Monday, November 24, 2014

Gotham: Season 1, Episode 10


Gotham
Episode Title: “Lovecraft”
Channel: Fox
Director: Guy Ferland
Writer: Rebecca Dameron
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Runtime: 42 min
Rated: TV-14
Original Air Date: November 24, 2014

“Lovecraft” was packed with action. We got to see Alfred back up his words about being capable of teaching Bruce to fight. He talked Fish into helping his cause with nothing but his accent. This was very much Alfred and Bruce's episode, as the actual investigation takes a back seat to Bruce becoming more acquainted with the streets, and Alfred tracking him down. While that isn't a bad thing, the other things happening in the episode make little sense.

First, lets tackle the Harvey Dent problem. I know, this is a re-imagining of the origins in Gotham City, but that character, as he's written on the show is not Harvey Dent. That's the guy that Dent should supplant at the beginning of his fight for justice. This incarnation of Harvey Dent is a lickspittle, and an incompetent that nearly got his witness killed. I don't see how the audience is supposed to take his character seriously when he decides to really fight the good fight after what they've seen of him in these past two episodes.

The other major issue with this episode is the fallout from Lovecraft's death. I know that the writers wanted to get Gordon into Arkham somehow, and that it will allow for his investigation to continue, but there had to be a less awkward way to do it. The mayor claims he has to have a scapegoat for Lovecraft's death, but why? It's not like every last bit of evidence in Gotham is indexed and cataloged, any story that they wanted to tell was fair game, and that's the one they went with? Then, he appoints Gordon as a security guard at the asylum (the mayor appoints security guards?). You know, the place that sparked Gordon's investigation into the mayor's dealings with Falcone, that's a great place to banish him to.

The Bruce and Selina moments worked a little bit better in “Lovecraft.” Some of the dialogue is still clumsy, but seeing Bruce's first foray into the underworld of Gotham was worth ignoring some the more awkward lines. The only other happenings of note involved Falcone and Penguin. I find it hard to believe that a man that has made it as a criminal as long as Falcone has would recognized that he has a mole, and not assume it was the newest person he's added to his retinue. That is, if he doesn't already know. I think Penguin is in for a rude awakening when he tries to play the Liza card.

Conclusion: On the surface “Lovecraft” is an exciting episode that centered on Alfred and Bruce, and did that part successfully. The other things they tried to accomplish in this episode weren't so successful; namely the way Dent is shaping up and the way Gordon has been inserted into Arkham Asylum.

Rating: 6.5/10

No comments:

Post a Comment