ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

The lady mail carrier for my neighborhood wants some of my crispy potato salad next Thanksgiving. I promised her I'd save her a bowl. It seems the least I can do for someone who brings me wonderful packages from Amazon and movies from Netflix.

That's how I got disk 1 of season 1 today for this popular series. And I'm watching it now.

First impression: this is a solid cop show with nobody running around in questionable costumes, equipped with outlandish devices that strain credibility.

Actually that's kind of a shame, because I really enjoy shows like that.

But this one is trying something different, and I have it on good authority that it really knows what it's doing. Frankly I've never been a big Batman fan — in fact, I remember the day in my childhood when I realized that Batman didn't have a single superpower. I wondered why he wore a cape when it could never flap around behind him while he soared over the city.

That's sort of like a guy with a wooden leg who wears dancing shoes.

By the time I finished the first episode of Gotham I knew it certainly wasn't the kind of show I'd watch when I wanted see blonds in blue tights zip between the buildings and flying off into the clouds.

And that's kind of a shame, because I really enjoy shows like that — but then, I really like shows like this, too.

I knew the writing was good (something essential for a good show) when the crime boss told Jim Gordon that exposing the way his organization worked with the police and city hall would be really bad for business, not to mention all the people who would get hurt.

Here's how he put it.

"You can't have organized crime without law and order."

This series definitely had me right there. Of course, the hot girl in the leather outfit who gave milk to the stray cat was interesting, too. Gee, I wonder who she is.


_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[scotpens]

[Bud Brewster]

_________________________________________

Yes! My point exactly! Edna said it best.


____________________



_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Custer]

I've not started on the new season of Gotham yet, I'm saving the episodes up, but I did enjoy season one, with young Master Bruce and the faithful Alfred, and people who looked suspiciously as if they'd become the Riddler, Catwoman, Penguin, Poison Ivy, and maybe even the Joker in a few years - why, we even met Dick Grayson's future mother and father. The more grown-up crime bosses were interesting, and Fish Mooney in particular was a major player, having her own developing plot thread for a while. Jim Gordon made a good hero, with Harvey Bullock an intriguing partner, and it was all generally pretty well done I thought.

[Bud Brewster]

I've finished episodes 1 through 8 of Gotham and I continue to be impressed by it. The characters are interesting -- the good ones and the bad ones.

Young Bruce Wayne is an impressive little guy.
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

[orzel-w]

"Moon..."
_________________
...or not...

WayneO
-----------

[Robert (Butch) Day]

So what IS the difference between a cloak and a cape? (I know that Superman and Supergirl wear capes and the Batman wears a cloak.)

Wiktionary:

CAPE: A sleeveless garment or part of a garment, hanging from the neck over the back, arms, and shoulders, but not reaching below the hips. (A mantle is a very short cape that only the shoulders and upper arms. A mantlet only covers the shoulders.)

CLOAK: A long outer garment worn over the shoulders covering the back; [like] a cape, often with a hood.

Any other differences (humorous or serious)?
_________________
Common Sense ISN'T Common

[Bud Brewster]

[orzel-w]

It took CGI to make capes perform on screen like they were drawn in the comic books.
_________________
...or not...

WayneO
-----------

[Rocky Jones]

Well, it's unlikely we'll ever see a cape on Gotham, but I agree it's a very well done series. My only complaint is that it's very, very violent. I grew up with the Silver Age Batman when the Comic Code was in place. Killings were few and beheadings were non-existent then, but this Gotham series seems to serve up a heavy helping of blood before most every commercial break. Back in the '80s and early '90s I thought the anti-violence move for TV was getting a bit out of hand, but these day it seems to have gone the other direction.

This show is well written, brilliantly shot and wonderfully acted, though. The guy who plays the Penguin is a genius and Cat seems to be a perfectly cast young actress. The only character that seems downright boring is Bruce Wayne, but, as a friend recently pointed out, Wayne was always a bit of bore. I guess he just needs to come out of his shell (or cave).

[Krel]

[Bud Brewster]

The last disc of season one is on its way from Netflix, and I think I can download the season two episodes I've missed (or watch them on the network website). So, by the time the "winter break" is over I should be caught up and able to watch them on a weekly basis.
_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Robert (Butch) Day]

We've seen Paul Reubens and Diane Salinger as Penquin's parents in Batman Returns (1992):



We've seen Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot and Carol Kane as his mother Gertrude Kappelput in Gotham (Fox 2014 - ?):



Now comes Paul Reubens (again!) as Penguin's father:



Father and son:


_________________
Common Sense ISN'T Common

[trekriffic]

The wife and I never miss an episode. Robin Lord Taylor makes a great Penguin. Pretty much steals any scene he's in. A bit of trivia about RLT, he had a bit part in a couple of Walking Dead episodes; the last of which saw him getting nailed in the back of the head with a baseball bat.