Gotham Is Back For Season 2

 

Big news Monday night is the return of Gotham for its second season.
You can catch all the action on CTV Monday September 21 at 8 p.m. Got that?
Whether Gotham is better than season one is another matter.
One TV critic wisely noted that in this series the villains appear to have all the fun.
Remember this is a Barman prequel and the action is seen through the eyes of an increasingly precocious Bruce Wayne.
It seems to me that the dominating presence of Ben Mackenzie as James Gordon is deliberately dimming as villains pop up all over the place.
I liked the original pilot with its great atmosphere --the whole thing was shot like a Thirties thriller and art deco artifacts imbued ever scene.
But splendid  atmosphere can only get one so far and the series seemed to be lumbering along.
Ratings predictably plummeted and Fox then announced the second season would be themed "Rise Of The Villains".
Indeed the first new show looks at a crazy plot organized by the thugs to discredit Gordon and have him discharged from the police force.
Now it seems the great new anti-hero played persuasively by a wonderfully menacing James Frain as Theo Galavan is the new focal point.
Season Two's premiere titled "Damned If you Don't"  is still chock full of atmosphere. But the storytelling seems to be more of the same from the First Year.
I was a bit disappointed --I believed the PR turn about a new vision for a new year.
Here it is a month after Season 1 ended with Bruce trying to break into his father's secret bunker. The new season has Gordon demoted to traffic cop duty.
I'm not the only one out there who finds the series getting campy instead of letting the tension built --I can watch new co-star James Frain snarl all the time and be amused but it's not enough to build a show around.

I'd prefer a lot more character development mixed into the atmosphere. Sure, this is based on a comic book but that won't work for long in building a respectable TV audience.
Or am I wrong in taking it all too seriouskly --it's still stylish and well acted.
Beside Frain I liked Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma and his character's second mirror self. And Cameron Montague as The Joker is peerless.
Maybe I just wanted more. I know I'll keep watching, at least for a few more episodes.
Any show with great acting turns from Robin Lord Taylor and Donal Logue deserves every consideration,rigt?h.
GOTHAM SEASON 2 PREMIERES ON CTV MONDAY SEPTEMBER 21 AT 8 P.M.
MY RATING: ***.