DC Comics came on strong this past fall, with multiple successful shows debuting on various networks based on their characters. One of the more risky propositions was Gotham, a gritty crime procedural set in the fictional city with its main hero, Batman, still in grade school. A lot of things could have gone wrong. Some things did go wrong, however the show has managed to be a success with both critics and audiences.
One of the bigger complaints of the first half of the season, was that the freak-of-the-week elements are generally the weaker portions of the show. Our three Points are characters and arcs that we hope improve the overall quality of the show over the second part of the season. Gotham is already off to a great start, with a few corrections to their sails this show has the potential to reach even new heights.
We aren’t looking for them to do things according to canon, we just want them to use these characters to make the best show possible. Gotham has already taken many liberties in diverging from what is on the comic book page, but that is what keeps the show fresh and less predictable. Before we go forward. Let’s take a quick look back at the first half of the season.
Dr. Leslie Thompkins
By demoting Gordon and placing him in Arkham, the creators have the chance to completely change the dynamics of the show. This is the type of move that would typically happen on a show’s second season. By changing the location you will inevitably be adding a new roster of supporting characters. Will these additions bloat an already ballooning cast or will the new introductions help the show focus on its strengths?
Dr. Leslie Thompkins, played by Morena Baccarin, will join the cast as an ally of Gordon that he meets in Arkham. She is a practicing physician and in the comics is a force for good and a voice for the underprivileged. They will be changing the mythology slightly for the show however. Traditionally she is a close ally of the Wayne family, in Gotham she will initially align herself with Gordon. This how Baccarin describes the role to EW.
“Jim finds an ally in her, which I think is important for him at this point. He’s beaten down by the system and he’s been fighting this one-man operation to make Gotham not as corrupt. I think it’s really important that he finds that relationship in Leslie.”
Since the moment that Gordon has stepped his foot back in Gotham City, he has been making enemies at every turn. We haven’t seen him appear “beaten down” that much so far. Despite it all, he has held his head relatively high. However, maybe that changes once his new reality at Arkham sets in.
It has also been strongly rumored that their relationship may develop into romance which could prove to be tricky. It is clear that Gordon’s relationship with Barbara is on the rocks, since she has left him for Det. Montoya. Yet a point of the mythology that they will eventually have to address is that her and Gordon have a child. (Who goes on to be Bat-Girl.) Until it was revealed that Barbara was still in the city, it made ed-trio.com/buy-cialis-online sense to sideline her character since she had become unlikeable due to her actions. Including Dr. Thompkins as a recurring cast member, played by a respected actress like Baccarin, has the potential to fill the void of what was once the weakest part of the show. If Thompkins is more than Gordon’s new investigative partner, hopefully the writers have a plan to steer the series away from elements that feel too much like a soap opera. Leave that to the professionals over at Arrow.
Hugo Strange
Series showrunner Bruno Heller has said that Gotham will not shy away from some of the more fantastic characters from the Batman mythos if they can find a way to interpret it. He also confirmed that the show would be introducing Dr. Hugo Strange. In the comics, one of the first times that the “freaks” began to appear is when Strange conducted his cruel experimentations creating Monster Men, essentially mutants. Strange is a psychiatrist/scientist who has held a variety of functions and is one of Batman’s oldest villains. Surely they will have their own twist on his persona and agenda, but this is an opportunity to put their stamp on the character who has never been seen in live-action.
The Penguin and the Fish
Now this is a tricky one. When the series first premiered it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Fish Mooney was a little more than a placeholder in the Gotham crime world. However she has become such a divisive figure on the show, that it might be hard to let her go. Think about it. Is there any character on the show that people love or hate more? When she appears on the screen there is typically a physical reaction from people and she is by far the show’s biggest individual draw, aside from comic book fans. It is possible that they keep her around beyond this season. But that is unlikely. There is undoubtedly a reason that she was created for show and given the name Fish. We are hoping that they are able to reach the ultimate conclusion in a creative way, that still surprises us.
The Penguin on the other hand has been the fan-favorite by far. He has gotten the second most character development on the show behind Gordon and it would be easy to argue that he has the more compelling story. His duplicitous nature has produced at least three shocking reveals that has altered expectations during the course of the season. We wouldn’t expect the twists to slow down either, as he will eventually have to find a way to get from under Maroni and Falcone’s thumb, while dealing with Mooney. Because while penguins aren’t the king of the ocean, they definitely can catch a fish.
These are only three points that we are hoping that they get right in the second half of Gotham’s first season. There are many other things that we will be keeping our eye on as well (such as Bruce’s training, Cat, Alfred etc etc) and we will be monitoring them in our individual episode reviews, so make sure to check them out weekly. Are you excited for more Gotham? Let us know on the comment boards, , , and !
Gotham returns Monday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. on Fox.
Source : EW