What I Watch on TV: The DC Television Universe, part 5

When I began writing this blog series about what I watch on television, I wrote that as a small child my two favorite superheroes were Batman and Captain America. In parts 1 through 4, I wrote about the four DC properties that now share a multiverse, the so-called “Arrowverse,” on the CW network—Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. Those four shows do not constitute the entirety of DC’s efforts on television, however. There is one more DC property on television, on the Fox network, that does not occupy a part of that multiverse, and this show, I must say, is my personal favorite out of all of them.

GOTHAM

Anyone even vaguely familiar with Batman lore could guess that Gotham takes place in Bruce Wayne’s home of Gotham City, but what they, and you, might not know unless you already watch the show is that it takes place during the years before Bruce becomes Batman, during his adolescence. Though young Bruce is one of the major characters, this show is as much the story of GCPD Detective James Gordon’s efforts to clean up Gotham, long before he becomes commissioner, as it is that of young Bruce Wayne, who takes it upon himself to try to identify who is responsible for murdering his parents right in front of him. Detective Gordon fights crime while Bruce slowly develops his detective’s instincts as he investigates his parents’ murders, setting himself on a path toward becoming the talented detective that the original Batman character was always meant to be.

As the show progresses, we meet a virtual rogues gallery of characters, some of them very familiar to Batman fans, others perhaps not so much. James Gordon’s partner, Detective Harvey Bullock, is a rather crusty and cynical man but possesses a sense of honor despite himself. Bruce Wayne’s guardian, Alfred Pennyworth, is not at all the gentle elderly man whom fans of the ‘60s TV series might remember. Rather, he is a veteran of Her Majesty’s military service who can most definitely take care of himself. Oswald Cobblepot is a smalltime hood whose bad leg/foot causes him to limp and has earned him the nickname “Penguin.” Selina Kyle is a young girl living on the streets of Gotham, doing what she must to survive, who has learned to move with the grace of a cat. Edward Nygma works for the GCPD and seems to have an affinity for riddles. And Jerome Valeska is...well, you’ll just have to watch the show. I cannot applaud actor Cameron Monaghan enough for his performance in that role.

Those are most of the best-known but only a few of the many classic Batman characters we meet along the way. Because the story takes place prior to any of them becoming who they eventually will be, however, at least in the first couple of seasons, the producers apparently felt as though they needed to create a new, already established villain to be the heavy during the period of time in which the story takes place. Thus, Fish Mooney was born.

Portrayed by Jada Pinkett-Smith, Fish Mooney is essentially a mob boss on some level. I’m not going to spend much time talking about her because, in my opinion, she was not that interesting a character. I have nothing against Ms. Pinkett-Smith and my opinion should not be seen as any sort of reflection on her. I’m sure she did the best that she could with what she was given to work with. It was the character of Fish Mooney herself who didn’t interest me. That said, I know that some of my fellow fans disagree with me completely.

I could probably drone on for quite some time about this show. As I said, it’s my personal favorite of the five DC properties of which I have written, and I hope that it will continue for several more seasons. Suffice to say that I will be watching for however long it does goes on.