Tonight the city of Gotham goes dark as we bid farewell to the Batman-inspired series after five seasons and 100 episodes. What began as a procedural cop drama that used Batman’s rogue’s gallery as its backdrop, eventually morphed into a comic book series that embraced its zaniness and darkness while paying homage to the source material. The following description will be up for debate amongst fans of the source material but, for me, Gotham has stood out for most of its run because it has toyed with different scenarios for characters we know and love while blazing its path in the comic book TV canon. I would argue it’s one of the more essential shows of the genre, but a part of me thinks its brilliance won’t be appreciated until long after it’s gone.
Gotham was one of the most buzzed about shows ahead of its September 22 premiere back in 2014. When Fox announced the series many fans ignored the premise of the show and projected their wishes onto what we would be receiving. It was clear that the show would focus on James Gordon’s (Ben McKenzie) early days with the Gotham Police Department but what fans wanted was a final live-action Batman series. Imagine their disappointment when Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) would be all of 12 years old at the start of the series and long way away from donning his cape and cowl. Creator Bruno Heller had many different plans in store for the show, but he would have to fight a sea on naysayers to tell his spin on the citizens of Gotham.
Gotham did take a while to find its footing. The only thing that made it stand out from other procedural cop dramas was that it featured its share of over the top villains. From Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) to Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith), the show was littered with potentially active antagonists for Gordon, but the early episodes were presented in a by the numbers fashion. I had a friend that used to say he tapped out mid-season one of the series because it seemed to have a “case of the week” feel to it and that it didn’t truly embrace its comic book beginnings. It was a statement I really couldn’t disagree with because I found myself feeling the same way. There was an intriguing premise and characters worth exploring, but they were lost on a show that was void of its own identity. Bruno Heller also created the CBS procedural, The Mentalist, and Gotham wasn’t too far off from that shows cliched structure early on.
In the middle of all the season one blandness, were interesting characters. Even though James Gordan isn’t especially exciting, McKenzie played him equal parts stoic and troubled as he navigated his way around the right and wrong side of the law. He’s intriguing because it wasn’t all black and white for him and that made him a hero to root for. He’s flawed, heart in the right place but not too perfect. Also of interest was Robin Lord Taylor’s take on Oswald Cobblepot (A.K.A. The Penguin) whose beginnings as a lackey for the crime bosses of Gotham, began an intriguing transition for him as he embraced all of his conniving ways in a bid to come out on top. His take on the character is way different than those who have played him before, but I’d argue he made the role iconic in his way. There a lot of uncertainties about season one of Gotham but his portrayal of Cobblepot isn’t one of them.
Sometimes the characters weren’t always, and their slow burn into people we were familiar with was fun to watch. Cory Michael Smith portrayed Edward Nygma/The Riddler but his transition from shy and well-intentioned to slowly gaining power over those who abuse his kindness, is one of the more interesting character arcs on the show, mostly because they took their time to develop it. This is also the case for Erin Richards who played Barbara Kean. She began as the by the numbers fiance for James Gordon, but as their relationship deteriorates, her descent into madness becomes one of the more fun subplots to watch.
That madness and off-kilter nature became the right recipe for success as Gotham navigated through subsequent seasons. In the beginning, this was a show that had no idea what the hell to do about a Batman show that didn’t include Batman. Season 1 played out like the worst person at a Batman movie screening who nudges you in the ribs and says, “That’s the Batman.” Gotham, throughout its first season, was very proud to roll out a recognizable member of Bruce Wayne’s rogues gallery before they could legally buy alcohol and call it a day. Would it thrill you to watch Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) drink an excessive amount of milk, almost like a cat? Do you think you could guess who Ivy Pepper (Clare Foley) the child who loves plants grows up to be? What if we put a question mark on Edward Nygma’s (Cory Michael Smith) coffee cup for no discernible reason? The whole thing was stylish for sure, but it didn’t do much to calm down the fan anger as they exclaimed the series knew nothing about the Caped Crusader and the world that his characters inhabit.
Gotham had to “cause a little anarchy,” and its complete facelift began during season 2 when the show decided to lose its mind and embrace the comic book absurdity of its subject matter. Gone was the case of the weekend scenarios and now we were getting significant story arcs that weren’t afraid to be off the wall. To say that this change made the show fun, would be an understatement. It became fascinating to look at where Gotham was headed as opposed to where it started. The show was becoming an increasingly deranged journey of self-discovery that saw the show find an identity, even if it was an unhinged one.
Even when the show was descending into madness, the one thing that also stood during season one were the characters, and the series never lost sight of that. The characters became more than people you’d recognize on a Batman wiki page. They became fully fleshed out human beings with arcs, flaws, and personal tragedies all their own. Like the well-told Batman origin itself, Gotham‘s characters all found their true selves in moments of borderline insanity. In regards again to Richards’ Barbara Kean, she became the show’s low-key, high-energy MVP someone who embraced her cracked psyche and found it suited her. Cory Michael Smith stopped having to spout off obvious riddles that the script saw fit to give him, and Robin Lord Taylor got to stop reminding us he will become “The Penguin” and it just let these two actors compete to have the biggest blast chewing several pieces of scenery to pieces at a time. Scenery chewing is excellent when it’s done right, and these two usually nailed it.
Then there is Jerome (Cameron Monaghan), whom viewers were pretty sure would be the series’ take on The Joker. Monaghan was able to portray him in a way that didn’t try to copy the greats who took on a similar role before him. Everyone has Heath Ledger on the brain, even if they’re not initially calling this character “The Joker” but Monaghan was always on top of his game and bringing his intriguing take to the character. He has died, been resurrected, died again, and then been re-introduced as a different character en route to becoming one of the most mesmerizing live-action depictions of the Joker in the character’s history. Diehard fans may not agree, but once this show’s legacy has time to breathe, I think that will be the takeaway.
All of the intriguing character arcs didn’t involve the villains. While one might think to start Bruce Wayne as 12 when the series started wouldn’t lead to him embracing his superhero destiny, David Mazouz has developed into an excellent young Bruce Wayne on a show that so comfortably could’ve settled on the novelty of a Baby Batman. He could’ve consistently been the child in peril but each season the character has grown, and as we drew in on this final season, you bought that he could be at the beginning stages of protecting the city. It’s a credit to Mazouz that effectively developed him that this growth would be believable over five seasons.
Even Ben McKenzie, who has directed two episodes himself and written one, has become the perfect straight man as Jim Gordon; his downright unhealthy level of jaw-clenching isn’t just a form of noir-lite gruffness, it’s a reaction to being the Last Good Man in a city completely gone off the deep end. Once the show went off the rails and Gordon was seemingly the only healthy adult in a sea of batshit crazy adults, it allowed his weariness to shine through in a way that made him even more compelling to watch. He was always good enough, but his reactions to the descent of madness in the city spoke to the viewer in us that said: “is it getting this crazy?”
Even as Gotham embraced its madness, it was never entirely perfect. One could argue that it became too bloated with characters (they also introduced Vicki Vale) and it could never go TOO dark because of its network TV sensibilities. Why Netflix didn’t snatch this up when Fox decided to end, it is beyond me because it would be perfect for the streamer. Despite its rough start and occasional flaws, Gotham found its place in the genre. As ratings continued to decline (although DVR numbers were always good), the fanbase stuck with it because it was a show that continued to grow and didn’t try to deny what it was. It stripped off all the gloss and decided to be what it was meant to be. As Gotham wraps, it concludes as a show confident in its over-the-top antics and as an example of how you can shine when you decide not to play it safe.
