gotham

We’re closer than ever to the third season premiere of FOX’s Gotham, and the monsters are coming out of the woodwork. See for yourself, as everyone from Penguin to Bullock take the spotlight in new character trailers for the September 19 premiere.

Gotham Season 3 will be laying the Alice in Wonderland puns pretty thick by the arrival of the Mad Hatter, so we’d best get used to it now. Case in point, Season 3 becomes a “Mad City” in a new trailer for the September premiere, and a poster that goes through the looking glass. Crap, now we’re doing it.

If any series stood accused of missing what makes live-action superheroes enjoyable, it’d be FOX’s Gotham. Well, wouldn’t you know it - the showrunner who thinks “prenatal origin stories” and sexualizing 14-year old characters make great fodder for Batman’s beginnings says “I don’t think superheroes work very well on TV.”

Mileage may vary on whether Gotham does an effective job of setting up Batman’s beginnings, though most grew to embrace the bizarre proto-Joker of Cameron Monaghan’s Jerome. It may take until Season 4 before we finally see the character again, but producers at least explain how that Season 2 finale cameo came about.

First one Jessica Jones star joins the Arrow-verse, and now a second heads over to FOX’s Gotham. New Season 3 set photos appear to place Kilgrave victim Kieran Mulcare in a mysterious role, but as whom? Proto-Solomon Grundy, perhaps?

FOX’s Gotham has been … less than clear with its intent regarding Season 3's transformation from Clare Foley’s young Ivy Pepper to Maggie Geha’s full Poison Ivy, but a new photo at least sells the transition. Gone are the low-cut dresses, as a new Season 3 shot of Ivy Pepper brings back the familiar outfit.

FOX pre-Batman drama Gotham owes at least some debt to The CW’s pre-Superman series Smallville, but could the two ever actually meet? Superman appears to have been freed up for DC’s TV series, and Gotham’s own Bruce Wayne wants to see a young Clark Kent crossing over as soon as possible.

Gotham weirdness aside, it feels like Season 3 straddles a line with the decision to age proto-Poison Ivy character Ivy Pepper from 14 year-old actor Clare Foley into 28 year-old Maggie Geha. Early promotional shots haven’t done the spin any favors, but producers and cast argue that Gotham Season 3 won’t utilize the Batman character’s inherent sexuality, or even her plant-related abilities.

FOX’s Gotham hasn’t descended into all-out costumed superheroes and villains just yet, but the more sensibly-dressed Batman characters usually get their due. As such, our first look at Walking Dead star Benedict Samuel as Gotham’s Mad Hatter looks … well, how would you expect a guy with a top hat to look?

There’s no question that FOX’s Gotham works best with its weirder tendencies, but Season 3 has at least some questionable choices to tackle. Out of TCA, Gotham bosses explain the decision to age up Claire Foley’s li’l Poison Ivy into a young seductress, as well previewing proto-Suicide Squad members like Killer Croc, and a Joker cult in Season 4.