Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Episodes: 22
Duration: 42 min (per episode)
Gotham: Season 2 (Blu-ray) – Series Review
Even though Gotham is instantly linked to Bruce Wayne, or Batman, we often think about other famous characters as well, and realize that we don’t really know what happened to make them turn into a criminal. Of course there are those of who we know what exact moment pushed them over the edge to convert to the dark side, but still many famous villains have a certain origin that was never thoroughly explored, but the same can be said about the roster of good guys that passes through Gotham, even if they are in a slimmer supply than the villains. Last time we saw how the ‘Penguin’ climbed up from simple servant, to the new crime lord of Gotham, while Bruce is still looking for his parents’ murderer, and James ‘Jim’ Gordon seems to be one of the few people of the GCPD that wants to make the city better.
After James Gordon’s (Ben McKenzie) falling out with commissioner Loeb (Peter Scolari) he is reduced to a petty traffic cop, and is being watched like a hawk. After making a bust on a dangerous criminal, and punching his partner as he was too lazy to help, Loeb fires James, finally granting Loeb the chance to completely do what he wants, without any backtalk. As expected, Gordon refuses to leave things as they are, seeing Loeb is pretty much the perfect example of corruption in Gotham , forcing James to do something he normally would not do. James ends up at the Penguin’s doorstep, asking him for a favor, but as expected, the newly appointed king of crime wants something in return for scaring off Loeb. He wants Gordon to act like a common thug, to collect an outstanding debt, pretty much making him a lowly enforcer. After some serious thought he agrees to this offer, making sure Loeb is out of the picture and he gets his job back.
The freshly appointed crime lord of Gotham, Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), is pretty much set for life, as business is going well, except for the hiccups he needs James for. Nonetheless, his reign doesn’t last too long, when billionaire Theo Galavan (James Frain) and his sister Tabitha (Jessica Lucas) arrive in town. While both seem to be ‘regular rich people’ who are striving for good causes on the outside, they are actually trying to wreak havoc in Gotham. When Theo takes Cobblepot’s mother hostage, to make him do his bidding, and also frees some of Gotham’s worst criminals, including Barbara Kean (Erin Richards), you know things aren’t heading in the right direction for the already rotten city.
Of course, we’re not forgetting the hero-to-be, who is still frantically looking for his parents’ murderer and while finding the thug who did it isn’t on the menu yet, he might actually find out why his parents were really killed. Bruce (David Mazouz) and Alfred (Sean Pertwee) stumble upon a secret room below the Wayne manor, which involves the secret activities of Bruce’s father. It seems his father was on to something shady that was happening within his own company, and it seems like he wanted to put a stop to it, but probably never succeeded and was disposed of for trying. Now Bruce seems to be more eager than ever to find the one who made him an orphan, but Alfred decides to destroy the workstation, trying to save Bruce’s life before he gets in too deep. As expected, Bruce is filled with rage.
Just like the previous season, the mix of detective aspects, a sufficient dose of drama and the origins of certain well-know characters, make the pace isn’t as fast as many Batman related stories. It seems that this trend started with the movie trilogy starring Christian Bale, and to a certain extent carried over to Gotham, which is something you’ll either love or hate. Nonetheless, there’s enough suspense to go around, while the occasional battle scene keeps you on your toes, be it before or after something bad has happened in Gotham. Certainly a pleasant pace, but you’ll have to pay proper attention if you don’t want to miss a thing, as the story is running like a (steam) train.
What makes Gotham interesting is that all of the good guys often make choices that are pretty close to villainous acts, simply to protect those they love, or in the long run, achieve a state of peace in Gotham. The same can be said for the evil characters, who sometimes live by a certain code, which allows them to do good as well. This makes the series interesting ,as some characters are unpredictable, but it also makes everyone a lot more human than they often are in ‘superhero’ stories.
Acting performances are still consistent with season 1, thus you will not be disappointed. Seeing they turned the character of Barbara into someone fit for the loony bin, it gave Erin Richards quite a challenge to portray the character properly. Corey Michael Smith, while a regular cast member in the first season, receives more airtime during these twenty-two episodes, as his origin story is also properly being paved. Michael Chiklis is a very interesting choice to play as the new acting commissioner of the GCPD but he simply nails the role. Even though many will probably agree when stating this actor would not immediately come to mind as a typical DC Universe good guy, he still performs exquisitely.
While the bonus content on this Blu-ray edition of Season 3 might not blow you away, it does add a lot of viewing pleasure and gives you more background about certain characters, small teasers and the overall typical content you’ll find on pretty much all physical releases nowadays.
Conclusion
Gotham: Season 2 drives forth the same quality as the first season in a rather dramatic way. Even though the series consists of a fair amount of action scenes, it’s the drama aspect that drives this tale that surrounds the iconic figure of Batman, or at least in this case his childhood years. If you liked the first season, and are still looking to be surprised by the many references and teasers that have been placed in this second part of Gotham, you’ll certainly enjoy yourself. Sprinkle a fair amount of bonus content on top, and you have yourself a solid DC Universe experience.
Gotham: Season 2 (Blu-ray) – Series Review,
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