When Harvey first met Jim Gordon, he wasn’t thrilled about being paired with this new partner. Over time on Gotham, they have gotten to know each other and have started to work together well.
BuddyTV caught up with Donal Logue to discuss the evolution of Detective Harvey Bullock, the partnership between Harvey and Jim, and Bruce Wayne. Read on for edited excerpts from our interview.
When Harvey and Jim were reunited at Arkham Asylum, they had a very happy reunion. After not wanting to be his partner in the beginning, has Harvey’s appreciation for Jim grown?
He loves Jim. Yeah, he totally appreciates him and they’re partners. They respect each other. And, in this Gotham universe, it’s like Jim says he’s going to go against the mayor and Falcone and all these people and Bullock says, “I’ll go down with you even if we die.”
Obviously, I’m closer to it because I play it every day so I’ve seen the journey he’s come to so it seems like the “Bullock’s a dirty cop and hates Jim Gordon,” that’s an old node that’s not– you know what I mean. I think he loves him a lot.
It seems like they come at things from opposite perspectives. Who is changing more from the partnership?
I think both. I think it’s really back and forth. They trust each other. [Jim] trusts that Harvey will do the right thing and has his back and [Harvey] trusts that Jim Gordon is the real deal. At the end of his career, this guy has awakened [Harvey] to the idea that Gotham can be– something that Harvey Bullock thought when he was young– that it can still be salvaged.
The good guys can do the right thing. It’s reinvigorated him. Jim Gordon isn’t like anyone he’s ever met before, so I think that’s unique. I think he’s used to being like, “I know what kind of dude you are. You’re one of these wah-wah.” It’s weird when you meet somebody who defies that kind of cookie cutter quick assessment of their character.
We saw that Harvey was kind of like Jim when he was a rookie and something took him down a different path. Will it be further explored how he got involved with the mob?
When you are in crime, you have to kind of do deals with– They are doing it right now. They are talking to informants. They have snitches on the street. They got people on the street who are like, “We pulled you in and you go back out and do your work and we’re gonna follow.” You know what I mean?
You’ve gotta deal with the devil all the time and sometimes the smaller devil helps you with the bigger devil and so I think in that regard it makes sense. One thing that happened when [Harvey] was a gung-ho, do-gooder, trying to safe the girl and do the right thing, it put his partner in the hospital for life.
He understands when it comes to Jim Gordon or him or whoever they are dealing with, it’s like that guy can get you killed if they’re stupid. And, he was reckless in his past and his old partner is in permanent care because of it. He feels guilty and he takes care of him.
We haven’t seen Bruce Wayne over the last two episodes, does he still play heavy in Jim’s mind and in their partnership? Does Harvey care at all about Bruce Wayne?
I think he’s kinda trouble. I haven’t really gotten too engaged since that episode where the hit men were after Bruce because all that stuff. I’m like, “Your side projects are getting us into bullshit.” … I think we see a lot more of David [Mazouz] and Bruce Wayne coming up. I love Alfred and Bruce a lot.
Last week’s episode seemed to be a turning point for Jim where he decided to go full force against corruption in Gotham. Do they get a renewed focus?
One thing I think [Executive Producers] Bruno [Heller] and Danny [Cannon] deal with well and that’s really tricky is that you can’t be like, “We have to fight corruption in the city!” It sounds so hollow. You don’t want to be like, “You can’t go up against the Mayor!” You have to figure out ways to do that so it’s not like how many times am I going to lecture him about “You don’t go up to Las Vegas and talk to Moe Greene like that.” Though that would be awesome.
What kind of cop is Harvey right now?
I think he’s going to do the right thing. He doesn’t like assholes. I think if someone’s in danger, he’d do what he could to save them for sure. He’s not Duddly Do-Gooder.
Gotham airs Mondays at 8pm ET on FOX.
(Image courtesy of FOX.)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Contributing Editor and Writer for Collider, BuddyTV, TV Fanatic, CliqueClack, and other publications. TV criticism, reviews, interviews with actors and producers, and other related content. Founder of TV Diehard.
