A Dark Story Unfolds Before our Eyes

I'm hoping that Jared Leto brings his A-game in Suicide Squad for two reasons.  I want to see a great movie after all the hype that's been building.  Also because actors have been setting the bar incredibly high when it comes to portraying the Joker.  Nicholson, ....  Romero, .... Hamill, ....Ledger, ....  and Monaghan.  Below is a picture from Gotham's episode "The Blind Fortune Teller" where Cameron Monaghan plays Jerome Valeska.

There were some red herrings in Season 1 of who may become Batman's arch-nemesis, but I think it's a sure bet that Jerome's our clown.   It was when he cracks at the end of the episode.  You can see Monaghan's body contort as he channels Jokers we know, love, and loathe.  First you get this look, these shadows, and a shot from the camera that reminds me of a particular Alex Ross painting. You can see his face start to appear more angular and resemble Jack Nicholson.  He begins to laugh, and with each breath, you can hear some phlegm like when you listen to Cesar Romero ham it up. And as Jerome continues to laugh hysterically, his throat gets raw and you can hear the rasp that Hamill's Joker seemed to develop over the years.  To paraphrase Batman Beyond's Tim Drake, it was like these portrayals were churning inside him "like bad oysters".

The casting for  Gotham has amazed me with many of the selections.  You can see disturbing motivation at times in the face of David Mazouz, making it seem credible that this young man will some day traverse rooftops wearing a cape & cowl.  In Sean Pertwee's Alfred, you can see the tough special ops veteran who has a loving obligation as Bruce's guardian.  The actress playing a young Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) has some Pfeiffer-ish features.  Lastly, there's Robin Lord Taylor playing a Penguin who takes the slimy and treacherous route in climbing through the ranks of organized crime.  Who remembers Paul Reubens playing the Penguin's father in Batman Returns?  I can seriously imagine him showing up as the estranged husband of Carol Kane's Mrs. Kapelput.


So, when  I first found out that Gotham was being developed as a series with more focus on the GCPD, I was so excited.  A friend had gotten me interested in the Gotham Central comic series earlier, and I could see some TV potential in the characters of that police procedural.  Gotham Central focused on the Major Crimes Unit, but as of yet, some of the only people we've seen from the GCPD MCU are Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen.  I think that duo has been great so far and I'd like to see more of them and their coworkers.  There's a ton of great Gotham police characters to pull into this show, and I'd like to see Maggie Sawyer on at least one of these DCU television series.

It's got a little more of Bruce Wayne's story than I was hoping for originally, but put together this well, I'll take it.  Given Bruce's young age and the intense training he puts himself through, I'm wondering what heights of Batman-ness he'll reach by the time he goes abroad for further preparation.

The crimes and corruption we see in each episode shows us how dark Gotham City's history is.  Personally, I'd think it would be a nice nod to the Court of Owls to have a charitable organization in R.H. Orchard's name.  In the show, his legacy could be that of a beloved philanthropist.  It would be years until the general public learns of Orchard's double life.

In spite of all the evil in Gotham City, there is a hero working to clean things up.  Perhaps I should have gotten into this earlier, but there are so many great things about the series to gush about.  Before there's a Batman, there's Ben McKenzie as Jim Gordon.  I can't help but love Gordon's virtuous nature.  When corruption commands that he gives in, Jim Gordon sticks by his principles, and at times goes all cavalier in a quest for justice.  You can see the leadership in his actions that will help make him comissioner.


Reading this, I see that I've gushed all over the place praising different facets of this show.  It sort of goes with my original intent, because I wanted to reflect on the various strengths seen in the first season as I anticipate Season 2.  Catch the premiere September 21st on Fox.