The Batlord

As of right now it is 7:09 pm, I have the oven set to 425 with fries and a frozen metal lovers' pizza waiting in the freezer, and I'm cracking open Batman: Year One, all in preparation for the premier of Gotham in... fifty minutes. I'm gonna try to review the pilot during the commercial breaks as I watch it, so here's hoping I can type fast...

7:59!

... Yeah, that didn't work out. I was far too busy running around getting my artery-clogging feast ready during commercials to bother writing anything. Was worth it though. I had a constant stream of fried potatoes and pepperoni going being stuffed into my fat face. America. Fuck yeah.

Anyway, it was basically "worse than I'd hoped, but better than I'd feared". Not really fair since, it being a Batman(ish) series, I was pretty much hoping for the best thing since Firefly. Unrealistic, but it's Batman, so I can't help but pray for true greatness. But it was definitely better than the CSI clone, with a few characters thrown in with names of people who they would one day turn into, that I was afraid of it being. I can't say that I loved it, but for the most part I dug it, and there were definitely some really excellent scenes, so definitely see potential for it being at least more than a little awesome. I'm cautious, but optimistic. It's ****ing Batman after all. Other than the Schumacher Batman movies, he hasn't really failed to achieve greatness when crossing over out of comic books since... ever?

*spoilers ahead*

The episode starts out strong. Pre-Catwoman is the first character we meet. She does a wee bit of parkour to give a taste of the show's ability to capture action in a cinematic way, while also establishing her as a thieving urchin. Not a revelation obviously, but character building is necessary regardless. Running from a newly-walletless man she happens upon the iconic scene of the mugging that would soon change Bruce Wayne's life forever. It unfolds as expected, with Thomas and Martha Wayne lying dead in an alley and Bruce kneeling by their bodies. Then the camera pans up, staying centered on child Bruce, and you just know the "KKKKHHHHAAAANNNN!!!!" moment is coming. I could taste it, like bad milk. But instead of a piece of uber-cheesy narm from an awful child actor, the kid lets loose with the kind of ragged, heart-wrenching scream, straight from the depths of his soul, that I would expect from a boy who has just witnessed his parents' murder. I don't know exactly why, but the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents just gets to me. This kind of thing generally doesn't affect me, but I guess since it's a character who has been part of my DNA since my age was in the early single-digits I have more of an emotional stake in his fate. The kid does this scene justice far better than I was expecting for a network television show. So, I was sold from the first five minutes. If this series has the instincts for good writing and casting to nail what will likely be the most important scene in this season, then that's a good sign. Granted, it's a scene that comes fully-formed from seventy-five years of comic book history, but if it works, it works.

The other iconic scene from the comics to be adapted for the show would be the meeting of Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon. It will be a relief to know that the question of Bruce's role in the show is established pretty convincingly here. The murder of his parents is clearly not the simple mugging that is often portrayed in the comics. There appears to be a conspiracy involving the various criminal organizations behind it, and the main plotline of the season is obviously going to be unearthing this tangled web. There is also a complete lack of a school in this episode, so if anyone is worried that this will be CSI awkwardly spliced together with Smallville, then fear not. Throughout the episode, Gordon investigates the case, meeting the main and supporting characters of the series along the way (Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya, Fish Mooney, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Carmine Falcone, and I'm probably forgetting someone or other), establishing what will likely be a set of subplots of varying degrees of importance. Bruce is largely absent for much of the show, but it ends with a scene that sets up what will obviously develop into an alliance between himself and Gordon to uncover the true killer, and which will likely gradually bring the boy into crime fighting for the first time.

Just before, he's shown standing on the roof of his mansion, seemingly about to jump, but we soon learn that he was trying to "conquer his fear". It's not yet clear whether he's merely reacting to feelings of guilt over not doing anything to stop his parents' murder, or if he's even now planning for what will come. Either way, during his final conversation with Gordon, it is clear that he is no longer a little boy. He carries himself as an adult, an equal to Jim. His time as a victim was remarkably short, ya know, for anyone who isn't Batman. This is another scene that makes me think that Bruce has been cast correctly. Most child actors come across as flat, like they've memorized their lines, but don't understand how to actually act. This kid is something else entirely. Definitely impressed.

Most of the show is dedicated to being a police procedural though. This isn't quite a CSI clone or anything, but it's still a genre that's been mined so completely that there really isn't too much you can do to make it fresh. Gotham doesn't do a half bad job though. Shows like Grimm and Hannibal rely on outlandish premises and execution to set themselves apart, but this show has a simple way to do the same thing: rather than being episodic and dedicated simply to solving this week's case, Gotham is actually about fighting crime. It's a subtle distinction I suppose, but since we're dealing with entrenched, organized crime syndicates that won't be dislodged by some detective with a hair, a one-liner, a bottle cap only produced by one company between 1954 and 1955; rampant police corruption that includes even main characters; and recurring villains, many of whom will obviously remain active long after the events of this series, Gotham will be much more involved and plot driven than your average Law and Order rip off. It doesn't necessarily make those scenes where some breakthrough happens because of something-or-other any more exciting, but in the long run I imagine this show will have a personality all its own, with or without the Joker.

Where the show did shine when it was in procedural mode, were in the action sequences. The camera work throughout the episode was very cinematic, and went out of its way not to look like a television show. Even in moments of more traditional drama everything feels larger than life. But the action scenes were the most obvious example of this. One extended scene where Gordon is chasing down a man suspected of murdering the Waynes, and who also happens to be a young Poison Ivy's father, is kept dynamic and tension-filled by a wide variety of camera techniques and constantly changing angles. It was definitely more than a few notches above your average television drama.

For the most part, the characters were well-acted and well-cast. From commercials the most high profile character would probably be Penguin. The actor did a good job of portraying him as a vicious, sadistic psychopath with an inferiority complex, in a way that's probably closer to Arkham City than your average non-gamer would be used to. Many of the characters, such as Poison Ivy, are obviously being introduced as a way to engage new viewers up front, before being pushed aside until later in the season. Penguin's arc however, is clearly going to be continuing for the foreseeable future. Looking forward to it.

I'm waiting to see how much I like Gordon though. A straight-laced boy scout isn't exactly the most compelling character, but even now he's showing signs of the morally incorruptible man who is nevertheless willing to bend the rules when necessary who we know from the comics. I'm hoping that he will develop into a more interesting character as he evolves and becomes more seasoned. His partner, Detective Bullock, isn't particularly interesting at first either, as he appears to merely be a cynical, veteran cop stereotype, but as the episode progresses and his relationship with the mob becomes apparent, I became much more interested in his arc. He's clearly a man of some principle, even if he's not living up to it at the moment. How his relationship with his partner develops should make for some good drama.

Selina Kyle barely has a speaking part, but she reappears several times after watching Bruce's parent's murder, watching him from afar, and usually perching cat-like on something like a wall or a statue in a cemetery. I suppose it would have been harder to introduce her character without her having some connection to Bruce, and it makes sense to play on both of their negative experiences with their parents. Carmine Falcone is obviously going to be a central villain in the series, which means that Gordon, and by extension almost certainly Bruce, will be going after him. If Bruce is involved in a fight with Falcone then it might mean that his relationship will develop a similar dynamic as in The Long Halloween. Though how that would play out without Batman I don't know.

I was also pleasantly surprised by Falcone. He only appears for a short time near the end of the episode, but he is already showing himself to be a more three-dimensional character than the boring, mafia stereotype from Batman Begins.

Can't forget John Pertwee as Alfred either. He plays the character as a more hard-edged type, likely to play up Alfred's military history. He only appears in a few scenes, and without much in the way of dialogue, but he shows both a protectiveness towards Bruce that feels appropriate, and just a hint of the character's hallmark dry wit. I'm guessing that the more gruff portrayal will be used to make him a more awkward father figure to Bruce, in order to develop Bruce's isolation from people in general. Just a guess though.

All in all, I quite enjoyed the first episode of Gotham. The glut of characters might have been too much too soon, but having read an interview with the creator of the show which promised that this was merely for the pilot, I'm confident that things will be much more settled by next week. Here's hoping that this will be the best show of the year. If all goes well it has the potential to be.

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