Brandy Pettigrew reviews Fox’s new show. Can you find all of the future heroes and villains in Gotham?
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On Monday night, Fox, premiered their much-anticipated new series, Gotham. This show is a prequel to the Batman movies, which follows the story line of several of DC Comics most beloved characters through their evolution to become the Superheroes and Supervillains that we all know so well. Created by Bruno Heller, the man who gave you CBS’s The Mentalist, this show is not a cape wielding, mythological looking, futuristic show. Instead, this show goes “realistic” and plays out more like a modern day crime drama than a comic book superhero show.
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Ben McKenzie plays James Gordon, future Commissioner Gordon, and is dedicating himself to getting to the bottom of the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Wayne. He has a confident, controlled air that shows more old movie style than you see in TV dramas today. Donal Logue is Gordon’s partner, Harvey Bullock (character from the DC Detective Comics), and compliments Gordon well with his acceptance of the corrupt police department and casual approach to his job and life in general. The two play the “good cop, bad cop” routine without even trying.
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For the fans of DC Comics and the Batman series, like me, this show is a joy to watch. You not only see the history behind the changes that make Gotham into the city it becomes in Batman’s time, but you see where it all began for so many of my favorite DC characters. In the first episode alone, you see young Master Wayne (David Mazouz), his caretaker and butler Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee), the future Penguin Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), and future Catwoman Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova). There was also a glimpse of Edward Nigma the future Riddler and Ivy Pepper the future Poison Ivy.
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I truly enjoyed the feature film quality music and camera angles that were used to take you out of your living room and into the movie theatre. You don’t feel like you’re watching a TV show, but just a part of a full-length feature film. I found the show to be visually daring for TV with just enough suspense to keep me tuning in each week to see where this story line will lead.
Gotham has established itself as the prequel to Batman’s power and you won’t want to miss watching one episode of the action.