Author Topic: Gotham  (Read 1245 times)

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Offline IronDioPriest

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Gotham
« on: January 01, 2016, 01:48:18 PM »
Mrs and I have been watching this on Netflix the past couple nights. Best daggum TV since Breaking Bad, IMHO. It is very well done.

The premise sucked me right in: what was Gotham like around the time that young Bruce Wayne's parents were killed?

Every other Batman story that begins with the killing of Thomas and Martha Wayne just skips over the aftermath of the murders, and uses the murders as a vehicle to explain how Bruce Wayne emerges as the vigilante Batman. This series explores the immediate aftermath, and hits so many touchstones, it's a treat to watch.

Young newly-minted detective Jim Gordon is the main character. The ongoing theme is his solemn promise to Bruce to solve the Wayne murders, even as corruption within Gotham's police department seems to thwart him at every turn.

As Bruce comes to grips with his parent's murder, and begins to investigate on his own why they were killed (to Alfred's chagrin), we get to watch the formation of Bruce's interest in the power of Wayne Enterprises, and how it influences events in Gotham City.

Several of the eventual criminal masterminds are woven into the story. The main villian character is interestingly Oswald Cobblepot. We get to watch him use his cunning to begin his rise from sniveling object of scorn for Gotham's major crime bosses as he evolves into "The Penguin". But several other Batman villians are present in their nascent stages before their Batman era notoriety. I'll leave them for you to discover.

The acting is excellent. The story is excellent. The dialogue writing is excellent. The world and characters created in Gotham are just slightly "off", giving everything a perfect blend of comic book feel, traditional cop vs bad-guy fare, with a tinge of pulp fiction feel.

It's rated TV-14, and I think the rating is appropriate. The sexual situations are at a minimum; swearing is nearly non-existent; violence is much less than many other programs.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this. I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
« Last Edit: January 01, 2016, 01:55:28 PM by IronDioPriest »
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

- Thomas Jefferson

Offline AmericanPatriot

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Re: Gotham
« Reply #1 on: January 01, 2016, 02:14:31 PM »
Best show on TV!

Offline IronDioPriest

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Re: Gotham
« Reply #2 on: January 01, 2016, 04:56:40 PM »
And I just have to say again how wonderful the acting is. Just top-notch TV. Robin Taylor as Cobblepot (Penguin) and Ben McKenzie as Jim Gordon stand out in a brilliantly cast ensemble.
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

- Thomas Jefferson

Offline AmericanPatriot

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Re: Gotham
« Reply #3 on: January 01, 2016, 06:00:14 PM »
The Penguin is fantastic.
Since you only saw season 1, you didn't get to see Nigma much but he's a full blown crazy by the end of the second season

I think Alfred's pretty cool
The young girl that plays Catwoman is very good, too.

Great villians

Offline IronDioPriest

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Re: Gotham
« Reply #4 on: January 01, 2016, 06:14:54 PM »
The Penguin is fantastic.
Since you only saw season 1, you didn't get to see Nigma much but he's a full blown crazy by the end of the second season

I think Alfred's pretty cool
The young girl that plays Catwoman is very good, too.

Great villians

We're about 7 or 8 episodes into season one, and I think the character development is among the best I've ever seen on TV. Everyone is interesting, without exception.

I LOVE the way they've portrayed the relationship between Alfred and Bruce - how Alfred's instinct is to just protect Bruce, but Bruce's drive to know the scope of Wayne Enterprise's reach in Gotham and how it resulted in his parent's murder ends up being the driving force in that relationship. The last episode we watched showed Alfred finally giving in and helping Bruce sort through files, instead of trying to discourage him as he had up until that point. But it was more than just "giving in". It was an acknowledgement that Bruce had been right all along, and marked the moment that Alfred realized he really was working for "Master Wayne", and wasn't just the caretaker for the rich boy left orphaned by murder.
"A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen, but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property and all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means."

- Thomas Jefferson