There’s good and bad throughout this week’s Gotham, which finally gets us a little time with Selina Kyle. Street kids are being abducted, so Detectives Gordon and Bullock are on the case. Of course, nothing is ever simple in Gotham City… Lili Taylor (I miss her on Almost Human) deserves better than the “straight-laced as a cartoon librarian but actually kills people” villain trope she’s saddled with. Frank Whaley is here, as well, but doesn’t get much to do. For the record, Whaley had a ridiculously great turn as a villain on The Blacklist last year. That baddie would have felt right at home in Gotham. Possibly moreso than what he has to work with in this episode. So, with these villains of the week and their poorly-defined scheme, in one big series of broad strokes we get the kind of outlandish criminals (but not as outlandish as the ones to come, of course) that Gotham City will be known for. We also get a better indication of how the corruption in Gotham City goes all the way to the top, with the mayor’s phony-ass interest in looking out for the street kids. Thanks, but I think we got that already, right? We’re far less Penguin-centric this week. However, the “flies into a murderous rage every time someone calls him Penguin” schtick is gonna get old really quick. “You must be quite the scamp,” is a great line delivery, though. I’m digging Robin Lord Taylor in this role. And why are we less Penguin-centric? That’s because the episode is called “Selina Kyle.” Of course, young Ms. Kyle insists her friends call her “Cat,” which is, at best, annoying. Please stop spoon feeding us, Gotham. However, Camren Bicondova is convincing enough in the role, and we do learn that Selina fights dirty when cornered. In fact, we learn that in fairly gruesome fashion. Gotham has some edge for an 8 pm show. Speaking of brutality, the scene with Bullock using a phone book to beat details out of some jerk while Gordon looks on with steely eyes was kind of great, despite it going against all my normal, real-world sensibilities. Side note: David Mazouz really is an intense young Bruce Wayne. The throwaway scene with him furiously scribbling disturbing pictures while listening to heavy metal was actually effective. Far more so than the bits with him burning himself with a candle. On the other hand, it’s interesting to see his insistence that he’s “testing” himself, while, of course, grown-ups just see it as the acting out/self-harm of a disturbed and traumatized boy. It’s definitely a facet of Bruce’s youth that I’m not sure we’ve seen explored anywhere, but I’m also not too sure how far they can take this in five minute increments. This episode manages to look even better than last week’s, though, which is impressive. I was initially a little put off by the show’s desire to blend gritty New York City locations with slightly stylized interiors and splashes of color. I’m much more at ease with it now, though. It really does occupy a middle ground between the cold realism of the Nolan films and a more hyper-real aesthetic, without ever crossing the line into Burton-era gothic or the excesses of the Schumacher films. I won’t moan about it too much, but…this would look great if it were an actual Batman show, y’know? I’m still unsure of what to make of Gotham. While “Selina Kyle” is an improvement in some ways (mostly by way of a marginally stronger central story and with less general explaining that has to be done by the characters), it also doesn’t get the extra cushion I gave the pilot for being, well…a pilot. Worse, it still fails to answer the main question that Gotham will have to deal with for the duration of its run: Why should anyone care about Gotham City before Batman? You won’t find that answer this week, but it should give you reason to tune in again. Same non-Bat time, etc… Gotham Central – Arkham Asylum has been closed for fifteen years. I wonder what’s gonna cause it to reopen? – When Penguin is trudging around outside of the city limits, there’s a sign that says “Gotham City: 9 Miles.” I got excited for a minute thinking it was a nod to the 1960s Batman TV series. I was wrong. That legendary sign said “Gotham City: 14 Miles.” Damn. – Only a brief moment with Edward Nygma this week, who is a little less on the nose with his proto-Riddler personality. However, note his question mark body language/posture in his intro. – Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen are the only other two honest cops in Gotham City, it would seem. I wonder how long they’ll make us wait before one of them reaches a certain logical conclusion? I probably missed some, so feel free to let me know in the comments! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that’s your thing!
