Gotham (Fox)

[Edd Grayson]

A bit off-topic but I wish the "DC Extended Universe" did not mean just Man of Steel and the planned movies but at least some of the TV shows. as well. That way it would feel a lot like the actual comics.

[Slash Man]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2015/11/04/gotham-has-gone-crazy-and-its-finally-pretty-good/

While I enjoyed the first season, I have to agree here that season 2 is noticeably better. Much more cohesive plot, less reliance on mainstream villains, and a better exploration of the main cast. Every re-occurring character now feels important, and no one feels simply like scenery (this problem occurred with Barbara, Ed, and Cat last season).

The show also isn't afraid to tread into some of the less "realistic" elements and simply let itself feel more like a comic. We've already got a supervillain team-up: once with Galavan, and now with Riddler and Penguin. The show finally found its balance.

The mid-season finale was pretty spectacular. We had a great team-up at the end with Gordon, Bullock, Penguin, Alfred, and even Lucius. Selina may have been a little too much.

[BatmAngelus]

I agree that this has been a much stronger season. Gordon's dark side has made him more interesting. Bruce's storyline ties into the plot more. And the Galavans were much more interesting than Fish Mooney's war with other gangsters.

Young Bruce is also starting to feel more like the boy who will grow up to be Batman. When he tricked Silver into confessing and walked away in his black coat, I thought, "That's him. That's the future Batman." His sentiment that he wasn't afraid of death because he'd see his parents again was also a great moment.

I enjoyed the finale, but wasn't a fan of Gordon killing Galavan. First off, I thought it was anticlimactic considering Galavan's abilities. I loved the reveal in the previous episode that Galavan was a physical threat on top of that (and was potentially trained through The System if we're going by comic canon on the Order of St. Dumas). But once the Order was taken out, he went down like a chump.

Second of all, it's tough for me to see this Gordon become an ally of Batman's after he did that. Yes, Gordon's killed people in the show and in the comics, but usually in self defense (like in the season opener). I'm curious if, in this continuity, Bruce will find out about Gordon killing Galavan and how he'll feel about it.

I also think Penguin should be going after Tabitha Galavan as well considering she was the one who actually stabbed his mother. Oswald's revenge can't be over.

As for Mr. Freeze, I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that he's already Mr. Freeze. I am, however, really looking forward to Hugo Strange.

[Azrael]

Looking back, this could have easily gone the "Nolan-lite" route, a visually realistic (read: mundane) extension of the Nolan movies focusing on police work and city corruption. It would have been universally praised for being nothing but another competent cop show with a few character names borrowed from the Batman mythos. That would have been the Easy Mode.

Instead they chose Mania and came up with... this. Others have articulated much better why Gotham works for being pulpy and quirky, or how great Robin Lord Taylor is as the Penguin, I'll just say that this is easily the most fun I had with a non-videogame Batman product since 2008.

Only thing is... where is the Batman? Sometimes I just wish it was an actual Batman show. I don't think it's too silly an idea to throw in a few brief flashforwards with the man Bruce is going to become. This Gotham clearly takes place in a pulpy world (like the Burton films) and not the real world, they can play around with the timeline a bit.

[BatmAngelus]

A lot of people have brought up the flashforward idea. I'm not against it but I think it's unlikely. The cast on this show is a weird mix of those who are obviously young versions of the characters (i.e. Gordon, Leslie, Alfred, Penguin, all the teenagers) and those who would fit right into their roles if Batman were around (i.e. Logue's Bullock,  Doman's Falcone, B.D. Wong's Hugo Strange. Smith's Nygma).

Personally, I think the perfect ending to the show would be McKenzie's Gordon in the glasses, mustache, and brown coat standing on a rooftop and talking to Batman. When Batman takes off, Gordon says something that indicates he knows it's Bruce under there.

In the meantime, here's a preview of the next episode:

My personal prediction is that Bruce will find out that Matches Malone didn't kill his parents. Let's remember that he got the man's name from an unreliable source. How the hell would Theo Galavan know who actually killed his parents?

I think this is more complicated that Bruce thinks and Malone turns out to be innocent of the crime. He could then be an occasional criminal informant for Bruce and Selina throughout the show. This will help explain the convenience of Galavan knowing who killed the Waynes as well as give a reason why future Bruce would adopt Matches Malone as a disguise in the future (though this Matches would be pretty old by the time Bruce becomes Batman. Maybe he'll try to be Matches Malone Jr.).

It's more likely, though, that they'll go the New 52 route with Bruce having the gun on Malone (like he did with Chill) but deciding not to go through with it and to do something else with his life.

[johnnygobbs]

Great news.  It's been renewed for a third season. 

http://www.superherohype.com/news/368187-gotham-season-3-given-the-green-light-by-fox#/slide/1

With any luck we might see the likes of The Mad Hatter, Killer Croc, Man-Bat and others before they turned bad.

[Slash Man]

Pretty big reference to Mad Hatter last episode; Hugo Strange implanting characters in his patients' minds (with him reading a quote form Alice's Adventures in Wonderland).

[Slash Man]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/08/08/gotham-season-3-cast-photos-include-first-look-at-new-poison-ivy

Keeps getting weirder

[Azrael]

Gotham First Look: Benedict Samuel's Mad Hatter

[Slash Man]

Love the look. Then again, it'd be tough to mess up the Hatter's wardrobe.

Also, in that link they hint that the Penguin runs for mayor. Seems like they've still got some Returns influences coming.