The first of our Gotham recaps by Legion of Leia contributor Christina Janke!
Greetings Gothamites! Warning: soft spoilers ahead! It’s still safe to read, though. All the major stuff is left out.
Gotham premiered last night with a bang, followed by a blood-curdling scream of anguish by a young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz). We actually get to see this infamous murder of Martha and Thomas Wayne through the precocious eyes of the young Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova), who we see jumping rooftops and stealthily pickpocketing unsuspecting market shoppers just a few minutes before.
The detectives responding to the murder are Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) and newcomer Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie). Once Bullock discovers that one of Gotham’s richest and beloved families has just been killed, he immediately tries to run away from it — something like this will attract too much attention and heat he’s willing to deal with. However, Gordon is already talking young Bruce, still in shock. In this one scene with Bruce, we begin to get a true sense of what kind of cop Gordon is on this show (as if we didn’t know already): someone who truly wants to right all the wrongs that he comes across in the best way possible.
Throughout the episode, we meet a few more familiar characters along the way. Barbara Kean (Erin Richards), Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith), Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee), Captain Sara Essen (Zabryna Guevara), Renee Montoya (Victoria Cartagena), Crispin Allen (Andrew Stewart-Jones) and Carmine Falcone (John Doman).
One completely new character is Jada Pinkett Smith’s Fish Mooney, an up-and-coming crime boss ruling the Theater District, where the Waynes are murdered. Her role, more than anything, is to illustrate the over the top brutality coming to Gotham once the top crime lords like Falcone lose their iron grip on the city. The cops are already eating out of Falcone’s hand, all Mooney has to do is find a way to overtake Falcone.
The defining moment for the show itself comes when Gordon meets Falcone face to face. After Gordon and Bullock found and killed the guy suspected for Waynes’ deaths, Gordon begins to think they caught the wrong guy. We later find that he is correct in this assumption, but Falcone makes the once clear waters within Gordon’s ideals just a little murky.
“Pepper was sacrificed so that the people of Gotham would see swift justice done,” says Falcone, “So they can feel safe and secure. I’m a business man. You can’t have organized crime without law and order.”
Heavy.
He continues on saying, “I love this city, and I see it going to hell. But I won’t let it fall apart without a fight.”
Heavier!
This certainly sets the tone for all the gray area Gordon will have to adapt to if he wants to weed out the corruption in Gotham, something he vows to do during another meeting with Bruce.
It’s hard to pin down exactly what the main focus of Gotham is supposed to be — a cop drama detailing the early years of Jim Gordon, a sideways origin story of the Dark Knight, or a tale of a city heading toward a downward spiral despite everyone’s best efforts — but that’s okay, it’s only the first episode, and it was damn enjoyable. Can’t wait to see where this journey takes us.
Follow Christina on Twitter @IntrotoGeek!
- Top 10 Vampires From Books, Film and TV - November 7, 2024
- 5 Action-Packed Anime for Beginners - November 5, 2024
- Geek Girl Authority Is Looking for Contributors – Write for Us! - October 31, 2024