What Can Gotham Learn From The Flash?

This fall, DC’s properties have inspired three new shows: The Flash, Gotham, and Constantine.  Constantine is still too new to make a judgement call, but both The Flash and Gotham have enough episodes under their shiny, new belts that we can make an assessment on the quality of their storytelling.  That is, The Flash has established itself as a much more compelling myth than Gotham.  How is that possible?  With all the hoopla behind Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and built up fan-following for Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, audiences should be completely mesmerized by the prequel world of Gotham — but they’re not.  Here’s how The Flash can mentor Gotham in building an exciting series that stands on its own.

A Bright Hero in a Dark World

“Nobody likes a Debbie Downer, but that’s what James Gordon is.”

It’s no doubt that Gotham is trying to be hardboiled, so it’s set up to be dark and brooding.  However, does it also have to have a character that broods with it?  Nobody likes a Debbie Downer, but that’s what James Gordon is.  In almost every episode, his actions in cleaning up Gotham City are undermined by the fact that everything seems like a chore.  Who is he doing this for?  What are his motivations?

Some may say that his promise to Bruce Wayne is a good enough reason.  I’m saying it’s not.  Already set up as a “white knight”, Gordon himself doesn’t need to be an anti-hero.  His character needs to contrast with the hopelessness of the city.  Another factor that makes Gordon uninteresting is his lack of companionship.  We’re not talking about requiring characters to be married.  We’re talking about characters caring about someone.  Aside from Barbara Kean, there really is no one else Gordon cares about, or that cares about him.  He may have a partner in the form of Harvey Bullock, but it still remains to be seen if Bullock is actually a friend.  Gordon, being this type of loner protagonist, can be hard for the audience to relate to.

Now, compare Gordon to Barry Allen.  From the start of The Flash, we’re given a reason as to why he’s doing this — his family — finding justice for his mother and clearing his father’s name.  Even with his father behind bars, Barry still has other people who care about him — Joe West and Iris West.  Barry has something to live for.  His conflicts are greater because they affect the most important things in his life.

“Barry also doesn’t constantly brood.  Even when the stakes are high, he looks for the silver lining.”

Gordon exhibited no such qualities, and he definitely didn’t experience a loss as great as Barry’s.  Fans of Gotham may argue that his story about losing his father to a drunk driver is already enough.  However, the audience never got to experience this loss with Gordon.  Showing these aspects is much more powerful than just having your protagonist talk about it.  In the pilot episode of The Flash, we were treated to a quick scene of Barry’s loving mother and father comforting him, after he ran home from a fight with bullies.  This simple scene was powerful enough to have the audience be on Barry’s side.  Therefore, when the Reverse Flash killed his mother and framed his father, Barry’s problems became our problems.

Barry also doesn’t constantly brood.  Even when the stakes are high, he looks for the silver lining.  When Barry first received his powers, he enthusiastically used them and was happy about their potential.  He also enjoys engaging in nerdy pastimes.  The character of Gordon lacks charisma in this arena.  Nothing seems to really excite the man.  Does he have hobbies?  What makes him smile?  That is why Gotham can be so flat at times.  Real people have interests.  They have things they enjoy doing, and things that excite them.

The protagonists of shows, especially ones involving superheroes, must have the audience’s backing.  To get this “cheering on” mentality from the fans, the protagonist must show qualities that are somewhat noble, which are in the forms of taking care of someone and having a positive attitude.

A Little Bit of Mystery Goes a Long Way

I’m not sure how many times Gotham characters were introduced with all of their closet skeletons on full display.  If I can point out a weakness greater than the uncompelling protagonist problems listed above, this would be it.  When we were introduced to Harvey Bullock, it was brute-forced to us that he was a corrupt cop.  Bullock was not shy about police brutality, being in bed with the mob, and murder.  I know that criminals are not the type of people you would feel sympathy for, but murder might be a bit too far when you’re trying to set a character up as an anti-hero.  Though they didn’t show it on-screen, it was implied that Bullock had done it multiple times in the past.

Bullock’s aggressiveness and antagonism towards Gordon was also overdone, which created an artificial feel for the overall show.  What’s the reason behind Bullock’s anger towards a totally new partner?  Why is Bullock coming out with guns blazing?  All of these things took away the mysteries of Gotham.  Leaving some unanswered questions would’ve been fine.  Let me ask you this: when was the last time someone you met in real life told you that they didn’t like you to your face?  Exactly, almost never.  You find out likes and dislikes as you learn more about the person.

“These questions keep the audience engaged.”

It wasn’t just the character of Bullock that had a mystery problem.  Fish Mooney’s scheme to overthrow Carmine Falcone was beyond predictable.  In Episode Five, Viper, Mooney is seen coaching her protégé, Liza, in how to seduce Falcone.  At the end, the writers set it up as if it was an “ah-ha” moment when Falcone meets Liza.  The final minutes of this meeting was a complete waste and didn’t add anything to the plot.

Now, look at the mysteries The Flash has created.  We have the unknown true identity of Dr. Harrison Wells.  Every episode adds a bit to his character.  In the pilot, we find out that he could walk, didn’t need glasses, and actually knew about the impending particle accelerator disaster — he was from the future.  In the second episode, Fastest Man Alive, Wells is seen stabbing a man to death.  All of these elements don’t flat out say who he is.  Instead, they add more questions than answers.  He seems to want to help Barry Allen, but also does some bad things.  He supports Barry, but also discourages him to his face.  Who is Wells?  What are his motives?  These questions keep the audience engaged.

Even supporting characters get a mystery.  The initial antagonism between Eddie Thawne and Iris West was later revealed to be a ruse — they were actually dating and wanted to hide it from Iris’s father, Joe West.  Not revealing too much too soon adds a greater amount of dimension to a story.

“This revelation would’ve been a complete shift in the story for the audience, …”

If Gotham were to apply The Flash‘s storytelling technique, Bullock would have a straitlaced demeanor.  At the end of each episode, we should see what Bullock is doing behind the scenes.  He should be seen as a puppeteer manipulating James.  Bullock should cause the audience to question if he is a man of morals or corrupt.  This will keep people tuning in each week to get clues on Bullock’s loyalties.

We shouldn’t even have seen Mooney preparing Liza for her meeting with Falcone.  Falcone should’ve met Liza in a different manner — saving her from being mugged, seeing her as a waitress in a restaurant, or helping her out in some manner where he’s the initiator of the encounter.  After a few episodes, we could have a flashback scene showing Liza being mentored by Mooney, or have Liza meeting Mooney in secret.  This revelation would’ve been a complete shift in the story for the audience, and they too would’ve felt manipulated by Mooney.

The Flash has certainly proved superior in the realm of providing enough twists and turns to keep each episode exciting.  The show also doesn’t employ these techniques as cheap tricks — they help to build the overall myth and characters.  Gotham could definitely use some intrigue to its advantage.

Stop It with the References

“The audience has a much higher bar.”

One of the other downfalls of Gotham is its reliance on references.  By constantly reminding us that this is a Batman prequel, we’re never able to fully immerse ourselves into these reimagined characters.  The references and callbacks are too numerous to list, but some of the more glaring, in-your-face, cringeworthy ones are:

• Selina Kyle telling Gordan that she can see in the dark “like a cat.”
• Edward Nygma drinking from a mug that has a question mark design on it — and for some reason, it’s coincidentally facing the viewer.
• Edward Nygma spewing out riddles every chance he gets.
• The number of times people keep calling Oswald Cobblepot “Penguin.”

There are a lot more, but this sample list shows you why Gotham is unable to transcend its source material.  Teases like these worked in the past because television budgets were much smaller than movies, and superhero movies themselves were rare.  Nowadays, where we get to see an interconnected comic book universe on film and television, these references act only as an annoyance.  The audience has a much higher bar.  If people wanted to experience the Dark Knight and his villains in all their glory, they would just see one of the numerous Batman films currently available.  The audience doesn’t need to be teased.  They want a story behind the supporting characters who were rarely given attention in other media.

In contrast, The Flash comes through the door with a suit and famous villains.  There are no glaring references (aside from the occasional ones for minor characters in the comics, which is what Easter eggs should be), and each character is developed independent of who they will be.  As an example, the writers could’ve gone ahead and had other characters constantly call Caitlin Snow’s personality “cold” or “frosty.”  But they didn’t because it’s cheap and takes away from what we want to know about Caitlin in the present.  Each one of The Flash‘s characters are given focus of who they are in the now.

It’s not Too Late

Gotham is still in its infancy, so changes in the way the story is told can still be implemented without jarring the audience.  The writers need to find a way to give the protagonists worthy qualities, so that the audience will follow these characters in whatever path they take.  Engagement is the issue here.  Heroes and their purposes must be engaging.

Story mysteries and subtle hints should be used to Gotham‘s advantage.  Don’t give too much away all in one sitting.  Characters, like people in real life, have hidden motivations and politics.  They don’t walk around like an open book.  Reveal these character dimensions little by little as the series moves forward.  Gotham will become a much more dynamic show if the writers allow revelations to affect the overall plot.

Allow Gotham to stand on its own as a story.  There’s no need to draw on Batman’s history.  We all know what happens to young Bruce Wayne later in life.  We don’t need a rehash of that myth.  By building on the side characters of Batman’s world, you can create compelling heroes and villains who will make a name for themselves.  Constrast them with what we know from the comics.

Gotham can still be a great show if the writers allow it to be.  Many story structure errors can be corrected by following the basic rules of screenwriting.  In a city where politics and crime mingle in a complicated way, Gotham‘s story DNA shouldn’t be so straightforward and blunt either.