Fox knows that comic book fans are a big chunk of the pop culture-imbibing population, and they’re been advertising the bat-shit out of their upcoming pre-Batman crime drama Gotham. A recent batch of clips has popped up, and the video seen above features one of the most important moments in comic history, as Gotham City detective James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) meets a young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) for the first time, cementing a lifelong semi-partnership in the name of justice. If only one of them wasn’t bawling like a baby the whole time.
I say that in jest, of course. Bruce has just witnessed his parents being gunned down in an alleyway, and he’s hardly capable of handling that kind of tragedy on his own. So Gordon shares his own story about how a drunk driver killed his father, and that he understands what Bruce is going through. He actually promises the boy that no matter how dark things get, that “There will be light,” going so far as to repeat himself. Perhaps it’s meant to be ironic, seeing as how Bruce turns into the Dark Knight, but there’s no question about how schmaltzy it is. I might buy into McKenzie’s wavering speech within the context of the show as a whole, but this is a bit much on its own.
More interesting in that clip (to me at least) is Gordon’s partner Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), who wants to pawn the Wayne murders off on someone else, as their millionaire status is too high-profile for him. Bullock’s law-straddling behavior is also seen in the clip below, in which he and crime boss Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) get chummy as Gordon’s suspicions grow.
This clip also introduces us to the umbrella-carrying Oswald Cobblepot, one of Mooney’s new goons. They allow him to get a little violent with someone stealing from Mooney’s club, and Cobblepot looks positively delighted with this new responsibility. Waddle waddle.
Want to see Gordon get into some fisticuffs now? Check out the vid below, featuring music from the stellar band Dead Weather.
Always wear a helmet, Gordon! You can check out the rest of the clips on the show’s YouTube page, where you’ll find more of Bullock’s questionable motivations and Gordon’s inquisitiveness.
Gotham will make its dark and stormy debut on Fox on Monday, September 22. Tune into it, rather than waiting for it to hit Netflix, so that Fox might actually keep this thing on the air long enough to get great.
