Gotham, Episode 2: "Selina Kyle"
Tonight we got a sense of what "Gotham" is going to be like from week to week. Focusing on one of it's copious amount of characters while still moving the overarching story of the season. From the title of this episode, you may assume that this episode would give us a character study of the young, runaway thief, but you'd be wrong. For an episode bearing her name, very little time was actually spent with or on young Selina Kyle.
First off, I will not be referring to Selina as Cat because it would be giving producers what they want and rewarding what is maybe my least favorite part of the show. Sometimes the creators don't trust their audience. By calling Selina Cat and re-naming Poison Ivy Ivy Pepper, producers and writers are showing they don't have much faith in their audience. Even if you don't know that Selina will be Catwoman someday, you should be able to pick that up with context clues, her wardrobe, etc. Having her nickname be "Cat" is a little too on the nose for my tastes. It reminds me of when I was 5 years old and my mom and stepdad took me to go see the first Michael Keaton "Batman" movie. When Jack Nicholson appeared on screen as plain old Jack Napier before he took the chemical bath that turned him into the Joker, my mom leaned over and stage whispered, "That's the Joker." I think that may have been the very first time I ever gave anyone side eye. And every time "Gotham" doesn't trust it's audience, I feel like that incredulous 5 year old.
This episode focused on Patty and Doug, criminals working for a mysterious boss called The Dollmaker, kidnapping homeless children for as yet undisclosed reasons and Selina's confrontation with them. This episode boasted some killer stars. I love Lili Taylor (R.I.P. "Almost Human") and she brought just the right mix of menacing and sweet to the role of Patty. My only complaint? Not enough Lili! Here's hoping that she makes a return appearance at some point this season. We were also introduced to the sleazy mayor of Gotham played to perfection by former "Spin City" actor, Richard Kind. Kind really nailed the sleazy politician angle here. After Barbara calls in an anonymous tip to the Gotham Gazette reporting the missing teens, the police hop to, after not giving a crap earlier. Gordon and Bullock find the pharmacy providing the kidnappers with the drug and Gordon saves the kiddies leading to the Mayor throwing a triumphant press conference and announcing a plan to help the homeless youth in Gotham. Translation: Set the young and cute ones up in foster homes and ship the older kids and the undesirables up state to juvie.
"Gotham" still has a lot of balls in the air and I'm not sure they are doing the best right now keeping them afloat. I know the producers seem to be big fans of Cobblepot, and I am too, but rather than shoe horning a few scenes in and introducing the fabulous Carol Kane as his over bearing mother in this episode, why not devote a whole episode to that thread. The material is there. I understand wanting to keep these developments fresh in the audiences mind, especially since this is only the second episode, but I would love to see a whole episode of Cobblepot terrorizing the small town folks as he works his way back to Gotham.
The same could be said for the material between Fish Mooney and Carmine Falcone. I loved their little tete a tete at Fish's club. It really showed that Falcone is a force to be reckoned with in the Gotham underworld. Proclaiming how much he appreciates her loyalty as his thugs beat her boy toy to a pulp in front of her, illustrated that Falcone isn't the pushover that Fish made him out to be and is still a credible threat to her desire to control Gotham's underworld.
We also got a little more of the burgeoning Gordon/Bruce mentor/mentee relationship. Alfred asked Gordon to visit after he caught Bruce burning himself with a candle. Gordon seems to be a good influence on Bruce, helping to direct him towards philanthropy and getting Bruce to donate some clothes to the homeless teens. One of the best images from the episode, was watching the homeless, disheveled teens dressed in Bruce's hand-me-down button ups and ties.
I'm digging this updated version of Alfred. I like his initial reaction to catching Bruce burning himself and then the fierce hug afterwards. It's cool how they are playing up the fact that Alfred was ex-military before he became the Waynes' butler and that is really coming through. Fingers crossed we get a Alfred-centric episode in the future.
I have to give lots of praise to the set designers and costumers on "Gotham." They have done an amazing job of making their version of Gotham City both new and recognizable. I love the mix of modern and throwback. It gives me a very "Batman: The Animated Series" vibe, which is high praise. You know it's modern day through the use of cell phones and computers, but the costuming lends it a kind of 1940's vibe that I'm feeling.
Bottom Line: "Gotham" continues to meet expectations that it sent in the premiere, which is enough for now. There could have been more focus on the character that the episode was named for, rather than just the revelation at the end. If "Gotham" can narrow it's focus and deliver arcs worthy of the characters, "Gotham" can move from good to great.
Grade: B
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