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| Jerome (Cameron Monaghan); Source: Gotham/FOX |
[The following has spoilers for a recent episode of Gotham]
The TV show Gotham has introduced a lot of pre-Batman versions of classic villains like the Riddler and Catwoman, but one villain has been notably missing: the Joker. There’s been a lot of speculation on when or if the Joker would appear. The show has introduced a number of characters that people thought might be the clown prince of crime, like a stand-up comedian in the first episode, but nothing solid emerged. The showrunner Bruno Heller always said the Joker would be appearing in Season 1, but it was going to be “a slow-burn” and “carefully built reveal.” Well, it looks like they might have tipped their hand in the last episode.
In Monday’s episode, “The Blind Fortune Teller,” they investigate the murder of a snake charmer, aided by the titular “blind fortune teller.” Throughout, Gordon is suspicious of the woman’s son, Jerome (Cameron Monaghan). In the final moments, Jerome transforms into something more than just a murder suspect.
Bruno Heller confirmed that this wasn’t a “bait and switch“:
I can tell you this is a long game plan and a long story that we are telling here. What I can promise you is this is not a bait-and-switch. This is not someone who is just a character who is going to disappear. This is not a red herring. It’s the beginning of the story of how the Joker came to be, how the Joker was created, where he came from, who he is. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Cameron Monaghan is the Joker. He might be. But like I say, this is a story that begins about seven or eight years before the actual Joker arrives on the scene in his fully-fledged persona. As we’re telling with all of these characters, the origin story of that villain begins [with ‘The Blind Fortune Teller’]
Do you think Jerome will be the Joker? What do you think of Monaghan’s performance?
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<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="33567 ">5 Comments
I hate to say it, but I wasn't taken by Gotham and I haven't been watching it.
Ugh we don't need juvenile delinquent Joker any more than we needed prepubescent Darth Vader.
I haven't been watching it, either, to be honest. And from what I've read, it wasn't that good an episode. But that's a great performance
I've been following the show since episode one, so I can confidently state that you both haven't been missing that much. The show's been dangling somewhere between okay and cringe-worthy, with this past episode in particular moving the dial closer to the latter.
I liked the performance, a little Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson.
I still prefer the Jokers origins being a mystery, even to himself.