The Hype
The first episode of Gotham wasn't necessarily bad, but im starting to think I was a little generous in my review. Gotham did nothing to stay with me after the show had ended. Gotham has not crossed my mind all week, and I honestly forgot I had planned to review it until now (the show starts in 20 minutes..) A few clips from episode 2 were released a few days ago and although they were only a couple minutes long a couldn't even bring myself to finish them. However i'm still going to give Gotham a chance, they have some very interesting elements at play, and with the right moves I think Gotham can really overcome the skepticism and weaker aspects and become a great show. We'll see. This week the focus will be on Selina Kyle (Catwoman) we'll also get to see what happens now that a presumed dead Oswald Cobblepot is loose on the countryside
The Review
I could tell in the first ten minutes we had a vast improvement over last weeks pilot. Gotham seems to picking up some serious momentum in the second episode. There's a lot more excitement and better pacing this time around. Despite some very strange editing, Gotham is defiantly heading in the right direction. There were no unnecessary villain cameos or easter eggs. The villains this week are believable but menacing. Bullock and Gordon must investigate a child trafficking ring that is revealed to have been set in motion by the Doll Maker, a fairly well known villain in the DC universe. His lackeys are defeated but he is not so much as shown which leads me to believe he'll have a bigger role later on in the series.
. The tension between Harvey and Gordon is rising and i'm loving it. We also get another very nice Riddler scene that actually made me laugh out loud. As expected get an update on the now loose penguin and i'm starting to really enjoy the grounded "Dark Knight approach to the character. Bruce Wayne forces himself into the episode but thankfully not for long. Sean Pertwee delivers a serviceable performance as Alfred Pennyworth but does not embody the character, it simply doesn't feel like Alfred.
Selina Kyle, the title character, doesn't have a line until about 40 mins. in, but does an amazing job engulfing the character. I was skeptical about the choice of actress but i'm really liking what shes doing with it. On the other head i'm still waiting for Bruce Wayne's time to shine, as we really haven't seen a lot of range from him. Blank is really coming into his own as Harvey Bullock. I'm also loving the Mayor and hoping he continues having a part in the series. Jada Pinkett Smith performance however has significantly decline from last week, her conversation with Falcone was completely unbelievable, and i can't help but feel she was really phoning it in. Overall we have a very solid episode, and i am officially invested in this series.
I could tell in the first ten minutes we had a vast improvement over last weeks pilot. Gotham seems to picking up some serious momentum in the second episode. There's a lot more excitement and better pacing this time around. Despite some very strange editing, Gotham is defiantly heading in the right direction. There were no unnecessary villain cameos or easter eggs. The villains this week are believable but menacing. Bullock and Gordon must investigate a child trafficking ring that is revealed to have been set in motion by the Doll Maker, a fairly well known villain in the DC universe. His lackeys are defeated but he is not so much as shown which leads me to believe he'll have a bigger role later on in the series.
. The tension between Harvey and Gordon is rising and i'm loving it. We also get another very nice Riddler scene that actually made me laugh out loud. As expected get an update on the now loose penguin and i'm starting to really enjoy the grounded "Dark Knight approach to the character. Bruce Wayne forces himself into the episode but thankfully not for long. Sean Pertwee delivers a serviceable performance as Alfred Pennyworth but does not embody the character, it simply doesn't feel like Alfred.
Selina Kyle, the title character, doesn't have a line until about 40 mins. in, but does an amazing job engulfing the character. I was skeptical about the choice of actress but i'm really liking what shes doing with it. On the other head i'm still waiting for Bruce Wayne's time to shine, as we really haven't seen a lot of range from him. Blank is really coming into his own as Harvey Bullock. I'm also loving the Mayor and hoping he continues having a part in the series. Jada Pinkett Smith performance however has significantly decline from last week, her conversation with Falcone was completely unbelievable, and i can't help but feel she was really phoning it in. Overall we have a very solid episode, and i am officially invested in this series.
The Verdict
Gotham gains some much needed momentum in it's second episode
8.5/10
Gotham gains some much needed momentum in it's second episode
8.5/10