TV Review: GOTHAM: Season 1, Episode 10: Lovecraft [Fox]

Fox‘s Gotham Lovecraft TV Show Review. Gotham: Season 1, Episode 10: Lovecraft feels less like a season finale and more like an extension of last episode. That’s not to say it’s bad, but in many regards there’s still an unsavory sense of mis-representative publicity. Just as last episode betrayed

the expectations of its title; introducing Harvey Dent (Nichalas D’Agosto) but not really giving him a big role, this time the initial task of the police force is to go after their latest suspected accomplice to the Wayne murder, the titular Dick Lovecraft (Al Sapienza), and the lead doesn’t go cold so much as nuclear; there’s some excitement along the way, but he plays an absurdly small part, and then it’s back to no more leads. It truly seems like the only reason they named the episode after him is because it’s a name widely associated with macabre literature. On that note, the officially-released synopsis teases that Detective Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) goes to the infamous Arkham Asylum (notably named after a city in Lovecraft’s stories), but this happens as a footnote at the very end of the episode–I wouldn’t normally spoil endings, but since this time they did it for me, it’s worth noting.

Much as with Harvey Dent, the real meat of this episode is in the relationship between Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) and Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova), but this time it’s good enough to save the episode when it gets going. Somehow, somebody is onto Selina, how she relates to the Wayne murder and Dick Lovecraft, and that she is currently living with Bruce Wayne. Assassins come for her, and the two of them flee into downtown Gotham City. Here, Bruce gets a trial by fire replete with parkour and visits to the underworld flea market. These grungy locales are well-portrayed with good set and sound design.

Meanwhile, Detective Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) teams up with Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee), who goes full-Bond as they comb the city looking to rescue Bruce. It’s definitely a fresh take on Alfred and makes for some good action, even if after a while, the bit where they juxtapose his gentle demeanor with his willingness to beat people down and even kill them feels arbitrary. The show’s “permanent” villains are once again relegated to what amounts to a cameo role, but at least the plight of Bruce and Selina almost-certainly ties back to them…though sadly, we still don’t know how.

As an episode, Lovecraft works well; providing a lot of action and a good joke from Selina. It’s just as a season finale that it feels inadequate. The episode does provide an ending of sorts to Gordon’s story arc in this season, but many of the other things that felt like they were coming–such as the showdown between rival villains–still feel like they’re coming. Still, the January premiere of Season 2 isn’t far away.

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