Since its very inception, fans have wondered how Gotham would handle the Joker and his subsequent origin story. As it turns out, the Clown Prince of Crime’s formulation has proved to be as long and as drawn out as Bruce Wayne’s journey to becoming Batman.
To briefly recap, season 1 introduced us to a disturbed young man who was guilty of matricide named Jeremiah Valeska. But after being let loose on the city for a brief period the next fall, he died at the hands of Theo Galavan. Then, he was resurrected in season 3 and shared visual similarities to the Joker as he appeared in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman: Death of the Family. Still, he wasn’t the genuine article.
Before being killed off for good in season 4, his twin brother, Jeremiah, came at us from out of nowhere. And before Jerome left this world, he made sure his upstanding sibling was gifted with “one bad spray,” a chemical concoction made by Scarecrow that drove him insane and whitened his skin.
For all intents and purposes, that appeared to be Gotham’s telling of their Joker’s origin – or so we thought.
Anybody who’s kept up with news pertaining to this series knew that “Ace Chemicals” would be a pivotal episode for the final season, and we all were proven right when yet another layer was added to the Italian Meringue (those who tuned in will get the joke).
In his latest insane attempt to gain Bruce as a brother, Jeremiah arranged a special dinner at Wayne Manor involving two unfortunate souls made over to look like the late Thomas and Martha, not to mention a hypnotized Alfred Pennyworth. Of course, the future Caped Crusader rejected this macabre olive branch, thereby forcing his burgeoning nemesis to enact phase two.
After screening a heavily violent remake of The Mark of Zorro, Jeremiah tried to assure that he and Bruce be bound by hatred in Crime Alley by murdering Jim Gordon and Lee Thompkins – but his plans were foiled yet again, this time by an intervening Selina Kyle.
When the action spilled over into Ace Chemicals (where else?), the big showdown saw a catwalk above a vat of green goop serve as the final battleground. After telling Bruce that he’s a joke without a punchline, Jeremiah’s next swing was evaded, thus leading to him plummeting into a chemical bath.
Before the episode wrapped, we saw Bruce and Selina standing over Jeremiah’s heavily bandaged and scarred body lying in a hospital bed. It was said that he’s showing no signs of brain activity, so the Joker persona will likely emerge whenever he wakes up.
To be honest, we may not see him until the finale, but there’s plenty of other stuff to keep us entertained before then. Don’t forget, Ventriloquist and Scarface make their live action debut next week, with Poison Ivy returning seven days after that. And if that weren’t enough, we have Bane waiting in the wings for episode 10!
Gotham airs on Thursday nights on Fox.
