io9Television

On Gotham, Gordon’s a Villain, Bruce Wayne Is Jesus, and Everything Else Is Also Insane

If you were at all worried that Gotham would somehow have run out of complete and total insanity prior to its fall finale, “Worse Than a Crime” must have been quite a comfort to you. For instance, James Gordon became a straight-up villain, and that wasn’t even close to the craziest thing that happened last … Continued

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On Gotham, a Show Ostensibly About Batman, a Bunch of Killer Monks Invaded an Erotic Massage Parlor

This is not a joke. It’s not a metaphor. This is me not obliquely trying to tell you how ridiculous this show is. This is something that actually occurred on last night’s episode of Gotham, and I can’t think of anything that better conveys the show’s total insanity that simply stating what happened. If I … Continued

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Gotham, What Are You Even Doing

Hey? Did you know Jim Gordon has a dark side? If you’ve watched five minutes of any episode of Gotham you did, but that didn’t stop the show from devoting an entire hour to an idea that the whole damn show has been built upon from the start. “A Bitter Pill to Swallow” isn’t dull, … Continued

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Last Night’s Gotham Was So Dumb I Can Barely—Wait, Oh God, I’ve Used This Headline Before, Haven’t I?

I’m sorry. This show keeps getting dumber, but against all odds, it somehow hasn’t gotten less entertaining. Meanwhile, last night’s episode somehow raised the bar for the show just not giving a shit. Let us begin by me giving you my very favorite example: So the Riddler went deep into the woods not just to … Continued

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Well, Gotham Has Gone Completely Off the Rails

If you’ve been reading these recaps, you probably thought Gotham had left the rails some time ago. I did too! But only now do I see how much separation there is between this show and the rails. Honestly, Gotham may have gone so far off the rails at this point that it’s possibly broken through … Continued

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Last Night’s Gotham Was So Dumb I Can Barely Stand It

Before we get started, let me remind everyone that I have been on board with this second season of Gotham. As I have pointed out repeatedly, I have made my peace that the show is trying for a weird mishmash of campiness and hyper-violence, and on those strange terms, I have enjoyed it. Now: All … Continued

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The Secret of Gotham’s New Villain Is More Absurd Than I Could Have Possibly Imagined

Look. I know the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer dropped last night, and the last thing any of us want to think about is a new episode of Gotham right now. But we finally learned the true identity of Theo Galavan, and we need to take a minute to discuss how Gotham has … Continued

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On Gotham, Alfred Is Just Straight Up Hitting Children

Uh, spoiler alert, I guess. But there may be no scene that better sums up Gotham’s insanity than in last night’s episode, where Bruce Wayne’s butler slaps the hell out of the 13-year-old Catwoman when she comes over to say hi. Technically, Alfred has a reason, but the main reason is of course that Gotham … Continued

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I Watched Last Night’s Gotham and Now I Think I’m Insane

When Dr. Harleen Quinzel first started psychoanalyzing the murderous lunatic calling himself the Joker, she thought she could understand him. Instead, the Joker’s madness was so great that merely by trying to comprehend him, she went mad as well. And I am 99% sure Gotham is doing the exact same thing to me. Seriously, this … Continued

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Gotham Is the Wackiest Show About Setting a Bus Full of Cheerleaders on Fire Ever Made

Last week, I called Gotham “still bizarre, still silly, and a lot better.” I would like to add something to my assessment of season two: Gotham is also horrifically, ludicrously violent. Arguably far more violent than a show where the criminals wear matching theme outfits has any right to be. Gotham has always been simultaneously … Continued

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Gotham Is Still Bizarre, Still Extremely Silly, and Somehow Much Better

Welcome back to Gotham City, my friends. I’m surprised as you are that I’m happy to be here, what with its crime-ridden streets, its incompetent police force, its cartoonish villains, its maddening dialogue, and its general insanity. But “Damned If You Do…”, Gotham’s second season premiere, is a definite improvement over season one’s aimlessness, although … Continued

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36 Questions About Last Night’s Completely Ridiculous Gotham Finale

Sorry, guys, but there’s really no other way to convey the complete WTFery of Gotham’s terrible but entertainingly insane season one finale than to list the many, many questions it left me with. Seriously, if anybody knows what the hell was up with the chicken, please let me know. 1. What the hell happened to … Continued

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Gotham Is Getting Kind Of Ridiculous Again, Thank Goodness

Guys, I’m worried that I have been instantly Stockholm Syndromed by Gotham, much as the evil Ogre did to our non-beloved Barbara Kean. Because I actually kind of liked “The Anvil or the Hammer” — or at least parts of it. The insane parts, specifically. Please don’t mistake me for thinking this was a good … Continued

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Gotham’s Back! Oh, Wait, That’s Not A Good Thing.

Was my enjoyment of the last few episodes of Gotham genuine, or some kind of Stockholm syndrome? Was it easier to find the goofy fun in this show because I had made peace with it, or was I lying to myself? I don’t know. All I know is that last night’s episode, “Beasts of Prey,” … Continued

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What If Gotham Is Actually A Prequel To the 1960s Batman TV Series?

Watching Gotham continue its complete and utter lunacy in “Everyone Has a Cobblepot” last night, I was struck with a single, amazing thought. What if Gotham is an origin story not for regular Batman, but for the old Batman TV show from the ’60s? Because the ridiculousness is reaching that level. In fact, there are … Continued

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Fish Mooney And A Spoon Just Turned Gotham Into Must-Watch Television

In the comics, the Red Hood gang introduced Batman’s greatest, craziest villain, the Joker. In “Red Hood,” the titular gang also introduced Gotham’s greatest, craziest villain, and it turns out it’s Fish Mooney. Yes, I know how insane this sounds, but… well, let’s just say Fish gave us an eyeful of how entertaining Gotham can … Continued

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​Gotham Got So Stupid It Actually Became Kind Of Awesome

Gotham has had many problems during its inaugural season, most of which revolve around its refusal to give characters other than the Penguin anything resembling compelling storylines. “The Blind Fortune Teller” has a unique solution to this — make all the storylines so dumb you can’t believe they’re happening. It’s compelling like a car wreck … Continued

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There’s Nothing To Fear From The Scarecrow’s Origin On Gotham

Gotham finally came out and gave us the straight-up origin of a supervillain in last night’s “The Scarecrow” — I’ll, uh, give you three guesses which Bat-villain it’s referring to — but managed to squander most of what it did right in last week’s episode. Last week, as you may recall, Gordon and Bullock were … Continued

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Scarecrow’s Dad Leads A Frighteningly Non-Terrible Episode Of Gotham

It’s true! “The Fearsome Dr. Crane” is Gotham’s best episode in several weeks, thanks to a solid villain, the Penguin (as usual), and just a smidge of total insanity. Sure, it was plagued by a lot of terrible writing, but who knows when we’ll get an episode this good again? Let’s focus on the positive. … Continued

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Damning Evidence That Gotham‘s Writers Belong In Arkham Asylum

Hey, you know the phrase “the inmates are running the asylum”? In response to last night’s mid-season premiere of Gotham, I’d like to suggest a change: “The inmates are somehow running a major primetime TV series.” It’s not quite as catchy, but I think it works. Hey, I’m Rob Bricken, the author of io9’s silliest … Continued