Although Channel 5 holds the broadcast rights to Gotham in the UK, it has elected to refrain from actually airing the third season of Gotham. This makes this DVD collection the first chance that fans on this side of the pond will have to watch Gotham‘s third season through official means.
Occasionally Gotham will make use of background music that either comes from one of the Burton films, or feels like it would have fit in perfectly among the rest of those films’ scores. This may seem like it’s an odd point to start with but it highlights how similar in tone this series is to those movies. Gotham really does feel like an answer to Burton’s take on Batman in television form. The third season is no exception. The plots are purposefully bizarre, the actors fully embrace their roles, and the sets combine the theatrical garish with the grim and gritty.
Gotham has a wide array of characters, and it manages to more or less balance them all. There are a couple of exceptions, Fish Mooney is mostly forgotten this season (despite the promise she showed in season 2), and Ivy’s characterisation leaves a lot to be desired. The highlight of this season comes in the form of the dynamic between Edward Nygma, and the Penguin. Their scenes together make for some of the most emotional, and some of the tensest this season.
The plot may be where Gotham Season 3 loses some people. It involves clones, secret societies, and as always, the mob is up to something. Gotham successfully navigates these things by fully embracing the over the top nature of it all, but your mileage may vary as to how successfully they pull that off.
Gotham Season 3 comes with a small offering of extras for viewers to enjoy. Anyone who didn’t attend San Diego Comic Con last year can watch Gotham‘s panel. There are also a couple of glimpses behind the scenes of the show, including Ben McKenzie (the actor who plays James Gordon) discussing what it is like to sit in the director’s chair for the first time. Between them the extras are worth a look but won’t take up a great deal of time to get through.
Gotham Season 3 is the strange union of melodrama, crime thriller, and superhero tale. The returning cast all get a chance to shine, and new characters (such as Jervis Tetch) all add something fun to the show. This collection offers fans the chance to finally catch up on the show. It offers a small array of extra features that are acceptable without being substantial. As a whole Gotham Season 3 is worth checking out.
GOTHAM SEASON 3/ CERT: 15/ DIRECTOR: VARIOUS/ WRITERS: VARIOUS/ STARRING: BEN MCKENZIE, ROBIN LORD TAYLOR, CORY MICHAEL SMITH, SEAN PERTWEE, CAMREN BICONDOVA, MORENA BACCARIN, DAVID MAZOUZ/ RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
