Gotham Season One: Beasts Of Prey

"We are so screwed man"

Gordon and Bullock investigate a serial killer who calls himself the Ogre (Milo Ventimiglia) who targets young women meanwhile Fish plots her escape and Bruce and Selina confront Reginald.

Seems like Loeb isn't one to simply let Gordon have his way as he set up a really subtle and elaborate trap for Gordon, playing on his need to improve to GCPD and be an example of a good cop. I have to say that it was really well done; I liked the realization Gordon had that it was a trap and challenging Loeb anyway and taking on the case despite the big risks involved. I also found the Ogre very interesting because he is an original villain for the show but has been done right, far better than Fish! His past crimes and retaliation on the families of the GCPD was woven into the story nicely and it is good that this is another serial killer since the Goat Killer that scares them. As for the Ogre himself he was pretty damn creepy; the way he uses his good looks, money and apartment to capture that poor woman who must not have seen it coming and it was interesting that this was all done in flashbacks. I'm interested in seeing the showdown between Gordon and the Ogre because if he does come after a loved one will it be Leslie or maybe Barbara if his information is not up to date. All in all I am liking the start of this Ogre arc and it was a cool way of again showing the ruthlessness of Loeb towards anyone who messes with him.

"You take me to all the best places Bruce"

As for everything else I enjoyed watching Penguin continue to be really brutal with his methods, like cutting off a guy's fingers, and that it seems he wants to kill Maroni. Since Penguin can't kill Falcone right now maybe he thinks it will be easier to kill Maroni, take over his territory and then have the power and resources to take on Falcone. We also had another team up between Bruce and Selina and as I have said before I love it when these two are together because the chemistry between the two is just great. It was funny how Selina had to show Bruce that "Shooting Gallery" meant crack den not gun shop lol. We also got to see a more brutal side to Selina who decided to kill Reginald rather than let Bruce dirty his hands; it is a shame we won't see some showdown between Alfred and Reginald now but at least this was really unexpected. Finally there was Fish's escape from the island but I just don't freaking care anymore; even if I liked the character I would just be really let down with how pointless her arc is now. The only good things about her scenes is with The Dollmaker and with Fish gone maybe he will get his own story arc without her now.

At least this guy has a cool weapons collection

Overall a really great episode that was only let down by the Fish subplot and I want to see more of the Ogre.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Loeb's revenge against Gordon/The Ogre debut
                   Penguin's plan
                   Bruce and Selina team up

Let - Downs: Anything that involves Fish



The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;





http://screencapped.net/            

Gotham Season One: Lovecraft

"Your in my world now Bruce"

The episode begins with assassin Larissa Diaz AKA Copperhead (Lesley-Ann Brandt) infiltrating the Wayne Manor to kill Selina but Alfred holds them at bay long enough for her and Bruce to run. Gordon and Bullock are called in on this and Alfred says he will help meanwhile Cobblepot is called before Falcone because of the recent robbery of his money (last episode), he swears it was Fish not Maroni but Falcone says he wants evidence. Gordon confronts Dent saying that his plan has put Bruce and Selina in danger but Dent is still adamant that Lovecraft is behind everything, Bullock and Alfred then ask a street kid about where Selina would go. In the streets of Gotham Selina wants to leave Bruce however decides not to after he impresses her by jumping across a building and takes her to a hangout of the street kids.

You go Alfred!

Bullock and Alfred then ask Fish for help, with Alfred being the one to persuade her and Selina introduces Bruce to Ivy Pepper (Clare Foley). Gordon then pays a visit to Lovecraft who swears Copperhead is after him as well and has nothing to do with the Wayne murders however Copperhead then shows up, chokes out Gordon and then kills Lovecraft with his gun. Selina and Bruce are then captured by a street dealer who wants to turn them over to Copperhead however Bullock, Alfred and Gordon soon arrive so Copperhead flees and Selina is able to escape. Later the Mayor is furious about the Lovecraft murder, so he blames Gordon for it (saying to the press he drove Lovecraft to suicide) and transfers Gordon to Arkham Asylum as a security guard. The episode ends with Selina visiting Bruce and thanking him with a kiss (because he refused to tell Copperhead anything) and Gordon arriving at Arkham.

Cheer up Gordon, it might be rather nice inside

Took me a while to get round to this but that was because I was busy with my Arrow and Flash reviews but this was the mid season finale so I had time. Anyway this was a good follow up to the Harvey Dent episode and introduced another DC villain; Copperhead, however this one was based on the female Copperhead from Arkham: Origins game because the two from the comics are both men. I didn't like Copperhead in the game because she was practically a nobody when I wanted all the contract killers to be more well known however I liked this version of her. Maybe because its a re telling of Batman's villains featuring their younger versions so they can build up her character a bit more here. I like all of the scenes she was in and used her contortionist skills to choke out her victims like the snake she was named for. So well done with this character, like Zasaz it was a strong introduction for her.

"Why does it have to be kids?"

I was also glad that this episode largely focused on Bruce and Selina in the streets of Gotham because like I have said before these two a great together. It was assuming seeing Bruce unsure of himself in the streets and it is Selina who has to watch out for him. However a real standout in this episode was Alfred and that is because he kicked all kinds of ass! The guy managed to hold off three assassins (also the only one to fend off Copperhead) and persuade Fish to help while bribing and beating up others for information. We also got a touching scene between him and Bruce when they where finally reunited and highlights the bond that they have between them.

"So we just eat with dead body?"

As for the rest of the episode I actually think Fish was okay in this one for once, maybe that is because she was helpful to Alfred and didn't act like a b***h she usually is. I am also interested to see what is going to happen to Gordon's storyline now since he is at Arkham, I have read some people complain about this but I like it. He is obviously not going to be there forever and while he is there we might meet other characters like Hugo Strange or Scarecrow. However what I didn't like was how Dent was portrayed in this because it wasn't the mistake with Lovecraft that annoyed me because he is still young it is the fact he agreed with the corrupt Mayor. Maybe he has a plan but I just didn't like that he back off because of the Mayor's threat so easily.

"If only you had a cape to glide across when you jump" 

Overall I this was a good episode and Gotham has been a strong series so far so I can't wait for it to come back.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Copperhead was a great villain
                   Alfred was a scene stealer
                   Selina and Bruce

Let - Downs: Dent seems a bit out of character

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/  

                           

Gotham Season One: Harvey Dent

"Want to know the nickname they have for me?"

The episode begins with Gordon arriving home with Selina and finding out Barbara has left him meanwhile an insane bomb maker Ian Hargrove (Leslie Odom, Jr.) is taken by the Russian mob while in transport. Later Gordon takes Selina to Wayne Manor and convinces Bruce to let her stay because she can identity his parent's killer, he then meets with young assistant district attorney Harvey Dent (Nicholas D'Agosto) who believes a corrupt tycoon Dick Lovecraft is behind the Wayne murders. Meanwhile at Wayne Manor Selina watches Bruce train with Alfred and elsewhere Cobblepot breaks in to Liza's apartment. Gordon and Bullock question Ian's brother who blames the Mayor and the system for not getting Ian any help however Ian is later forced to make a bomb that blows up a munitions factory and kills several guards. Bruce later tries to bond with Selina but ends up upsetting her which makes Alfred think this isn't going to work meanwhile Cobblepot visits Fish to confirm something in his own way.

"That rice boy won't last five seconds"

Nygma discovers where pieces of the bomb came from and Gordon and Bullock rush over there however in a shootout they are unable to free Ian from the Russians. Dent then later threatens Lovecraft but is unable to get a confession, even after scaring him slightly with an abrupt change in personality. It is then later revealed that the Russians are working for Fish who want to steal money from Falcone. Nygma then finds out the type of bomb the Russians stole earlier which leads the police to one of Falcone's safes however the money is then blown up by one of Fish's men who intended to kill them all. At the Wayne Manor despite a shaky start Selina and Bruce finally learn to laugh and have fun with each other which Alfred sees as a good thing for Bruce. Cobblepot then visits Liza who wants her to continue to work with Fish for now and the Mayor has decided to move all criminally insane to Arkham, which includes Ian, much to Gordon's annoyance because of it's poor conditions. The episode ends with Bruce calling Barbara however she doesn't answer because she is back to sleeping with Montoya.

All that poor money

Got the introduction to one of my favourite Batman characters; Harvey Dent AKA Twoface and I guess I will talk about him first. I think we got a really good portrayal of the young Dent here; he came off as a fast smooth - talker who as a passion for fixing Gotham just like Gordon but that part is no surprise since Dent was always the White Knight in contrast to the Dark Knight. I really liked his introduction scene where he uses his two headed coin and when he loses his temper with Lovecraft. That is slightly more in keeping with the comics because of Dent's obsession with duality and that shows with his split personality which emerges when he becomes Twoface. Him losing his temper with Lovecraft made me think that Dent's darker personality is just hidden beneath the surface so that was pretty cool. However if I am honest for a episode that is titled "Harvey Dent" we don't see as much of him as I thought, hope he becomes a more recurring cast member then.

"Okay, that was a little creepy"

What I also liked about this episode was that we finally got some interaction between Selina and Bruce and it really worked. The chemistry between the two characters was great to watch (a praise to the great acting of these young actors) and I liked how they where opposites but fitted well together. Bruce comes from the wealthy society while Selina lives in the streets so you can see how nervous Bruce is at talking to her while Selina doesn't know how to act around him. In the end they both are good for each other because Bruce ends up having a lot of fun with her, that food fight at the end was so funny, while Selina gets to care more about others since she was always alone before this. Also Alfred his as great as ever with his side comments to Selina and Bruce.

"Next time lets bring backup"

Now for everything else about this episode I did really like the bomber plot because it addresses another one of Gotham's failings and that is how it handles the mentally ill and because of that it looks like Arkham may play an important setting soon. However I didn't like that in the end Fish is behind everything against Falcone once again, honestly I just want Falcone and Cobblepot to reveal some big master plan and kill Fish already. However one thing that I really hated in this was the reveal that Barbara is sleeping with Montoya; I don't know where the writers are going with this stupid forced lesbian relationship. I can't see how Barbara (from what I read on the internet is a really hated character now after this) can redeem herself to Gordon now after this, this just makes her out to be a really weak character and I don't know how they are getting back together now. This really isn't Gordon's fault because all he done was protect her and let her in to what he is doing which is what she wanted. This also makes me hate Montoya more (who is basically a nobody in this) because even though she is a lesbian in the comics why did she have to be with Barbara in the show? What annoys me is that I bet she is going to "stand up for herself" against Gordon for their relationship and we will have some stupid love triangle. In the end is this important or good for the plot? No. Are we really supposed to care or have they made us try to care about it? No. Have the writers completely ruined Barbara's character? Yes.

When was the last time we've all had a nice food fight

Overall this was a good episode but we didn't see as much of Dent as I would have liked and I hated the ending.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Harvey Dent
                   Selina and Bruce
                   The plot with the bomber was good

Let - Downs: Dent was underused and Cobblepot was in this episode as well
                      Fish behind everything.....again
                      The stupid Barbara and Montoya relationship

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/  

 

Gotham Season One: Selina Kyle

The episode begins with Bruce purposely burning his hand however Alfred quickly puts a stop to it. In the streets of Gotham several homeless kids are kidnapped by a man and a woman, one gets away, a homeless war veteran is shot and this is witnessed by Selina Kyle. In the morning Gordon and Bullock investigate the scene and then question the kid who escape; Bullock is sceptical but the kid argues that more and more street kids have been disappearing. Meanwhile nine miles from Gotham, Cobblepot gets a ride from two guys but kills one of them when they call him a Penguin. At the GCPD Nygma confirms the kid's story when he finds traces of knock out drug his system, Captain Sarah Essen (Zabryna Guevara) puts Gordon and Bullock on the case but tells them to keep the press out of it.

She knows not to accept food from strangers

At Fish's club Falcone has Fish's recent 'lover' beaten up over the allegations that she has been making moves against him while Crispus and Montoya question Cobblepot's mother about her son's disappearance. Gordon and Bullock ask Fish about the kids disappearing and she only says that there is a buyer for them overseas, later Barbara anonymously phones the newspaper when Gordon admits his frustrated with not be able to warn Gotham. Gordon and Bullock later go to a facility that stocks the knock out drug and gets into a fire fight with Patty and Doug; the ones abducting the kids. While those two get away they manage to rescue the kids recently taken. Mayor Aubrey James (Richard Kind) announces that all street kids will be under the care of juvenile services but Gordon is furious because it really means clearing Gotham of street kids and sending them to juvenile prison without a trial.

"Hope no one shoots my hat off"

Selina is one of the kids rounded up to go to juvenile but their bus gets hijacked by Patty and Doug. Gordon and Bullock question the manager of the drug facility and succeeds in getting a description of the vehicle the kidnappers use. Patty and Doug prepare the kids to be taken to the Dollmaker but Selina escapes and Gordon and Bullock arrive to arrest everyone. Gordon then goes to Bruce to discuss recent events and Cobblepot is later seen trying to get money from the rich parents of one of the passengers in the car he was in but is unsuccessful. The episode ends with Selina telling Gordon that if he lets her go she will tell him what she saw the night the Wayne's where murdered.

"GIVE ME THE MONEY!"

Great follow up to the Pilot episode, I like it when the next episode continues to be strong, and it focuses on Selina Kyle which is what I wanted. First let me point out that once again they are not so subtle with characters from the comics because I was annoyed that they call Selina, Cat in this. It just bothers me that as if the fact that she is a thief and likes cats isn't enough they have to call her Cat, this is probably for people who don't know much about the comic but still there was no need. Moving on from that I am really liking Camren Bicondova she is such a great actress; so energetic as Selina, really like her attitude when dealing with the cops and I really liked how she tired to comfort the one kid about scratching out an enemies eyes and then doing the same thing to the guard and that was pretty gory.

Wayne manor must only have that one room because its the only one we see

Got some good gun fights involving the villains in this episode, Patty and Doug, however I kind of found them a bit too goofy. I just couldn't take them that seriously because even though what they where doing was serious they kind of felt like comic relief. However I really like the mention of the Dollmaker in this because in the comics he is usually portrayed as a gifted surgeon who makes dolls from the body parts of his victims. I know the Arrow already had their version of the Dollmaker but I hope Gotham's version, if he does appear, is closer to the comics.

"Arrest all the kids in Gotham, that's my policy"

I also liked that this episode introduced another one of Gotham's problems which is it's homeless kids, last episode was police corruption. Gotham is almost like a character itself with a whole mess of problems so I look forward to seeing them addressing more of it's issues later on. Also even though it wasn't a huge part Cobblepot remains as great as usual and probably the best character in the series. His change in attitude sure is terrifying; the way he joked with the people who offered him a lift one second but slices the neck of one of them the next just because they called him Penguin. We also got to see is mother in this episode and she was pretty weird I must admit lol.

Maybe she went too far.....cool though

Something I didn't like was the them just putting characters in this when there wasn't any need for it. Even if I did like Fish I don't think she had to be in this episode, the same with Barbara because both of their roles didn't feel too important and they where barely in it for long. They don't have to show every one of their main cast in every episode so I hope they don't force them on us in all the future ones.

"If a puppet asks us to play a game then we are screwed"

Overall I did like this episode because of we got to see more of Selina but I wished Bruce could have got a chance to interact with her because I thought when he said he wanted to help be might have got more involved.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Selina Kyle
                   Reference to the Dollmaker
                   Cobblepot scenes are always great

Let - Downs: Didn't like Patty and Doug too much
                      Some characters didn't have to be involved in this episode

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/