Gotham Knights is a gripping American superhero television series developed by Natalie Abrams, Chad Fiveash, and James Stoteraux for The CW. The show revolves around members of the Batman family and other supporting DC Comics characters. The premiere aired on March 14, 2023.
The story unfolds following Bruce Wayne’s death. His adopted son, Turner Hayes, forms an unexpected alliance with runaways Harper and Cullen Row, as well as the criminal Duela. All four of them are framed for Bruce Wayne’s murder by the Gotham City Police Department and District Attorney Harvey Dent. As they strive to clear their names and uncover the real killer, Turner’s friend Stephanie Brown and his classmate Carrie Kelley, who secretly operates as Robin, join them in their quest. The investigation leads them to the Court of Owls, and as they dig deeper, the group evolves into Gotham’s new protectors, known as the “Gotham Knights.”
Cast
The main cast
- Oscar Morgan as Turner Hayes
- Olivia Rose Keegan as Duela
- Navia Robinson as Carrie Kelley / Robin
- Fallon Smythe as Harper Row
- Tyler DiChiara as Cullen Row
- Anna Lore as Stephanie Brown
- Rahart Adams as Brody March
- Misha Collins as Harvey Dent
The supporting cast
- K.K. Moggie as Cressida
- Lauren Stamile as Rebecca March
- Damon Dayoub as Lincoln March
- Sunny Mabrey as Crystal Brown
- Ethan Embry as Arthur Brown
Guest stars
- David Miller as Bruce Wayne / Batman
- Joel Keller as Detective Ford
- Fiona Byrne as Commissioner Yindel
- Deja Dee as Commissioner Sato
- Randall Newsome as Hamilton Hill
- Keil Oakley Zepernick as Vernon Wagner
- Veronica Cartwright as Eunice Harmon
- Perris Drew as Titus Jones
- Angela Davis as Dr. Kelley
- Doug Bradley as Joe Chill
The Gotham Knights television series has an exciting lineup of episodes, with talented directors and writers behind each one. Here are the details for the first eight episodes:
Episode 1 – Pilot
In the pilot episode of “Gotham Knights,” the story begins with Turner Hayes, Bruce Wayne’s adopted son, narrating the events. He discovers Batman’s mask hidden in a secret compartment in Wayne Manor, hinting at secrets yet to be uncovered. Turner wins a fencing tournament, but Bruce is absent, leading him to throw a party at the manor.
- Directed By : Danny Cannon
- Written By : Natalie Abrams, Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux
- Release Date : March 14, 2023
At Wayne Tower, three young thieves, led by Duela, break in to steal the gun that killed Bruce Wayne’s parents. However, they find the vault empty and realize that they are part of a setup. Bruce Wayne is found dead outside the building, wearing the Batman mask, indicating that the killer knows his true identity.
The police catch up to the thieves, but they manage to escape. Turner learns about his father’s death and identity as Batman, and he and his friend Stephanie discover the entrance to the Batcave. Meanwhile, the city mourns the loss of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman.
The three thieves, Duela, Cullen, and Harper Row, are arrested and interrogated. They all have troubled backgrounds, and their motives for the crime are unclear. At school, Turner gets into an argument with Brody, leading him to decide to use the Batcave to investigate his father’s murder himself.
Stephanie hacks into the Gotham City National Bank and finds that someone has made cash withdrawals under Turner’s name, framing him for the crime. The police arrest Turner, and he is placed in a cell with the other suspects. They all end up fighting, and Turner realizes that none of them killed Bruce Wayne.
The four are transported to another facility, but they work together to escape. During their escape, a masked vigilante named Robin, who is actually Carrie Kelley, saves them. They take refuge at Turner’s secret hiding place, where Cullen reveals that he stole a watch with the symbol of the Court of Owls, a dangerous organization controlling Gotham City. The episode ends with Cressida burning Bruce Wayne’s last will, and a mysterious man in black decapitating Detective Ford in a parking garage.
Episode 2 – “Scene of the Crime”
“Scene of the Crime” begins with the Gotham City Police Department, led by DA Harvey Dent, raiding the Bat Cave. As they gather evidence, Cressida coldly reminds Harvey that Turner was his friend too. Meanwhile, Turner, Duela, Cullen, and Harper shoplift to change their appearances, and Carrie, dressed as Robin, confronts them about the burglary.
- Directed By : Jeffrey Hunt
- Written By : Chad Fiveash & James Stoteraux
- Release Date : March 21, 2023
The group discusses the Court of Owls, and Turner’s friend Stephanie attempts to help them by hacking into banks. At school, she tells Brody about her actions, and he warns her about the potential consequences. The group later learns that the GCPD has the batcomputer, and they need to come up with a plan.
Harvey Dent and his colleagues discover the severed heads of six officers on the task force assigned to find Turner and his friends. The Bat Brats now suspect that the Court of Owls is behind the murders. Turner suggests they investigate the Court and retrieve Bruce’s journals from Wayne Tower.
The group breaks into Wayne Tower, but they encounter the Talon, an assassin from the Court of Owls. They manage to escape with Bruce’s last journal, thanks to a zipline gadget from Carrie. Meanwhile, Duela attempts to sell the Owl’s watch to an antiquities dealer but is betrayed and attacked by the Talon. The group comes to her rescue and escapes the Talon once more.
Back at the Belfry, Turner wonders if his father was preparing him for something with all the fencing and martial arts classes. At the GCPD, Stephanie confronts Brody, thinking he turned her in, but he reveals that he took the blame for her actions. Harvey investigates the break-in at Wayne Tower and learns about the impaled antiquities dealer.
The episode concludes with ominous interactions between Mayor Hamilton Hill and Cressida, who seem to be involved with the Court of Owls. Turner and Stephanie discuss the unanswered questions they have, including how the Talon entered Wayne Tower undetected. They notice that the last pages of Bruce’s journal have been ripped out. In a separate scene, Carrie unrolls the stolen pages and reads a haunting question: “What will happen when Turner finds out the truth?”
Episode 3 – “Under Pressure”
In Episode 3 titled “Under Pressure,” the story begins with the Mutant Gang loading stuff into a car. Carrie, who is like Robin, takes on the gang leader when he is alone. Using her metal hook and a fuse box, she electrocutes him and gets him arrested. Excited about this victory, she shares her story with Turner, Cullen, Duela, and Harper. The Mutant Gang leader, Vernon Wagner, is now behind bars, and the GCPD takes credit for his arrest.
- Directed By : Lauren Petzke
- Written By : Natalie Abrams
- Release Date : March 28, 2023
At a press conference, Harvey Dent confronts the mayor about Brody March’s suspicious release from jail, pointing out that the money went to the mayor’s re-election campaign. The mayor brushes off the comment and mentions he’ll see Harvey at the Founder’s Gala.
Turner learns that his great-great-grandfather was killed by the Court of Owls, and the team decides to look into the murder by stealing files from the GCPD basement. Meanwhile, the Mutant Gang retaliates by shooting down a GCPD airship. Robin insists on cleaning up the mess, but Turner wants to go with her. However, Robin refuses, saying that Bruce Wayne didn’t want Turner to be involved in this life.
Cullen dresses up as a cop and infiltrates the police station to get the files, while the Founder’s Gala event commences. At the gala, the Mutant Gang takes everyone hostage and demands the release of their leader, Vernon Wagner. Turner, Carrie, Duela, and Harper plan to intervene and save the hostages.
As the team tries to disable a bomb planted by the Mutant Gang, they learn that the bomb will go off regardless of whether their demands are met. Turner manages to convince Harvey, who is attending the gala, to call off the release of the Mutant leader. In a tense climax, Harvey tackles the Mutant Gang member with the detonator, and Steph successfully disables the bomb by cutting a wire.
After the confrontation, Harper is furious at Steph for recklessly cutting the wire. Meanwhile, the team discovers Court of Owls symbols on watches stolen by Duela during the gala. Cullen returns with files on the old Court of Owls murder, and they prepare to dig through them.
Robin and Turner share a moment, revealing their mutual jealousy over the aspects of their lives that the other has experienced. Cullen gives Duela a Joker card as a reminder of her hatred for her father. Harper and Cullen have a heartfelt conversation about their bravery.
The episode ends with the mayor finding a Court of Owls coin in his car and dying from poison gas. At the same time, Harvey Dent announces that he will be running for Mayor of Gotham.
Episode 4 – “Of Butchers and Betrayals”
In Gotham Knights Season 1 Episode 4, titled “Of Butchers and Betrayals,” the complex history of The Court of Owls unfolds, revealing their influence in unexpected places.
- Directed By : Geoffrey Wing Shotz
- Written By : David Paul Francis & Devon Balsamo-Gillis
- Release Date : April 4, 2023
The episode starts with a terrified man running through a park, calling for help and claiming that someone is after him. As he runs into a police officer, he grabs the officer’s gun and ends his life. At the school library, Harper, Turner, Duela, and the twins investigate Alan Wayne’s case file, discovering strange similarities between the wounds in the case file and the mark left by the Talon’s knife.
As Lincoln March announces his candidacy for Gotham Mayor during Mayor Hill’s funeral, Harvey finds a mysterious key in his blazer. Back at the Belfry, the team devises a plan to gain remote access to the GCPD case files by having Cullen infiltrate the police station. They learn that the man who killed himself in the park is Pericles Jones, one of Bruce Wayne’s lawyers.
Turner and Harper break into Pericles Jones’s house and encounter his son, who believes that The Court of Owls is responsible for his father’s apparent madness. He reveals that Bruce Wayne changed his will, and The Court of Owls went after him because of it. Meanwhile, Duela and Carrie visit Eunice Monroe, daughter of the infamous knife-thrower Felix Harmon, at a nursing home. They learn that Eunice has connections with The Court of Owls.
Lincoln March seeks Harvey’s help, as he too has been marked with a coin by The Court of Owls. At the Belfry, Cullen and Stephanie bond over their shared experiences and consider the possibility that the Talon’s knives have a toxin that drives victims insane. Carrie and Duela return with a sign-in book from the nursing home, revealing that Cressida visited Eunice.
Unaware of Cressida’s ties to The Court of Owls, Turner confronts her at Wayne Manor, leading to a standoff. As the court members arrive, they offer to spare Turner’s life if he betrays his friends, but he refuses. Robin rescues Turner from the Talon, and they escape through the Batcave. Back at the Belfry, Turner shares Cressida’s betrayal with Stephanie, while Cullen convinces Harper to give Stephanie a chance.
Harvey meets with Detective Soto to discuss the forensic findings of the mayor’s limo. Harvey discovers that the mysterious key he found earlier unlocks the limo. Meanwhile, at Wayne Manor, The Court of Owls surrounds the lifeless body of the Talon, who reanimates himself.
Episode 5 – “More Money, More Problems”
In the fifth episode of Gotham Knights, titled “More Money, More Problems,” the story begins with a group of mob gangsters forcefully collecting money from an elderly couple who own a bar in Gotham. Despite the couple’s inability to pay the full amount due to slow business, the mobsters demand their dues, smash the alcohol bottles, and set the bar on fire.
- Directed By : Nimisha Mukerji
- Written By : Elle Lipson & Summer Plair
- Release Date : April 11, 2023
The following morning, Carrie is woken up by her mom for SAT prep class. They discuss their schedules, including the fact that Carrie’s mom, a doctor, is unable to attend the Gotham Academy parents’ luncheon. Carrie’s mom questions her about her muddy boots, but Carrie avoids the topic.
Meanwhile, at the Belfry, Stephanie discovers a lead on Cressida’s finances. She finds a shell company called G&S Holdings, which handles a lot of money. Harper recognizes the address for G&S Holdings as belonging to the McKillens, Gotham’s most dangerous mob family. Harper reveals that she used to date one of the McKillens, Dylan. The team decides to investigate and try to get their hands on the mob’s physical files.
Carrie manages to ditch the parents’ luncheon since her mom can’t attend, and joins Turner, Duela, and the Row twins to break into the McKillens’ warehouse. They successfully steal the ledger, but are discovered by Dylan McKillen. In the midst of the confrontation, Carrie knocks out Dylan, and the team creates a distraction to escape.
During the chaotic escape, Carrie receives a call from her mom, who’s at Gotham Academy, and tries to convince her that she’s at a study group. To flee from the mob and the GCPD, the team sets fire to newspapers disguised as money and engages in a high-speed car chase across the city. They manage to slow down the police by throwing real money out of the van, causing Gotham’s citizens to swarm the streets and hinder the GCPD’s pursuit.
The vigilantes are dubbed “the Gotham Knights” by Gotham News Now for stealing from the mob and redistributing the money to the people. Back at the Belfry, Cullen thanks Harper for everything she has done for him, and the team realizes they’ll need Stephanie’s help to crack the code in the McKillens’ ledger.
In the final scene, Harvey Dent wakes up in a luxurious bed, disoriented after another memory-loss episode. Rebecca March enters the room, revealing that Harvey called her, though he has no recollection of it. In a state of panic, Harvey checks his phone and sees a list of calls made to Rebecca, confirming his worst fears.
This episode of Gotham Knights explores the vigilantes’ attempts to protect Gotham from the mob, Harvey Dent’s ongoing struggle with memory loss, and the complex relationships between the characters. It serves as a turning point in the series, with the team becoming more proactive in their mission to protect the city and earning the title of “Gotham Knights.”
Episode 6 – “A Chill in Gotham”
In Episode 6, titled “A Chill in Gotham,” the imminent execution of Joe Chill, the man on death row for killing Bruce Wayne’s parents, sends shockwaves through the city. He requests a visit from Harvey Dent before his execution, sharing that he received a Court of Owls coin on his food tray. He advises Harvey to talk to the kid who killed Batman.
- Directed By : Alexandra La Roche
- Written By : Nicki Holcomb & Nate Gualtieri
- Release Date : April 25, 2023
Stephanie, meanwhile, seeks her father’s help in cracking a cipher they found. During a phone call with Harvey, Steph learns that Joe Chill wants to meet Turner. Despite being hesitant, Turner agrees to the meeting since the Court of Owls wants Chill silenced.
In an emergency room, Carrie visits her mom, and Harvey and Turner meet in the tunnels. Duela interrupts their conversation, holding a knife to Harvey’s throat. However, she eventually leaves them alone to talk. News breaks that Harvey has delayed Joe Chill’s execution, which Lincoln March uses to his advantage in his campaign.
As the team discusses the cipher, they find a hint to a Sherlock Holmes book and its book cipher. This leads them to James Joyce’s “Ulysses,” the book they believe contains the cipher.
Harvey brings Turner, disguised as a guard, to meet Joe Chill in prison. Chill claims he’s innocent and that someone else killed the Waynes. He shares a riddle he heard from a former cellmate who knew how to find the Court of Owls before dying. As Joe Chill is taken away to be executed, the team pieces together that the cipher is a street address.
The team goes to the address, which leads them to a sketchy gym filled with armed men and drugs. As the Gotham Knights fight and defeat the criminals, Steph destroys the drugs in a powerful display. In the aftermath, they realize that if they can trace the drug money, it’ll lead them to the Court.
As Joe Chill is electrocuted, the lights go out in Harvey’s office, and Lincoln March is stabbed by the Talon, who then approaches Harvey but leaves him unharmed. In the hospital, Brody March witnesses his father being rolled in, fighting for his life. As the episode comes to a close, chemistry sparks between the characters, and Harvey finds blood on his cheek from the Talon’s touch, leading him to punch a mirror in his office.
Episode 7 – “Bad to Be Good”
In Episode 7, titled “Bad to Be Good,” the young Gotham Knights grapple with the darker and more complex aspects of being vigilantes. Duela and Carrie Kelley kidnap Eunice Harmon, the Talon’s daughter, while the other Knights undertake an art heist.
- Directed By : Avi Youabian
- Written By : Alegre Rodriquez & Michelle Furtney-Goodman
- Release Date : May 2, 2023
Though these actions initially seem nefarious, they ultimately save Detective Greene’s family and help the team better understand the Court of Owls’ plans.
As the Knights inch closer to clearing their names in Batman’s murder, they appear to be evolving into the true protectors of Gotham, more in line with Batman’s methods.
However, the episode falters in its handling of Harvey Dent’s storyline, seemingly sidelining the anticipated debut of his Two-Face persona in favor of exploring his affair with Rebecca March.
While the episode effectively showcases the development of the Knights as Gotham’s heroes and raises the stakes, it falls short in its portrayal of Harvey Dent’s arc.
Episode 8 – “Belly of the Beast”
- Directed By : Jeffrey Hunt
- Written By : David Paul Francis & Nate Gualtieri
- Release Date : May 9, 2023
Gotham Knights Season 1 Episode 8, titled “Belly of the Beast“, aired on May 9, 2023. The episode follows the team as they track down the Court of Owls, a secret society that has been pulling the strings in Gotham City for centuries.
The episode begins with Turner and Duela following a series of cryptic clues that lead them to one of the Court’s secret meetings. They are able to infiltrate the meeting and learn that the Court is planning to use a Lazarus Pit to create more Talons, their undead assassins.
Meanwhile, Stephanie learns that her mother’s addiction is worse than she thought. She turns to her father, Arthur, for help, but he is reluctant to get involved. Stephanie eventually convinces him to help her, and they track down her mother to a drug den.
Harvey Dent is also investigating the Court of Owls. He is visited by Cressida Clarke, a woman who claims to be in danger from the Court. Harvey agrees to help her, but he soon realizes that she is not who she says she is.
In the end, the team is able to stop the Court of Owls from using the Lazarus Pit. However, they also learn that there is a traitor in their midst. The episode ends with the team facing off against the traitor, who is revealed to be Harvey Dent.
“Belly of the Beast” was a well-paced and exciting episode. The team’s investigation into the Court of Owls was engaging, and the cliffhanger ending left viewers wanting more. The episode also did a good job of developing the characters, particularly Stephanie and Harvey. Overall, “Belly of the Beast” was a strong episode that set up the rest of the season in an exciting way.
Episode 9 – Dark Knight of the Soul
- Directed By : Eric Dean Seaton
- Written By : Elle Lipson & Devon Balsamo-Gillis
- Release Date : May 23, 2023
In Episode 9, “Dark Knight of the Soul“, the Gotham Knights face a race against time when one of their members is captured by the Court of Owls. To save their teammate, Stephanie and Harper join forces in search of a crucial piece of material. Meanwhile, Harvey tries to protect himself, only to have his worst fear come true.
Directed by Eric Dean Seaton and written by Elle Lipson and Devon Balsamo-Gillis, this episode builds up tension as the team struggles to rescue their captured friend. The collaboration between Stephanie and Harper highlights their growing bond and commitment to the team.
On the other hand, Harvey’s storyline takes a darker turn as he confronts his worst fear, potentially hinting at the emergence of his Two-Face persona. The suspense and anticipation continue to grow as the series moves towards its climax, with the team facing greater challenges and the stakes being raised even higher.
