Gotham Season 3 Review

Speaking of villains, one character that we’ve all had our eyes affixed to since the pilot episode aired is that of Robin Lord Taylor’s Oswald Cobblepot, also known as the Penguin. As if there were any doubt, Taylor once again shines in the role and uses his undeniable charisma to rally everyday citizens of Gotham City to back his cause: Taking down the “monsters” who now ravage the streets. His effect on them brings the title of the current story arc, “Mad City,” to ghastly life.

Penguin’s long term rivalry with Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) takes center stage at the start of season 3, especially in the latter portion of the second episode. Although Fish may very well be my least favorite character on the show, I can’t help but think the scenes shared between the two made it feel as though their dynamic has come full circle. She also benefits greatly from David E. Russo’s powerful musical score, which could probably make even Mickey Mouse appear to be as threatening as Brock Lesnar (and, no, I’m not comparing Fish to Mickey; I’m just giving a compliment to the composer).

Gotham wouldn’t be Gotham without a nightclub run by villains though, and this season’s void is filled by a new establishment, Sirens. The proprietors are none other than Barbara Kean (Erin Richards) and Tabitha Galavan (Jessica Lucas), two of the deadliest femme fatales currently populating the city. Those hoping that the producers will finally find a coherent direction to take Barbara’s character in may be in luck, as it seems they may have found one, given Richards’ performance and dialogue will do nothing but strengthen theories that she’ll evolve into this universe’s version of Harley Quinn.

Something that has garnered much talk on social media in the past few months is that of Ivy Pepper being aged up. The origin of Poison Ivy is indeed explored over the course of the first two episodes, and while I’ve yet to see a whole lot of Maggie Geha (the new, improved version), she may very well prove to be the best live action Poison Ivy before long. Geha brings a real believability to Ivy’s fanatical conviction and will no doubt leave fans looking forward to seeing more of her.

After only two episodes, “Mad City” already feels like an escalation and natural successor to the “Rise of the Villains” and “Wrath of the Villains” story arcs and should keep fans glued to their seats for months to come. A genuine concern, however, is the sheer volume of characters that this show continues to involve, ultimately leading to too many plot threads to wrap up once the season concludes. Believe me when I say there are many more pieces on the chessboard than the ones I’ve detailed, which means that Bruno Heller and company need to take much care in seeing this series doesn’t implode.

The other issue stemming from the first few episodes is that while I was enthralled by what I was watching, it’s not entirely clear as to the overall direction this particular season will go in; most superhero shows manage to accomplish that with their own respective season premieres. I gather we’ll continue to see how the freaks’ influence bleeds into the city’s populace as a whole and the Court of Owls will no doubt be a draw for hardcore fans, but characters such as Fish Mooney and Hugo Strange (BD Wong) are made out to be key components and they aren’t even part of the principal cast. I’m not sure how many episodes they’re contracted for, so I can only hope their possible sporadic appearances don’t make for a disjointed end product.

That aside, though, and Gotham season 3 has so far laid a very solid foundation with its first two episodes, boasting an atmosphere you could cut with a knife and a boatload of intrigue. As long as it plays to its strengths and doesn’t juggle too many characters in the long run, there may be no limit to what it can achieve this year.