By Paul Maglietta

Well…..a slight improvement?

So I have been less than nice about my thoughts on this CW attempt. The most unfortunate thing being when you get to an episode like this where you see where the real potential of this show could be. As always I will start off with the good. I am digging Carrie Kelly. While I am still not feeling the semi-Robin look, or the lack of her iconic red hair, she is proving herself to be the most interesting character on the show. The episode starts off with her taking down the leader of the Mutants (more on that in a little bit) and having to rely more on her wits than out muscling this brute. Also she has to deal with the guilt that comes afterwards when the Mutants retaliate, an aspect of being a superhero I always find intriguing. Honestly a show that revolved around her trying to solve Batman’s death would be way more interesting than Turner and his new haircut every week. I also enjoyed Cullen’s little undercover mission in the heart of GCPD (and yes, rookie always gets the coffee), although I do not need a dramatic I need to prove myself moment every week with his sister. The last highlight I have to mention is Misha Collins continuing to kill it as Harvey Dent. Until this episode we have only gotten the clean cut white knight version of Harvey, now not only do we see him throw hands but also that he has a mysterious history with Rebecca Marsh. I hope that we continue to push the Harvey story further until we get his inevitable transformation.

Now the less good. I am a big fan of The Dark Knight returns graphic novel. It is arguably one of the most iconic stories in comic history and a source of inspiration for many Batman stories. I did not find it working well here. The mutants are fine on the comic page but felt exceptionally out of place in a live action modern setting. I also have an issue with adapting aspects of one of the best Batman stories, without Batman. I also find myself not interesting in most of the ensemble cast. When you have a large cast of good looking and all basically genius martial artists, it is hard to find anything unique to engage with. I still find Turner bland and unlikable and Duela and Harper are both completely defined by their relationship to their family. I also found the fight between Stephanie and Harper completely unnecessary and shoe horned in. We were also introduced to the March family, and while I found Brody more interesting and sympathetic this week, his parents are literal clones of the Lodges from Riverdale. Oh well, CW has gotta CW.

While a step in the right direction, Gotham Knights needs to re work how it writes its characters. Between the non interesting ones and the carbon copies, this show would fair better with one storyline and better writing. I hope though that this past episode is an indication of things to come.

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