Monday Night's Episode of Gotham

Monday night's episode of Gotham presents both Bruce and Alfred in roles that would be more at home in Game of Thrones: Bruce a young lord attempting to preserve his share of the seven kingdoms while beset with inexperience, lack of martial training and limited allies; Alfred as Maester who must guide his young lord through various pitfalls, traps and deceptions besieging the kingdom of Gotham as he attempts to balance his role of loving surrogate father with that of loyal servant. As for Jim Gordon, he finds himself in the role of a man without a country.  In fact his role is similar to that of John Snow, he is beset by secrets believed to be long buried, allies possessing daggers behind their backs, and enemies to powerful to be attacked outright.  Even those that are supposed to be close to him are unable to be completely trusted or relied upon. 

Gotham is also a main character -- one that is bent on self-destruction, and revenge.  It is through the shows various characters such as Jim Gordon – Gotham’s face of justice; Oswald Cobblepot its face of psychotic ambition,  and Mayor James – Gotham’s face of corruption that her story as a city is successfully portrayed through these different sides of its personality. Each of these individuals represent a piece of Gotham's fractured psyche. Yet at its center stands a tormented child known as Bruce Wayne whose privileged, definitive set of values, and worldly perspective has failed to prepare him for the reality that is Gotham. It should be noted in this episode that Bruce's last remaining attachment to Gotham outside of Alfred and Wayne manner is Arkham asylum; the dream of Thomas and Martha Wayne. It should be obvious that Bruce’s emerging desire to fight for and save Arkham is a way for Bruce to reenact his parent's death while working out his issues of helplessness and guilt concerning their deaths. It is the fate of Arkham and Bruce's attempt to rescue it from “evil men” that begins to potentially shape Bruce into the avenging dark detective known as Batman.