In the latest Gotham recap, Theo Galavan unveils his plans to save Gotham as he unleashes Jerome at a charity gala and everyone is in harm’s way….
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
I have to say I saw this coming.
From the moment Cameron Monaghan was cast as Jerome Velaska and trotted out as heir apparent to become the next clown prince of crime, there was something off about it. His performances were so over the top and cartoonish that I felt like this had to be a red herring because it just seemed too obvious after a season filled with teases to make this kid turn into the Joker.
Well needless to say Jerome can put his acid shooting flowers and electric-hand buzzers away because after just three episodes into season two of Gotham this would be Joker is no more.
Jerome met his demise at the hands of his boss Theo Galavan in a grand scheme to unleash chaos on Gotham City just before a handsome, billionaire savior swoops in to save the day — and no, I’m not talking about Batman.
Despite his best Cesar Romero impression, I just didn’t buy Jerome as the Joker and maybe it’s because there’s just been so much underlying cynicism when it comes to the creation of this character and how he’ll finally show up on the canvas. Alas, Jerome is dead but apparently his spirit (and cackle) are going to invade and inspire a whole new generation of sociopaths.
With that said, let’s recap the latest episode of Gotham titled ‘The Last Laugh’….
Daddy Dearest
Following the slaughter in the police station from last week’s episode, Jim Gordon is not handling things very well. He’s tearing into his fellow officers for even attempting to remove the crime scene tape from Captain Essen’s office and then chucking bad guys out windows for not having information on the whereabouts of Jerome Velaska.
Bullock wants to visit Penguin for answers but Jim is understandably hesitant to play that card after the deed he did for the crime boss several weeks back.
Gordon is on a warpath for any information related to Jerome, his fellow inmates (including his loony ex-girlfriend Barbara) and whoever sprung them out of jail. Even Lee trying to calm him down with a kiss, a gala benefitting the Gotham children’s hospital and even a magician don’t shake Gordon loose from this feeling that there’s something more he could be doing to bring the Maniax to justice.
What Jim doesn’t know is that Jerome is being protected and funded by billionaire playboy Theo Galavan, who is slowly but surely unleashing his master plan upon Gotham. In one mustache-twirling scene tonight he even reveals that his family helped build Gotham City and now he’s going to take it back — by any means necessary.
The next plan of attack involves Barbara and his sister Tabitha, who have been shacking up and doing naughty things together for the past few weeks.
Back at the station, Jim finally catches a break when he finds out that Paul Cicero, the blind fortune teller from the circus who was actually Jerome’s father, left the traveling carnival and he’s actually living in Gotham now. Jim and Bullock race to find out if he knows anything about his son’s escape from prison, but by the time they arrive it’s already too late.
Jerome and Tabitha pay Cicero a visit first and reveal that they are planting all the necessary evidence there to connect him with the Arkham escape. A guilt-ridden father who wanted to rescue his poor son sounds good enough, right?
Just before he kills his own father, Jerome wonders if he has a fortune to tell him before he goes.
“You will be a curse upon Gotham. Children will wake from their sleep screaming at the thought of you. Your legacy will be death and madness.”
Seems about right. Just as Jerome is about to kill the old man, Gordon and Bullock show up. When they storm inside they find Cicero with a knife through his eye and his hand holding onto a canister. When his hand is lifted, gas starts pouring out and immediately puts Harvey to sleep. Gordon is able to pull him out of the room but not without getting a does himself.
While he’s half out of it, Jerome and Tabitha have a chat with Gordon before knocking him unconscious. Gordon can’t die just yet because Galavan has other plans for him, the least of which is a promise he makes to Barbara that her ex-boyfriend will taste her revenge one day very soon.
There’s a Magician!
Later that night at the gala for the children’s museum, Alfred drags Bruce along because this is what philanthropists do and he runs into Selina, who is picking pockets because that’s what she does (thankfully she no longer tells everyone to call her Cat). Bruce wants to reconnect but she’s all about stealing money to survive — although two weeks ago she was living at Penguin’s place and living quite well it seemed.
Whiel Bruce is trying to catch a cat, Alfred is trying to snag a doctor.
He meets Dr. Leslie Thompkins and he’s immediately smitten going as far as offering to make her dinner or even better yet take her out to swanky place where he knows the chef. Lee tries to tell him she’s involved but by the time she gets around to it, she’s called away on emcee duties.
Lee introduces the magicians — and of course it’s Jerome and Barbara in disguises. This feels more and more like the 1966 Batman series with every episode.
The two of them pull off a couple stupid tricks including the old saw a man in half in a box thing with Bruce as the willing volunteer. At one point, Barbara’s mask slips off for just a second but it’s long enough for Lee to see her smiling so she calls Jim to come to the gala in a hurry although she’s knocked out with chloroform before she can finish her sentence.
Finally, Jerome reveals himself after stabbing the deputy mayor to death and telling the entire audience that they won’t make it home tonight because they will all be dead.
Meanwhile Bruce flees the room chasing after Selina, who is making a run for it while gunmen hold the entire crowd hostage.
The Joke’s On You
Jerome calls Gordon once he’s on the scene and it looks like Gotham’s newest criminal star is back on TV with Lee strapped to a wheel where she will presumably have knives thrown at her and he’s demanding $47 million, a helicopter and a pony cause why the hell not? In the midst of Jerome’s grandstanding, Theo Galavan appears out of the crowd and attempts to stand up to this villainous cretin only to get whapped over the head by Barbara.
Selina finds an escape to get her and Bruce out of the building, but when he realizes that he left Alfred in the other room with the gun-toting psychopaths, he knows he has to go back. Selina escapes, but not fast enough because Gordon spots her and she shows him the secret entrance so he can hopefully save the day.
Back inside, Jerome is demanding Bruce Wayne join him on stage again for his next trick but when he doesn’t show, Barbara suggests killing his butler as incentive to show his face. Bruce is just about to walk out from behind the curtain when Gordon appears and gives him a new plan instead.
Bruce finally emerges and walks to the stage where Alfred is being held at gunpoint. He quickly hugs his butler while slipping him a gun and telling him that Gordon is planning an attack at this very moment.
Gordon leaps out guns blazing while Alfred does the same on stage. Unfortunately in the middle of the chaos, Jerome puts a knife to Bruce’s neck and he’s ready to finish off the future Batman until Theo rises up from the ground and jams a knife into the would be Joker’s neck. Jerome falls to the ground, gurgling his own blood and wondering why Theo did this when he was supposed to be a big star.
It seems Theo had much bigger plans that involved more than just letting a few crazies out on the population of Gotham.
He wanted to be the hero and now that he’s vanquished the city’s most notorious criminal, he will undoubtedly be hailed as a symbol (and future mayor I assume) that will finally bring Gotham City back to greatness again. Theo even gets a little glad handing from Gordon and Bruce, who are both seriously impressed with his courage under fire.
The Madness Spreads
Following a rather crazy evening at the charity gala, Alfred makes one more play for Lee right in front of Gordon but he’s dragged away by Bruce. A moment later he turns around and sees Lee and Gordon kissing and realizes his flirting was all for naught.
Meanwhile across town, Bullock pays Penguin a visit for the first time to see the crown on the new king’s head. He wonders why Gordon was so hesitant to pay Penguin a visit for help but after rumors started swirling around town about how the do-gooder cop got roped into collecting a debt for the new crime lord that ended with someone dead, Bullock is starting to understand why his partner is avoiding this exactly meeting.
Bullock warns Penguin that he may be the one sitting on the throne for now, but he’ll always be the umbrella boy who waited on Fish Mooney hand and foot — and Bullock still owes him one for Fish as well.
Following Jerome’s highly publicized death, which is all but shown on live TV, people around Gotham are quite infected by his maniacal laugh and penchant for chaos. Theo wasn’t one of them because he’s got an organized plan for this city and part of his current agenda is welcoming Barbara into his bed, much to his sister’s chagrin.
As for the other sociopaths watching as Jerome Velaska meets his death, they aren’t just intrigued — they are inspired. One killer even offs a homeless man before stabbing his friend to death as well. It seems Jerome’s wayward father was correct — he will spread madness cross this city — even if he’s not alive to see it.
Tune into the next episode of Gotham next Monday night at 8pm ET on FOX!
