Gotham has a great hook. I never was able to get into 'Smallville' because quite frankly I didn't think the childhood of Clark Kent really merited a weekly series, let alone one that ran a decade (that was some childhood). Apparently I was wrong--at least according to popular opinion. But 'Gotham', which similarly takes a look at a familiar world before its hero comes on stage, is naturally more intriguing. Putting the pieces of Batman's rogue's gallery into place, setting up the infamous city's history and politics. In theory I shouldn't be marking time until Bruce Wayne is old enough to don the cape and cowl. And I'm not... yet.
No, so far I'm enjoying my stay in Gotham. I love the look of the series, and the city itself is already becoming a character (something that never happened for me in the Nolan films, even though I consider them classics). I also like the cast. Ben McKenzie takes what could be the show's least interesting character and makes him the one section of stable turf we cling to, just as it should be. His Gordon is certainly rock-ribbed, but he's no stiff. He and partner Donal Logue have great chemistry, and Robin Lord Taylor's Oswald Cobblepot has quickly become my favorite character.
This week they're all dropped into a fairly paint by numbers episode focusing on the mob turf war in the city, with Cobblepot's meticulous rise to power factoring in as well. It's solid enough, but it never really fires on all cylinders. I also continue to find the Jim/Barbara domestic drama less interesting than it seems to think it is.
There are some good moments here, and some track for the future is laid, but as a stand alone episode it underwhelms.