BWW Recap: Welcome to GOTHAM - Looking at the Pilot

The highly anticipated FOX series has now aired the pilot episode and we take a look at the show.

So let's take a look at this new series, described by the creators as a "modern gothic fairy tale" set in the DC Comics universe.

So how was a Batman show without Batman? Right now, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would offer GOTHAM a strong 7. Knowing that nearly every television series needs at least a couple of episodes to settle into a groove, there is certainly hope that it will become a solid 8 or 9, may be even a 10.

But for now all I have to go on is the pilot, so here's why I say it earned a 7.

Solid Leads - Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue as James Gordon and Harvey Bullock make exciting partners on the Gotham Police Department. The series is as much about Gordon's rise through the ranks of the GPD as it is the formation of Gotham's cadre of super-villains. Out of the military and looking to be where the action is, McKenzie's Gordon is strait-laced, but flawed. His heart is in the right place and his motives are headed in the right direction, as far as we know for now. If Gotham, the city, can one day be guided by Gordon's moral compass, real estate values should be gold-plated. We also get a taste of Gotham's dislike of good guys when Gordon's name is brought up as a corrupt cop. So, while the crime wave is beginning to crest, Gordon is thrown into additional conflict right away.

Logue's Harvey Bullock is more in tune with Gotham - morally ambiguous, shady and even corrupt. Bullock may not be completely on the take, but we know he has skeletons in and out of his closet. Bullock warns his new partner that Gordon is too much of a nice guy, and Gotham is not for nice guys. Bullock obviously is devilishly close to members of the city's underworld. Logue brings a confident air to Bullock and a balance of grit, wit and street-smarts that make him a winning foil to McKenzie's focused Gordon.

For my money, the bad guys are certainly fun to watch, but it's the relationship between the two police detectives that will be the true test of GOTHAM's success.

Dames - Two stunning women will figure prominently in Gordon's new career and life in Gotham: Barbara Kean and Fish Mooney. Kean, played by Erin Richards, is the daughter of one of Gotham's wealthy families and the Gordon's fiancé. She is smart, sexy, and grounded despite her high pedigree. She is a huge reason for Jim Gordon to come home at night and keep the city safe. I also expect there will be more to her story line in future episodes than just being a head-turner. Richards shares a volatile chemistry with McKenzie, as well.

There is also a chemical reaction when Gordon is introduced to criminal underboss Fish Mooney. Mooney practically devours Gordon with her eyes for the first time. Later, Gordon finds out just how much of a devourer Mooney is. She is also not satisfied merely working for the prominent Falcone crime family. Pinkett Smith is a feast for the eyes and obviously relishes the chance to bring a brand new villainess to life. Whether her character continues to rise as a Gotham criminal queen or she gets overshadowed by the baddies from the comics remains to be seen.

"Villains: Before They Were Famous" - How about this for a Gotham tourist slogan? "Gotham: We may look like NYC, but we have better crime!"

When I heard that GOTHAM would show us the city before it became ground zero for costumed criminals and how the villainous masterminds came to be, I was immediately hooked. Batman's villains really have always had more fun - and not just in the goofy, pop-art Batman series from the 60s. If you have to wait for Batman himself, the idea of seeing the birth of super villains is the next best thing.

In the pilot, the first character we see is the slinky, steam-punky Selina Kyle, portrayed by newcomer Camren Bicondova. Bicondova's Kyle is mysterious, seems to be a loner, and can pick a pocket nearly undetected before she has vanished across the rooftops. Interestingly, Kyle witnesses the murder and robbery of Dr. and Mrs. Wayne in the dark alley while young Bruce Wayne helplessly watches. I predict she is not done with the orphaned Wayne boy - and we may learn that she is an orphan herself.

Working as a lackey for the formidable Fish (ironically) we discover the edgy dandy named Oswald Cobblepot. When actor Robin Lord Taylor, as Cobblepot, is onscreen, he is a strong and quirky presence. We mostly see him kowtow to Pinkett Smith's Mooney and scrape to Det. Gordon but he shows hints of a homicidal maniac hiding down below. And we see how he earns his flightless fowl nickname, Penguin.

There is Edward Nygma, working as a forensic scientist for Gotham's police department. As Nygma, Cory Michael Smith hints at his riddling tendencies and we can expect to see a great deal more of him as the show evolves. Also sure to grow into more of a foe is the sharp-tongued and green thumbed Ivy Pepper, played by Clare Foley. In her brief appearance, we see a child whose father is taken by law enforcement and loves her little, potted friends.

Master Wayne and his trusty butler - The crime that sets James Gordon's new job with the GPD is the double

murder of Dr. Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha. In a Gotham alley way, the Wayne's are shot and killed. Sad and terrified Bruce Wayne has to man up quickly and is interviewed by the rookie detective Gordon. Gordon offers a tall order to the youngster: he promises to find out who killed his parents. This sets up a bond between Gordon and Wayne that is vividly played by McKenzie and David Mazouz. Mazouz is an expressive young actor and will certainly be one to watch throughout the inaugural season.

We also meet, briefly for now, a new take on the Wayne's butler, Alfred. Rather than a very proper British man-servant, this Alfred has a working class air and a commanding presence, as played by Sean Pertwee. I think we will see an Alfred who shows tough love to his charge. There have also been hints at Alfred as having a military background, which could come in handy training a future vigilante.

Reasons I gave the pilot a 7 - Take. Your. Time. Writers. And. Producers.

There, I said it. The reason I rate the first episode of GOTHAM a 7 is I am worried the showrunner and producers will try to take the easy way out and over stuff the series. That was a huge criticism from the first round of Batman movies (the ones before Christopher Nolan's trilogy): too many villains stuffed into one story. Now that we have a different way in to the world of Gotham, and it's a TV series, I hope the powers that be allow for development of the main characters first and then spin out the various villain origins methodically. If it gets too crowded, too fast, it may look like a mess.

The pilot has unveiled Selina/Catwoman, Oswald/Penguin, Little Ivy/Poison Ivy, Edward/Riddler, not to mention the crime family members and new character Fish Mooney. With potential mob wars, not to mention the Wayne murder investigation, there is plenty of crime to go around. Luckily, not everyone has been set up as a major nemesis yet. But if we still need to meet the junior-Joker, still-whole-faced-Two Face and the not-quite-frozen Mr. Freeze, let's hope we don't have to have a scorecard to keep up in later episodes.

Final Thoughts - Do I think that GOTHAM works as a police procedural living inside the Batman universe? Yes, I do. Do I think it works without Batman? Yes, I do. I am willing to go along for the ride. I look forward to seeing how Gordon's story and the revelations of the villains will play out for the rest of the season.

We would love for viewers and fans of the show to interact and share your thoughts on this new show.

See you next week: Same Gotham time, same BWWTVWorld location! Let me know what you think in the comments below, and follow me on twitter @jeffwalker66. Before you go, check out a preview for next week's episode:

PHOTO CREDITS: Fox

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