Gotham
2014-2019, Primrose Hill Productions et al
Here's a smart crime drama pretending to be a comic strip adaptation—or vice-versa—which I've found remarkably engrossing. While its relationship to the Batman franchise is irrelevant to me, the exploration of the various pro- and antagonists as they develop is entertaining, especially that of Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a. Penguin, as realized with effective creepiness by Robin Lord Taylor—I hope he gets an award for his at times heartbreaking performance. Meanwhile, Ben McKenzie's James Gordon is a terrific non-super-hero for us to cheer, while Jada Pinkett Smith, deliciously over-the-top as Fish Mooney, is regrettably underutilized.
But perhaps Gotham's greatest redeeming value for me is that it doesn't imbue its supervillains with über-extreme superpowers, and there's a refreshing lack of absurd action-saturated set pieces with flying robots or supernatural battles. The show wisely stops just short of full-on comic book nonsense; striking a steady, swift but not manic pace, it doesn't waste anyone's time, and never feels padded with visual noise. Scripts are tight and editing is crisp, transitioning effortlessly from one disparate scene to the next. It also helps that the high production values are all up there on the small screen, with special effects worthy of the big screen.
However, I must confess that my interest began to wane during the third and fourth seasons. Too much mumbo-jumbo, combined with simple saturation. I hasten to add that the quality was still there; I was simply suffering mild burnout. Cast changes for the finale made for some awkwardness as well. Still, I had no regrets investing my time in the series.
DKS 12/20/17
Rev 2/22/22
GRUMPY OLD FART-O-METER® Rating:
