The student-run magazine of San Francisco State University

Xpress Magazine

The student-run magazine of San Francisco State University

Xpress Magazine

The student-run magazine of San Francisco State University

Xpress Magazine

‘Gotham’- A Recap and Review of TV’s Hottest Show

Photo under  Creative Commons by Prayitno
Photo under Creative Commons by Nate Grigg

Warning: This piece contains spoilers from the season premiere episode of Gotham!

When Gotham opens, you are introduced to Selina Kyle, better known as Catwoman, witnessing the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne, who are shot and killed right in front of their son in an alleyway.

The show moves onto the Gotham Police Department, where we see scruffy detective Harvey Bullock and his new “war-hero” partner Jim Gordon, who is the show’s man focus. Bullock and Gordon are called to the double murder of the Waynes, where Bullock tries to leave the scene, knowing the murder will cause a lot of uproar and trouble for him. Bullock tries to convince Gordon to drop the case, stressing that the Major Crimes Unit should take it.

Bullock, disliking having Gordon, as a partner, tries to get Captain Essen to let him switch partners or convince “solider boy” to request a transfer. After the failed attempt, the viewers are introduced to crime scene investigator Edward Nygma, who is presumably the Riddler. Bullock and Gordon visit the “crime queen” Fish Mooney her henchman, Oswald Cobblepot, or Penguin.

The next morning, Bullock comes up with a lead through no other than Fish – Poison Ivy’s father, Mario Pepper. Pepper is known as a low level thug that is in possession of Martha Wayne’s stolen pearl necklace, which was stolen from her right before she was murdered.

You soon see Penguin get into a police vehicle, belonging to detectives Montoya and Allen, and snitch that Pepper may have been set up by Carmine Falcone, who is believed to have organized the Waynes’ murder.

Gordon, the protagonist, finds out about the framing of Pepper and passes it onto Bullock, pressing that the information may be true because some of the facts did not match up. Bullock invites Gordon to talk to Fish himself to clear the air, which only makes the situation worse. Fish, while being entertained by the joker, has her thugs kidnap Gordon and prepare to kill him. Bullock makes a bid for Gordon’s life, which then gets him into trouble when Fish feels like he is threatening her.

Falcone swoops in and saves the day, saying that Fish needs to ask permission before a cop killing and lets the guys go in peace. Falcone says that Pepper was framed “not to conceal the true killer but to swiftly give the city a peace of mind it needed.” Afterward, Bullock tells Gordon that he needs to prove himself by offing the snitcher, Penguin. Gordon, fighting with what is wrong and right, walks Penguin to the end of the pier and whispers in his ear to “never return to Gotham,” takes a fake kill shot, and Penguin plummets into the river.

Gotham ends with a flash forward to the river were we see Penguin surface and climb ashore, where he promptly kills an innocent fisherman.

This show was great and if I had to give it stars, it would be five out of five. The introduction of the popular characters were flawless, especially how they introduced them in different fashions, like the Riddler having riddles about crime evidence or the joker doing standup comedy for Fish. Having the characters introduced this way already sets their back stories into motion, but also gives an element of surprise. If people do not catch the little clues that are given, then they will not necessarily know that they are meeting an important character.

What makes Gotham awesome though is that it does not entirely focus on Bruce Wayne. Everyone knows Batman’s story and how he became Batman, but if you do not read the comics, then you do not know how the other characters became who they are today and with Gotham, we will learn just that; especially with the emphasis of Jim Gordon.

Twitter was all a buzz when Gotham premiered on Monday night. Many people said they were hooked from the first opening scene, amazed with how Gotham was portrayed on television. Others did not like how Gotham premiered all the main villains in one episode, adding that this may drag the rest of the season down with less anticipation when learning about each villain.

Gotham is a series that I will continue watching, I am interested to learn more about each villain and how Jim Gordon will become commissioner.

 

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The student-run magazine of San Francisco State University
‘Gotham’- A Recap and Review of TV’s Hottest Show