Gotham 2×1 Review: “Rise of the Villains: Damned If You Do…”

Gotham returned for its second season this week and while I had some issues with the premiere, it’s obvious that this time around the writers have some sort of direction they want to take the show in.

Ever since I started watching Gotham the villains have always been the best part of the show. I know the writers have taken a lot of liberty with their origin stories but I don’t care because they have come up with a lot of interesting stuff for familiar characters. Making Barbara (Erin Richards) a lunatic was one of the best things the show could’ve done for a character that was more or less going to spend entire seasons being the hero’s love interest. I loved how she entered Arkham Asylum without a care in the world and made her presence known.

It was also good to see Jerome again. I have no idea if he really is The Joker. He came across as a bit clingy in the episode, a trait I don’t associate with the famous villain. At first I thought Barbara was going to play a character similar to Harley Quinn when I saw her and Jerome interact with each other inside Arkham. However, Barbara’s mannerisms during the scene gave support to the theory I have about her becoming the Joker in Gotham. She’s far more calculating than Jerome and knows how to manipulate people to get what she wants. Elementary did the villain gender swap with Moriarty so, a female Joker is within the realm of possibility.

An issue I had regarding the episode was Theo knowing exactly when the purple gas was going to be released and about the inmates that were going to be there during the incident. Either Theo is way too good of a mastermind or I just have to try and ignore the dull writing. Having said that, it’ll be interesting to see how a team of psychotic murderers will work under his command.

Coming to the other characters of the show I really hope the writers continue taking Gordon (Ben McKenzie) towards the dark side. He killed for Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) and I want to see some serious repercussions. I like how taking the moral high ground is next to impossible, especially being a cop in Gotham, and having the male lead deal with such things is refreshing.

It was surprising to see Selina (Camren Bicondova) being a part of Penguin’s family. I guess the writers wanted her to be part of the show somehow. Knowing her, she probably has something up her sleeve and will scram the moment things become ugly.

Bruce (David Mazouz) and Alfred spent most of the time trying to enter his father’s secret cave. The whole thing felt boring to me especially after the code for the lock was revealed at the end. Fingers crossed the writers give Bruce something better to do next week.

What did you think of “Rise of the Villains: Damned If You Do…”? Did you enjoy the second season premiere of Gotham? Let us know!

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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