Gotham is a messed up place to put it mildly. During the Dark Knight era, we got plenty of up-close looks at the corruption infesting Gotham like a horde of disease-carrying rats.

Then the first season of the Gotham TV series came along this past year and delved deeper into the mire. It presented the world of Gotham as it was when Jim Gordon was cutting his teeth in the GCPD.

And you know what? As terrible as Batman’s Gotham was, this earlier version was darker and grimmer. It dealt with the backstory of several main characters as well as covering the lives of villainous scumbags such as Penguin, Black Widow, and the Riddler, who didn’t have time to make an appearance in the movies.

Not only did we get a window into set up of the Dark Knight Trilogy, it showed us Gotham’s depravity running rampant, unchecked by a flying vigilante. Gordon was the lone speck of light in the inky blackness and he was always fighting an uphill battle.

The Darkness of Gotham

After all, Gotham’s like the underside of a rock—dark and dirty, and swarming with unsavory things. Every episode felt like it was taking us into the sewer of humanity where everything is twisted and goodness, integrity, and virtue have faded from memory.

It’s uncomfortable to admit, but Gotham isn’t as fictional as we’d like to hope. Much as we want to paint the world in happy colors of goodwill, camaraderie, and harmony, the picture we have of Gotham is more accurate.

Sin corrupts everyone. It’s a darkness we can’t escape, one that infects us as surely as crime infects Gotham.

That’s the grim truth of it. By turning over that rock and getting dirty with the disgusting stuff underneath, Gotham presents us with our own world. We tend to ignore the nasty stuff of life because it’s, well, too nasty.

We don’t want the grime to soil the white gloves of our imagined morality so we withdraw to the place of happy thoughts and sunshine. In Gotham, the sun doesn’t shine, and apart from God, the same is true of our hearts.

Two characters stuck in my mind as perfect examples of everything that’s wrong with Gotham, sometimes in subtle ways.

1. Oswald Cobblepot

Penguin is the dregs from the cup of debauchery. No one is more devious, selfish, ruthless, and despicable than awkward Oswald. All of Gotham suffers from the actions of criminals, but he takes corruption to a new level. How callous do you have to be to slit someone’s throat without thinking twice?

Yet for all his sickening attributes, we get a startling contrast in Penguin’s character. He genuinely loves his mother. He lies to protect her from the truth of what he’s become—he can’t bear the anguish it would cause her to see him as Penguin and not her dorky son.

 

 

2. Edward Nygma

To me, Nygma’s character arc was one of the most fascinating in the series. He started out as a quirky assistant who felt normal for the most part but strange enough to make you doubtful.

As the series progressed, the darkness in him grew and he transitioned from a weirdo to a creep. His obsession with cadavers—and his morbid interest in death—was another signal of his ultimate destiny.

Still, it was hard not to like his nerdiness, and his irrepressible affection for “Miss Kringle”—even in the face of dismissal—was touching. Behind that, however, you could sense the buildup, a strengthening storm on the horizon.

The climax came in the final episode. And it was love that drove him to the final depth of immorality.

He couldn’t stand the jerk Miss Kringle was going with. Instead of leaving her to abuse, he confronted the officer—a noble act. But then, in his passionate rage, he became a murderer.

Afterward, his systematic disposal of the body revealed that the darkness had entrenched itself. There was no remorse, no going back.

The final shot of him giving an insane cackle completed his trip to certified psychopathy.

Gotham’s Story Is Our Story

Penguin and Nygma—along with the rest of Gotham’s lowlife—paint a grim but pointed picture of the sinful state of humanity. For all the despicable things that happen, it’s nothing worse than what plagues the world every day. That’s convicting and chilling.

But for the grace of God, we would be no better. However, that shines a ray of light that pierces the darkness around us and in us, and glows like a beacon of hope amid our corruption.

What did you think of Gotham’s depravity? Do you think we ignore our own corruption more than we should? I would love to hear your thoughts.