by Gloria Daniels-Moss
The long and ever so agonising wait for TV series Gotham has finally come to an end. With the wait certainly being worth it - this episode fires up quickly as we see a young Catwoman, Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) leaping over rooftops, narrowly escaping arrest after stealing milk for the local strays. The initial, very comicbook style and playful opening is quickly replaced with the harsh reality that Gotham is not a safe haven. A young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) long before the creation of his alter ego enjoys the company of his parents after an evening out, only to watch them die in front of him for reasons that are currently unknown.
The long and ever so agonising wait for TV series Gotham has finally come to an end. With the wait certainly being worth it - this episode fires up quickly as we see a young Catwoman, Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) leaping over rooftops, narrowly escaping arrest after stealing milk for the local strays. The initial, very comicbook style and playful opening is quickly replaced with the harsh reality that Gotham is not a safe haven. A young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) long before the creation of his alter ego enjoys the company of his parents after an evening out, only to watch them die in front of him for reasons that are currently unknown.
This pilot comfortably sets the tone for the series as a whole and it is evident that the writers want to give audiences more of an insight into Gotham. More importantly, how this cinematic city directly affects the characters on screen, rather than just giving us the fan-boy conventional Batman (even though some may be yearning for it). A very wise choice indeed considering how many times filmmakers have chosen to put their own slant on the classic DC narrative. Instead, we are focusing on the Wayne murder case and the first cops to the scene Detective James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and Detective Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue). We, along with Gordon quickly become aware of the fact that Gotham is run by powerful criminals who rely or bully should we say on corrupt cops to clean up after them. Logue’s Bullock certainly comes across more superior than McKenzie’s Commissioner, although this is a more than worthy performance from The OC star.
Many familiar names pop up on the screen here and even though we don’t see Bruce in his suit, Gotham certainly makes us very aware that we are indeed residing in his realm. Characters such as; Catwoman, The Riddler, The Penguin (who even has his umbrella) and Poison Ivy all make an appearance one way or other. Perhaps this is handing us familiar characters on a silver platter but this may be a skilful tactic the creators have put into place for the development of the series - time will tell. The ever reliable butler Alfred is played by Sean Pertwee and brings a much more rough and ready approach to the character than Caine did in Nolan trilogy.
The overall look of this series is highly stylised, evoking dark colours and sinister cinematography, much like Netflix’s The Killing and Fincher’s Seven. As the episode unfolds in front of you, it is as if they are openly highlighting that no one can escape their dark secrets and it’s not just Gotham that is so ominous. Ultimately, it is hard not to compare what we have already been given when it comes to the franchise, albeit one must remember this series is coming from the other side of the coin entirely.
The overall look of this series is highly stylised, evoking dark colours and sinister cinematography, much like Netflix’s The Killing and Fincher’s Seven. As the episode unfolds in front of you, it is as if they are openly highlighting that no one can escape their dark secrets and it’s not just Gotham that is so ominous. Ultimately, it is hard not to compare what we have already been given when it comes to the franchise, albeit one must remember this series is coming from the other side of the coin entirely.
What did you think of the pilot?
Will you continue watching the series?
Let us know in the comments!
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