Torgo
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Gotham
May 5, 2014 21:13:01 GMT -5
Post by Torgo on May 5, 2014 21:13:01 GMT -5
Agents of SHIELD has been hit and miss in its first season and though Arrow has been kicking a lot of ass, the CW-ness of the production has been holding it back from the glory it could be capable of achieving (do a spinoff with Felicity and Diggle...I'd watch). In the wake of both of these shows, there's been a mass explosion of pilots ordered based upon Marvel and DC comics. Until today the only ones we knew were being put into production were Marvel Sudios' Netflix package (Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders). As most stay on the edge of their seats waiting for word on whether or not the Arrow spin-off of the Flash will be picked up or NBC decides to make or break a series based on John Constantine (now with 100% less Keanu Reeves and Shia LaBouf!), Fox has just dropped word that the Batman inspired series Gotham has received a full season order.
I'm a huge Batman fan, but was initially uninterested in Gotham when I first heard about it. Sounded like an ill-conceived attempt to duplicate Smallville. Hell, it still might be. But paired with the announcement of the season order today we got our first footage from it.
Color me interested. It looks like it might actually be good!
I'm not getting too hopeful, as Fox has a bad history with genre programming (Firefly forever!). The only comic based shows I remember airing on the network were the live action version of The Tick and the second version of Human Target, neither of which lasted very long. I doubt a network like Fox will stick with a series like this in the long run unless it banks ratings for them ala 24. The fact that the series isn't exactly a superhero show might be in its favor though, and the fact that it's Batman connected could bring in those numbers that put the Dark Knight and the Dark Knight Rises across the billion dollar mark worldwide.
But I'm looking forward to it. I've been anxious for a modern take on Batman on television. I love the hell out of the 60s show, but it just doesn't pack the dramatic punch that a good Batman story can tell.
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Sept 24, 2014 15:14:30 GMT -5
The premiere of Gotham was Monday, but I was working but I caught it on Hulu just now. My reaction? I really dug it. I thought it was very well cast, especially Donal Logue as Harvey Bullock (I believe this is Bullock's first live action portrayal) and the little plot branches all look interesting enough to follow.
That said, like most pilots this episode was rough around the edges. It's undeniably busy, and sometimes borders on convoluted. There's a bit of soap opera melodramatics and a lot of "behind someone's back" dialogue scenes, including demographic pandering in the form of Gordon's fiance having an ex-lesbian flame trying to break the two of them up. But I deal with pandering like this on a weekly basis with Arrow, I just hope Gotham doesn't go overboard with it. I'm not smitten with the actor who is playing Alfred either, but it's hard to tell just how much we'll see of the character.
Right now I'm giving the show a thumbs up. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a pilot to a comic based series this much (The Walking Dead notwithstanding). Arrow, Agents of SHIELD, and Smallville's all kind of showcased less promise than this series does. I liked Birds of Prey's and Blade's wasn't too bad, though I admit they both had a select cheese factor that wouldn't have been everyone's taste. The Tick, maybe? But since those latter three were all one season shows then it might be a sign that this series is probably doomed to failure.
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Gotham
Sept 24, 2014 18:53:26 GMT -5
Post by crowschmo on Sept 24, 2014 18:53:26 GMT -5
Um, so is his wife-to-be Barbara GORDON? Who turns out to be BatGIRL? And she's older than Batman? Or does he name a future niece after her after she dies or something? (Was she a niece in the comics, I don't remember).
I hope they can come up with good stories for this. It looks like it's going to be kind of dragged out.
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Torgo
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Gotham
Sept 25, 2014 0:27:39 GMT -5
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Post by Torgo on Sept 25, 2014 0:27:39 GMT -5
Technically she has the last name of Kean right now. But Gordon's wife was named Barbara also, and the Batgirl Barbara Gordon was named after her. Gordon's wife has just barely ever been portrayed on film, possibly to avoid confusion with the latter character.
According to the IMDB bio of the character prior to Gotham she had only been portrayed in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and the direct to video Batman: Year One. It escapes me if they mentioned her name onscreen in any of them.
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Gotham
Sept 25, 2014 3:03:00 GMT -5
Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 25, 2014 3:03:00 GMT -5
Yup, that's Batgirl's mommy, and Kean was (one) of her maiden names in the comics.
Loved the show, thought the actor cast as Gordon was pitch perfect. It took a certain, special breed of man to go into that corruption, keep his integrity and come out the top cop. And that actor hit the right mix of toughness and integrity.
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Gotham
Sept 26, 2014 1:21:35 GMT -5
Post by Afgncaap5 on Sept 26, 2014 1:21:35 GMT -5
I'm definitely interested in seeing this. Sadly, I don't have a Hulu account, so I may be out of the loop for a bit.
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Torgo
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Gotham
Sept 26, 2014 2:07:14 GMT -5
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Post by Torgo on Sept 26, 2014 2:07:14 GMT -5
Doesn't Netflix have a day after deal with this series? If you have them you can check it out.
Plus I think Hulu has the pilot episode for free for now.
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Gotham
Sept 26, 2014 3:46:16 GMT -5
Post by Mighty Jack on Sept 26, 2014 3:46:16 GMT -5
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Torgo
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Gotham
Nov 5, 2014 14:59:58 GMT -5
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Post by Torgo on Nov 5, 2014 14:59:58 GMT -5
In the weeks since Gotham has become hit or miss for me l. It has had some good episodes and some bad ones (last weeks episode about "the goat" was just ugh, though I liked the final conclusion). By comparison I'd say Arrow, The Flash, and Agents of SHIELD have all kept consistent in themselves (it's too early to tell for Constantine, though I thought the second episode was better than the pilot).
But this weeks episode...man I LOVED this weeks episode. A total nail biter from start to finish. There were moments of hammy overacting (predictably from Pinkett-Smith and Oswald Cobblepot) and the fetish outfits from the police shootout were pure WTF, but I was glued to the damn screen the entire time. It looks like the mob war is inches away and Penguin's going to push it past the line.
Whether the actor is overacting or not, I have to admit little by little Cobblepot is becoming the most interesting character on the show. I find myself excited to see what he might do next and always gleefully surprised. If I were to hazard a guess on where the series is going I'd say they're setting him up to take over Maroni's gang (by the end of the season?). Then he'l have his sights set on Mooney's and save Falcone for last.
I'm very anxious to see what happens next.
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