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Gotham – Harvey Dent Review

"Lets try not to anger Harvey. "
A close call for Gotham on Monday night. It was heading south until one element boosted up its rating: Harvey Dent's turn. This episode was beginning to feel like Selina Kyle, since very little of Dent was shown but as he switched from angelic to demonic (metaphorically speaking) it made this episode better than Selina's. Harvey Dent is finally introduced and greatly portrayed by Nicholas D'Agosto. Following their patterns of bad guys, Gordon and Bullock go after a bomb-making vigilante. Then of course is Selina Kyle who is staying at the Wayne mansion in witness protection and such a coquette she has shown to be. But then again, it was a great juxtaposition between Selina and Bruce. Comparing Selina Kyle to Harvey Dent, both these episodes had very little scenes of the actors it claimed to be about. Looking back to Kyle's episode, the girl didn't start talking way into the episode but here from the first to the last scene all of Dent has been shown. Like Carmen Bicondova in Selina Kyle, D'Agosto had little camera time, maybe like three or four scenes in the whole episode. Oddly enough, there was much more information about Kyle and the reason she is living in the streets (her version of it). Maybe Dent will have another episode he can shine in, although D'Agosto did a freaky well job of showing both his sides in little time. gotham-harvey-dent-04 Because this episode was turning out like Selina Kyle, it was starting to go down but it was that second side of him that brought this episode to the top. Surely, you saw his angry face and how well it revealed what is inside of him? Now, I don't want to compare the previous actors who played this role because every writer has his/her vision of Harvey Dent but in Nolan's version, Aaron Eckhart began angelic and went evil. That isn't the case here. Writers Bruno Heller and Ken Woordruff have decided to make Dent consume both the good and the bad. Giving the viewer an interpretation of the reason Dent quickly went evil after he becomes Two-Face. It is already inside of him and only his mood determines which will come out. That bipolar moment in his office made Patty and Doug (Selina Kyle) look like kids throwing a tantrum on the playground. D'Agosto went from angelic to demonic and back in just a few seconds. This freaky moment proved how well D'Agosto can make a face that fits both sides. That second face that lives inside of him for the moment peeks through and I will admit it is not one I want to see again. Staying with Harvey Dent/D'Agosto, Director Karen Gaviola brought his character to another level. In each scene only one side of Dent's face was shown. In the scenes that took place in his office, a shadow was cast on his right side face. The shadow symbolizing the darkness that hides beneath him and only when he is Two-Face will that darkness get a chance to surface. In the moment he turns and lets out the evil talk, the camera closes in and his entire face is emerged in shadow. In the second it took him to step back, the light came back. It was true visionary. In other news, Selina is staying with Bruce and such cute chemistry between them. I preferred a brother/sister relationship but this is the path the writers want to take. Selina came to the mansion just in time for Bruce's fighting lessons. Now, Bruce will know how much more it will take for him to survive in Gotham. She a street kid and he a preppy made for an interesting comparison but proved that both are just kids living with their own nightmares. Selina has taught something to Bruce and Bruce taught us something about Selina. Selina is scared to accept she is an orphan if in fact she is an orphan. Her stories about her mother are her way of coping with reality. We really don't know what happened to her mother but her stories about her seem to have come from her imagination. The scenes between the two brought out more about Selina but it also showed a more romantic side of her. She is very straightforward in asking for a kiss but she could have been just a coquette taping into his emotions. gotham-harvey-dent-02 While the rest of cast (from Penguin to Monroe) were excess characters and unnecessary in all their actions, Ian Hargrove is one vigilante bomber I found myself feeling sympathy. His sickness has opened up the doors to Arkham but he will not get the help he needs. In which case, he is the only loose string but I doubt we will be seeing him again. This is too bad because I had hoped for his happy ending—as happy as a criminal can have. Yet, he wasn't the star of this episode. The stars of the episode were Dent, Kyle and Wayne. Final Thoughts • The visionary behind Harvey Dent has come through the shadows. • Bruce and Selina are way passed a brother/sister friendship. • Barbara’s letter promises she will be back. • Arkham is open for business • The episode showed more on Harvey Dent than the previous Selina Kyledid on Selina.
Rating
6.9
Pros
  • Selina and Bruce
  • Harvey Dent
  • Arkham
  • Karen Gaviola
Cons
  • Penguin
  • And the rest of the characters

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