If you thought life in Gotham was wild before, wait till you get a load of it in Season 3! In this exclusive DCTV clip, they talk to the cast of Fox‘s Gotham about bringing Season 2 to a triumphant close and what lies ahead in the show’s eagerly awaited third season. In short, more super-villains, possibly including one who’s absolutely…mad.
Gotham wraps up its second season… sort of. The second season ends in an interesting way, and one that feels very much like a comic book.
While some things are taken care of so much is left open for the third season. It really feels like the ending of a comic book story arc where there’s more to go. No happy little bow on this story.
What’s impressive is that the episode manages to go through so much in so little time. There’s Strange, ClayGordon, Penguin, Fox and Bruce, Riddler, and Fish Mooney. Everything gets its moment and given ample enough time to go through their arc.
There’s definitely bad. Strange’s finale is a bit of a let down with something (No SPOILERS here!) happening that feels like he should be more hurt or even killed. And the follow up to that is… odd.
There’s a great comedic moment involving Gordon and Fox that will have you laughing and rolling your eyes at the same time.
The season wraps up in one way, but also takes us into the third for what looks to be an interesting further evolution of the show. There’s definitely a better vision for the show, and a consistent style now that feels like a blend of a lot of what’s come before with Batman.
We have some time to wait until the third season, but there’s a lot to look forward to as the show builds its own version of the Batman mythos.
Overall Rating: 7.65
Gotham has just one more episode to go after this one and boy does it set up a hell of a lot. While I might not have totally agreed with the direction and pacing of the season, I will say it has given us a fairly logical point for the creation of a lot of Batman’s rogue gallery (though Batman himself is about 10 years too young).
Tonight, we get yet another classic villain introduced, but also the return of one from the first season. Like so many comic characters, the dead don’t stay dead and we get the return of Fish Mooney. But Mooney to me isn’t the best introduction. In a previous episode we saw a character who is likely Killer Croc, and this episode we get someone named Basil who is an actor. For those who know Batman comics, this is Basil Karlo, aka Clayface a rather interesting and cool villain. We see his abilities on full display in a way that saves a bit on special fx. While I’d love to see Clayface in his full classic look, what they’re doing so far is a bit more grounded and interesting in ways.
But, what I think is the most intriguing thing is the introduction of the Court of Owls in the episode. Though the title isn’t used we learn Strange answers to a higher power. For those who have read Scott Snyder’s recent run on Batman, or those who have read interviews with the producers of the show, it shouldn’t be a surprise as to the introduction of this group and nemesis of Batman. The season has been hinting at it with its focus on cryogenics and we finally get their first on screen moments. I’m sure we’ll see more of them in season three.
And with all of that, we also get a Gotham Police Department completely caught off guard by the explosion of crazy and not sure how they should be dealing with it all. It’s probably one of the most realistic things about the season. They wouldn’t have a clue what’s going on and be a bit lost.
There’s a lot to go through and wrap up before the season ends, and I’d imagine we’ll see a lot of this bleed over into a third season. Who will get out and be the villains for then should be interesting.
Overall Rating: 7.65
Gotham has just a few episode left and while the last couple of episodes have shown a lot of improvement from a rather ho-hum season, this episode takes steps back while also taking steps forward in some way.
There’s a lot I like including Bullock and Gordon’s friendship and Bullock stepping up to lead the Gotham Police Department. There’s also some solid moments for Alfred who on this shown has stepped up as much more than just a butler or a mechanic. He is a protector who has seen some action.
Also solid is Penguin taking a stand against Azrael and showing his disdain for theatrics. Moments with the Riddler are humorous too.
Gordon really steps up taking control of things in many ways and doing what he knows is right, even if he isn’t a police officer anymore.
All of this is good. The flow of the episode. The look of everything. There’s some great building up to the last 15 minutes of the episode and then that ending happens…. and it’s so over the top, it feels laughable. Not even entertaining, just eye rolling laughable.
Add in the stupidity that is Bruce Wayne. Here he does his best damsel in distress impersonation with moves that we’ve seen in horror films a million times over and viewers scream when seeing. You stopped the car!? Really!?
And I think that’s my issue with the season.
There’s lots of great moments in the season. You can see where things can go so right or they do indeed go so right. And then something like the end of this episode happens. These moments are the Schumacher moments of the show where the camp is mixed with the dark and it just does not work. You wonder what the writer’s room was like when some of these ideas were thrown out there.
With just a few episodes left, we still have the eventual showdown with Strange coming. We were also promised the Court of Owls. All of these things I can do without. I just want a consistently watchable show, because this episode was just painful at times.
Overall Rating: 7.05
Gotham amps of the action as the series barrels towards its second season finale. The last episode ended with Galavan returned from the dead screaming out the term “Azrael.” For fans of the Batman comic series the use of that word is exciting considering its history.
The episode has Strange figuring out how to bring together Galavan’s fractured mind as Gordon continues his investigation. Strange figures out his plan and thus Azrael is born.
The episode is solid in many ways, but primarily it shows off how Batman could work, and work really well on television. In fact Azrael’s appearance has me wanting to see Batman eventually become a regular on the show (and if we have to skip a few years as far as that goes, I’m good). You can see the proto-Batman in many ways and there’s one pivotal scene where Bruce sees Azrael and the show does a solid job of showing the ideas running through his head.
And that’s what this episode really feels like to me, an evil Batman running around Gotham killing people and trying to exact revenge. It’s decent use of the source material and brings together a lot of Batman’s mythos in new and interesting ways. Blending Strange, Dumas, Azrael, and even how it’s tying in Nygma to some extent is solid work.
This episode feels like night and day compared to earlier in the season where the episodes seem to not be sure what they want to be. Instead we have a solid voice, a solid look, what’s clearly a solid vision. It’s the latter season that’s paying off for the earlier’s faults.
I found myself getting to the end of the episode excited to see what happens next. That’s something I haven’t felt for pretty much the rest of the season. And I’m hoping the series sticks the landing after seeing this, because it’s finally coming together and doing so quite well.
Overall Rating: 7.85
Harry Houdini (Michael Weston), Arthur Conan Doyle (Stephen Mangan), and Constable Adelaide Stratton (Rebecca Liddiard) investigate the murder of a nun in a notorious Magdalene Laundry. A witness claims the killer is a young woman who was tormented by the nun. However, that young woman has been dead for six months. Has she returned from the beyond?
I hadn’t heard much about Houdini & Doyle until recent promotions on Fox and the idea of Harry Houdini teaming up with Arthur Conan Doyle intrigued me a bit considering the real friendship between the two. But, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. Right off the bat, the series has a distinct style about itself that reminded me a lot of British and Canadian television, primarily Orphan Black, Doctor Who, and Sherlock (and after looking up who’s behind it, this isn’t a surprise as it’s a project between Fox, ITV and Global).
The debut episode has a certain style and fun about it as it introduces us to our three heroes as they come together to solve a few murders. The formula isn’t too shocking and runs the usual set-up of the skeptic and the believer. In this case Houdini is the skeptic with Doyle the believer and Stratton is in the middle. We see this with Doyle’s famous creations of Sherlock and Dr. Watson. We also see it in the modern Mulder and Skully.
I mention Mulder and Skully because that’s what the first episode reminds me a lot of, a low tech version of The X-Files without the mythology of aliens and a cigarette smoking man involved. In that place we get a police department that’s not fans of the duo and also throw in some misogyny when it comes to Constable Stratton. The formula is familiar, but it’s rather fun and entertaining and really does not feel like something I’d expect from Fox (it has more of a PBS vibe about it all).
Part of the series fun is Weston, Mangan, and Liddiard. Mangan as Doyle is fantastic. He feels of the time in many ways and hides his pain quite well. Weston’s Houdini is the one that’s rather interesting in that he doesn’t quite feel of the time, and instead comes off as a Charlie Day doing Houdini. Liddiard is the one to watch though. She’s intriguing to me in how she plays off the two and her subtle reactions when dealing with the asshats in the police station. She’s the competent Skully compared to two Mulders in that department.
The first episode is a solid debut that has me wanting to come back for more and see where the series goes. There’s a lot here that has me entertained and the show is an intriguing one to see on a major network.
Overall Rating: 8.3
When Lucifer is framed for murder, he and Chloe must work together to clear his name and prove the identity of the true killer..
Lucifer wraps up its first season with the title character going after the man who framed him for murder. To achieve that Lucifer has to team up with Amenadiel and Chloe.
Through the bit of seriousness there’s lots of comedy with Lucifer and Amenadiel, showing off the acting chops in many ways for both.
The episode has me itching for a “buddy cop” series featuring Lucifer and Amenadiel together dealing with whatever issues that come up.
What really impresses me is the series brings together so many plotlines and small items here and there in a very fulfilling episode. It wraps up so much and at the same time opens up so much for the second season.
The episode shows off the strengths of the series, the acting, the witty writing, the dark humor, and the fact it has moved beyond the dead body mystery of the week. The series started off sort of formulaic, but by showing off its charm and focusing on that first, it was able to build itself out for the long story and it delivered in the end.
Lucifer pulled off a lot of what Constantine failed to do.
A fantastic finale to the first season. I can’t wait for the second… especially after we find out who Lucifer has to go after next.
Overall Rating: 8.35
When a woman is found dead on the Hollywood Walk of Fame – with her body twisted into the shape of a pentagram – the investigation leads Lucifer and team into the world of Satanists, where they soon realize, evil doesn’t always live where we expect it to.
Lucifer begins to wrap up its first season as the series begins to really explore exactly what it means to be Lucifer. The episode does an excellent job at examining the mystique and myth surrounding the Biblical figure. Agree or disagree, the episode does an interesting thing with examining Lucifer’s role both as the keeper of Hell, but also his role in the fall of the Angels.
In doing all of that it gives actor Tom Ellis the chance to really show off with some fantastic speeches and a range of emotions, showing why he’s the (morning)star of the series.
The episode also does a fantastic job of bringing together the various plot threads of the series, even bringing back a character who appeared on just one episode, and brings those threads together in a way that it feels very natural and not force. At no point did this season feel like a bunch of separate stories, but instead one narrative whose pieces are finally coming together to wind up the first season’s story.
Now, what I will say about this episode is that it feels rather dark compared to those of the past. While the series generally has a bit of a darker feel about it, this one dives into occult with a lot of blood present and generally feels more like a horror story than episodes in the past. It’s interesting in that way.
With one more episode to go, this does a great job of setting up the season’s conclusion and begins to pay off a lot of what has been building the entire season. Can’t wait for the next episode and to see how the season is wrapped up.
Overall Rating: 8.15
Gotham is finally starting to bring the various plot threads from this season together as it heads towards the finale of its second season. The episode has Gordon attempting to keep his promise to figure out who was behind the murder of Bruce’s parents and that has him doing some connect the dots that at times feels like just moving from situation to situation.
To get to the first step, Gordon must get some help from Barbara who’s “reformed” now after spending time at Arkham Asylum. While I’ve hated the direction they’ve gone with Barbara on the series, I will say this is the first time I’ve enjoyed actress Erin Richards’ portrayal of the role. She does crazy really well and with a few twists and turns her performance is enjoyable even though the story itself is lacking in some ways.
Alfred and Bruce on the other hand are doing their own sleuthing and come across a place called Pinewood and Project Chimera. Things are a bit strange here and the plotline feels very “comic book” like. It might not make a whole lot of sense overall, there’s something fun about the direction, in a turn your brain off sort of way.
The two plots come together and pit Alfred, Bruce, and Gordon against Strange’s ally Mr. Freeze, again keeping up a “comic book” feel to it all.
While the season has felt like a jumble of styles, stories, overall a bit messy, this episode begins to bring it all together. The performances are good and the story overall has a Schumacher feel to it all. It’s a better direction for the series. While I may not agree with the stories and feel it’s not very “Batman,” the series is doing its own thing and setting its own course and it comes together here.
For most of the season I’ve rather tuned out than tune in, but this episode gets me to change that tune. I want to see where it’s going now and what’s to come.
Overall Rating: 7.35
Gotham‘s ends one plotline while beginning others. The majority of the episode focuses on Gordon’s escape and his search for who set him up.
While the episode itself plays out pretty well, everything happens WAY too quickly with the storyline resolved in the episode instead of playing out for at least another one or two. It’s weird to say it, but that particular story actually goes by too quickly, as much as I disliked it. The dislike for Nygma’s turn is a rant for another day.
The episode has a few other plot lines thrown out there. The Penguin and his new role/family is pretty center stage, and again, this feels like a plotline that goes by too quickly and the twist is twisted, but at the same time predictable in some ways. That plot feels like it’s goal is to get Penguin back on the bad side, and nothing more. The character was much better when that was the case, but still, this is a bit of an odd way to do it and a lot of questions are out there, like how he’ll inherit his father’s money.
Bruce’s story continues with Selena and while things were getting a bit better with both of these characters, it’s clear the series is trying to set up Bruce’s eventual turn into Batman, though it’s too young for him to do so. The series would need to jump quite a few years for that to make sense, but the basics are being laid out.
The episode is one to wrap up plot lines from earlier in the season as the series heads towards its season finale. The episode, and season as a whole is rather uneven, but it’s interesting to see where the series will go from here.
Overall Rating: 7.1
