Harvey Bullock Portrayals: Donal Logue
It should come to no surprise to anyone that at least casually follows me that I’m a fan of Donal Logue’s portrayal of Bullock on Gotham. I’m a fan of Logue in general, having enjoyed him in a number of movie and tv roles, especially Terriers (which, if you have not seen, please go and treat yourself to one of the best tv shows ever).
I think there’s sometimes an assumption when it comes to comic-book adaptations, especially to someone who doesn’t actively read comics, that the roles will be portrayed in campy, over the top, or even flat as the pages that the character originally portrays. Without knowing much personally about the acting profession, I think an argument could be made that given the hard-boiled, seen it all, professional grouch character that some might assume Bullock is, an actor wouldn’t be able to make them stand out or appear interesting beyond their basic traits. On the reverse, it would probably be just as easy to lean too heavily towards Bullock’s comedic one-liner side, and miss the chance to make him stand out beyond that as well.
Thankfully, Donal Logue is the man stepping into Bullock’s shoes, and while he does embody who Harv is at his very core, he also gives him something very much necessary for a character who isn’t a villain, to stand out: Heart.
I’ve always said that the longest and stablest relationship between anyone on this show, barring Bruce and Alfred, has been Bullock and Gordon. Unlike, Bruce and Alfred, who had at least their “working relationship” started before the show pilot took place, Gotham brought Jim and Harv together for the very first time in the pilot.
And the animosity was there, of course, but it grew into something very natural over the course of the first season. A genuine friendship formed between the two. It’s not forced for the sake of “Well, we gotta get these two working together because that’s what happens in the comics”, thankfully, it’s very organic, believable.
Beyond the pair, Logue’s done an incredible job of balancing both the wise-cracking side of Bullock (he has the best damn lines in the show, I swear), and the more somber, worried, or protective moments. Harv has heart, you can see it in his face, his emotions, both angry and soft, it’s there. That’s all Donal Logue. And it doesn’t stop at just his interactions with Ben McKenzie as Jim Gordon, I look forward to seeing Logue interact with every actor on this show, just to see how he’ll have Bullock act. Each is unique, and has changed over the course of the past three seasons, with the examples of Lee, Nygma springing to mind, and Fish Mooney especially.
A standout moment from this past season came in the final episode, and without giving too much away, involved a very tense moment between Harvey and Jim at the train station. The delivery of Harvey’s impassioned speech to Jim, reminding him of their friendship and his belief that Jim is still a good person, despite everything he’s been through, it was made plain through Logue’s acting how sincere this moment was. This was a man willing to risk his life for the future of his friends’s existence, and it was bolstered not only by mere acting ability, but every previous episode where Harvey was there again and again for Jim, no matter what. And again, this sincerity of their friendship, and Bullock’s support for Jim came from Logue’s acting over the course of the past three seasons, something I really can’t praise enough.
And that’s important for a show like Gotham, to have that heart in characters, to make them not only believable, but to step out beyond the rules of the how a character is portrayed in a comic book. It’s what makes me enjoy it so much, and makes Bullock my favorite character on the show, every single episode that he’s in. I honestly can’t think of a single moment that I haven’t enjoyed him in, and I place that. Again, this comes from someone who’s just a fan, and not involved in the acting or even reviewing profession in any way, but that doesn’t detract from my sincerity when I say that Donal Logue is the perfect Harvey Bullock for Gotham.
For the rest of today and on this final day of Harvey Bullock Appreciation Week, I’ll be posting some .gifsets from Gotham. I hope you enjoy them, and thanks to everyone that’s participated, it’s been fun to see what other people have come up with, and the responses to my posts on here.
