'Gotham' Recap: Pilot
- sarahkloepple
- Sep 23, 2014
- 3 min read
The arguably most anticipated new fall TV show "Gotham" premiered last night, and the pilot lands somewhere between disappointed expectations and an enticing origin story.
Ben McKenzie (who I couldn't stop thinking was Ryan Atwood, meaning I really shouldn't watch "The O.C." reruns while this show is airing) stars as a young Jim Gordon who is still assimilating into the corrupt Gotham, the surly metropolis that everyone and their mother knows is the home of the caped crusader Batman.
The pilot aptly opens to the ill-fated night that Bruce Wayne's parents die, which we see from the point of view of a young woman who is crawling up fire escapes, stealing wallets and feeding milk to alley cats — which doesn't sounds like a certain Batman villain at all!
Gordon is still a rookie at this point in time. He's paired with Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), a detective who has been hardened by the crooks and cronies of Gotham. I expected him to be the type of gruff detective with a heart of gold, but Bullock definitely has an iffy moral compass.
Gordon and Bullock are obviously called to the crime scene of the Wayne murders, and Gordon wastes no time in showing his sensitive, golden boy tendencies. The scene of him comforting a traumatized Bruce definitely hit the mark it was supposed to; their growing friendship will obviously be a main selling point in episodes to come.
But the most enticing part of the pilot was Oswald Cobblepot (played by an exceptionally creepy Robin Lord Taylor), who Batman aficionados know will eventually become the Penguin. In the start of the episode, Cobblepot is holding umbrellas (subtle!) for Fish Mooney (Jada Pickett Smith), a mobster queen who we learn has a cozy relationship with Bullock.
Cobblepot eventually squeals on Mooney to two other cops about her and Bullock framing an innocent man for the Wayne murders (because corruption!) which lands him in serious trouble... and to the best scene of the episode.
The final minutes undoubtedly saved "Gotham's" pilot episode. Bullock sternly orders Gordon to take out Cobblepot to prove he can shed those golden boy tendencies and get with the program. We obviously know the Penguin won't be killed in the first episode, but that doesn't make McKenzie's torn expression and Taylor's menacing rant about "blood in the streets" any less exciting.
Gordon predictably fakes the shot and tells Cobblepot to never return to Gotham. But minutes later we see him hobbling onto dry land and slashing the throat of a fisherman for his sandwich. Yikes!
In summary, "Gotham" is off to a fine start. Pilot episodes aren't usually as tight and reflective of the series that ultimately develops. I wish it would have played out less like a supernatural drama on the CW (with the supermodel-looking fiancees and universally dark backdrops). But there are small things that keep it enticing, like seeing a stoic Alfred first appear by coming to Bruce's aid at the crime scene.
And McKenzie is believable as ever playing a cop (he previously starred on the police drama "Southland"), especially one who isn't afraid to infiltrate the Gotham Police Department's shady ethics and keep his promise to a young Bruce Wayne (who is already a perfect mix of haughty and emotionally damaged).
It's not as great as I had built it up to be, but "Gotham" definitely has room to improve.
