Pilot (Gotham)

"Pilot" is the first episode of the television series Gotham. It premiered on FOX on September 22, 2014 and was written by series developer Bruno Heller and directed by Danny Cannon. The episode, and the series as a whole, are based on characters appearing in and published by DC Comics in the Batman franchise, primarily those of James Gordon and Bruce Wayne. FOX gave the pilot a straight-to-series order with an order of 16 episodes.^[1]

The pilot was watched by 8.21 million viewers, a strong number and received generally positive reviews for its acting and plot, but received criticism for its pace and subplots.

Plot

Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova) is prowling through Gotham City. After robbing milk and pick-pocketing, she flees to an alley and hides in a fire escape. She watches Thomas (Grayson McCouch) and Martha Wayne (Brette Taylor) with their son Bruce (David Mazouz) walking through the alley. An unknown assailant approaches them, demanding their possessions and then shooting Thomas and Martha, leaving Bruce shocked in front of his parents' bodies while Selina watches.

Rookie detective James "Jim" Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and his partner, Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) are sent to investigate the crime scene. Gordon talks with Bruce and promises to capture the killer when the Waynes' butler, Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee) arrives for Bruce. When they have no clues, they go to see Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith), an underling of Mafia Don Carmine Falcone (John Doman) but they receive no information.

The next day, Bullock calls Gordon as he got a lead in the case. The suspect, Mario Pepper (Daniel Stewart Sherman) flees from the apartment and nearly kills Gordon when Bullock shoots him, killing him. During an inspection, they find the necklace and are labeled for solving the case. However, a low-level mobster Oswald "Penguin" Cobblepot gives information to Major Crimes Unit investigators Renee Montoya (Victoria Cartagena) and Crispus Allen (Andrew Stewart-Jones) revealing Mooney framed Pepper for the murder. Montoya thinks Gordon and the Police Department (GCPD) are corrupt and plans on bring them down.

Realizing Pepper is innocent, Gordon confronts Mooney, only to be kidnapped. Bullock goes for him, only to be knocked out and both tied by Mooney's bodyguard, Butch Gilzean (Drew Powell). Meanwhile, Mooney confronts Cobblepot and beats him with a baseball bat for being a rat. Gordon and Bullock are saved by Don Falcone, who says Mooney should ask him first to kill a cop. He reveals to Gordon the relationship with Gordon's father and framing Pepper.

To show his adherence to the corruption going on within Gotham City, Gordon is ordered by Falcone to kill Cobblepot in the docks. Gordon fakes Cobblepot's death by throwing him in the ocean, telling him to never come back to Gotham. Gordon visits Bruce in his Manor, revealing Pepper was framed and promising to find the real killer. As he exits Wayne Manor, Selina is seen in the border walls. The episode ends with Cobblepot climbing out of a river and killing a man so he can get his sandwich.

Production

Development

Bruno Heller, a fan of Batman, has been talking to DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns to discuss a potential Batman series. According to Heller, "It opened up a whole world of storytelling that we realized hadn’t really been looked at before, which is the world before Batman -- the world of Gotham, young Bruce Wayne, and young James Gordon and the origin stories of the villains."^[2]

On September 24, 2013, Fox announced that it had bypassed the traditional pilot phase and placed a straight-to-series order for Gotham, to be written and executive produced by Heller.^[3] Gotham received a series order from Fox on May 5, 2014,^[4] with the first season reported to consist of 16 episodes, rather than the standard 13 or 22.^[1]

Fox's Chairman of Entertainment Kevin Reilly stated, "We were only contractually obligated to order 13, and we ordered 16, because we think that's the way that show, at least in its first iteration, will be very strong to arc to. Could we do more next season? We certainly could, but that’s where we're starting with that one. That show is going to have a very strong, serialized element."^[5] Speaking of the project at the 2014 winter TCA press tour, Reilly described the series as "this operatic soap that has a slightly larger-than-life quality. This is not some adjunct companion series. This is the Batman franchise, just backing it up [in chronology]."^[6] He later added that the series is separate from any DC film universe.^[7]

Casting

In January 2014, rumors arose that Donal Logue would portray Gordon in the series. Logue denied these rumors via Twitter.^[8] Logue was eventually cast as Harvey Bullock.^[9]

In February 2014, Ben McKenzie was cast as James Gordon.^[10] In early March 2014, David Mazouz was cast as Bruce Wayne while Camren Bicondova was cast as Selina Kyle.^[11] In April 1, 2014, Cory Michael Smith was cast to portray Edward Nygma, the early version of the villain The Riddler.^[12]

At the 2014 Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, DC's Jim Cunningham said that Renee Montoya would be a character on the show.^[13]

Reception

Ratings

The pilot was watched by 8.21 million viewers, with a 3.2 rating among 18-49 adults.^[14] The results were below expectations of becoming the greatest opener in the 2015 but were still strong numbers. The pilot ranked as Monday night's No. 1 drama, beating NBC's The Blacklist and new CBS drama Scorpion after three days of delayed viewing.

With Live+7 DVR viewing factored in, the episode had an overall rating of 14.45 million viewers, and a 6.0 in the 18–49 demographic.^[15]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)	70%[16]
The A.V. Club	C[17]
Paste Magazine	7.0[18]
TV Fanatic	[19]
IGN	7.0[20]
Den of Geek	[21]
New York Magazine	[22]

"Pilot" was well received by critics. The episode received a rating of 70% on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with the site's consensus stating: "Though overcrowded with introductions, the Gotham pilot sets the template for an engrossing crime drama with moody atmosphere and likable lead actors."^[16]

Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "good" 7.0 out of 10 and wrote in his verdict, "Gotham, from Rome and The Mentalist's Bruno Heller, kicked things off with a basic, somewhat bland, crime story filled with a few too many dog ears. Though I also understand the show's need to sell as many Batman-y elements as it can right out of the gate, considering that it'll never have the big, main ingredient people want. The story-telling almost gets hampered by the brand itself. And the sheer amount of "they all knew each other at one point" coincidences might turn some folks off. Still, Gotham does work when it spins in the opposite direction and strays from what we've become too familiar with. Cobblepot is a delicious wild card, Fish Mooney is a fun addition, and Alfred is joyfully uncouth. David Mazouz's young Bruce is appropriately mature while Camren Bicondova's Selina Kyle hops around rooftops, spying on his trauma. On the flip side, I felt like an "everyman" approach to Gordon would have served that character better than the intensity seen here. The biggest challenge for Gotham just might be whether or not all these relationships, told in long form, will wind up being more effective -- or at least as effective -- as what other filmmakers were able to achieve with just a few flashbacks.^[20]

The A.V. Club's Oliver Sava gave the episode a "C" grade and wrote, "The chemistry between Bullock and Gordon finally clicks during their last scene together in the pilot, with Logue revealing Bullock’s vulnerability in hopes that Gordon will sacrifice his morals to save them both. This show’s fate ultimately rests in that core relationship between Gordon and Bullock, and the stronger their characters become, the better Gotham will fare."^[17]

References