Pilot.

“You can’t have organized crime without law and order.”

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Can someone please make sure that the following makes it onto my tombstone: “She died happy, knowing that Gotham did justice to the Batman prequel.”

I’ll start off this rodeo with a small warning label: I love me some Batman, but I’m not one of those intense comic book purists that knows every single detail of every single issue.
I don't plan to nitpick the finer details of comics vs. show, for fear that I’ll say something wildly inaccurate and have a hoard of you guys coming after me.

Now on to the good stuff.

From the first 'viewer discretion is advised' warning, it was clear this was going to be a pretty crazy ride. And yeah, I got chills. From corrupt cops to mobster showdowns, this pilot had all the makings of a full-blown action hero film, and I loved every second of it. The city of Gotham itself felt like a character in the show, which bodes really well for this new drama. We got some great peeks at villains and heroes-to-be, plus more hidden easter eggs than I could catch in ten viewings. But let’s get started!

Jim Gordon

AYou are sex on legs sir, and I’m not just saying that because I had a major crush on Ryan Atwood back in the day. We get a bit of backstory on Jim’s war hero history and tragically killed father, but the rest is left up to our keen observational skills. From our first look, it’s clear that Jim is calm in a crisis, has a solid sense of right and wrong, and is a bit of a Sherlock Holmes. Come on, the shiny shoes thing was total Sherlock!

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I’m officially rooting for Gordon as my number one, and that’s a tough hurdle to tackle in a show that essentially has Batman waiting in the wings. But poor Jim loses some points for his ultra-sincere speeches that kind of shook me out of the moment. I get you want to be besties with Bruce, but you came on a little strong. Plus, those steady cam close-ups during the chase scene looked ridiculous. Not your fault, I know, but I’m petty like that.

Harvey Bullock

C+Can I give a character a bad grade just because I kind of want to punch him in the face? This guy has crooked cop written all over him. He’s got ties with the local criminals, a ‘shoot first, ask questions never’ policy, and he was totally in on the setup for the fake Wayne murderer. Not to mention his very clichéd interrogation techniques. A swinging ceiling lamp? Really?

Barbara Kean

DWell honey, you are smoking hot, but sadly you’re just not very interesting. And until I hear otherwise, your big secret is that you used to be lesbian lovers with Renee. I’ve decided.

Oswald Cobblepot "Penguin"

B+I have to say I was disappointed with this sniveling and pathetic portrayal of Penguin for most of the episode. That is, until he slashed that one guy’s throat out in the last scene. He’s kind of a lunatic, and I kind of love it.

Fish Mooney

ALet’s all take a moment to send up a prayer of thanks to whatever deity floats your spiritual boat that we have a strong, confident, slightly psychotic woman of color depicted as such a badass.

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I don’t know if it’s the red bangs, the sassy doubletalk, or the fabulous fashion sense, but I’m digging Fish and everything she stands for. She’s a totally new character in the Batman universe (or so we’re told, I have theory about who she’ll really turn out to be), and she’s proving to be just as compelling as any comic book villain. Here’s a mob boss who will snap at you about an umbrella, and then kindly ask you to slice open a vein to prove your loyalty. What the…? Okay, so she’s kind of looney toons. But all the best people are! She’s just trying to find her way out of the hard-knock crime life and into the major league, unseat the local Kingpin, rule the city with an iron fist, crime life. Easy right?

Crispus Allen & Renee Montoya

C & CDon’t know much about these two besides they’re in the Major Crimes Unit and they seem like the only cops willing to do their jobs. Though, did I detect a hint of foreshadowing there with Allen’s “stay frosty” line? MR. FREEZE IS THAT YOU??

Bruce Wayne

A

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Baby Batman killed it from the moment he stepped on the screen. But what was with that a suicide attempt? "Conquering fear” sounds a lot like "I just saw both my parents get brutally murdered, and someone should probably get me into therapy before I jump off the roof." He’s quite the precocious little 8-year-old though, ordering Alfred around already. But I’m honestly a little worried that the grand scale of the show is going to overshadow this kid. It’s not technically his story, and he’s got a few years before he starts dangling criminals off the side of roofs. Either way, I'm intrigued.

Selina Kyle

A-Girl, you didn’t have one single piece of dialogue, but you still blew me away. Just go easy on the stalking ok? You don’t want to seem hashtag desperate.

“Pilot”

AAs far as pilot episodes go, this one knocked it out of the park. Look out Monday nights, it's going to be a massacre if Gotham keeps performing on this level. There was a definite Law & Order: Gotham vibe to the whole episode, but I think it could work if they balanced it out with more of the mobster warfare and surreal superhero aspects. The tone and the pace of the episode had a great mixture of grit and mystery, and they channeled the comic book vibe of the whole thing really well too. Some parts were exposition heavy, but that's to be expected in a pilot. You've got to set up your world after all, and it never felt heavy handed. Overall, I absolutely adored this episode, and I’m beyond excited to see where the series goes from here! 

Demerits

• What was up with Alfred’s accent?
• Was I the only one that noticed Selina stole an empty carton of milk? Come on continuity crew, get on that!
• How dare you make me cry at the two deaths I totally and completely knew were coming. Poor Baby Batman.

Extra Credit

• Is it just me, or did that comedian auditioning for Fish have a slightly… green tint to his suit? (OMG JOKER ALERT!)
• Falcone certainly knows how to make an entrance. Baller, shot caller.
• We barely saw Poison Ivy and The Riddler, but my interest is piqued!
• Ten points to Jim Gordon for being clever enough to fake an execution because even I believed he was going to shoot Penguin point blank right up until the end there.