The Dark Knight so, when Jim Gordon "died"...

[p4poetic]

Both audiences that I tended were like =O and you can feel the omg nooo!!! atmosphre within, and both audiences cheered and hollered when he suddenly appeared and told Joker 'we've you got you you son of a *****'.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

Yep. I hear the academy bases their votes on the explanations of fake deaths.

No but they do base their votes on the quality of the film making, and having a character die and then just show up without explaination is not quality film making. It's writing yourself into a hole and hoping nobody noticed.

 

[Bat-Mite]

No but they do base their votes on the quality of the film making, and having a character die and then just show up without explaination is not quality film making. It's writing yourself into a hole and hoping nobody noticed.

Except that he was never shown to be dead to begin with. He was lying down on a stage, seemingly injured, but the severity of his injuries was unknown. And his return was explained, quite blatantly. Gordon said more than once that he faked his death for his family's protection. Keep pouring the haterade all you want, but at least try to use better arguments.

 

[Bat-Mite]

I'm still wondering what the official explanation for Gordon's death is. Like, was it just a body double or what?

He was most likely wearing a bulletproof vest when he got shot.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

Except that he was never shown to be dead to begin with. He was lying down on a stage, seemingly injured, but the severity of his injuries was unknown. And his return was explained, quite blatantly. Gordon said more than once that he faked his death for his family's protection. Keep pouring the haterade all you want, but at least try to use better arguments.

That's a great explaination. That explains how nobody else knew he was alive. Not the guys who checked his body, not the guys in the morgue. His reason for faking his death was explained but not the means in how he did it.

You say he wore a bullet proof vest. Okay that could explain how the bullet didn't kill him but it doesn't explain how he fooled everybody else into thinking he was dead.

 

[Bat-Mite]

That explains how nobody else knew he was alive.

Who says?

Okay that could explain how the bullet didn't kill him but it doesn't explain how he fooled everybody else into thinking he was dead.

Why assume that he fooled "everybody"? He obviously fooled some people (Harvey, the mayor, his family), but there's no reason why he couldn't have received some help in his little plan. In particular, I wouldn't be surprised if Stephens was in on it.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

Who says? Why assume that he fooled "everybody"? He obviously fooled some people (Harvey, the mayor, his family), but there's no reason why he couldn't have received some help in his little plan. In particular, I wouldn't be surprised if Stephens was in on it.

I assume that he fooled everybody because we are never lead to believe that he didn't. Because basically this is how the scene plays:

I thought you were dead.
Nope.

That's all we get. And that isn't good enough.

 

[DoomRulz]

Who says? Why assume that he fooled "everybody"? He obviously fooled some people (Harvey, the mayor, his family), but there's no reason why he couldn't have received some help in his little plan. In particular, I wouldn't be surprised if Stephens was in on it.

I can accept that, especially since Stephens was the only cop he seemed to really trust.

 

[Cagefighterkip]

i remember hearing before TDK came out that someone unexpectedly dies --
and then gordon dies (so we think) everyone else was "holy s##t!" but i was like, "omg i so expected it to be rachel," then rachel dies, gordon's not rlly dead and my jaw is on the floor.

 

[Bubastis]

I gasped pretty hard. As did a lot of people in my theater

 

[EHTNAMTAB]

My interpretation of the Gordon death scene:

Gordon is at the parade, looking for the joker ("there's a lot of windows") to stop the killing (obviously, his Plan A) but can't find him

His Plan B: he stays close to the layor on the podium, with the aim of taking the bullet instead, protecting the mayor

Gordon stops the bullet with his flak jacket and is knocked out, hence stephens expression

When conscious, Gordon exploits the situation - tells Stephens his plan, allowing the joker to have seemingly taken another "victim" - preventing any more killings that day - it also protects his family (although this is mostly foreshadowing to the finale - and perhaps a reference to the Killing Joke)

Gordon lays low, but is allowed access to the truck chase (again by Stephens)

Once the joker is "safely" arrested Gordon can reveal he is still alive (in style!)

The joekr escapes, effectively calling Gordons bluff


---

Both a major strength and weakness fo the film is the fractured plotting - it invites the audience to fill in the blanks, but on the surface of it, the content of the film is basically:

Gordon looks for Joker
Gordon is dead
No he's not

We have to do a lot of the work!