The Complete Second Season of Gotham is now available on Blu-ray and DVD, with all 22 episodes included in a set full of extras.
Here’s our review of the Blu-ray set. Disclaimer: KSiteTV was provided with a review copy of this set by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; the opinions are our own.
The Episodes: In a world where comic book adaptations sometimes live or die based on how much they follow the continuity of the source material, at some point, Gotham gave up on the idea, especially by this second season. The plan of this show seems to be “throw it at the wall and see what sticks,” and it’s a lot more solid than what the show had once been. They seem to recognize that Robin Lord Taylor’s “Penguin” Oswald Cobblepot is far more interesting than Jim Gordon or Harvey Bullock, and the crazy just seems to flow out. (I will say, though, an impersonated Gordon in the season finale is cheesy, campy, and absolutely brilliant from actor Ben McKenzie). Even characters who seemed extraneous or annoying in Season 1, like Barbara, have embraced the crazy, and it’s made the show worth watching.
With that said, there is still a level of seriousness within. It is, however, nice to see Gotham is not trying to fit itself into a box, but instead being the crackiest Gotham it could be. Want to bring in the Order of St. Dumas or Mr. Freeze before we even see Batman? Sure, why not. Want an excuse to bring in Paul Reubens as Penguin’s father, a nod to his role in Batman Returns? Why don’t we bring in a guy who may be the Joker and then [spoiler deleted?] Okay. And while I have praised Robin Lord Taylor’s performance specifically, there are a lot of great actors playing roles in this show. It’s fun.
The Extras: This might be one of the most packed Blu-ray sets of the modern era, at least as far as Warner Bros. shows are concerned. Sure, there’s the typical “Comic-Con panel” extra that we can all come to expect, but there are also featurettes devoted to almost every character — they’re short but fun, and originally appeared online.
My favorite featurette might be dedicated to Sean Pertwee’s Alfred and his relationship to young Bruce Wayne, played by young David Mazouz who is talented beyond his years. I admit a slight bias to liking the character as Pertwee’s father was my first Doctor, but the son is just as talented as his parent, bringing many layers to the character. I was also glad to see DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns interviewed on the set — so often he’s been tied to the Berlanti shows, but we haven’t seen a lot of him with Gotham.
That’s not all, though: We get features about other subjects, too, including the tragedy of Mr. Freeze. The only feature I might have been “meh” on was a “film noir” bit that seemed to go on a bit too long and didn’t really interest me much.
The Packaging: The rise and wrath of the villains yielded some really nice cover artwork and packaging.
Is It Worth It? Absolutely. I admit even as a huge DC Comics fan that I missed Gotham at times this last season since it conflicted with Supergirl. But the look of this show on Blu-ray is incredible, and I really liked the effort put into including a lot of extras to add value to the set. Is Gotham the “young Bruce Wayne” show I would have wanted as a companion to Smallville, which was actually proposed to The WB before Smallville was a thing? No. But it’s its own thing, and once you step back and realize that, it’s a wild, wacky ride.
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