The Film
"When everyone's super... no one will be." -- Buddy Pine
Good lord, there are a lot of superhero movies and TV shows. It makes sense; people like those sorts of things. Sure, these types of TV shows have been around since the 1950s, but these days, it's hard to flip a channel without hitting something super. Not to worry, there are actually some really good superhero-inspired shows out there. (See Netflix's Daredevil.)
However, Gotham: The Complete First Season had a lot of hype working against it. It focuses on the most covered, most well known superhero out there. Well, sort of. Unlike most superhero projects, this series doesn't have its famous superhero as the main focus. Oh, it's an origins story... but probably not the one you're expecting.
Despite a very familiar first few minutes and many peeks at a young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz), it's really all about Jim Gordon, or at least his early days. In fact, the show kicks off with his first day on the job, when he's called in to investigate the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne. From there, the show spends all 22 of its initial episodes introducing the villains in the Batman universe, whether you recognize all of them or not.
It's insane how many of them there are -- and even more insane how the show introduces all of them. The Blu-ray should come with a scorecard or a cheat-sheet of some kind. Some are just mentioned in passing and others, they put right out there. In between all of those super-brief glimpses, there are guns, deaths and other types of violence (death by balloon, anyone?). There's also way too many frivolous characters.
The rapid fire of characters without any real development makes Gotham hard to follow sometimes. Even worse, the show seems to have more split personalities than some of its villains. Is it a cop show, a buddy cop show, a superhero show, a romance, a crime drama, a campy cop show, or all of the above? And do we care about the Waynes or are we just trying to solve the case of the week? The lack of a definitive direction makes Gotham slightly confusing, but sometimes fun.
What the show does have is a really interesting cast. Putting Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue together was a smart move. McKenzie was excellent in the sorely missed Southland and Logue has been extremely underrated for quite some time, in my opinion. (I still feel completely robbed of a second season of Terriers!) When the two share screen time, it usually ends up with some weirdness that reminds me of Supernatural. More of that please.
And really, Gotham needs to spend more time on character development for villains. That's what we're here for, yes? It's like being blasted in the face with a bunch of villains, but it's all background noise. Instead, the show focuses on Gotham's mob bosses, Sal Moroni (David Zayas) and Carmine Falcone (John Doman). Well, it focuses on them and their henchmen, including Fish Mooney, played by Jada Pinkett Smith. It's great to see her back on TV and she definitely has the creepy part down. Her character does have a lot of inconsistencies, but she's really no different than the rest of the women featured here. (Don't get me started.) Overall though, she does really well with what she's given. The real breakout star is Oswald Cobblepot, who you may know as The Penguin. Robin Lord Taylor plays the villain well and it just shows how good Gotham can be when there's a little focus.
Getting dizzy yet? If you're not well versed in Batman-ese, you may be lost in Gotham: The Complete First Season. Of course, you probably wouldn't even recognize all of the Easter eggs you're missing -- and that may be a good thing. Both fans and non-fans alike should recognize that the show has a lot going for it. It could be a lot worse, but it could be a lot better too. That said, I know this Season Two trailer certainly has me interested in what's to come. (C'mon, it's The Joker!)
The Picture
One of the things Gotham has going for it is that it just looks really cool. This 1.78:1 transfer shows off that sharp goth-esque imagery, with excellent contrast and great black levels. The faces also have a lot of detail to them and there's tons of texture in those suits and other outfits. The city itself is one big piece of eye candy because like everything in the Batman universe, the backdrop has a lot of style to it. Viewers should have no complaints about the imagery on this Blu-ray.
The Sound
Despite being a TV show, this DTS-Master Audio 5.1 track delivers plenty of ka-pows, blams and thwacks. Okay, it's mostly explosions and bullets, but the mix makes really good use of the entire soundfield. It's a pretty immersive experience overall, but the dialogue is clear throughout the season's entire 22 episodes.
The Extras
If you're a fan of Gotham or think you may be, this section alone will make it well worth the purchase. Disc One is the only one in the set that doesn't have any special features. Disc Two has four deleted scenes, with Disc Three throwing in a really short (under a minute) blurb about Jim Gordon. Most of the goodies are on Disc Four. Besides additional scenes and a Gag Reel, there are profiles on each of the key characters, a short about the show's debut at Comic-Con (alongside The Flash, Constantine and Arrow), and a featurette on the design. The Penguin also gets an entire short to himself, as does the pilot. The best (and lengthiest) of the bunch is "Gotham Invented," a three-part peek at the entire show, which covers everything from the origin to the stories to the villains.
Final Thoughts
When Gotham was first announced, I excitedly set my DVR. Unfortunately, a busy schedule, mixed reviews and a few missed episodes led me to delete what I had. However, Gotham: The Complete First Season kept me interested. Is it as great as it should be? Well, no, but it has a lot of really great moments. The pairing of Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue alone makes it a must-see. That said, 22 episodes for a freshman season is a tall order to fill, so as you can imagine, some episodes are better than others. If you haven't had the chance to indulge, this one is worth picking up for a binge-watch. It also has some great AV, with a ton of interesting special features.
Product Details
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