The Glory Of Gotham

I have missed Gotham. All my other comic book favourites returned awhile ago; Arrow, Flash, The Blacklist – not strictly a comic book show but so good! There are other shows, pure entertainment; Revenge and Scandal, show that the audacious nature of the writing, the stretching of credibility, can be breathtaking, amusing and highly entertaining.
   I love television. Especially serial television. Having always come at film or TV from a writing standpoint, the television programmes that appealed to me were always more verbose and character driven. Though my favourite television show of all time is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it is the writing of the show rather than the action that drew me to it.
   So why do I love Gotham?  It is well written, strong characters,  tied into the Batman mythology and nicely paced. These are not the reason I love the show. The reason I love Gotham is visual. It is an amazing looking show, blending fifties and sixties Americana, but somehow getting away with using mobile phones! Every frame is exquisite. The colours pop, every scene is rich in detail. Gotham is the character, darkest darks, piercing lights, ornate rooms and clubs and homes, neither modern nor historic. Men wear sombre colours or black, women dress like molls. Shallow depth of field, three point positioning, rule of thirds, lighting composition and colour balance, it is all there. This is Gotham. This is a would be filmmaker’s wet dream.