‘Gotham’ Spoilers: Does Gordon Ben McKenzie Kill Joker Cameron Monaghan?

It wasn’t as great as last week’s episode and there were a few huge bummer moments, like with what happened to Jerome, but this season is still playing out like a live-action cartoon and it’s working extremely well. While we knew Monaghan’s regular gig on Shameless would preclude him from appearing continually on Gotham, the show was leaning so heavily on Jerome’s Joker-isms that we didn’t expect the show to shuffle him off the stage so permanently. But now that Jerome is out of the way, it leaves room for Gotham to do something unexpected and subvert gender expectations by making her a version of the Joker.

Following the slaughter in the police station from last week’s episode, Jim Gordon is not handling things very well.

Cicero enters his apartment and is greeted by Jerome and Tabitha. After a loud noise, Jim and Bullock kick the door down.

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. Meanwhile, a magic show at the Gotham Children’s Hospital gala turns into a hostage situation in the all-new Rise of the Villains: “The Last Laugh“.

So when Theo Gallavan offers to make Barbara’s “fondest dreams come true”, we’re supposed to identify with Barbara’s skeptical reply: “You know my dreams, do you?” He blames Gotham City for ruining his family’s reputation and he’s back for revenge. As it goes on, Leslie discovers that Jerome is the magician, and Barbara is the assistant. She wants him to go with him to a charity ball because there will be a magician. That said, it seems this series is distancing itself more and more from “Gotham Standards” as it moves along, as indicated by the startlingly concise opening scene. Children will wake from sleep screaming at the thought of you.

At the start of “The Last Laugh“, she seems to be with Tabitha (Jessica Lucas), but after Theo’s big play, she switches which sibling she’s cozying up to. Jerome grabs Jim’s gun, but Tabitha stops Jerome from shooting him. He places a gun in Bruce’s belt for Alfred and sends him out. For the second act, it’s going to involve Thompkins and Gordon. Now, following Wayne’s part, Jerome next calls up the deputy mayor, who graciously accepts the offer. They select Bruce from the crowd for a trick in which it looks like they cut him in half. After telling her that he misses her, Bruce runs back to save Alfred. Lee is tied to a wheel while Jerome is being broadcast on TV. 

Luckily, Gordon spotted Selina slipping out of the building and had her show the way in. Then when Jerome finally decides that he does want to kill Bruce after all, his nonsensical timing has allowed the boy and the cop to plan a dashing rescue in the wings. Bruce, running, sees Selina and chases after her. He loses sight of her, but she grabs him behind a set of curtains. To see him snuffed out so quickly is sad.

At the same time, Gordon is still extremely shaken by Essen’s death: he walks into the precinct and barks orders like he runs the place. Theo comes to consciousness and stabs Jerome in the neck.

Tonight’s Gotham insults viewers’ intelligence by asking us to admire the cleverness of a plot twist that essentially slaps viewers in the face for wanting more recognizable characters. Will Jim manage to stop the future mortal enemy of Bruce Wayne from causing more destruction in the present Gotham City?

Okay, so Bruce is likely safe, obviously, and probably Jim Gordon as well, but you gotta wonder if anyone else really is. But in his first real mad scientist monolog of the series, actor James Frain pulls off equal parts charming and cunning as he tells Barbara Keane why he has to destroy Gotham from the inside out. At first, I feared that Gotham was developing new bad habits while attempting to shed old ones.

Bullock pays Penguin a visit. Bullock insults Penguin by referencing his time as Fish Mooney’s lackey before threatening to protect his partner at any cost.

And just as Paul predicted, Jerome’s legacy is “death and madness”, as people watching his video on the news mimic his laugh – and begin to kill. One killer even offs a homeless man before stabbing his friend to death as well. Though groggy, Gordon sees Jerome come down the hallway and tries to attack him.

For once, Gotham isn’t treating the villains it establishes as sacred cows that they must save for Batman later, and it is exhilarating to imagine the possibilities if every character with a trademark on their name as equally, as disposable as this red herring.