My Batman Head Canon

I think I've figured out my problem with Gotham.  It messes with my "head canon".  See, as I was watching the show I kept thinking things like:

• Why is Jim Gordon younger than Harvey Bullock?
• Why are The Riddler, Penguin, & Falcone so much older than Bruce Wayne?  Does Batman beat up the elderly?? 
• Why is Montoya already an established cop when Gordon is just a rookie?!  
• If we're seeing Jim Gordon's "rookie days"-- shouldn't all the cops in the department be long retired by the time he becomes Commissioner?   Why all these familiar faces?  Does he have a time machine? 
• Am I wrong about all these ages?  Do I just not have an understanding of the Batman timeline??  I'll do some online research.  

So I fired up the Google-- expecting to find all qualms justified.  I wanted to find ages like-- "Jim Gordon is in his late 50's.  And "Harvey Bullock is in his early 40's".  I didn't find that.  What I did find is that these characters' origin stories, ages, and dates are not set in stone.   When you research them you find a publication history, a real world kind of explanation like when the character was introduced (which issue, or what TV series) but no character bios are locked.  OF COUSE NOT!   I mean, I knew that!  These stories are our modern day mythology. There's not one true biography of Hercules and theres no one true origin story of Batman.  There are a few facts that are constant (Hercules is the son of Zeus, Batman's parents were killed in front of him) but other than those touchstones, the rest of story can be shaped to fit whatever the writer is trying to say.   Right?  I KNEW THAT! 

So why does it bother me that the writers of Gotham are shaping Jim Gordon's story to fit their needs?  At the end of the day, it's because I have a head canon for the Batman universe.  I know who these people are, I know their backstories, and how old they are in relation to one another--- all inside my head.  I've added a bunch of "facts" to the story that I feel shouldn't be changed.  Jim Gordon is the Commissioner of Police in Gotham City.   He's old enough to have an adult daughter, Barbara, who is named after her mother, Jim's ex-wife.  Within his GCPD, there are good cops and bad cops.  And sometimes the bad cops come around to see the error of their ways like Harvey Bullock- a fat sloppy Detective (obviously younger than Commission Gordon) who starts out trying to undermine Gordon and eventually joins with him.    If we go back to Jim's rookie days, Bullock SHOULD NOT BE THERE YET!  

I need to let all that go.  Gotham does not take place inside my personal Batman canon-- and that's ok.   It stands on its own and doesn't need my permission to mold the facts to fit the story they want to tell.  I need to be ok with that... and I am.

RIP Maelstrom

Although it's been rumored for a while, Walt Disney World officially announced today that they'll be closing the boat ride attraction, Maelstrom, in the Norway pavilion at EPCOT and replacing it with a similar ride inspired by the hit movie Frozen.  According to the Disney Parks Blog, 

The new attraction, which replaces Maelstrom, will take our guests to Arendelle and immerse them in many of their favorite moments and music from the film. The pavilion will also include a royal greeting location where Anna and Elsa can meet our guests.

This comes at no surprise since Frozen is a run a way hit.  Tim and I just got back from visiting Walt Disney World last week, and although we were there in the off season when crowd counts are low, there were still long lines at every Frozen themed meet & greet, gift shop, & show.  WDW needs a Frozen attraction, simply to meet demand and make their guests happy.  I can understand why they wouldn't put it in Magic Kingdom.  That park just had millions of dollars poured into it with the New Fantasyland expansion.  Disney's Studios Park is about to get a huge Star Wars expansion (or so it's rumored).  Also, even though the "Frozen Summer of Fun" event is happening at the Studios park, it seems an odd match up.  They start the event each day with Anna and Elsa making a grand entrance into the park and being welcomed to "Hollywoodland"... it just doesn't feel like their "home attraction" should be in the park that's all about the making of movies.   Honestly, the studios park has lost it's focus-- but that's a topic for another day.