“Gotham” 1.2 – Selina Kyle (7.5 out of 10) – Directed by Danny Cannon; Written by Bruno Heller; Based on characters created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Howard Chaykin, Frank Miller, Greg Rucka, et al; Starring Donal Logue, Ben McKenzie, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sean Pertwee, Camren Bicondova…; Rated TV14” Aired on Fox 9/29/14.
After watching the pilot episode for “Gotham” last week I was hopeful that the show would branch out and start to become its own animal. The good news is that with episode 2 “Selina Kyle” they have taken a step in that direction. I enjoyed this episode more than I did the pilot and while that is a good sign, this episode wasn’t amazing..
For an episode called “Selina Kyle” she sure isn’t in it a whole lot. The title would lead you to assume that we would learn a lot of Ms. Kyle’s backstory, yet she isn’t really even much of a presence until the third act. The lack of impact meeting the iconic Catwoman character from the comics stems partly from the fact that Camren Bicondova who plays the young Catwoman in the series isn’t that great of an actress. She is young and for that reason I cut her some slack but if she is going to stick around as a major character in the series I hope her delivery isn’t so choppy.
David Mazouz who plays Bruce Wayne is another story. We see more of beginning of a hero as Bruce continues testing himself by holding his hand against an open flame until Alfred walks in catching him in the act. Mazouz is able to capture a grieving young man while also convincing me that this is the start of Batman’s training. I’m also really liking what is happening between Bruce and Gordon. But I’m worried if they continue to let Gordon witness Bruce’s transformation that Gordon would have to be an idiot to not figure out who Batman really is once he meets the Bat.
Other than the lack of Selina or “Cat” as she likes to be called in the show there were some other issues. The biggest would have to be the villains. Doug and Patti played by Frank Whaley and Lili Taylor, are the henchmen of The Dollmaker and they just couldn’t do anything right. They botch the kidnapping of a homeless kid and they don’t change their hideout after barely escaping a shootout with the cops in a truck with the logo of the warehouse they use as their hideout painted on the side. There were multiple times through out the episode that their behavior was childish. I like to think this was a hat tip to fans of the comics who will recognize The Dollmaker as a villain who makes dolls and uses them as his lackeys. I can’t really see another reason for the lack of intelligence in Doug and Patti other than they weren’t real people.
Selena was really the other issue. There were moments when I was in love with her. She manages to avoid Doug and Patti the first time they kidnap kids and even when she is eventually captured she does out smart them (not that it was too hard to do). While trying to escape she even scratches out a guard’s eyes. Even though we don’t see it happen we do see the after math; yet after all of that she still has to be saved by Gordon instead of taking care of herself. This makes her earlier victories less impressive.
My favorite relationship to watch grow though is Bullock and Gordon. The tension and chemistry between the two is a thing of beauty. They hate working together and have very different methods but when they work with each other instead of against they make a great team. I can’t wait to see what happens when the truth of about Gordon letting Penguin go instead of killing him at the end of the pilot comes to light.
Things between Fish and Falcone are getting really good as well. Falcone knows that Fish has been thinking of getting rid of him so she could take his place and sends her a message by beating the crap out of her lover in her own night club. Fish’s lover might have been nothing more than an awesome way to send a message but I am hoping it was another little plug for the show. We learn that his name is Lazlo right before he gets beaten up and then in the trailer for next week there is a very quick shot of a man in a pig mask. Now this could be nothing but the comic geek in me screams that it’s not. Lazlo Valentin is the real name of the villain Professor Pyg. I dont know if the Professor will be in the show but I find joy in thinking that it’s a nod to the comic fans.
The mystery of the Wayne’s murder is still of course on going for Gordon and the episode ends with him finding out that Cat was a witness to the whole thing. Where they will go from here I’m not sure but the Wayne’s real killer will be the driving force of not only Gordon’s character arc but Bruce’s as well so it can’t wrap up to soon.
Robin Lord Taylor as Cobblepot is the most interesting character to see on screen. Watching him scheme and kill to get his way is entertaining. He is cruel and merciless and has captured the essence of The Penguin perfectly. You can’t help but look forward to his next move in his quest to control Gotham.
Overall this is a good episode. The acting and chemistry between characters still needs some work but the show is still figuring out where it wants to go. Most importantly it feels like they are starting to make the world and characters their own and even with the Catwoman episode not being what you’d expect, the show will still land on its feet. Pun intended.