The following contains spoilers for Gotham Knights Season 1, Episode 6, "A Chill in Gotham," which aired Apr. 25 on The CW.
One of the highlights of Gotham Knights Season 1 is the draw of Duela Dent. In the comics, she caused a lot of chaos as the Joker's Daughter, leading fans to wonder if she'd be this killer in the show. However, her character's been tempered down, aiding Turner Hayes with Bruce Wayne's murder investigation.
It's understandable in the early stages, as Duela wants to clear her name, as well as Harper and Cullen. While they're ascribing to the superhero moniker Gotham has given them, Duela isn't really cool with that altruistic tag. Instead, she wants to find ways to steal money on these missions, knowing she has to look out for number one. Unfortunately, Gotham Knights isn't doing Duela justice, failing to live up to her potential as this destructive tour de force.
Gotham Knights' Duela Lacks a Killer Instinct
Turner makes it clear heroes don't kill. It's something Gotham Knights' Carrie Kelley, as Robin, teaches while trying to make the Knights something Batman would be proud of. In Duela's case, she's got a maelstrom inside, especially after getting Cullen to steal the Joker's signature card from the precinct. She wants it as a keepsake, to remind her how her father left her and her mother to suffer in Arkham Asylum.
Gotham Knights hasn't played up its power over her. In fact, Duela isn't really found discussing her father's legacy at all, especially with Turner and how their fates are interlocked. Six episodes in, there's no clue if she wants to change, if she's fighting her innate self, or if she'll possibly use Turner's Gotham Knights for a sinister endgame. There are scenes where she could kill goons in the field as she tries to hide stealing money for herself, but the show doesn't capitalize on her dark side. It has her falling in line, with the latest Robin Hood robbery finding her turning into a coward and not even joining the heist.
It's underwhelming as fans assume she'd cut loose by now, rocking her knife and such akin to the comics. In the source material, she's battled with the Joker's legacy and possibly being Harvey Dent's child. Sadly, Duela's relegated to quippy one-liners, teasing the heroes about their crusade and trying to garner public approval. There's a chance, however, to add turmoil at the drug dens they hit: she could resort to murder as a way of reminding the crew they have a wildcard on their hands.
Gotham Knights is Diminishing the Bat-Joker Tension
Not being able to trust Duela would remind viewers of the tense alliances Batman had with the Joker at times, realizing such a monster can't be saved. This ruins the potential to create tension over the no-kill policy, even leaving the Row siblings wondering if Duela was ever their friend in the first place. After all, killing people when they're trying to prove their innocence isn't conducive to the cause.
That seed for discord is already there as Cullen secretly risked his life to get the card for her, thinking it was an emotional token. Unfortunately, the card as a possessive force, corrupting and bringing out the beast in her, isn't in play. This could really have made the Clown Prince of Crime an immortal symbol after Gotham Knights' Batman killed him, but the show keeps diluting Joker's pall. Rather than having her playing along or sitting on the sidelines, she's not even coaxing the Rows to return to their roots.
On the whole, Gotham Knights' main narrative is caging a Duela who's usually unhinged and into massacres. This unfortunately shapes her as a lackluster figure when she should be an agent of anarchy. She should be manipulating and working her own angles the way her dad would. Ultimately, this isn't about her honoring his memory, but appropriating his past to survive and get rich. Such a development would crown her as a Joker in her own right.
Gotham Knights debuts new episodes every Tuesday on The CW.