Seriously, how good is this show?!
I got through maybe four episodes of Arrow before I finally gave up with the question "what the f*ck is going on?"
Flash I only managed one episode. I just found myself unable- or perhaps subconsciously, unwilling- to care about those characters. One because he was a rich tw*t (and not nearly as charming as Tony Stark), and one came across a bit too much like Peter Parker.
And that's probably where the real problem lay. I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Heck I loved the original Spider Man movies and the past and current crop of X-Men films. The characters just stand out more, visually and in terms of writing and performance.
I've never felt quite the same way about DC. But if there was one DC property that could catch AND keep my attention (apart from Teen Titans) it was Batman.
Now I'm not au fait with the comics so much- so I expect fanboys and girls would have issue with my feelings- but growing up the animated series was a must for me. The Tim Burton movies were my favourites for a very long time, heck even Batman Forever held a special place in my heart for introducing a big screen Robin. And the Dark Knight Trilogy, for all that it got a lot of mixed opinions, re-introduced me to a Gotham that I'd missed since childhood.
It was the one property that DC produced that felt gritty, and real. Filled with psychopaths and damaged heroes, it showed that you didn't have to be able to leap tall buildings, or have some sort of lasso to be a hero. Heck, you didn't even have to be emotionally stable.
And boy does GOTHAM have damaged heroes, villains and every nut in between. Jim Gordon (played convincingly by Ben McKenzie) is our Batman. A war hero facing a conflict that is equal parts murderous desperation and political manoeuvring. In this fight he is aided and hindered by Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), a GCPD detective who has carved and beaten a place for himself on Gotham's streets. Though as the series progresses you get the feeling that he was, once, as determined to see justice done as Gordon.
Of course Gotham wouldn't be Gotham without one of its founding families- the Waynes. The series follows young Bruce (David Mazouz) in the aftermath of his parents murder as he, Gordon and the ever trustworthy Alfred Pennyworth (played by Sean Pertwee- who looks so much like his father John Pertwee (Doctor Who) that its scary). And I should say after episode ten, an extremely kick-ass, version of the Waynes butler.
Along for the ride are a young Selina Kyle/Cat (played by a striking looking Camren Bicondova- seriously she looks like a cat!), a young Ed Nygma/Riddler (a suitably creepy Cory Michael Smith), a young- yeah we get it!- Harvey Dent/Two Face (Nicholas D'Agosto) and various Mafia men and woman all vying for power over the corrupt Mayor (Richard Kind).
But the stand out star of Gotham (and there are soooo many) is Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot. Or the Penguin.
He is fantastic, cunning and deranged, creeping and always two steps ahead of those that would believe themselves better than him, this is a villain you want to see succeed. Not quite as disgusting as Danny De Vito's character, but you can see that that performance has heavily influenced the actor and writers. He isn't an imposing figure by any means, but he snaps so quickly from weaseling to psycho, that it provides the best shocks in the show. Plus I actually feel sorry for him. Yes he's evil, but Taylor plays many moments so sympathetically, that you can't help but root for him. He is the show's Heath Ledger. And that's the best comparison I can give.
Of course season one hasn't fully finished yet (they've added at least three more episodes, which I am impatiently waiting for), but Bruno Heller (of The Mentalist - another great show), has created something here that I am eagerly anticipating.
The only worry is how it's all going to play out. Mazouz/Bruce is thirteen years old, so how quickly will we progress to the end game- the Batman himself? That's a lot of time to fill with Gordon as, really, our sole hero. And a hero that will not see a clean Gotham for many years to come.
As great as it is to watch, the whole thorny issue of end-games is looming over the show's premise like shadow.
A bat shadow.
