The dark gritty city of Gotham fascinated me when I saw the original Batman film staring Michael Keaton and Directed by Tim Burton. I was 12 years old when the film was released and spotted a making of the movie book in my local supermarket, I was instantly intrigued. The vivid symbol on the front cover, I wanted to know the Batman. Sat in the cinema listening to the orchestral theme by Danny Elfman gave me goosebumps, the opening scene of the two thieves on the rooftop one of them being lifted off the ground by a mysterious figure had the thief trembling the words “what are you”? His reply “I’m Batman”.
When Batman returns was released in 1992 it was another chance for me to see the city of Gotham and be introduced to two of my favourite characters Selina ‘Catwoman’ Kyle and Oswald ‘the Penguin’ Cobblepot. These two characters along with Batman changed the way I looked at characters, made me ask why and how they become like they are. This is why still to this day these two Batman films remain my favourite.
I was very tentative to watch Gotham as I wasn’t sure if I wanted a prequel. Didn’t we already know how Master Bruce becomes the Batman whilst in the care of his guardian British butler Alfred? When the idea of how The Riddler and The Penguin become it was definitely an interesting concept with young rookie Detective James Gordon being the lead character. I approached Gotham in a very organic way, I didn’t want to know who had been cast as who, writers and directors. The pilot episode was an absolute surprise and one of the best pilot episodes I had ever seen. The introduction of each character and their origin was a beautiful checklist, Selina, Bruce, James Gordon, Harvey Bullock, Alfred, Ivy, Edward Nygma, Oswald Cobblepot, Don Carmine Falcone. Even characters I wasn’t familiar with Captain Sarah Essen, Montoya and Allen from the MCU. The added new character were also brilliant, Barbara Keen, Butch Gilzean and Fish Mooney.
Gotham is a timeless setting. You don’t know what year they are in, season or month. Their cellphones are not smart phones, they use typewriters, over head projectors and their cars are American classics. There is a visual richness to the way Gotham is filmed, their set locations really make the world of Gotham feel real.
The heart of the why Gotham is my favourite in the DC Universe is the characters and their origin story. You want the villains to succeed, whilst you also want the good guys to succeed. The very humane part of their stories makes Gotham a very unique show. You can relate to how each individual character has to deal with their demons and challenges they face. I have never watched a television show where I genuinely like all their characters and understand why they are like they are. Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon were very clever in introducing Two new characters in season 1, Fish Mooney and Butch Gilzean. Fish in particular was a clever and important story arc, as a female underworld boss she was exactly how I imagined her to be.
I feel very strongly that Gotham is one of the most underrated television programmes, with a strong talented cast. The creative and writing collaboration behind Gotham constantly surprise you with the decisions In which story arcs they use and decide where they take their characters.
