When Christopher Nolan completed his Batman trilogy, fans of the character knew that a very high point had been reached in the character's story and that it would not be easy to repeat success and quality in a new film. Nor would it be easy to recount the character's origin. It was then that a series made a more daring bet: that of telling the origin of all the characters of Gotham City. The series was called Gotham, it can be seen on Netflix, and for five seasons and a total of one hundred episodes it gave fans of DC Comics the opportunity to enjoy long-winded stories from all over Batman's imagination.
The protagonist of Gotham is James Gordon (Ben McKenzie), a new policeman who joins the Gotham City Police Department. He is assigned as a partner to Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue). Gordon and Bullock have two opposite views: while the rookie handles himself with strict codes, the veteran has a disenchanted and less severe look at his work. The first case they have to face is the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, a married couple of millionaires who were killed in an alley in front of the eyes of their son, Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz). Gordon meets the boy Bruce and his butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee), and promises that he will find those responsible for the crime.
Gotham City is a den of corruption and the wars between gangsters are beginning to have new protagonists. The series starts more like a cop than a superhero story. There is a certain ambiguity in the setting and technology, which makes the time in which it takes place imprecise. Penguin, Riddle, Catwoman, they all start out as plausible characters, from the real world, and little by little they turn into the world of comics. Although they did not use the name Joker/Joker as they considered it more valuable for the films, one of the characters that appears later in the plot, Jerome Valeska (Cameron Monaghan), is a clear reference to him.
Gotham is not a series of special effects and the fantastic element gradually slips into the story and increases with the passing of the seasons. Its central story is that of a good policeman going deeper and deeper into the dark side. His girlfriend, Barbara Kean (Erin Richards), is also transforming chapter after chapter. The boy Bruce becoming a teenager and fighting his own ghosts while pain and revenge dominate his heart. Catwoman (Camren Bicondova), Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) and Riddle (Cory Michael Smith) are also three huge characters whose evolution is over the hundred episodes.
The first two seasons are the most powerful, but the fourth season is the one that begins to show Bruce Wayne as the hero he will become and, after all, what justifies the existence of everyone else. The characters of villains grow throughout the seasons and the swings between the sides of the characters are also a part of Gotham's grace. Being a world so familiar to everyone, it is a real merit to get a series to have a powerful identity. Ironically, the universe described here is more violent than that of films, as if it were ready to be seen by a more adult audience. It also has the space to develop many villains, something that for obvious reasons feature films don't have.
The fifth season begins with a Gotham City divided by territories dominated by a gang war, but it is the shortest of the five, so the final evolution of the characters is appreciated to arrive at the most similar form to how they are popularly known. It is a genuine award for fans of the series and fans of the Batman universe. It is a long prequel that leads to the great moment that everyone is waiting for. In that respect Gotham does not disappoint in the least.
The series plays to respect many elements of the original canon, but at the same time it bets on creating its own imaginary in many moments. At this point, and like all mythology, Batman is a character of which there are many versions. While each new film is a blockbuster, Gotham also shows that there is enough material for a series like this and many others. One hundred episodes show how inexhaustible the world of Gotham is, in this case centered on the figure of James Gordon. Batman, a character that has more than eighty years of history and who keeps his popularity intact.
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