DIrishB
The Timeline Guy
Yeah I enjoyed the Red Hood episode as well. I think there's always been a noticeable element of camp to Gotham, and that's why I've enjoyed it, from the villains like Penguin and Fish, to Zsasz, etc.
I did like Reggie teaching Bruce moves and Bruce telling Alfred that they were effective (if not honorable).
As for Bruce donning the cowl at the end of the first season... that would be disastrous. For one, he's still only a 12-13 year old kid who can't at all handle himself against full grown, brutal criminals. He'd end up dead.
That said, I could see him donning a makeshift mask and going out to fight crime on his own (sort of like a younger version of Batman - Year One) with him being badly hurt and Alfred having to come to the rescue. That would be an important learning experience for Bruce regarding tactics and a motivator for him to travel the world and get extensive training in a variety of martial arts/ninjutsu/blending in with the darkness, etc.
Bruce has a lot of growing up to do before he's at all ready to take up the cowl as Batman, even with the early Batman still having a lot to learn, the Bruce on the show is nowhere close to that.
Like I said, I hope they jump several years ahead between each season, to allow Bruce to grow older (likely requiring a new actor to portray that time passage), ending up with Bruce around 19-20 by the end of Season 3 at which point he leaves to travel the world. It could offer a side story approach to the events in Gotham with Bruce running into trouble on his journeys, and eventually going to Nanda Parbat to train with the League. The beginning of Season 4 could see him return and begin his quest (around age 22-24), going out at night and making a difference, but still being a little green and inexperienced (coming home and having Alfred patch him up, as well as lecture him about what he's doing, which could make for some really emotional sort of father/son scenes between Bruce and Alfred).
Those time jumps would also allow for Gordon's quest to clean up Gotham to gain traction over the several year breaks between seasons. Plus they can age Gordon and Bullock a bit through hair coloring and Gordon can grow out his 'stache, as well as eventually marry Barbara and have young Barbara around Season 3.
Thus, by the end of Season 4, Bruce can finally have his revelation of dressing as the bat and craft the costume over the last few episodes of Season 4, debuting it in the final scene of Season 4. If there's a Season 5, they can parallel Gordon's quest with Bruce's, and finally have Bruce recruit Gordon to his cause (which Gordon already is, in essence).
Allows for a lot more in terms of character development and advancement between the seasons, offering changing circumstances that only time can bring.
