Gotham: Season One Blu-ray Review

Gotham: Season One Blu-ray Review
3.7
out of 5

There’s no more recognizable superhero in the DC comics lineup than Batman and no way to bring the Caped Crusader to the small screen due to legalities that limit his live-action media exposure to the big screen. Enter Gotham, a Batman prequel series-of-sorts that delves into the inner working of the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) at the same time that young Bruce Wayne’s parents were murdered and a rookie cop named Jim Gordon joined the force. This tragic event brings these two characters together, though the real stars of this gritty dimly lit series are the ones they’re forced to fight against.

Even though Bruce Wayne is still a child despite his mature attitude and convictions following his parents’ death, a host of recognizable Batman villains make appearances throughout Gotham: Season One to the point where they sometimes feel forced. A lanky Penguin and GCPD-employed Riddler are discovering their destinies while other characters such as presumably a young Joker, Scarecrow, and plucky Catwoman are already getting into trouble. One might think at times that these characters will be nearing retirement by the time Batman comes on the scene.

Gotham: Season One Blu-ray Review Fish Mooney

Don’t mess with Fish Mooney

Ben McKenzie plays Jim Gordon with an unabated aggressiveness and persistence to fight for justice within an overtly corrupt system. His partner, Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), is Gordon’s antithesis whose sketchy morals and flaws are almost endearing. A thorn in both of their sides as well as informant, The Penguin (Robin Taylor) is the embodiment of a man willing to do whatever it takes and double cross whoever he must to rise to the top. Taylor was born to play this sadistic role and hopefully will start putting on a little weight and wearing more hats in subsequent seasons.

The true star of Gotham is the one character created specifically for the show. Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) operates a nightclub and as her own aspirations to take down the man at top, Carmine Falcone (John Doman). Smith plays Fish with a deliciously evil and hammy comic book-esque persona that makes you cherish every line of twisted dialogue that comes out of her mouth. She would have made a worth adversary for the Batman to take on.

Gotham: Season One Blu-ray review Penguin

Penguin knows how to play all sides to his advantage.

Gotham’s reliance on its source material at times is its greatest enemy. The writers try to shoehorn in references to the Batman lore and by doing so disrupt their own storytelling. It also takes Gotham awhile to get going after a slow start where the writers are still figuring out the characters’ voices and overall direction. The second half of episodes are stronger than the first, especially after one annoying character’s presumed future fate in the DC lore takes an unexpected twist down an unexpected path.

The Gotham: Season One Blu-ray comes packaged with a Digital HD copy of every episode and audio/video presentation that surpasses the TV broadcast, as you would expect. That’s no small feat considering the entire series is drowned out in murky grays and browns.

Warner Bros. TV and Home Entertainment didn’t skimp in the Gotham: Season One bonus features list. Though a considerable portion falls into the stock promotional material bucket, there are some insightful featurettes into what drives the show, the inspirations and why some difficult choices were made.

  • Gotham Invented: Building Our Gotham
  • Gotham Invented: Paving the Way for the Caped Crusader
  • Gotham Invented: Fractured Villains of Gotham
  • Designing the Fiction
  • The Game of Cobblepot
  • Gag Reel
  • Unaired Scenes
  • DC Comics Night at Comic-Con 2014
  • Presenting Gotham, The Flash, Constantine and Arrow
  • GOTHAM: The Legend Reborn Character Profiles

Gotham: Season One had its inaugural season troubles and managed to weather the storm. There’s ample room for improvement and even more so for the up-and-coming villains to grow into their recognizable anti-Batman roles, even if there are simply too many familiar villains introduced so early in Bruce’s ascension into a crime fighter. Gotham isn’t the best comic book series on TV, but it’s presumably headed toward a place that could elevate it into greatness. For that potential you’ll want to watch every episode of Season One on this well-rounded Blu-ray release, warts and all.

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