DVD Review: Gotham: The Complete First Season

Release Date: September 8, 2015
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 968 minutes

Before there was Batman, there was Gotham City. Everyone knows the name of Commissioner Gordon, but what of his rise from rookie detective to Police Commissioner? What did it take to navigate the layers of corruption in Gotham City, the spawning ground of the world’s most iconic villains? Gotham tells the story of the world’s most iconic DC Comics Super-Villains and vigilantes from the very beginning, revealing an entirely new chapter that has never been told. From executive producer Bruno Heller (The Mentalist, Rome), this crime drama follows GCPD Detective James Gordon’s rise through a dangerously corrupt city, while also chronicling the genesis of one of the most popular DC Comics Super Heroes of our time. Although the crime drama follows Gordon’s turbulent and singular career, it also focuses on his unlikely friendship with the young Bruce Wayne – with his mentorship a crucial element in developing the mythology of Gotham City.

You may remember my review last fall of the Pilot for Gotham in which I said that I was pleased but knew there was something missing here. Well, I’m glad that I watched the entire season because it really came into its own. Once it quit stumbling pacing wise, this show was on a roll and watching the villains grow in all of their twisted glory. The second half of the season was significantly better than the first half. There were some standout episodes like Episode 1.11 “Rogue’s Gallery” which were absolutely amazing but in the beginning, there were some snoozers. So I’m glad that the show didn’t take too long in finding its footing. The world building was perfect from the get go, the storytelling just needed a bit of a pick me up. It’s as if they were afraid of doing too much too soon but then lifted the reigns a bit as each episode went on and really allowed the show to go where it needed to thrive.

So…Gordon’s love life was quite boring and took away a lot of screen time from other story lines so that was disappointing. His new love interest actually serves a purpose so I don’t think we’ll have to worry about this in season two. Thankfully! I also wasn’t in love with Fish Mooney in the beginning but she grew on me and I was so very sad to see her go come the end of the season. I loved following Bruce, Selina and Ivy and hope we get way more of these three next season! Especially Bruce! Much too little of him here. Carol Kane is a gem. Enough said. It was great to see guest stars and familiar faces pop up throughout the season including Milo Ventimiglia, Kyle Massey, James Monroe Iglehart, Margaret Colin, and Jeffrey Combs to name a few.

I did really love and always love how well comic series explore the grey in between the black and white. Gotham does this so well! The villains were terrifying but the fascinating thing about this world is that the villains are human beings. It’s so dark and so unapologetic and so tragic and I love it. Gotham is a captivating and moving story about what it means to do the right thing and what it means to fight for justice. On the surface, the show may be boring at times but this show has an underlying depth to it that anyone can appreciate. It’s about the good and the bad that comes with power. And the choices we all have to look away, step aside, or fight. It’s about so much more but I don’t want to give it all away. If you have been holding out on watching the first season, I say, go for it! There’s time to catch up before the second season premiere so go ahead and get the DVD because it’s definitely worth it.

Bonus Features:

Gotham Invented (Approx. 30 minutes) – This feature comes in three parts, “Building Our Gotham,” “Paving the Way for the Caped Crusader,” and “Fractured Villains of Gotham” without the option to play all. The first feature isn’t really anything fans haven’t heard before as the cast and crew talk about building this world for the small screen and seeing Batman as a child, responding to his father’s death. The second feature focuses on the villains growing into what we know they’ll become and the final feature focuses on The Ogre and how that effects Gordon’s journey. These features will give viewers an even deeper appreciation for the show, however, the first of these features is quite pointless because it doesn’t really dig deep into the process of adapting this to the small screen.

Appearing in these Features:
Executive Producers, Bruno Heller, Danny Cannon, John Stephens
Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment, Geoff Johns
Writers, Megan Mostyn-Brown, Rebecca Perry Cutter
Cast Members, Robin Lord Taylor, David Mazouz, Sean Pertwee, Milo Ventimiglia, Donal Logue, Ben McKenzie

Gotham: Designing the Fiction (Approx. 19 minutes) – For anyone who was mesmerized by the world, the look and feel of the setting of this show, this i sthe feature for you. The cast and crew talk about shooting in New York, bringing the comic series to life and all of the visual concerns that come with it, setting the tone, bringing a brand new take on Gotham, and the depth of the production design among other bits. It’s a great feature that I really liked because the look and feel of the world is something that I immediately connected with when the show first premiered. And it’s been consistent and wonderful throughout the entire season. Great feature!

Appearing in this Feature:
Production Designers, Richard Berg, Doug Kraner
Executive Producer, John Stephens, Bruno Heller, Danny Cannon
Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment, Geoff Johns
Director of Photography, Christopher Norr
Cast Members, Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, Robin Lord Taylor, John Doman

The Game of Cobblepot (Approx. 25 minutes) – This feature is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a character study on the master game player that is Oswald. As a fan of this character, I liked it. If you’re not interested in a half hour summary of this villain, then this is not for you.

Appearing in this Feature:
Cast Members, Robin Lord Taylor, Ben McKenzie
Executive Producers, Bruno Heller, John Stephens
Writers, Megan Mostyn-Brown, Rebecca Perry Cutter

Gotham: The Legend Reborn (Approx. 22 minutes) – This feature is basically Gotham and the Making of Gotham 101 so if you are trying to get someone to watch Gotham and they want a really good look at what to expect before watching, maybe turn this on?

Appearing in this Feature:
Executive Producers, Bruno Heller, Danny Cannon
Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment, Geoff Johns
Property Master, Peter Gelfman
Production Designer, Doug Kraner
Director of Photography, David Stockton
Art Director, Laura Ballinger Gardner
Stunt Coordinator, Norman Douglass
Visual Effects Supervisor, Tom Mahoney
Special Effects Coordinator, Mike Myers
Cast Members, Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, Robin Lord Taylor, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Mazouz

DC Comics Night at Comic-Con 2014 – Presenting Gotham, The Flash, Constantine, and Arrow (Aprox. 29 minutes) – If you missed the big DC panel at San Diego Comic Con this year or were there and just want to see a portion of it again, it’s here for you right now! I missed it, so it was great to finally catch it (and see how they answered their questions before the seasons of their respective shows aired which have since aired in full).

Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment, Geoff Johns
Executive Producers, Bruno Heller, Danny Cannon
Cast Members of Gotham, The Flash, Constantine, and Arrow
Executive Creators from The Flash, Constantine, and Arrow

Character Profiles (15 minutes) – The profiles are for Detective James Gordon, Bruce Wayne and Alfred J. Pennyworth, Detective Harvey Bullock, Fish Mooney, Oswald Cobblepot, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, and Killer Characters, each averaging about two minutes and there is no option to play all. Each profile is self explanatory for Gotham viewers and unnecessary to watch for those who have seen the show but it’s a great go to resource for someone referring the show to someone else; instead of explaining the characters, you can play these.

Appearing in this Feature:
Executive Producers, Bruno Heller, Danny Cannon
Chief Creative Officer of DC Entertainment, Geoff Johns
Cast Members, Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, Sean Pertwee, David Mazouz, Jada Pinkett Smith, Robin Lord Taylor, Morena Baccarin, Cory Michael Smith

Unaired Scenes (Approx. 6 minutes) – In total, there are eight unaired scenes, most of which are actually great scenes! There are two unaired scenes from “Penguin’s Umbrella” and while there is no option to play individually so you can skip the unnecessary first scene with Babs, just sit tight so you can get to the second scene in which Gordon has a bad dream. I really loved that scene and wish it had made it to the final episode. So, glad it at least made it here. There are two unaired scenes from “Lovecraft,” both of which I liked so I can only assume these were cut because of a lack of time. There is one unaired scene from “Rogue’s Gallery” between Gordon and Leslie which made me laugh aloud, it was so entertaining. Oh how I wish this made it to the final episode! There is one unaired scene from “What the Little Bird Told Him” and it just seemed too forced and just all wrong so I’m glad this was cut. A similar thing can be said for the one unaired scene from “Welcome Back, Jim Gordon.” And finally, there is one “Beasts of Prey” starring Milo Ventimiglia as the big bad playing innocent, reeling in his prey. Great scene. Though the scene that was chosen for the final episode was stronger.

* Gag Reel (4 minutes)

Own Gotham: The Complete First Season on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD today.

Watch the season two premiere of Gotham Monday, September 21, 2015 at 8/7c only on Fox.