ReviewsTV

Review of Gotham T.V. Series

This is more Law and Order Gotham City than Gotham.  Once again, we’re taken back to the City that is the home to the World’s Greatest Detective.   As well as Gotham’s underworld.   Sadly  the WB channel has been defunct for years.   So the series landed on Fox of all places.  The same channel that if the president of the network doesn’t like the color of a characters hair…the shows cancelled.

Catwoman is in the series...but so what?
Nothing is more exciting than Catwoman…just lurking…and…lurking….and…um…yeah.

The series opens up with a exterior of GOTHAM.   However it could be any city, like Springfield is to the Simpsons.   What state is Gotham in?   New York?  Chicago?  Detroit?   For arguments sake, this GOTHAM is in the state of confusion.   As the man who has been obsessed with thy Dark Knight since ’89, I had hopes.   High ones in fact, you can take Batman anywhere.   In theory you could make an movie about the characters…before their “bad day.”

Not all the performances are Luke warm. Robin Lloyd Taylor as Cobblepot is interesting.
Not all the performances are Luke warm. Robin Lloyd Taylor as Cobblepot is interesting.

My biggest complaint about the show is the acting.   They’re just phoning in their performances.  I feel like they either read an D.C. Comic Book…or were in one gangster film too many.   In fairness here are some talented actors….So why am I not hooked?  I think the problem is, how many origin stories do we need to see?  We know The Wayne family will be gunned down…yadda…yadda…So we’re supposed to see how The Penguin, Joker, Poison Ivy, and others will rise.     Batman Begins (in my opinion did a great job with Bruce Wayne’s origin).   The question is…does a Batman-less Gotham work?   Would a Batman-less Gotham work?  The answer is…I dunno…because I don’t know if I can watch the next episode.

   The writing seems more like a bad piece of fan fiction.   Let’s talk about the pilot for a minute.  It deals with a young Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock trying to solve the murder of the Wayne’s.

Donal Logue was always a hard sell for me. As Harvey Bullock he's even a harder sell.
Donal Logue was always a hard sell for me. As Harvey Bullock he’s even a harder sell.

However Bullock is a corrupt GCPD Detective.   I’m assuming he’s supposed to be a combination of the 1970’s comics and the 1992 animated show.   The problem is Logue is giving the Logue performance.  He always comes off as a burnt out hippie.   I just don’t see him as a tough guy.   He’s not “seasoned enough,” as Harvey.   I could rate the other performances…but other than Robin Lord Taylor as Cobblepot (an aspiring crime lord)…I just don’t care.

Fein-al Thoughts

Gotham is supposed to be about people having “bad days,” good vs. evil.   It’s supposed to show how one “bad day,” can change someone’s life forever.    Just to place character actors here or there and telling the audience…hey there’s Joker.   Hey there’s The Riddler….that doesn’t promote character development.    Just what they will become.   Eventually the mafia will be defeated by The Batman.   As well as the criminally insane.

The uprising has been told here and there…but it  works as a five issue comic.  Or a web series, I remember taking a creative writing class in high school where Batman was black.   Not for nothing but that’s something that may work on paper.   It doesn’t mean it’s going to be a great idea.   I could discuss the score, writing, ect.   Trust me…it needs to be dumped at the bottom of Gotham Bay.

 

Review Overview

1.0

Fan fiction gone wrong.

The performances are just embarrassing. Just to see hints of what the D.C. Villains will be is not enough to watch...Robin Lord Taylor could be enough to watch.

User Rating: 3.72 ( 3 votes)
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5 Comments

  1. I honestly don’t see that issue with this episode. Plus it’s a pilot it is going to be rough as they are trying to discover the characters and grow with them. I think a 1 star rating maybe unfair this early on.

  2. Think more Gotham Central than Batman in general. This IS SUPPOSED to be about the GCPD. And the Wayne murders are the corner stones moreso than the center target.

  3. I don’t get this review at all. It reads like a crazy Batman fanatic who objects to the entire concept so then you say it’s all bad. I see a lot of generalizations but no specifics. When was the acting phoned in? The acting isn’t award worthy but it’s not that bad. You are not going to get a lot of character development in one episode. That is nuts. It’s the pilot it only sets the stage. No pilot is meant to be completed. It succeeded at establishing the world and the characters like a good pilot should. You are treating it like it should be a stand alone movie.

    1. completely agree. Steve mike and I will have a full in depth review of the pilot on Remote Control next wed.

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