Bruce Wayne’s murder and simultaneous revelation as The Batman sends all of Gotham into turmoil, none more so than his adopted son Turner Hayes. When Turner is credibly framed as part of the plot to murder his father, hard choices must be made.

One of the things I have enjoyed about the Berlanti-verse over the years is that it often finds a way to confound expectations when it comes to its characters. Tyler Hayes is that orphan who made it lucky by getting adopted by the richest man in Gotham, and he certainly enjoys the trappings that position affords him, with wild parties and hi-jinks. But Tyler isn’t quite as straightforward as he might first appear – something which applies a lot as the episode plays out.

Take Harvey Dent, district attorney and Batman stalwart. We all know how Dent’s story goes, but here Batman is dead before it can begin, and that allows us to meet Dent the man, before he becomes Two-Face the monster. Close to Wayne and Tyler, Dent is an earnest man and genuine good guy, still with enough of an edge to make his political ambitions believable. In a GCPD as corrupt as you might expect, he promises to be an interesting focal point, doubly so when his inevitable change occurs.

The three misfits charged with a theft that goes horribly South as they find themselves framed for murder are equally refreshing. Duela Dent, another character from the Batman Rogues Gallery, might look like a budget Harley Quinn at first glance, but this is a character going very much her own way. Loathing both her father (the Joker) and Quinn (the woman he left her mother for), it’s easy to believe from Olivia Rose Keegan’s performance that Duela grew up in Arkham Asylum, and her understated calm punctuated by apparently random but always focused violence set her apart.

Harper and Cullen Row could easily have been a couple of ‘progressive’ placeholders, but smart writing and decent performances elevate them to surprising and interesting characters. The show deliberately sets Cullen up as a potential victim, even seeing his older sister ready to sacrifice herself to protect him, and the way the show chooses to move forward with that is compelling indeed.

Less impressive are Brody March, Tyler’s high school ‘nemesis’ who’s every bit as two-dimensional as Tyler isn’t, and Stephanie Brown, Tyler’s best friend who is a little too accepting of the things happening around her in a way that feels a little off. It’s a small niggle in an otherwise strong opener, but I can only hope both characters get better served as the show progresses.

All things considered though, a strong cast and intelligent writing combine with decent visual effects and nice camera work in general to make something so much more than it could otherwise have been. Batman-adjacent media feels ten a penny these days, and the temptation to phone in a suit and a car must be strong. Gotham Knights feels like it’s set to do a lot more than that.

Verdict: Fast, fun and furious – it’s not quite perfect but it’s starting damned close. 8/10

Greg D. Smith