Det. James Gordon: Commissioner To Be

[Kromm]

 

Played by Ben McKenzie, former bad boy from The OC, bitches, and former faux-LA cop.

[MarkHB]

The official character bio:

Detective James Gordon (Ben McKenzie – Southland): James Gordon grew up in Gotham City’s surrounding suburbs and romanticized the city — where his late father once served as a successful district attorney — as a glamorous and exciting metropolis. Gotham will follow the young detective’s turbulent and singular rise through the Gotham City Police Department as he navigates the multiple layers of corruption that secretly rule Gotham City (the spawning ground of the world’s most iconic villains) and will also focus on the unlikely friendship that he forms with the young heir to the Wayne fortune.

[Kromm]

Is the DA daddy part of the classic Gordon?  I mean I know a bit about Gordon but don't recall that.  

[janie jones]

I must admit that the thing I'm mostly interested in with this character is whether Ben McKenzie is going to grow out that awful mustache. 

Edited April 30, 2014 by janie jones

[Actionmage]

Aw, Janie, give him a season or two! It might look hot before it gets like Gary Oldman's . Then again, I like a little facial hair on guys.

[janie jones]

I like zero facial hair.  We'll see.

[MarkHB]

EW has a new interview with Ben McKenzie.  No real spoilers.

 

You have to be envious sometimes when the other actors have cool nicknames and outfits and wicked traits, and you have to put on your tie.

Yes! You don’t want him to be the straight man to everybody else, the rube who’s kind of boring. You have to trust the fact that we’re telling Jim’s story. Why are we telling his story? We’re telling it because in a world that’s about to fall apart due to all of these people, when there is no reason to be good, he’s the one man standing up and saying, “No, that’s not right.” And there’s inherent power to that. Besides, I don’t want to be hippest guy. I don’t want to sit around in a fedora and skinny jeans.

[darkestboy]

I was never a big fan of The OC and I didn't really watch much of Southland but I have high hopes for Ben as Gordon and in the trailers alone, he seems right for the part.

[MarkHB]

Interview with Ben McKenzie:

I had lengthy conversations with Bruno and Danny about everything else; lengthy, lengthy conversations about all sorts of things!  And then, as soon as it hit the Internet that I was doing it, -chuckle- it seems like all anyone wanted to talk about was whether I had a mustache or not.  And I thought about ringing Bruno and being like “Hmmm… One last thing…”, we just literally NEVER talked about it.  And then I brought it up to him and he was like....

(I'll leave Heller's response on the source page ;) .

[Sandman]

I like McKenzie, and he's most of the reason I'll be watching this show, but the word "iconic" is going to get thrown around a lot, isn't it? ::sigh::

[SallyAlbright]

Ben McKenzie is pretty much the entire reason I'm watching this. I know he will be great :)

[mtlchick]

His opening speech to Bruce Wayne reminded me a bit of when Ryan first arrive in Orange County in The O.C. 

[DollEyes]

 

I like McKenzie, and he's most of the reason I'll be watching this show, but the word "iconic" is going to get thrown around a lot, isn't it? ::sigh::

 

  I respectfully disagree. I've got no problem with Jim Gordon being described as "iconic." He's in the comic books, the films and the TV shows, including this one. He's been an important part of Bruce Wayne's and Batman's lives from the start. Just because Gordon's not a masked vigilante, that doesn't mean he doesn't matter. Re Gordon in the premiere, he's naïve but I think that's because of his military service abroad and Gotham City has changed for the worse since his absence, not because he left, but because of the systematic corruption that has gradually poisoned the city for years, if not decades, that he never even knew about. The Waynes  apparently were the only people who kept a lid on things and because of their deaths, the city descended into chaos. As for why Gordon didn't kill Oswald, I think it's because Gordon didn't want to do Mooney or Falcone's dirty work by killing him. It backfired horribly, but Gordon didn't make Oswald kill that poor fisherman in cold blood. That Gordon refused to murder Oswald despite his being a criminal and his promise to Bruce to find his parents' killers shows that he's one of the few good cops left in the Police Department. Gordon's integrity may hurt him in some ways, but it'll help him in others. As Gordon, Ben McKenzie is perfect. He has the right blend of strength, character and compassion, plus he still looks good in a tank top. However, I'm surprised this thread wasn't subtitled "Welcome To the GC, Bitch!" as a shout-out to his The O.C. roots.

[Sandman]

  I respectfully disagree. I've got no problem with Jim Gordon being described as "iconic." He's in the comic books, the films and the TV shows, including this one. He's been an important part of Bruce Wayne's and Batman's lives from the start. Just because Gordon's not a masked vigilante, that doesn't mean he doesn't matter.

 

I should explain: I have no problem at all with the character of the Commissioner being described as iconic, and the word applies better to James Gordon than to most characters on tv, for just the reasons you state. I don't mean to imply that one's importance (or even symbolic value) is dependent on wearing primary colours, or putting one's underpants on outside one's pants. It's just that I find the word overused in general; and potentially every character on this show could be described that way. As I mentioned in the episode thread, I also think McKenzie is a brilliant choice for this role. Batman is usually the tentpole character, and if you're going to tell the story from another viewpoint, I think you need someone with appropriate gravitas and charisma, and McKenzie has those in abundance.  

[Maximum Taco]

Is the DA daddy part of the classic Gordon?  I mean I know a bit about Gordon but don't recall that.  

 

I don't think DC has ever gone in depth about Gordon's parents.

 

But in the comics Gordon is definitely not from the Gotham suburbs, he was born in Chicago and joins the Chicago PD before getting transferred to Gotham after he shoots a dirty cop and uncovers a plan to rig the Chicago mayoral race.

 

But that's Post-Crisis Gordon and may not be an accurate history for New 52 Gordon.

Edited September 23, 2014 by Maximum Taco

[flyingdi]

A bright spot on this show. I like him but, damn boy, blink once in a while! The only time he closed his eyes was due to head injury.

[Camera One]

I've never been able to get through a complete episode of "The OC", but I thought the actor did a good job in the pilot and fits the role of an "everyman" trying to do his best in a bad situation.

[Sandman]

He's focused, flyingdi! If Jim takes his eye off the ball, well, someone could hit him with a bat.

[Actionmage]

someone could hit him with a bat.

I see what you did there, you scamp! *g*

[kellinatorjones]

If Gordon's such a great supercop/Boy Scout, how has he not noticed that he's living with a pothead? 

[DollEyes]

Maybe because Barbara only smokes when he's not home and/or won't be home until the next day, when she's sober again.

[Perfect Xero]

If she's not doing anything other than pot, maybe he knows but just doesn't care? He's not a Narcotics officer.

[janie jones]

Maybe Gotham City is located in a state where recreational marijuana use is legal. 

[MarkHB]

It's worth checking out Ben McKenzie's Hallowe'en costume from this year.

[Actionmage]

NPH's Batgirl was adorable!

 

If Gordon's such a great supercop/Boy Scout, how has he not noticed that he's living with a pothead?

 

Maybe he personally doesn't mind? ::shrugs::

 

He might compartmentalize because if he is never off-duty, how is he supposed to interact with non-cops? If he does know, maybe it's a deal between them that if Barb feels the need to light up, she does it when he's not there. The place with the clock/window has been referred to as Barbara's apartment, so maybe he feels he can't tell a grown woman what to do in her own home. He can state what he feels obligated to do if she broke a major law in his presence, but Jim may not feel he has the right to tell even his fiancée what to do in private.

 

This isn't meant to be smart-alecky. I often have wondered what cops feel when friends and family members break big laws. On the comedy, Mike & Molly, Mike's a Chicago cop. His sister-in-law is a pothead. They live in the same house. They have a deal: Mike doesn't see or smell weed, things are okay. The SIL respects Mike's position, and doesn't want to get arrested, so the deal works.

 

I don't think Jim knows, myself. Now, it would be awesome if he lets it drop he knows about the drugs. "I am a detective" has already been deployed to great effect on The Flash. No reason it can't here.

Edited November 2, 2014 by Actionmage

[Guest Accused Dingo]

Jim Gordon has to be the shining hope for Gotham (More importantly Bruce Wayne) but he has to lose more than he wins. He has to face such insurmountable odds that no one person can stop them, that only an idea...an idea like batman can.

[Actionmage]

Jim Gordon has to be the shining hope for Gotham

 

That means the show should have ended last night--Jim and Harvey in a hail of bullets( Barbara too)because being pragmatic enough to survive and keep working for change is for chumps? The Shining Hope ideal is nice. It leaves no room for a human being. If cops had to lock-up every friend and relative for every law broken, we'd all of us live in actual prisons instead of metaphorical ones.

 

That Jim Gordon tries to be as moral as he can in such a corrupt city is good enough for the Shining Hope thing.  If not, he's tainted by surviving Fish with Falcone's help and "half-assing" his hit on Oswald, which put folks in harm's way (Harvey and Barbara, specifically) and blood on his hands via Oswald,( I don't think you can place those deaths on Jim, but I can understand the reasoning behind that thought), and again, has Falcone and Cobblepot to thank for his and Harvey's existence after the misjudged attempt to arrest the Mayor and Falcone. He may not be dirty but there's something on his shoes.

 

He's still fighting to clean his town up. That's why he's considered a hero, yet still needs Batman down the line. Mileage varies, naturally.

[missbonnie]

I swear, this guy gets sexier by the week. Yowza!