A young Bruce Wayne. (We all know where this is going.)
Gotham
(2014-2019)
Aired on Fox.
Developed by Bruno Heller.
Starring Ben McKenzie, David Mazouz, Donal Logue, Sean Pertwee, Robin Lord Taylor, Camren Bicondova, Cory Michael Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Erin Richards, Jessica Lucas, Morena Baccarin, Drew Powell
Rating: ******
6/6
Gotham begins with a murder,
A shooting, it is plain,
During which a mugger guns down
The parents of Bruce Wayne.
Poor, poor Bruce.
Young Bruce is merely twelve years old.
We see the anguish in his face.
The mugger turns tail and runs away,
Though no one proceeds to give chase.
We next see a young man named Jim Gordon
Visit the GCPD.
He’s the new officer on the force,
Back home from a tour of duty.
Harvey Bullock
James was a distinguished
And decorated soldier.
He returned a hero,
A multiple medal holder,
But his new priority
Is acing his first day,
At the Gotham City Police Department,
After being so far away.
Detective Jim Gordon.
At first glance, he rather hates the place,
For he sees policemen committing crimes.
The force has been corrupted,
In the pocket of organized crime.
He decides to make it better,
This, on his first day there.
He’s partnered with a detective,
Harvey Bullock, played with flair.
Villainess Fish Mooney
Bullock is a gambler
Who’s also on the take.
He’s also an alcoholic
Who drinks while on his break.
Gordon is disgusted
By everything he sees.
He wants to clean up Gotham,
And start with the police.
The Penguin!
Does he clean up Gotham?
Well…can Gotham even be cleaned?
When you polish a turd to perfection,
Will you marvel at its gleam?
Gotham City is the toilet
Down which dreams are flushed.
It’s the armpit of America,
And it leaves no resident untouched.
Barbara and Tabby
All the world’s madmen
Spring up from its source.
Human life means next to nothing,
Violent crime its municipal sport.
Gotham’s more than just a city.
It’s a character on the show.
It’s the most intriguing character
The cast will ever know.
An angry Riddler
It has so many secrets,
It’s personality so much depth,
It molds all of its citizens
In depth and width and breadth.
The characters say they try to leave,
But Gotham’s in their blood,
So they return to this miserable place,
Their sanity clear as mud.
An imprisoned lunatic.
The imprisoned are treated like livestock,
And denied their human rights.
Some are guinea pigs of science.
Others are tortured outright.
There’s a plague of violent maniacs
Creating anarchy.
There are also politicians
Engaged in bribery.
Dr. Lea Thompkins
Some of the crime is organized.
There’s a kingpin on his throne,
But many others want that seat,
And want him overthrown.
There are stratagems and power grabs
As new folks make their mark,
But only the strongest and the smartest
Will find their way through the dark.
An older Bruce with an older Alfred.
Both Jim and Bruce want to fix
This woebegone machine,
But is shaping it to their preferred mold
An unreachable dream?
They gather some allies in their cause,
And make enemies as well.
They have an uphill battle
From the bottom of the well.
I’m not even going to pretend to know how to spell this guy’s name.
The main characters are as follows:
Jim Gordon and Bruce,
Played by Ben McKenzie
And young David Mazouz.
Next in line’s the Penguin,
Played by Robin Lord Taylor.
He’s a tantrum-throwing manchild
With a face of every flavor.
Jim’s best friend Bullock, it is true,
Is played by Donal Logue.
He’s such a natural at this role
That he’s the Cheech to Gordon’s Chong.
Cory Michael Smith
Plays the Riddler in a hat.
He’s brilliant and crazy
And thin instead of fat.
A victim gets injected.
The frowning Erin Richards
Plays the evil Barbara Kean.
Sometimes she plays nicely,
And other times she’s mean.
Selina Kyle/Catwoman
Is Camren Bicondova,
A penniless street urchin
Too poor for Pizza Nova.
Athletic Jessica Lucas
Plays Tabitha Gallivan,
A dark-skinned evil sister
To an evil, white-skinned man.
Jada Pinkett Smith
Plays a woman named Fish.
Cruel and calculating,
She used her wiles to make herself rich.
Harvey drinks.
Sean Pertwee as Alfred,
Is Worzel Gummidge’s son,
So, his intel on scarecrows
Is second to none.
Morena Baccarin
Plays Dr. Lea Tompkins,
The altruistic savior
Of sick and injured kids.
There are many tertiary characters
And those of less import.
There’s no need for a stanza
With details of that sort.
High production values
And great performances
Coupled with theatrical-grade
Visual effects
And the fact that this TV show is
Well-written in the extreme,
It’s little wonder that it gets
A six out of six from me.
