While I’m definitely starting to warm up to the show, there’s just something missing, and it’s definitely Gotham’s ability to balance its darkness with its cartoonish qualities.
The show plays out the “dark” side quite well with the stunningly messy universe it’s created for itself, but the “cartoonish” parts still annoy me to death. Some of the lines said by these characters are impossible to fathom sometimes (“Holy ghost on a bicycle”) because they’re just not suitable for a show like this.
The goat storyline was not at all as effective as it was clearly meant to be, especially when it all ended up being part of a hypnosis trick done by that doctor. The whole scene with Harvey and her, and then Mr. Hastings who attacked Harvey, was ludicrous. I would’ve much preferred more Bruce scenes over that entire plot.
I do appreciate the show’s efforts to make us warm up to Harvey a little with that flashback, but I still don’t find myself liking the guy. Jim, on the other hand, has definitely grown into the kind of protagonist we can root for (the same can’t be said for Barbara, who is seriously annoying now). His arrest, while probably short-lived considering Oswald revealed himself to be alive in the end, was powerful because it finally connected the rest of the cast to this arc. Now with Oswald’s big entrance and reveal, they can all start biting each other’s heads off and move the story forward already.
Hopefully, the show uses this opportunity to push aside its cartoonish aspect and focus on being dark and twisty. Oswald has definitely grown on me in the past few episodes, and I’m hoping he has some crazy ulterior motives behind his reveal—that I cannot wait for.
Bat Bits
– No Fish Mooney in this episode. I can’t say I missed her because she’s more cartoonish than anything else on this show.
– I can’t care any less about the future of Jim and Barbara’s relationship. She is definitely the least interesting character here.
– It’s pretty clear by now that Edward Nygma will become The Riddler. His presence was particularly enjoyable in this episode, from his outrageous compulsive behavior to his constant riddles.
– Another week, and even fewer Cat scenes. Not complaining though; she can’t possibly add much to this show right now.
Cracks From Gotham
Jim: I came here to be a cop, but this city needs something else.
Harvey: Get Nygma in there. He’s freaking good with puzzles.
Jim: Somehow they’ve cornered me, tied my hands.
Barbara: Come with me now. I don’t care what we leave behind as long as we leave it together. If they take you away, Jim, I’m scared I’ll lose you. Please.
Jim: Barbara, I can’t run.
Conclusion
A slightly good episode, but one with many faults as well.
Chris Rating
B-
I really want to love this show but it's taking so long to get good. The pilot was SO GOOD, but the rest have been so average 🙁
Yes, everything has been messy since the pilot! It's a shame considering how much hype the show is getting.