Gotham Knights Episode 4 Review

By Paul Maglietta

Photos Courtesy of The CW

So the real problem of Gotham Knights is starting to finally become obvious. The main character, Turner, is the dullest part of the show. I said it in my very first review and I will continue to say it here, creating an original character in this role instead of using one of the many established sons of Batman is the worst creative decision this show could have done. I would much rather have a bad iteration of Dick Grayson or Tim Drake, rather than dull and predictable Turner. This episode only further pushed the idea that the supporting cast is where the potential of this show lies, and I will be honest they at least managed to poke a little fun at themselves.

As always I will start with the good. It was a ton of fun seeing different characters team up and interact. Duela and Carrie’s undercover mission, while predictable, was a more interesting use of the two and toning down Duela a little worked way more in her favor. While I do not necessarily have a problem with the actress, the writing is trying way too hard to make her so desperate to be like her father that it simply makes her like every other character on the show. If they were to tone her down a little I would find her to be a lot more enjoyable, especially playing off the “straight man” Carrie. I am also glad that they addressed the Harper/Stephanie conflict. With Turner pointing out that at the end of the day the two are exceptionally similar, to Harper finally realizing she could be like Stephanie had her upbringing been better, and Cullen being the voice of reason made the whole conflict more enjoyable. Speaking of Cullen, his scenes with Stephanie were some of the best thus far and having him break into GCPD was just as enjoyable. I hope they end Cullen’s story this season in a good way, for me he either needs to betray the group at the end or become an actual GCPD officer. The double edge sword of this episode came with Harvey Dent. I am way more intrigued by what is happening with him and his investigation into the Court. We are not only seeing him deep into the conspiracy, even helping his rival who has been marked by the court, and also possibly the beginnings of his split personality. It is a shame that this show does not focus more around Harvey, like Gotham focused on Jim Gordon, but when the show is an ensemble all characters need their time.

And now the bad. We have the full debut of the Court of Owls and the reveal to Turner that Cressida was a villain all along. Again, I find Turner to be boring as all can be. The writers constantly feel the need to point out that Turner was taken off the street and was a tough orphan before being adopted, only to have him whine throughout this episode about wanting to go home and to be a rich socialite again. I also found issue with him discovering the Talon weapon being the source of the x shaped marks on the victims. It would have been a better reveal had he realized it while Cullen was cutting cake with this supposedly toxic laced blade. Also weird annoyance, what school has no nighttime staff or security system? Turner’s interaction with the Court, in their very disproportioned masks, could have been written much better. I would have preferred Turner falsely gave up his new friends whether to escape or go undercover with the Court, or if he had actually taken them up on the offer and became a bad guy. Alas they played it safe and when the easy route. While the show is getting better, Turner is the one character I just cannot stand by and I feel giving the other cast members more time in the spotlight would make the show that much better.

Star City Rating 3 out of 5