Review: Gotham
My husband and I describe Gotham with the phrase: “The worst show on TV we never miss an episode of.”
Our relationship with Gotham has been very interesting, from the beginning. We gave it a shot because it’s Batman, or that universe at least. This show has a lot of bad qualities, one of which being the almost universally bad acting. In season 1, I almost couldn’t stand any time Jim Gordan, the main character, tried to act anything more than a casual conversation between coworkers. Bruce Wayne, was almost as terrible, but we gave him a pass because the actor was still a kid. The only person who did seem to be able to act was Harvey Dent.
And yet, week after week we kept coming back to the show, and it paid off. Because this show knows how to do payoffs. Of course I can’t necessarily give any of those without spoilers galore, but while the lead up is rough and sometimes painful, this show can make the different plots and the different characters come together into beautiful and amazing moments that make you want to cheer.
And thankfully, by Season 5, the acting has improved, and looking back, the character development has been rather beautiful. Jim, Penguin, Barbara, Selena, Ivy, and especially Ed and Bruce. Jim still overacts when he gets really emotional, but Bruce has really settled so firmly into his role and it is a beautiful thing to behold. The first episode of Season 5 has me eager to see how things are going to progress. If you haven’t given Gotham a shot, I’d encourage you to. And if you can make it through the first season, it’s totally worth it. (Plus, season two is when Alfred suddenly becomes more British, because I guess they got a writer who knows British lingo.)
