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The good
Great character development and interactions, engrossing story with intense action. Introduction of power struggles between Gotham's families.
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The bad
Overuse of aliases defining characters in already known molds stands in contrast to the engrossing character development
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The ugly
Gotham: Selina Kyle is the second episode in the season and has Gordon and Bullock investigating the mysterious disappearances of homeless children in Gotham. It opens up with Bruce in his room holding his hand over a lit candle to see how much pain he could endure until Alfred comes barging in. At first he yells at Bruce for this action and then consoles him knowing how difficult it has been since his parents were murdered. He’s not the only youth in Gotham dealing with tough times, and Selina Kyle is another one but with a more precarious situation since she’s homeless. So when a truck pulls up to the area offering treats to all the homeless children she’s apprehensive about approaching. And sure enough the man and woman start sticking the kids with a needle containing a mysterious substance, which knocks them out. A homeless man viewing this tries to intervene but the man shoots and kills him. However this gives one of the kids enough time to make a run for it, and the man chases after him. They end up getting in a scuffle in front of a restaurant, and the man ends up throwing the kid through the glass window resulting in the patrons calling authorities who arrest the kid for property damage. But that’s not the worst; the kid is now the primary suspect in the murder of the homeless man, and the only witness is Selina, or rather, Cat, which she prefers. In a city that doesn’t care for the homeless, especially homeless children, can Gordon and Bullock uncover the truth behind the murder and disappearances before it’s too late? And even if they do, will anyone care since corruption is so rampant?
After looking forward to this series all summer, I enjoyed the first episode and saw a lot of potential in it. However, I was really looking forward to the second episode more in order to get a better idea about the tone of this series and what it had to offer once new story lines took center stage. So if I enjoyed the first episode then I was really impressed by this one, and my excitement for the series has increased overall. I mentioned in my review of last week’s episode that I liked the way Selina Kyle was being established in a way that would allow her to have some unique story lines outside of what has already been established, and this episode focused on her character development. This allowed James Gordon to be in a position to be viewed as hope and change in a society that is so corrupt it couldn’t care less about the welfare of children. This was started when Selina would view Gordon checking the murdered homeless man and showing concern, which was more than the GCPD was in the habit of doing. This was highlighted through Bullock’s initial reaction as well as the officer who was responsible for preserving the integrity of the crime scene. However, they would be able to question the kid suspected of the murder and Bullock wouldn’t believe his story despite him stating that Cat saw everything. But once the tests would come back, they would show that there was a substance in his bloodstream that was once only used at Arkham Asylum.
And I legitimately became excited when Arkham was mentioned because there’s so much potential there without Arkham even being featured since it’s practically a factory of all things crazy and even has a rich history. So the joy from this show tapping into all the different elements in the Batman mythos to create new story lines, and digging deep to do so, is one of the reasons I want to tune in. And the minions who were kidnapping children were working for the Dollmaker, and their plot was deep and intriguing. And it was interesting watching Gordon and Bullock work together and see the progression in the partnership and how well they complement each other. And despite Bullock being part of the problem with the GCPD, it’s becoming apparent that he wasn’t like the other cops and that plays a role in him being influenced by Gordon. And the character development not just for the two of them but others as well is one of the reasons I enjoyed this episode more than the first. Whether it was Fish Mooney and Falcone having a deep discussion about the state of affairs since the Waynes died and their precarious situation or Penguin’s situation after being picked up as a hitchhiker, it was all very engrossing while giving the feeling that bigger developments were being built up. I already liked Fish’s character and that won’t change but Falcone was more impressive than last episode and the Penguin…wow.
There was plenty of intense action from shootouts to hand to hand combat, and Selina Kyle got in some really good licks too. The story unfolded in a way that didn’t feel as if it was trying to remind viewers that this was a Batman-related show every step of the way as if that could somehow be forgotten. And so this would be my main issue with this episode, and it would be in the form of the overuse of aliases but I would say it’s more of a pet peeve than harming my enjoyment of the show. These characters are supposed to be in a state prior to becoming Batman’s villains and adopting aliases as part of their new persona, although the characteristics would be present. So I would have no problem with Selina Kyle being referred to as Catwoman constantly if she was in that role but there’s no need for her in every scene to say she’s Cat. Or for Cobblepot to always be referred to as Penguin in every scene, although it did play more of a role this episode. There was a moment when Alfred was talking to Gordon and said to Bruce it’s rude of him to sneak up on people and interrupt their conversations, and I loved that moment. It was brilliant (and it was funny). The reference was clear but it would’ve been ruined if Alfred said “stop sneaking up on people like a bat.” I’m sure I’m not the only one that can appreciate even the subtleties in this show. So to see how much Bruce respects Gordon, and believes in what he’s doing says a lot more than just he overuse of aliases because clearly this Detective is influencing Bruce’s future career as a Detective…even if he does it with a mask and cowl. And this episode has influenced my enthusiasm for this series, which is even higher now.
SUMMARY
Gotham: Selina Kyle is an excellent follow-up episode that makes the current situation in Gotham more intriguing with its great character development, story threads and intense action. It was clear that Gordon faced an uphill battle with corruption and just plain apathy in the department but this episode starts laying the foundation for change without oversimplifying everything. And the introduction of the power struggles among families in Gotham since the demise of the Waynes has so much potential and will definitely be explored at some point. And I was impressed with Selina Kyle and also how her story was used to show other problems in Gotham, giving a context to the public at large. Gotham is starting to come into its own and I’m optimistic about what stories, and characters, lie ahead.
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Rating ( 8.75 )
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Total score 8.8
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