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Gotham 1.5 Blog: Viper Review [Contains Spoilers]

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Director: Tim Hunter

Writer: Rebecca Perry Cutter

Cast: Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, David Mazouz, Robin Lord Taylor, Sean Pertwee, Jada Pinkett Smith, Camren Bicondova, Cory Michael Smith, Zabryna Guevara, Makenzie Leigh, David Zayas and John Doman.

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 to plot against Falcone.

Verdict:

After last weeks incredibly strong episode, this weeks Gotham puts the breaks on slightly and slows down with a story that dips in quality considerably compared to the excellent ‘Arkham’. Rather than sticking to the effective formula the Batman prequel series has began to establish thus far, ‘Viper’ attempts to do something a little bit different from what audiences of the past four episodes have come to expect. The episode seemingly mimics a narrative device that was successfully explored in the second season of Arrow earlier this year. By this I mean that Bruno Heller and his team of writers have attempted to momentarily transform a gritty and realistic crime/drama into a full fledged superhero series, by adding a plot thread involving genetically enhanced street drugs that grant users enormous amounts of ‘super’ strength. This should be commended on a certain level, however it seems far too early to be experimenting with different genre’s and strange ‘super powers’, especially after Gotham‘s writers have tried so hard to ground their world in realism.

On the other hand, the early version of said street drug named ‘Viper’, was intended as a prototype to the famous strength-inducing serum famously used by Bane in the pages of DC Comics. The fluid typically known as ‘venom’ is referenced briefly during the episode, which is a nice nod to fans of the source material. However, this does feel like a slightly forced reference that the show could do without for the time being, with this plot probably more suited to a future season of the show. After all, Arrow spent over a year laying some very solid foundations before even attempting to introduce any sort of fantastical elements into its universe. There is no indication as to whether this new drug will make a return appearance in future episodes, however it would seem incredibly nonsensical and pointless to revolve an entire episode around it for the sake of a Bane reference.

Gotham 5

Aside from the presence of the aforementioned super-serum, the other central plot point of the story is building towards the inevitable gang war that is looming on the horizon of Gotham City. The Penguin’s relationship with Don Sal Maroni has now strengthened in light of his reveal that he previously worked for Fish Mooney, which now makes him a valuable weapon against Mooney and Carmine Falcone (especially as a man supposedly dead). Whilst Mooney also takes further steps to ensure that Falcone bites the dust sooner rather than later, as she has begun to train her seductive sidekick Liza as yet another weapon against evil old man. It appears that the opposing forces of Gotham’s crime-world are quickly going to butt heads as the three different sides of the mob continue to fight for power, to extent that the city’s gangsters are rapidly approaching breaking point. This was easily the most entertaining aspect of ‘Viper’ and I am excited to see it develop as we journey further through Gotham‘s maiden season.

Another highlight of the episode was the slowly growing bond between Harvey Bullock and Jim Gordon, as we begin to witness the sparks of a friendship that is beginning to expand beyond employment. Harvey and Jim shared a few nice moments of bonding between work colleagues, as the audience watch them enjoy lunch together, as well take an interest in each others personal lives. This is something that Heller would be wise to dedicate more screen time to in future, after all these are essentially our two central leads. It is also interesting to note that the growing relationship between Bruce and Alfred strangely mirrors that of Harvey and Jim, as the two pairs are starting to enjoy each others company more and more as the series goes on (which shows some great, yet under-written character development). All in all, Gotham probably could have done without the Viper storyline, but at least the episode laid some solid groundwork for the future of Gotham City’s ever-collapsing crime world. Let’s also hope that next week’s story finds something to do with Selina Kyle and Edward Nigma…other than meaningless cameo appearances.

[usr=2] Gotham airs on Channel 5 every Monday night at 9pm. Check out their official website here.

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. hollywood latest news

    Nov 13, 2014 at 10:05 am

    The above article sounds very interesting and the suspense creation is a creative factor of author. I must say it was a good attempt.

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