You could have different characters appear at different times, without really focusing on any of them, too much. Maybe have Basil Karlo as the Johnny Fontaine of the show; a prominent entertainer who owes a great deal of his success to the Gotham mob. Edward Nashton could be a brilliant, low-level con artist who displays psychopathic tendencies, and who gradually starts to commit everything from robberies to murders as he becomes more audacious, while he toys with the Gotham police, and tries to prove he can outsmart anyone. I really love what they're doing with Cobblepot, though. I'd probably keep that the way it is, albeit, making him a little less prone to violent outbursts, and, perhaps, not as over eager. He should be the little man, who no one pays attention to, who waits until the time is right and the pieces are aligned to make his move
I also think that it would be cool to do it "Boardwalk Empire" style, with the focus being on Gotham, and there being time jumps as the landscape begins to shift.

Maybe have the first two or three seasons focus on the comings and goings of the various criminal organizations, with Gordon slowly trying to bring down the house of cards. Then, as Gordon makes some headway, have another time shift that has the next few seasons focus on the inner workings of the new GCPD, and how the tides are starting to shift against the mob, althewhile, we start to see Bruce and Selina develop as teenagers. They could top it off with the final seasons shifting to the introduction of Batman and the rise of the costumed psychopath. I'd want Batman to be kind of a shadow, though. Catwoman could be a way for Selina to empower herself, but I would really want it to be super grounded. Mainly, because I'd want the introduction of characters like The Joker to actually have an unsettling quality to them. They seem out of place, and you're so used to the traditional Gotham that they really are "freaks."

 

[SwedishHeat]

Seeing a show like this, reminds me that I appreciated the mature take on the Bat-mythos that Nolan gave us. I know there's a contingent out there that wants comics and its media to be fun and light-hearted, but this is Gotham.

And yes, calling him Nashton instead of Nygma is a good call. Nygma was cute back in the 60s or whatever, but now Edward Nygma is just stupid. Having Selina insist on being called Cat because, reasons, is again, silly.

This show really needs to set up how corrupt Gotham is, and that Gordon alone can't do it. I fear that they're just going to go through the same "Rogue of the Week" formula that plagued Smallville for years.

Yet, this is broadcast TV, so it's not like they're really going to get into a corrupt Gotham, so y'know, this is what it is.

 

[batfan08]

I really do wonder why we haven't seen an interpretation where Bruce is shot, though. I understand it being a very touchy subject for years, with children, but I think the lone survivor thing could actually work; possibly better. Maybe have Bruce checking on his parents when he notices that Chill is going to kill him, too. He takes off running into the night, and Chill gets off a single shot before taking off. You could even add an extra level of guilt to Bruce. Even though he knows he didn't have a choice, subconsciously, he still resents the fact that he left them, and, possibly, he even regrets having survived at all.

 

[JonWes]

Even though there are still some uneven things about the show overall (acting, script as has been mentioned) I'm actually really getting into it. The Gordon/Bullock interactions are great. I thought it was better here than in the pilot, probably because the actors are more settled into their roles. I like Sean Pertwee as a different sort of Alfred very much, and I think his dynamic (the way it was set up by Thomas Wayne) was interesting, and certainly sounds like something a rich man would say. LOL.

I, too, was a bit disappointed we didn't see more of Selina. It seems very odd to have named this episode after her, unless they are naming all the episodes after characters? She wasn't in it much, as has been said, except for some key scenes. Was I the only one who thought she'd drop her necklace, btw? Slightly odd how they showed her putting in her pocket haphazardly for no pay off. Oh well. LOL.

The Dollman's underlings were interesting, although they did highlight the slightly weird tonal issues going on in the series. It does feel like some people are playing it too broad. Although I really like Fish Mooney, actually. I think she's played really well, and I liked the emotion in her eyes as her latest lovetoy was beaten up. Seemed like a lot of complexity going on in there during that scene. I think she was upset over him getting beaten up, sure, but I think a lot of it was just Falcone lording it over her.

One thing I could actually do without.... Jim and Barbara. I feel like their scenes together just sort of suck all pace and life out of it. So far they have been too brief to add much, other than to give Gordon a home base. I'm not sure if that's a good thing for him, dramatically, in the show. We'll see.

 

[jodl73]

I just watched the first two episodes of GOTHAM on my DVR. I think the show has potential.
The great : Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock,Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Coppelpot(My favorite character) & Camren Bicondova as a young Selina Kyle.
The good : Ben Mckenzie as a young Detective James Gordon.
The bad : Jada Pinket Smith as Fish Mooney...her acting is awful!
I'll give this season a chance and see how it shapes up!

I agree, I feel the same way. I probably would have posted the same thing.

 

[BB&WSF]

Just finished watching the second one. I am liking it more. Good pace. Especially liked how Alfred must've been with Bruce after the incident. Bullock is good, Selina and Bruce are pretty awesome! Looking forward to the next episode.

 

[The Ween]

If you are referring to Jim Gordon's girlfriend named Barbara, they probably end up getting married and have a daughter who ends up with same name. Or maybe Jim's wife gets killed off and daughter named Barbara in honor of her. And you know Gordon's daughter eventually becomes Batgirl.


I saw this in response to the above post. Again if you were referring to Barbara, she's the same age as Jim Gordon first of all so she couldn't be Catwoman. She would be the 15 year old homeless girl.

I was referring to Cat, who I didn't know her name at first.

 

[Michael Crawford]

I, too, was a bit disappointed we didn't see more of Selina. It seems very odd to have named this episode after her, unless they are naming all the episodes after characters? She wasn't in it much, as has been said, except for some key scenes. Was I the only one who thought she'd drop her necklace, btw? Slightly odd how they showed her putting in her pocket haphazardly for no pay off. Oh well. LOL.

The Dollman's underlings were interesting, although they did highlight the slightly weird tonal issues going on in the series. It does feel like some people are playing it too broad. Although I really like Fish Mooney, actually. I think she's played really well, and I liked the emotion in her eyes as her latest lovetoy was beaten up. Seemed like a lot of complexity going on in there during that scene. I think she was upset over him getting beaten up, sure, but I think a lot of it was just Falcone lording it over her.

She did drop it - that's how the female lackey found her in the warehouse.

I like Smith as well - I think she's turning into an excellent villain, and I thought both that scene and the scene when she beat up Penguin were very well done. Both here and Oswald are playing barely controlled crazy quite well.

The kids on this show are the nice surprise so far, doing some very good acting. I also like the timeless quality of the show, and the style of Gotham sets it apart from other 'cop dramas' nicely. I like the slightly comic book air to this - if I want reality cop drama, there's plenty of that on television.

 

[EVILFACE]

Eh, it's ok. I like the Cat. Gordon looks like he is being played by Justin Timberlake.

Don't care for Fish. Is she in the comic?