The season two premiere, “Damned If You Do…,” by contrast, is more promising than anything in the first 22 episodes. What’s remarkable is that Gotham didn’t even need to do that much to make its first hour of this season captivating. The pieces have been there all along; it’s just that the quality of the show depends on how they all get arranged. The biggest change in the premiere from all previous episodes is in the tone of the show. There are still silly villains and stilted dialogue, but it’s clear that the show is no longer taking itself too seriously. Where the first season never managed to balance its campy elements with its more gritty ambitions, “Damned If You Do…” strikes that balance almost immediately.
More than just the product of a shift in tone though, the premiere is promising because it introduces a ton of variables into the mix. Gotham feels unpredictable for the time being, which is not something that could be said about any stretch in the first season. Where the first season consistently winked at the viewer and nudged narratives towards everything canon, “Damned If You Do…” seems more focused on establishing Gotham as its own thing, with its own unique voice. The biggest jolt to the show comes in the form of the new band of villains, as Theo Galavan (James Frain) and his sister Tabitha free a handful of prisoners from Arkham, including Barbara and her new pal Jerome (with Shameless’ Cameron Monaghan back, thankfully), in the hopes of bringing chaos to the streets of Gotham. Right now, Galavan and his team don’t need more motivation that that. The presence of the villains, and the shakeup they represent, in the premiere is enough of a hook for the rest of the season.
This is still an imperfect show with dialogue that occasionally makes you cringe and a Batman origin story that’s moving along at a horribly sluggish pace. Still, with its new band of villains and a shakeup in the city of Gotham, be it Cobblepot becoming the man who pushes Gordon to compromise his ethics or billionaire Theo Galavan preparing to disrupt the order of the city, “Damned If You Do…”presents a rejuvenated and reworked version of Gotham that, for now, represents a significant step forward for the series.