Gotham "Penguin's Umbrella" Review

Jim Gordon meets a new friend named Victor Zsasz while Penguin pits idiot mob bosses against one another on this week's Gotham.

Synopsis: As violence between Maroni (guest star David Zayas) and Falcone continues to escalate, Penguin reveals a new element of his manipulative strategy, forcing Gordon to deal with the consequences of his decision to spare Penguin’s life.

High Points:

• Jim Gordon is the local badass
• Enter Victor Zsasz
• Penguin amps up the mob war by playing both sides of his chess board
• Love how Penguin has Maroni's ear
• Beating or a bullet?
• Jim and Harvey attempt to enforce the law
• Harvey Bullock is a chubby chaser and I dig it
• A fun twist for the Penguin at the end
• No Riddler!

OSWALD FOR MAYOR!

Low Points:

• I would rather drink Mama June's piss than hear Fish Mooney speak
• Falcone would rather play with his cocks (chickens) than his new girlfriend
• Much prefer lone serial killer Zsasz to mob enforcer (I know its early on, but only 28 kills so far that is some weak shit, Victor)
• When Penguin said "Honk, Honk", it was bad enough, but actually having him explain a goose noise to Maroni made me lose faith in humanity.
• Barbara Kean is an absolute dumbass
• Why is Vic Zsasz's ringtone "Funky Town"?

Verdict: Thank god for the Penguin. Week in and week out, he is the best part of this program. So because he was the focus this week, it was my favorite episode of Gotham so far (which ain't saying much, but still). Ozzy is playing for keeps and has all three mob bosses at each other's throats. He is the best "politician" I have ever seen. When I go to the voting booth tomorrow I'm voting Cobblepot. Elsewhere Jim and Harvey actually attempted to deal out some real justice this week. Usually their cases are the weakest parts of the show, but surprisingly going after the Mayor and Falcone was very compelling. Good on you Gotham! But none of this changes the fact that Fish Mooney needs to die. Jada Pickett Smith overplays her so much that she has become unbearable. Other characters are starting to grow on me, but Fish never will. Overall "Penguin's Umbrella" gets a 7.5 out of 10. Definitely an improvement over last week.

Bald Villains: Anthony Carrigan played The Mist on The Flash a few weeks back. Tonight he was on Gotham as serial killer supreme Victor Zsasz. The question isn't will Anthony play another bald DC villain, it's how many bald DC villains will he play? My guess is 20 or 30 at the least. Just wait, he will to nab the role of Lex Luthor for Greg Bertlani's upcoming Supergirl show. You go Anthony Carrigan, you naughty boy, you!

Gotham "Spirt of The Goat" Review

Harvey reflects back on better days, while Oswald takes a bath on an all new Gotham.

Synopsis: A killer targets Gotham elite’s firstborn children, and the case brings back painful memories for Bullock. Elsewhere, Gordon is forced to deal with the consequences of his past decisions.

High Points

• Interesting to see Harvey's past
• Jim Gordon can kick some serious ass
• They got the Penguin's middle name right
• Fish Mooney didn't show up

You can cut the sexual tension with a knife

Low Points

• Couldn't come up with a better name for the killer than The Goat
• Edward Nygma is nauseating
• Nevermind he is fucking worse than nauseating
• I would rather eat my own shit than to watch him on screen
• Cobblepot's mom is a caricature joke
• Nice Silence of the Lambs ripoff with the penny
• Selina breaks into Wayne manor for no apparent reason
• Umm that Penguin and Mama bath scene...
• The villain was hypnotism

Verdict: This week Jim and Harvey go after a serial killer that has ties to a case Harvey solved years back. Now this ep. kinda reminded me of last year's episode of Arrow entitled "Broken Dolls" (If you haven't seen it, go watch it, it's great). That being said Arrow did this scenario much better than Gotham. Det. Lance on Arrow had a strong emotional connection to the old killings because the victims were all women in their early 20's and his daughter, who was that age, had recently died. Lance thought that if he could stop this killer (The Dollmaker), it was almost like her could save his daughter. Now on Gotham, Harvey had no real emotional trauma from his old case. In fact the writers could have killed off his old partner (appropriately named Dicks after what kind of bag this show sucks) to give Harvey more of a connection to the case. But there was no emotion. Instead it was an easily solved case (Solved by looking at who took days off from work!) with an easily caught baddie who went by a terrible name (Spirit of the Goat, really?). Yes there was a twist that a random therapist and her hypnotism caused these Goat men to go on killing sprees, but that was laughable explanation  As for other story lines, Edward Nygma's portrayal is irritating and unneeded. We get that he will be The Riddler, but stop having him talking in riddles and start having him be a person. Eddy in the comics has always thought he was the smartest person in any room he stepped into. Show him doing something mildly intelligent. Any asshole can google riddles and say them aloud. On one final note, Oswald couldn't even save this episode. He took a bath with his mom. That's about it. overall I give "Spirit of the Goat" a 3.0 out of 10. This show needs to be better than this because if this is the best Gotham has in store then it's gonna be a long season.

Thanks for reading. What did you think of Gotham's sixth episode? Sound off in the comments. Make sure to check out our reviews every week and follow our live action tweeting of every episode @Caped_Informers and @cstrand73. See you next week folks!

Believe it when I say i like Jim Carrey's better

Famous Baths: Penguin shared a bath with mother tonight So I thought we should look back at history's most famous bath. It was of course the time President Taft got his fatass stuck in the presidential tub at the White House. Just think about that anytime you are feeling down. Also Penguin's bath reminded me of Blazing Saddles. "Mother that's not froggy"

Gotham "Viper" Review/Thoughts

Free Drugs! Get your free drugs here! Gotham is overtaken by a new "super" drug. Mild SPOILERS!

Synopsis: Gordon and Bullock search for the source of a new street drug that causes euphoria then death. Meanwhile, Oswald Cobblepot works his way deeper into Maroni’s inner circle and Fish Mooney continues her plot against Falcone.

High Points

• Bullock likes pickles
• Bruce is the best detective on the show
• Bullock and Gordon's interplay still fun
• Edward Nygma didn't make me puke this week
• Penguin tells Maroni the truth
• David Zayas is a great Maroni
• Penguin compromises Gordon again

You haven't earn the right to call me Mama, Jaden!

Low Points

• No one questions random guy handing drugs to everyone
• Viper (Later Venom) leads to milk addiction
• Low grade special effects
• Cases are very linear
• Jada Pinket Smith's overacting has worn its welcome
• Van Gough wannabe and Super Old Man were shit villains
• No suspense
• Awful villain motivation
• Villains only exists to show Wayne Enterprises sucks
• Another episode more dead villains to never return
• Falcone is thinking with his dick

Verdict: Arrow is great. The Flash is great. The Walking Dead is usually fun. But unfortunately Gotham is quickly becoming The Agents Of SHIELD (otherwise known as Agents of SHIT) of DC comics shows. This week the new Fox hit decided to bastardize Bane's favorite drug Venom (I NEED MILK!!!). By having it created by two badly motivated villains who's grand plan was thwarted by simple having people run out of a room. The whole situation just had no suspense and was just plain boring. Five straight weeks of uninteresting cases and undeveloped quickly dead villains. Once again the redeeming part of the ep. was the Penguin. His confession to Maroni and how it subsequently affected Jim was the only exciting event to take place. Otherwise this episode was just a set up to show that Wayne Enterprises is run by shitheads. Huge surprise, since we have yet to find one decent person in the city besides Bruce, Alfred, Jim, and maybe Harvey. Well at least this WE plot thread allows lil' Batman to go on a detective case into his parents' company. Could actually be something worth watching. Unlike Fish Mooney's scheme to trick Falcone to fall in love. I thought this was a mob war not Gossip Girl. I understand Mooney is playing both sides of the coin by banging the Russian dude too, but this fake girlfriend plan is overused on TV. Overall I give "Viper" a 5.0 out of 10. Scarecrow looks to be the villain next week perhaps he can get this show out of it's early growing pains.

Thanks for reading. What did you think of Gotham's fifth episode? Sound off in the comments. Make sure to check out our reviews every week and follow our live action tweeting of every episode @Caped_Informers and @cstrand73. See you next week folks!

What did you do to Venom?

Gotham Conspiracy Theory: Is Harvey Bullock actually Bubble Bass from SpongeBob Squarepants? I don't see anyone saying he isn't the Sponge's arch nemesis. Expect the crossover soon. You heard it here first!

Gotham "Arkham" Review/Thoughts

The gang war starts as councilmen are killed off left and right in this week's Gotham. SPOILERS

Synopsis: As a contentious city council vote on the future of the Arkham district approaches, politicians from both sides are in danger. Gordon and Bullock must race to protect the council and an old friend visits Gordon.

High Points

• The Asylum look cool
• The gang war starts
• Bruce Wayne starting to be a detective
• The Penguin and Gordon's evolving relationship
• Penguin's promotion
• Gordon and Bullock's dynamic
• Ozzy manipulating and killing
• Arkham will be reopened

Arkham sure is lovely this time of year

Low Points

• Again slow episode with little tension
• Edward Nygma sucks
• "It was just a box of paper clips!"
• Villain once again a bore
• Fish Mooney "Chick Fight" scene stolen from The Dark Knight
• WE GET THE BEST OF BOTH PLANS!

Verdict: This show should really be renamed Penguin because he is the only interesting part of the story. His crawl to the top of the mob world is filled with manipulation and murder. The rest of this show is just filler really. Filler with crappy Batman teases. Sure Arkham Asylum will be reopened but did anyone really feel the Councilman serial killer case was interesting at all? Just another by the numbers investigation that ends in killing the suspect. I enjoy seeing Harvey and Jim's separate philosophies on solving cases go head to head, but otherwise that story arc was just bland. Meanwhile Maroni and Falcone war began in the most boring way possible, fighting over a vote. In the coming weeks I hope the battle for top Don really picks up. As Penguin gets more involved (especially by playing both sides of the coin by working with Gordon) it definitely should. Overall I give the episode a 5.5 out of 10. Ain't good ain't bad.

Thanks for reading. What did you think of Gotham's fourth episode? Sound off in the comments. Make sure to check out our reviews every week and follow our live action tweeting of every episode @Caped_Informers and @cstrand73. See you next week folks!

Jim Gordon's Movie Pick of the Week: Jim should really pick up Chasing Amy this week. He seemed uncomfortable with his wife's past lesbian relationship and Kevin Smith's flick would really help Jim figure out his feelings on the situation. Perhaps he could resolve his inner problems the same way Batfleck's character tried to. Bring Barbara and Montoya together and say...

Leslie Thompkins and Hush Are Coming To "Gotham"

IGN had an exclusive interview with some members of the cast of FOX's Gotham after the show's NYCC panel had ended today. During the interview, the cast members confirmed that doctor Leslie Thompkins will be making an appearance on the show. Audiences should also expect a Tommy "Hush" Elliot easter egg as well. Check out the link below to watch the video.

Source: IGN

Best Friends 4 Eva!

I have been giving Gotham a lot of shit for bringing on too many famous villains on too soon, but I am actually okay with them bringing on Tommy Elliot. Tommy was Bruce's childhood friend who eventually became the bandage baddie Hush. So having Tom as Bruce's childhood bud is okay with me. That is only if Tommy is a kid. If Gotham pulls the same shit with him that they are pulling with Harvey Dent and make Tommy 20 years older than Bruce, I'm out...

In addition to a young Tommy, Leslie Thompkins is perfect for this show because of her ties to a young Bruce Wayne. She has long been recognized as a friend/mentor to the millionaire orphan. 

These two characters coming to the show make sense. Actually when this show was first announced I had hoped that they would be included. Glad to see some actual pieces of Bruce Wayne's childhood will be showcased. #BruceShouldn'tKnowSelina

Make sure to check out Gotham on FOX on Mondays at 8! Then check out our weekly review of the show. See ya tomorrow!

Gotham "The Balloonman" Review/Thoughts

This week in Gotham The Balloonman terrorizes the city's untouchable criminals which leads Jim and Harvey to finally learn how balloons work.

Episode Description: Detectives Gordon and Bullock track down a vigilante who is killing corrupt Gotham citizens by attaching them to weather balloons. Meanwhile, Oswald Cobblepot returns to Gotham and gets a new job close to an influential figure in the underworld.

High Points

• Jim Gordon vs. Everyone
• Harvey Bullock getting his ass kicked
• Barbara and Montoya ;)
• Penguin's kill streak continues
• Alfred is growing on me
• Intro to Sal Maroni
• The corruption of Gotham runs deep
• Villain presents interesting moral conflict for Gordon

Low Points

• Balloonman was ridiculous villain
• Lameass Bullock interrogations
• Gordon easily tricked by Selina
• Fish Mooney is beginning to wear thin
• Once again overall episode was just boring
• And once again little tension or excitement

Verdict: This show's heart is in the right place. Jim Gordon's characterization is great and the show continually demonstrates how shitty the city of Gotham is. The problem is so far no bad guy has really been worth investigating for a full episode. Hell, no one in the city even wants these cases solved except for Gordon. The Balloonman was a ridiculously stupid villain. His balloon kills were more hysterical than scary which made this villain of the week a real joke. His only plus side was he that he's a murderous vigilante which presented an interesting moral dilemma for Gordon. On the flip side of the episode, Oswald Cobblepot meeting Maroni was interesting. I'm excited to see what part Ozzy plays in the impending mob war. Overall I give "The Balloonman" a 6.5 out of 10. Well, at least Jim and Harvey learned how balloons work.

Thanks for reading. What did you think of Gotham's third episode? Sound off in the comments. Make sure to check out my reviews every week and follow our live action tweeting of every episode @Caped_Informers and @cstrand73. See you next week folks!

Gotham's Weird Fact Of The Week: For some reason all three episodes so far have some weird mention of shoes. First episode had Jim Gordon notice that Mario Pepper owned no shiny shoes. The second had Bullock get told that he had nice shoes. And now in third episode, Oswald kills a bro for his shoes. This leads me to the conclusion that Bruno Heller has a foot fetish. That is all!

New Gotham Trailer Reveals Even More Villains

Check out the newest Gotham trailer featuring some sneak peeks of some of Batman's most iconic villains.

Sal Maroni, Professor Pyg, Mr. Zsasz, and even a possible Scarecrow. Jesus man, is any villain gonna be left to fight after this first season? Is season 2 gonna have to be a season long arc against KG Beast because everyone else will have already been used because it's starting to look that way. With rumors of the Joker, Killer Croc and Mr. Freeze also on the horizon this really could be the case.

Poor KG Beast

Personally if I was in charge of plotting this 1st season I would have exclusively focused in on the Wayne's murder and the Falcone-Mooney-Maroni gang war. Have Cobblepot building up his own crew in the background and Nygma doing weird shit at the police headquarters. Then causally use just a few low key villains like Pyg or Zsasz. Not just blow through every Batman villain ever created so early on.

This show was supposed to be about Jim Gordon and not just about following pre-villains before they morph into the future geriatric baddies they will be when they finally fight Batman. Well at least there are no current rumors that Bruce Wayne will befriend a strange girl named Harleen Quinnzel. That will help me sleep at night.

What do you think of the upcoming season of Gotham? Too many villains? Sound off in the comments. And check out our Gotham reviews every Monday.

Gotham "Selina Kyle" Review/Thoughts

This week's Gotham episode titled "Selina Kyle" surprising has very little Selina Kyle to go along with a very "by the numbers" procedural case.

Episode Description: Detectives Gordon and Bullock investigate a child trafficking ring preying on Gotham’s street kids, including Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova). Meanwhile, Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) resurfaces in the countryside and begins to make his way back to GOTHAM, leaving victims in his wake.

High Points

• Jim Gordon and Barbara Kean are a solid moral compass
• Oswald's killing spree is fun
• Excited to see Mooney's power play against Falcone
• Professor Pyg?
• Bullock and Gordon remain an interesting pair

Low Points:

• Boring "by the numbers" case
• Absolutely no tension or suspension
• Lame ass kidnappers
• Lame shootouts once again
• Still hate Hardo Alfred
• David Mazouz's performance was cringe-worthy
• Unexciting case conclusion
• Episode titled Selina Kyle has little Selina Kyle
• Beginning to feel like just another network procedural

Verdict: Gotham's second episode did little to utilize the show's potential. Bullock and Gordon  go on a "by the numbers" no surprises case that gave the audience zero tension and zero connection to any of the kids being kidnapped except Selina. And she only spoke once before being nabbed. Sure McKenzie's Gordon and Logue's Bullock have an interesting working relationship but that main storyline was just a total dud. Thank god for Oswald Cobblepot and dare I say Fish Mooney. Ozzy's killing spree as he makes his way back to the city is a load of fun. While Mooney's future play against Carmine Falcone is the only story line I am actually interested in. So overall I give Gotham's second episode a 5.5 out of 10. Once again this show isn't bad, but it sure as hell isn't good. I hope the impending mob war and perhaps even Prof. Pyg help bolster this frustrating ordinary show.

Thanks for reading. What did you think of Gotham's second episode? Sound off in the comments. Make sure to check out my reviews every week and follow our live action tweeting of every episode @Caped_Informers and @cstrand73. See you next week folks!

Gotham Tweet of the Week:  @Caped_Informers "The Dollmaker! How many villains are we gonna see in season 1? Im expecting to see Victor Fries driving an ice cream truck by ep 10 now."

Gotham "Pilot" Review/Thoughts

After months of anticipation and hype Gotham is finally here. Ben Mckenzie steps up to the task of portraying a young Jim Gordon, but this pilot isn't without it's flaws...

Episode Description: Rookie detective James Gordon battles villains and corruption in the premiere of this action-adventure series set in pre-Batman Gotham City.

High Points

• Jim Gordon does a little bit of detective work
• Selina Kyle is agile
• Solid characterization of Carmine Falcone
• Fish Mooney was interesting
• Robin Lord Taylor is an intriguing yet different Oswald Cobblepot
• Donal Logue is a solid Bullock and Mckenzie is a solid Gordon
• The look of Gotham is beautiful
• Barbara Kean is pretty :)
• Gotham City is a shithole like it should be
• Enjoyed the final 10 minutes

Low Points

• Overall slow pace
• Boring action pieces
• Terrible shootouts
• Hardo Alfred is a Hardo
• Ivy Pepper and her family cause volatile body reactions
• Shoving several classic villains into the pilot
• Would like more Bruce
• People already calling Oswald "Penguin"

Verdict: I'm not going to lie, I had low expectations for this show. My heart belongs to the Batman universe and anyone who I believe is attempting to harm it automatically becomes my enemy. Everything I heard about this show going into its premiere made me think that I would detest it. To my surprise that wasn't the case. I didn't hate Gotham, but I sure as hell didn't love it either. The show has a good cast and the potential to be a new take on the tale of the early days of the comic world's most infamous city. Yet this first episode felt very slow. It also felt like a chance to cram every DC villain the general audience knows into one episode. Hopefully this series overcomes pilot syndrome and can turn into a interesting take on the early Batman mythos. Oswald Cobblepot was a standout character for me though. I wanna see more of him climbing the ranks and being a slippery fuck. Overall I give the pilot episode of Gotham a 6 out of 10. This show has potential, lets hope it lives up to it.

Thanks for reading. What did you think of Gotham's premiere episode? Sound off in the comments. Make sure to check out my reviews every week and follow our live action tweeting of every episode @Caped_Informers and @cstrand73.

New 'Gotham' Trailer and Poster

As SDCC approaches Fox has been revving up their media campaign for their Batman prequel series Gotham. As I have stated before I want this show to succeed, but everything that has come out from the pilot episode so far has made me skittish. Check out the new trailer and poster and tell us what you think.

Forget it! I just can't. 2 minutes from an episode and I have seen enough. Fuck this show. "Well aren't you a cool glass of milk" and "If I want riddles I'll read the funny pages." Are you shitting me? Where is the Bruno Heller who wrote Rome? Not the hack who is writing lines that make Arnold's Mr. Freeze quotes seem Shakespearean.

Now for the poster. Maybe this will help my better my expectations.

Nope! Ivy Pepper and Fish Mooney. Who is coming up with these names? Was Pamela Isley too real of a name for them? And on second thought why is she even on the show? How many villains are in this damn pilot episode?

Fox will be airing the pilot for Gotham at SDCC in two weeks and the show will airing episodes on Mondays starting in September. I can't wait...

Source: Batman-News

FOX Releases First Poster for Gotham

Alfred's hand placement is aggressive as fuck.

The idea of Fish Mooney angers me. This unneeded show is going to use every goddamn Batman super villain in the first episode, but they refuse to use any actual Gotham mob rulers like Carmine Falcone or Sal Maroni. Jada Pinkett Smith could have been Sofia Gigante, Falcone's daughter who became mob leader after his death, for fuck's sake. Now she is signed up for one season to be a pawn for Penguin to fuck over. Not too compelling. Plus can't wait to see Jack Napier telling shitty jokes on stage at a gangster club. Going to be glorious. This show is shaping up to be the Agents of SHIELD for DC. A super hero show that has no superheroes and just name drops for ratings. 

THE INFORMERS: MOVIES OF FUTURE SUMMER!

On this edition of the Caped Informers, Christian, Dan, Ryan and Karl catch up on all the latest comic TV show and movie news that came into the spotlight in the past week. Topics include images from Fox's Gotham TV series, X-men: Days of Future Past's new trailer, Arrow's Suicide Squad episode, The Avengers filming scenes in Italy, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 final trailer. Enjoy!

Follow us on twitter: @Caped_Informers

Fox's GOTHAM Releases Image of Future Catwoman Carmen Bicondova

Fox has released the first image of Carmen Bicondova as Selina Kyle(Catwoman). She has definitely nailed the bad ass look. Shes rockin' the black fish tights, the leather jacket, the half fingered gloves (not sure what those are actually called) but I dig it. Every week we get more and more being released about this prequel show. Here is the image let us know what you guys think in the comments!

Sources: www.fox.com/GOTHAM
              www.comicBookMovie.com