Although we must endure a three-month hiatus before Gotham makes its return, I can’t help but applaud the incredible winter finale that it delivered last night. Aside from the Penguin-Edward Nygma situation coming to a head, there was much else to discuss, namely the conclusion to the latest arc centered on Jerome Valeska.
Many will likely agree with me in saying that Cameron Monaghan outdoes himself with each successive performance, bringing his own version of the Joker to brilliant life. Not only that, but the nods to Batman: Death of the Family probably caused readers of the source material to have serious fanboy moments as it were.
Thankfully, Jerome made it through to the end, but, originally, plans were to kill him off (again). Monaghan had this to say to Nerdist regarding that subject:
“I don’t think the producers will mind me saying that initially Jerome wasn’t going to live. He wasn’t originally going to make it through this confrontation. He was going to be beheaded and that was going to be it for him. Ultimately they decided that instead, we’ll go the opposite way and really embrace the idea of the character being involved in the Joker mythos. They decided not to dance around it but instead embrace it and bring the audience on the roller coaster ride of the episode, allowing it to be open-ended, playing into whatever they decide to do with that stuff later down the line.”
Had the producers gone this route, riots probably would have ensued. I mean, why employ such a great acting talent who embodies the Joker only to not have him ultimately become the iconic villain?
“The first time I read that final scene, I didn’t even really know about that or think about it or care about it because I was just so excited about everything else that was going on in the script. But now the fact that I am able to return in the fourth season or whenever they want to bring me back is really exciting,” says Monaghan.
Hopefully, a fourth season return for the actor is in the cards, especially knowing that Harley Quinn is showing up in some capacity in the third season finale. To not pair those two – regardless of which actress is cast – would be an absolute crime.
Gotham returns with new episodes on Monday, April 24 on Fox.
