8 Reasons Gotham's Second Season Could Fail Miserably

1. Should This Have Really Been About Bruce?

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Fox

Since Batman is Bruce Wayne and there would be no Gotham without him, whether the show should have been about Bruce is an obvious question. However, it's a double-edged sword.

Many wondered if Gordon would keep his promise to solve the Waynes' murder in Gotham's first season. One criticism has been that this promise went from promimence to being dropped before November Sweeps. That matters because it potentially affects our perception of Gordon as the righteous cop he's supposed to be.

Can Gordon really carry his own show? Even Batman: Year One has Batman in it. Though intended to be Gotham's main character, the villains already overshadow him.

We could have had a show about Bruce as a troubled Encyclopedia Brown, personally motivated to solve crimes with Selina as a rebellious "my girl Friday" and Gordon a secret police contact. Even if things are better as-is, Bruce and his parents' unsolved case could become a dangerous distraction indicative of a priorities problem.

Gotham is still entertaining, yet maybe it should have been a more traditional police procedural, with Bruce relegated to the pilot and the thought of super-villains rare. At least then, Gordon and associates could have had more time to develop without the near-constant teases and disingenuous fan-service which, like cheese in a mouse trap, can never be fully consumed or enjoyed.  

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Contributor
Contributor

I was born in Orlando, Florida in 1979 with the rare, yet progressive congenital condition Larsen's Syndrome. Despite ongoing health issues, I have a good education and a degree in Communications while pursuing an ongoing interest in screenwriting and film and video production. Though mostly essay/op-ed material, I've been published in books and periodicals and have won awards both for general prose and, most recently, a prize in a national short screenplay competition. In addition, I've networked extensively in the independent film and entertainment industry, made several no-budget video productions of my own and gained valuable experience on other productions as well as an associate producer's listing on IMDB (as J.D. Moores).