#gotham s2e1

[honestmrdual]

Theo? That’s your name, right… Theo? You’re getting way ahead of yourself, here. First of all, keep your hands off her. Second, this whole “magic team”? I gotta pass. I don’t take orders. Good luck on everything, though. It’s an intriguing concept.

[sweetcritique]

Episode Discussion: Gotham S2, E1 - Damned If You Do...

Well, that is a dark turn for Jim, eh?  And I can see that Ben McKenzie has decided to continue the growl speak.

Poor Jim, demoted to traffic cop - complete with pretty white gloves. Not sure if that was awesome costuming or over the top, either way I found myself staring at them.  Jim starts the show helping innocent people on the street and progresses to playing bully for Penguin and then kills someone.

I’m not sure if you can come back from that.  I appreciate the direction of the scene as Jim looked down at his victim, as his face was in half shadow.  He admits to doing a “bad thing”.  But at the same time, I loved his scene with Harvey, they have come such a long was with their friendship from the first episode of season one.  It’s been fun to watch.

Penguin seems very competent, still crazy, but he seems more grounded which is a great improvement as Penguin can’t run Gotham’s crime syndicate if he’s horribly unbalanced. 

I love that Sarah Essen was promoted to Commissioner, I like her, it will be nice to start having the police force be a strength for good instead of corruption.  Especially with all the villains coming.

I do think Nygma is kind of heartbreaking (which is not how I felt last season).  When we last saw him it seemed like his broke from reality, but it seems that he’s fighting it (which was not apparent last season).  Did you notice how Nygma’s voice was different than his mirror image?  I liked that touch.

It’s also hard to watch Alfred and Bruce.  Alfred cares so much about him but is ill-equipped to deal with such a brilliant young man. He’s trying.  I also love the way Alfred speaks, his accent is fantastic.  The Bat Cave has been found and blown open (ha! I crack myself up).  There’s nothing sadder than a letter left for a child by a dead parent, but the lesson of “can’t have both happiness and the truth” and finding your true calling - which flips back to Jim where Jim is now a cop again.

Arkham - filled with crazies, but men and woman together?  That’s a bit much, but we are talking about Gotham.  And Barbara has totally lost it, it will be interesting to see if if all the “bad” guys work together or go their separate ways and have interlocking storylines occasionally.  Since they have a Master in Theo Galavan, I figure they start together.

[lunacyhuman]

looks...

[sunlitroom]

Gotham s2, ep1

As I watched it, and some random summarising here and there

So, the bat cave is still closed, Jim is still sullen, Lee is still relentlessly nice, Harvey quit, Oswald loves being in charge, Babs is fabulous.  Guy I don’t know drank blue stuff from other guy I don’t know.  Onwards!

Zaardon isn’t even in the top 10 of weird stuff that Jim’s seen.  Also, Jim is frustrated and tetchy and itching for a fight with someone.

Ed is being bullied by his own reflection.  I’m not really sure where they’re going with Ed.  They hinted heavily at asperger’s and OCD last season, but now we’re talking some kind of dissociative disorder?  I strongly suspect that we’re meant to limit our observations to ‘crazy’ - but they’ve done such a good job of humanising Ed and making him sympathetic, that it feels weird to then just slap a badge of ‘crazy’ on him.

Loeb’s an ass, Jim - but how inaccurate is the description, ‘insubordinate troublemaker’, really?

‘I will break you’  Well, I’ll ask Oswald to do it, and then be all morally conflicted about it later.  After I’ve got what I wanted.

I still maintain Jim and Lee have not one ounce of chemistry.  Also, suggesting ‘maybe it’s for the best’ (like Loeb said), when Jim’s whole identity is tied up in being a cop is not suggestive of knowing each other well.  No chemistry, and no connection either.

Show - Morena Baccarin is very beautiful.  You don’t need to give me an ass shot of her as she gets into bed.

Babs!  And Jerome!  More of this!

Oh Oswald - are you really still all a-flutter at the sight of Jim, after everything that happened last season?  He’s also pretty furious though.  But also kind of turned-on.  It’s a complicated relationship.

Is Jim honestly surprised that Oswald is smart?  He’s not exactly hidden that from you, Jim.  And you’ve actually watched him go from umbrella boy to boss in under a year.  Are you sure ‘detective’ is the best job choice?

Now - see - this is something that baffles me.  Jim wants a favour.  He is aware that relations are likely to be poor after what went down at the hospital - So why is he surprised that Oswald wants an immediate favour in return? He knows that’s how this game is played, and he knows that Oswald is mistrustful of him now - so what did he expect?  A freebie?

Bruce Wayne - justifying all your morally dubious choices.

Back on the friendship theme with Babs and Sionis: ‘What do your friends do for you?’

Fruitcake leprechaun - lol.

Retired my ass.  Falcone is so not out of the game.

Jim says he wants to keep things civil - but part of him is spoiling for a fight.

No - Sir Digby Chicken-Caesar cam!

Well - it’s not implausible that Oswald knew the situation would be volatile - but surely you knew collecting a debt from a stubborn criminal could go very wrong, Jim?

Butch’s brainwashing is wearing off, I think.  That was definitely a warning look he gave Jim.

Jim and Lee’s awkward homelife.  Sorry - I had hopes for her in S2, but Lee is still as flat as a pancake for me.  She’s just been threatened by a woman who wants to kill her.  We get: mild annoyance.  Jim lies to her: ‘let’s run away together!’  Jim - I did a bad thing; Lee - looks mildly puzzled. 

This week, on Hot Goth Villains...

I love how Victor drops the head in the sink.  Hygiene is important.

Oh, Oswald.  You are rather marvellous when you’re being conniving and villainous.  And hot.  Very hot.

Making Loeb step down was smart - but I’m now a little worried that he’s a loose end.  Really - it was quite a tricky favour.  Killing him would have attracted too much attention.  Leaving him in power wouldn’t have worked.  But now he’s resentful and alive.  Hmmm.

You don’t wear a black shirt to this kind of event, Galavan.  Pfft.

The Arkham stuff looks great.  Babs, Jerome - what’s not to like.  Interesting that Galavan didn’t praise Barbara’s beauty initially, but went for power.

Essen to Jim: ‘How’d you pull this off?’  Hot goth gangster boyfriend, ma’am.

Lee knows Jim has done something illegal and morally wrong and gives Jim a blazing look of.....mild disapproval.  Lord help me.

Hears Babs has escaped: ‘Oh my God’, in a tone of dull surprise.  Lord help me again.

Briefly:  More Ed, please.  More Harvey, please.  I have no idea what Selina’s motivations are supposed to be after she went completely baffling at the end of last season with no warning.

Does Jim have his own apartment?

[delphibyproxy]

Gotham Season 2 Episode 1 recap

I like Gotham.  And I should like Gotham; it is at its core a Batman origin story.  And I’ve been obsessed with Batman and all the denizens of Gotham City for a little under fifteen years from the first time I watched the short lived WB’s Birds of Prey that caused my descent into madness and spending far too much money on comic books and movies.  Good money that could have been spent on wine but in for a penny in for a pound.

               In theory Gotham should be a fantastic show. It has a good concept, it has a talented cast, the directors have been great and the visuals have been fantastic. It’s hard to take death by air balloon seriously but they did a good job of it.

               I suppose the problem with the first season was that instead of sixteen episodes we got over twenty.  The middle episodes didn’t add too much to the story.  I guess the majority of people didn’t mind, it got a second season after all.  I suppose another problem was that initially I was hoping the show was going to be modelled more after Gotham Central than Arkham Asylum: Living Hell. To me the best parts of the show deal with young Bruce Wayne and the second best Alfred I’ve ever seen.  (May the immensely talented Ian Abercrombie rest in peace.)  Plus Penguin and Selina are loads of fun.  I don’t I needed to see the origin of every single villain that will eventually get a costume currently battling a young Jim Gordon.  He’s not the best part of the show to be honest.  But that’s what they’ve decided to do.  Especially this season given the fact that it seems every episode is going to be prefaced with ‘Rise of the Villains’, whatever the hell that is supposed to mean.  But I digress, it’s not my show.  I’m just watching it.

               So we open with a recap.  The recap?  So very glad you asked.  Everyone in the city is batshit crazy and Bruce Wayne finds what will be the Batcave in about ten years.  Good for him.

               It’s raining outside with streaks of lightning striking over Stately Wayne Manor as Alfred and our little billionaire climb down the steps that have just appeared.  At the bottom there is a giant metal door.  But because Bruce doesn’t have a leather BDSM suit yet he’s unable to kick it down.  And because this isn’t Batman: Arkham City he can’t hack the electronic lock.  Or figure out the pass word because as Alfred mentions there are a million possible combinations.  That was a month ago, oh good, a time jump.  That will come in handy for Selina and Bruce’s puberty.

               Now we’re in the city and a really out of place song plays as Leslie helps Jim get dressed.  I’m not sure why he can’t dress himself.  I guess because he’s in love or something.  He’s wearing beat cop blues instead of a detective uniform though. This guy’s job is not what you would call stable.  He’s been promoted and demoted so many times this past year.   GCPD really needs a better union lawyer.

               Flash to a bar where Harvey is definitely not wearing a detective’s uniform.  Because he’s a bartender now.  God, this city is in chaos.  But it might be a dream job for Bullock.  He’s a friend to alcohol.

               Cut to a meeting of the crime family.  Penguin is still the ‘King of Gotham’ as he kisses a guy’s forehead before having Victor Z blow his brains out.  I’m not so sure that’s a way to gain loyalty but I’m not a crime boss.

               Now we are at Arkham Asylum as Gordon’s wayward ex-finance shows up with a man carrying her bags.  It’s not a spa retreat lady; you’re there for murder and attempted murder.  But you dress very nice, I do admit and it seems that protoJoker is happy to have you around.

               And then we have a deranged looking middle aged man high up in a room kneeling before a guy in a suit.  He drinks an obviously poisonous blue concoction from his master before thanking him and laughing like a loon.  I’m guessing this is our case of the week.  But meanwhile let’s show Gordon directing traffic before aforementioned loon shows up in front of Gordon, blasting guns into the air then pulling out a sword for a very brief fight that Jim doesn’t lose because he’s our protagonist.  He doesn’t shoot the guy because that would be too much paper work.  Funny that he cares now.  Harvey Bullock light shows up and asks if Jim is busy.  Gordon shoves him before pulling a gun on some youths trying to steal some jewellery.    It might be time for Jim to switch to decaf.

               They take the crazy guy to GCPD where he can’t fathom his defeat because what he drank earlier was dragon’s blood from his master’s chalice.  Okay. He gives the typical bad guy speech. Dark days are coming, Jim.  

               We get a glimpse of Edward Nygma who has gone...insane.  And barely holds it together until Jim leaves to go see the Captain and get fired.  He’s talking to his reflection, which seems to be his Riddler persona coming alive.  It’s shot very well and I think I’m going to enjoy this plotline very much. As he walks away his reflection stays in the mirror laughing at him.  That’s so cool.

               Loeb is yelling at Gordon for his earlier shoving of the earlier beat cop.  Gordon is totes getting fired but Captain Essen is not happy about it because she’s the only not corrupt cop in this city since Renee and Crispin are apparently not coming back this year, this really isn’t Gotham Central.  In case you’re wondering I count Jim as corrupt.  As an aside, it’s always nice to see LGBT and people of colour shipped off this show.  Who needs them, amirite?

               The crazy man in the cell is sleeping and burps out blue gas, probably from his Dragon’s Blood Cocktail.  Ominous.

               Leslie and Jim are in bed.  Leslie is fine with Jim not working at the GCPD, Jim isn’t. He’ll find a way back in.  Legally or not.  See, corrupt.

               Over at Arkham protoJoker tries to make nice with Barbara who is not having it.  Who cares if they both murdered their parents, she doesn’t want to be seen with redheads.  Her daughter is going to have some serious issue then, huh?  Jerome insists that she’ll need a friend on the inside.  It’s good advice.  So she befriends a big guy whose not there mentally but seems to be otherwise nice.  I like Barbara a lot more in this episode than I did the entire season one arc.   Jerome explains that even though her friend will protect her, Richard Sionis can get her things she needs. Barbara needs a telephone.  Interesting.

               Butch is going over crime family politics and debts with Penguin.  It seems that now that Falcone is really, truly gone people don’t want to pay up. That’s not good.  Why is Selina here?  Because this show needs to find a way to use every single character of course. Jim is there to see Penguin because he wants to get rid of Loeb and be a police officer again.  Penguin already knows this, news travels fast.  Penguin wants a favour as well to prove that this is real friendship.  Jim has to go be a debt collector because Jim is batshit crazy.  He refuses because he may be corrupt but he’s not that corrupt. He goes to get trashed at Harvey’s new bar instead.  Should an unemployed man really be spending money at a bar?  Maybe it’s on the house.

               Turns out my earlier critique was wrong however. Harvey isn’t drinking he’s been sober for over a month.  But he advises Jim to slow down on his drinking.  He’s proud that Jim said no to Penguin because Jim is a moral man.  He has a girlfriend now and sleeps at night. Harvey it seems is happier without the badge and the anger that comes with it.

               Back at Wayne Manor, Alfred brings Jim to the main parlour to apologize to Bruce.  He’s been fired after all and can no longer find out what happened to Bruce’s parents. Bruce is fine with this because this is like the tenth time that Jim has done this and as an orphan Bruce is used to disappointment.  But because Bruce completely understands people because he’s going to be Batman, he calls out Jim on his refusal to do a favour for Penguin because he’s vain and doesn’t want to tarnish his dignity.  Bruce knows that sometimes you have to do something bad to eventually reach a good outcome.  I love Bruce.

               After Alfred escorts Jim out Bruce goes back to the batcave and attempts to get passed the lock.  He fails so instead he takes a hammer to it.  Poor kid.  But we don’t have time to dwell on it because we are headed back to Arkham.  So that Richard and Barbara can flirt as Barbara tries to get her telephone.

               Jim goes to collect the debt for Penguin. The guy isn’t having any of it though. Screw Penguin, after all.  The guy pulls a gun out on Jim.  Bad idea really because Jim grabs it beats the crap out of some people.  Takes some money and runs.  From the thugs and the cops.  The main thug guy though catches Jim and tries to shoot.  Jim’s aim is better.  The guy is dead.

So the hammer didn’t work.  Go figure.  Instead Bruce is going to make a bomb and blow the door off.  Alfred thinks that is a terrible idea because Bruce shouldn’t get all his ideas from the anarchist cookbook.  He’s not wrong.  Alfred thinks the door blocking them is a good thing because Bruce is a child still and maybe doesn’t need to know everything about his father.  But it’s Bruce’s house.  He’s making a bomb.  Infrastructure be damned.  Alfred is on board now.  He’s going to help, because he’s better at bomb building than Bruce.

               Jim gives Penguin the money.  Blah blah blah.  But now he’s depressed.  Leslie notices but Jim doesn’t explain why.  Fortunately Barbara has a horrible sense of timing and has gotten her phone to call Gordon.  She’s saying that everything is a mistake and that Leslie is lying about everything. He doesn’t believe her and hangs up. She calls Leslie instead, leaving a message.  She wants Leslie to die screaming.  Lovely. Leslie wants to leave Gotham.  Jim doesn’t, he confides in Leslie at last.

               Penguin and Victor break into Loeb’s house.  Penguin wants peanut butter.  Loeb wants his guards.  Unfortunately, Victor has decapitated them for...you know, fun.  But Penguin gets his peanut butter as he tells Loeb what he wants.  Penguin has a problem.  Loeb can’t be blackmailed and threats of personal violence don’t really work against him so Penguin has to kill him and deal with his replacement instead. Victor really wants to kill him. Loeb insists that he’ll give Gordon back his job but Penguin doesn’t believe and Victor really, truly wants to kill but isn’t sure if it’s time leading to this hilarious exchange:

Victor: Kill him now? Penguin: No make him a nice cheese toasty , yes kill him now! Victor: Just wanted to be sure.

               In the end Victor doesn’t get to kill him, because Penguin decided to convince Loeb retire.  At the going away party the Mayor decided not to show up.  But Theo Galavan shows up instead.  Hint, he’s going to be a bad guy.  He’s new to Gotham but loves it already.  He likes the everyday heroes and thanks Loeb for his service.  Captain Essen get’s the top spot now.  Good for her and good for Jim.  Sarah gives Jim back his badge and insists that they are going to change the city. Leslie hopes it was all worth it. While this is going on the crazy loon gets sent to Arkham where Barbara is getting a pedicure by her friend while resting on Black Mask’s shoulder. He tries to interrupt them but they don’t care until he dies spewing knock out gas from his mouth as everyone looks on confused.  A decidedly not Catwoman blows her way into the Asylum, Tigress, she shoots the guards. There is going to be a jailbreak.

               Leslie is terrified as Sarah tells them about the Arkham escape.

               The jailbirds wake up in Theo’s penthouse strapped down. His sister Tabitha is the Tigress. He tells them that it is a new day. The world sees them as criminal lunatics and the world isn’t wrong, but he sees brilliance, power and stuff. Jerome starts babbling, he gets told to shut up.  Theo wants to make an injustice league but Barbara isn’t a criminal mastermind, she’s troubled.  Theo sees greatness in her.  Black Mask isn’t feeling it either.  But that’s okay.  They untie him so that Tabitha can murder him with a knife and get blood everywhere. Yikes.  I guess that means in this future Gotham, Selina can’t shoot his son’s brains out.

               Alfred and Bruce are finished building their bomb and are hiding behind the couch.  Alfred wants to make sure that Bruce wants to do this.  Bruce doesn’t have time for this shit.  Blow it up!!  Despite Alfred not liking this idea after Bruce blows the charge he’s still pretty excited.  I suppose he forgot that he’s the butler and he’s the one who has to clean this up. But they got the door down, so that’s good.  There is another office behind the door with a computer set up, a book, a lamp.  Oh and a letter to Bruce.  Thomas Wayne knew he was going to be murdered so he wrote a letter.  Batman couldn’t figure out that the password to the cave was ‘Bruce’.  They are idiots.  Thomas is sorry that he hid this part of his life from everyone.

               Thomas looked too closely into Wayne Enterprises and its what got him killed.  You can’t have truth and happiness apparently and he wants Bruce to choose happiness unless he feels a calling to dress up like a bat.  I’m thinking Bruce feels this calling.

               And that’s that.  Show’s over, leaving both Bruce and Jim sure that they feel a calling, and apparently Thomas is the reason that Bruce ends up being such a grump. As far as opening episodes go it was pretty good.  Could it have been better, yup.  But they set up most of their pieces for the second season and it’ll be interesting to see how they move them.  I’m up for it.