With Bruce Wayne still battling adolescence, Gotham managed to draw in plenty of viewers not with the promise of a caped, crusading hero – but his future rogues gallery. Watching the colorful characters show hints of the supervillains they will one day become is as compelling as it is tortuous (or torturous) – and the writers know it, too, drowning viewers with on-the-nose easter eggs, tongue-in-cheek references, and a slow burn development.
It’s quite ironic, considering the show survives exactly because fans want it to end – or, at least, to see it end – and see the metamorphosis of its characters completed. On the back of news that Gotham is looking to cast two new DC villains for season two – in addition to greater emphasis being placed on Joker and Riddler’s story lines, as well as the introduction of Clayface and Mad Hatter – the show’s very own Nicholas D’Agosto has confirmed via Twitter that he will return as a series regular come fall.
While casual viewers know D’Agosto simply as the charming district attorney Harvey Dent, comic fans know him as the future bipolar criminal mastermind, Two-Face. Season one introduced Dent in the former half of the season, forging early on his valiant alliance with James Gordon and cementing his ambitious desire to rid Gotham of corruption and crime – to become its much needed “White Knight.”
And last we saw him in “Everyone Has a Cobblepot”, he was directly acting on that desire, teaming up with Gordon to take down corrupt Commissioner Loeb.
In terms of character arcs, Harvey Dent’s is one of the most purely tragic; it’s a traditional fall from grace origin, in which the hero becomes the villain – or, as The Dark Knight‘s Aaron Eckhart put it, the hero “lives long enough to see himself become the villain.” That said, his descent into villainy is not entirely unexpected. In fact, several of Two-Face’s qualities, most notably his manic anger and a compulsive obsession with flipping coins, have already begun to manifest in the bright-eyed do-gooder, casting an ominous shadow of what’s to come.
If Gotham adheres to its source material, fans will have to wait a long time before that shadow ever reaches its full length, considering Dent does not (traditionally) become Two-Face until after Bruce becomes Batman. However, the show has not been shy about deviating from comic lore, prompting many to view the storyline as a separate or alternate version to the original – so it might have to when eventually dealing with Two-Face’s origin (that is, if it ever shows it).
In the comics, it’s Sal Maroni who throws acid at Dent’s face, hideously scarring his skin. But with Maroni out of the picture following the season one finale, the show will have to find another catalyst or ‘straw’ to break Dent’s back – and psyche.
Are you looking forward to more Harvey Dent in season 2? Or would you rather the show have waited to introduce him? Let us know in the comments.
Gotham season 2 will premiere in fall 2015.
It’s quite ironic, considering the show survives exactly because fans want it to end – or, at least, to see it end – and see the metamorphosis of its characters completed. On the back of news that Gotham is looking to cast two new DC villains for season two – in addition to greater emphasis being placed on Joker and Riddler’s story lines, as well as the introduction of Clayface and Mad Hatter – the show’s very own Nicholas D’Agosto has confirmed via Twitter that he will return as a series regular come fall.
While casual viewers know D’Agosto simply as the charming district attorney Harvey Dent, comic fans know him as the future bipolar criminal mastermind, Two-Face. Season one introduced Dent in the former half of the season, forging early on his valiant alliance with James Gordon and cementing his ambitious desire to rid Gotham of corruption and crime – to become its much needed “White Knight.”
And last we saw him in “Everyone Has a Cobblepot”, he was directly acting on that desire, teaming up with Gordon to take down corrupt Commissioner Loeb.
In terms of character arcs, Harvey Dent’s is one of the most purely tragic; it’s a traditional fall from grace origin, in which the hero becomes the villain – or, as The Dark Knight‘s Aaron Eckhart put it, the hero “lives long enough to see himself become the villain.” That said, his descent into villainy is not entirely unexpected. In fact, several of Two-Face’s qualities, most notably his manic anger and a compulsive obsession with flipping coins, have already begun to manifest in the bright-eyed do-gooder, casting an ominous shadow of what’s to come.
If Gotham adheres to its source material, fans will have to wait a long time before that shadow ever reaches its full length, considering Dent does not (traditionally) become Two-Face until after Bruce becomes Batman. However, the show has not been shy about deviating from comic lore, prompting many to view the storyline as a separate or alternate version to the original – so it might have to when eventually dealing with Two-Face’s origin (that is, if it ever shows it).
In the comics, it’s Sal Maroni who throws acid at Dent’s face, hideously scarring his skin. But with Maroni out of the picture following the season one finale, the show will have to find another catalyst or ‘straw’ to break Dent’s back – and psyche.
Are you looking forward to more Harvey Dent in season 2? Or would you rather the show have waited to introduce him? Let us know in the comments.
Gotham season 2 will premiere in fall 2015.
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