(Aside: People should not talk about politics, unless they can do it without getting all mad.)
Anyway...
There have been many reviews about "Gotham."
Here is mine.
Well... It's not really a review. It's just a compilation of some random thoughts I've had about it.
Two episodes of "Gotham" have aired so far, and I have loved both of them.
First of all, I can understand EVERY SINGLE WORD OF THE DIALOGUE. YAY!!! This is rare for me, and I would like to compliment the talented cast and the amazing sound people. It is very rare for me to be able to understand all the dialogue in a show. People can tend to mumble a little and speak rather quickly, which for a pair of young ears is all well and good. But, my middle-aged ears have a rather tough time with it. So, THANK-YOU, "GOTHAM," for not making me feel so old. xoxo <3
Secondly, I can follow the story completely. YAY again!!! This has also been rare for me, with a lot of "modern" drama-type shows. So, thank-you to the writers and editors for not making me feel stupid as I try to understand the story.
These two things may not seem like a big thing to you, but they are HUGE to me. Especially because the dialogue in "Gotham" is worth understanding and the story the show is telling is worth following. Unlike "The Bachelor."
Thirdly, in "Gotham," Ben McKenzie runs with a gun while pretending to be a law enforcement officer. Ben McKenzie excels at running with a gun while pretending to be a law enforcement officer. It is SO much fun to watch. He looks so cool when he runs. Some people like to see Ben do "love scenes." I have actually had hits to my blog by people looking for "Ben McKenzie love scenes." (I have never written about those, by the way.) I, though, would much prefer to see Ben run with a gun. So -- thank-you, Ben and writers and directors.
Closely related to the running with a gun is this: In "Gotham," Ben McKenzie does fight scenes. He also excels at those. Every time I watch one, though, I get kind of tense, thinking about him ramming his head into the concrete pillar on his birthday. I hope the "Gotham" producers are giving Ben time to get enough sleep. You need lots of sleep in order to do fight scenes safely. Especially as you get older.
You can totally tell that a middle-aged Italian mother is writing this, can't you??? ;-)
For you more serious people, here are a few thoughts about "Gotham" that are a little more serious.
The show is beautiful to look at. It is gorgeous. It is a work of art. It looks just like the comic books sprang off the pages and came to life -- the characters, the costumes, the props, the sets, absolutely everything. Even the dialogue is reminiscent of what you would see in the comic books. Some people have poked fun at the dialogue. They have called it "cheesy" and "corny." Nonsense. The dialogue is done in such a manner that it lends to the overall feeling that you are watching a living, breathing comic book. It is brilliant.
The performances are outstanding. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. Yes, I spoke about Ben McKenzie, but ALL the actors are to be commended. They are perfect in their roles. And it doesn't seem as though anybody is being a "prima donna." I get the impression that everybody is working as a team, supporting one other so that each person can give his or her best for the show. And that's why the show is as good as it is.
The story is well-thought-out and expertly crafted. The premiere set the stage in an outstanding manner so that the story can develop organically in all of its multi-layered complexity. I get the feeling that there will be very few, if any, inconsistencies in the plot. The overall story arc seems to be well-integrated into the smaller story-arcs of the individual episodes -- something that is not easy to do. The story is also fascinating. I want to keep watching it. I am curious to see what will happen week after week. That is a rare thing for me.
The show also embraces diversity -- there are many major female characters, there is a lesbian character, there are characters of many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. This is very cool. And it is especially cool because it is done in a very natural way. When I was younger, whenever a show was even brave enough to embrace diversity, it was often done in an awkward manner. There was almost like this big effort on the part of such a show to announce, "LOOK!!! We have DIVERSITY!!!" With "Gotham," though, the characters just are who they are -- living their lives, doing their jobs, having their relationships, being good or bad or somewhere in-between. This, to me, is a positive thing. It reinforces the fact that we are all human beings, with human needs and hopes and desires.
Thanks for reading my thoughts. I appreciate that you would take the time to do so. And -- hopefully -- I'll see you on Monday. In Gotham. ;-)
