Gotham Season 1 Episode 9 Review: Harvey Dent

at .  Updated at .

I really wonder if we'll see pretty much every major Batman character on Gotham before Bruce Wayne ever gets a chance to don the cape and cowl.

I know Bruce has begun his training to be strong from boxing matches with Alfred to holding his breath underwater fully clothed. He even seems to be creating his own schooling so he can focus on things that interest him. And while I'm glad that Selina pointed out he's kind of a weird kid because of these things he's doing, Bruce remains just that, a kid.

He's still years and years away from becoming the Caped Crusader, while the city and his future rogues gallery are looking to get a massive head start.

Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed watching Bruce interact with Selina and Alfred for Gotham Season 1 Episode 9. The growing relationship between Bruce and Alfred is great, and I love that Alfred does get to do some teaching in addition to serving meals at precise times. Plus, his sharp humor is a positive addition to his character, especially in pointing out Bruce's fancy for Selina.

But I was even more impressed with the Selina aspect when it came to hanging out with Bruce. She is definitely the more street wise of the two, plus her demeanor feels much more natural and relaxed. Her presence, as convenient as it was for Jim to place her there, really opened up Bruce's eyes to the possibility of actually getting his hands dirty. Like she said, he doesn't live in a rough neighborhood, people don't fight with boxing gloves, and the actual experience of living on the streets is vastly different from just knowing about Gotham's problems.

And we did touch a bit more on her parents; sadly it sounds like they left her all on her own despite her thinking they will come back.

Really, getting those two sides to come together and bond, especially because they are the closest in age, seemed almost necessary. On top of all that, Alfred seeing Bruce smile and have fun was important. It can't all be just dark brooding for the young boy.

And yet it's the introduction of Harvey Dent, the future Two-Face, that has me wishing Bruce was at least closer to his 20s. Then the possibility of interacting with Jim, Harvey, heck, any of the Batman characters that continue to be dropped in could actually happen sooner in a much more interesting way between more or less peers rather than adults and a kid.

I can't help but feel Batman's absence the more we get of characters like Harvey, but I know that's not probably going to change anytime soon.

That being said, I was intrigued with Harvey's character as the good guy on Jim's side. It was fun getting to see his coin and trade-mark flipping of it, and I like his personality.

The team-up to try and work on the Wayne case seems like the logical next step. It's unfortunate Harvey doesn't really have any evidence in the case. I wouldn't be surprised if his plan to get people talking winds up working.

However, I'm hoping his little freak out in the office doesn't happen every time we see him. It just feels too soon to try and be pushing his Two-Face tendencies, if that means he is super nice at one moment and then freakishly angry the next.

I'd really like to see his character progress as one trying to do everything he can to be good and then hitting that fall that eventually turns him down a vastly different path from someone like Jim. But for now, I'm definitely on board with the casting of Nicholas D'Agosto and looking forward to where his character is headed.

Unfortunately, the case of the week remained the weakest part of the hour, giving us another one-time character in and out to serve the purpose of the larger story rather than just be an interesting character overall.

It was a nice change that he just happened to be something of a good guy who just needed some help, but I couldn't believe how easily the clues were to get Jim and Harvey into finding him. And then how easily they lost him the first time.

I'm hesitant on where the Arkham storyline is going, but there's something cool about getting to see it come together.

But even as we progress with that and Jim's growing group of good guys, the whole Fish and Oswald, Fish and Carmine battle is becoming a bit tiresome. I'm ready for Carmine or Oswald to retaliate against Fish, rather than what feels like an endless back and forth. Or, maybe, I'm just tired of Fish.

But wow, could I care less about what is feeling like a forced love triangle between Jim, Barbara and Montoya? We've barely even gotten enough time to see Jim and Barbara's relationship, and now the show is adding a third to try and up the drama? I was disinterested in what was supposed to probably be a shocking cliffhanger.

There were a lot more positives in this episode giving us some good character moments, and I was engaged for pretty much the whole hour. Plus, I'm intrigued by Harvey Dent's arrival, but in bringing him in it also makes me wish we'd get a chance to see a Bruce Wayne or Batman involved much sooner on the series rather than way, way later.

What did you think of Harvey Dent? Will Selina help Bruce with his training to become Batman? Are you still enjoying Gotham? And if you want to see the hour or any episode again, be sure to watch Gotham online.

And here is your first look at Gotham Season 1 Episode 10:

Harvey Dent Review

Editor Rating: 3.6 / 5.0
  • 3.6 / 5.0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
User Rating:

Rating: 4.4 / 5.0 (22 Votes)

Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.

Show Comments
Tags: ,