I just binge-watched the first three seasons of Gotham and I loved it. The show combines cop drama, slasher violence, teen romance, and some very grown up soap opera sexuality. Dozens of characters here are strong enough to carry a series all on their own. Robin Lord Taylor plays the young Penguin with street smarts, demonic intensity and childlike charm. He's the best screen villain I've seen in years! And I'm saying all this as someone who was never a fan of Batman or his universe.
This third episode demonstrates how strong the show is, even when the main premise is silly. The balloon man captures people who've hurt Gotham and sends them thousands of feet into the air tied to a weather balloon! That's a chilling idea, but it doesn't quite work visually. But Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock have such natural chemistry as the good cop, bad cop team, and the actions of the Balloon Man force them to confront the real issue in Gotham: vigilantes step up because the GCPD is not only inept but hopelessly corrupt. The cop dialogue here is actually far better, more authentic and more gripping then what you read in trashy best sellers like Don Winslow's THE FORCE.
Some people don't like the soap opera side of GOTHAM, but I think it's interesting that, even very early on, Jim Gordon's golden girl Barbara Kean is being set up for darker things. There's something terribly sensual and sinister about the way she lounges around her luxurious apartment, puffing weed behind her cop boyfriend's back, all the while fending off advances from a stunningly beautiful and exotic dusky-skinned lady cop.
Is this the shape of things to come?
This third episode demonstrates how strong the show is, even when the main premise is silly. The balloon man captures people who've hurt Gotham and sends them thousands of feet into the air tied to a weather balloon! That's a chilling idea, but it doesn't quite work visually. But Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock have such natural chemistry as the good cop, bad cop team, and the actions of the Balloon Man force them to confront the real issue in Gotham: vigilantes step up because the GCPD is not only inept but hopelessly corrupt. The cop dialogue here is actually far better, more authentic and more gripping then what you read in trashy best sellers like Don Winslow's THE FORCE.
Some people don't like the soap opera side of GOTHAM, but I think it's interesting that, even very early on, Jim Gordon's golden girl Barbara Kean is being set up for darker things. There's something terribly sensual and sinister about the way she lounges around her luxurious apartment, puffing weed behind her cop boyfriend's back, all the while fending off advances from a stunningly beautiful and exotic dusky-skinned lady cop.
Is this the shape of things to come?