The Brilliant and Highly Disturbing Tale of Gotham’s Jonathan Crane
(Warning: this post references child abuse and systemic child protection failings.)
One of the most compelling and mature superhero shows of recent years is Gotham.
It’s also one of the most under-rated, because people suck, and haters gonna hate.
(Luckily, those of us who love this show know how goddamn awesome it is!)
Gotham is a Batman-prequel, showing the lives of many of the villains, and a few of the heroes, in the years between the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and the time baby Bruce put on the Batman cowl.
It shows bad people doing good things, and good people doing bad things. Because life — especially in Gotham — is problematic and messy.
One of the most under-rated aspects of this under-rated show is the character development of one Jonathan Crane, who would eventually become the Scarecrow.
Because when we first meet Jonathan, he is not the Scarecrow.