I wrote this earlier on another site.
Last nights Gotham was a good episode though I was disappointed in the ending.
I think the writers have just shot themselves in the foot. They made a big mistake killing off Jerome.
Gotham cant decide if it wants to be a prequel or an AU. Theyve killed off Essen, Maroni, got rid of Falcone, all characters who are around when Batman is active. Maroni is even the reason why Harvey Dent became Two Face. We are never going to see Batman on the show. Bruce is only 12/13 in-show, even if he becomes Batman at 18, thats still 5-6 years away timeline wise (unless they plan to do a full costumed teenage batman, but logically Alfred wouldnt allow it). Even if each season was set a year after the last season, we still wouldnt see Batman until season 6 at the earliest. However season 2 is set only a month after season 1 so Batman is a long way off for Bruce and the audience. There will probably be lengthy time skips somewhere down the line due to the fact that Bruces actor isnt going to stay a boy forever. It also isnt guaranteed that Gotham will even reach four seasons let alone six. As an AU, Gotham works better. Youve still got your unchangeable events such as the Wayne murders and Bruce becomes Batman, but theres more freedom to play around with the characters. Yes youve got to get them from point A to point B but how they get there is entirely up to creative decisions.
Jerome has now become an unintentionally sympathetic character. In his first appearance, The blind fortune teller, he seemed crazy because he murdered his mother just because she nagged him to do the dishes. However, with the reveal that she used to beat him as a child with whatever man she had at the time, The blind fortune teller just became Jeromes snapping point. The Galavans broke the inmates out of Arkham, and manipulated and used them as pawns to achieve their goals. Tabitha was constantly watching them from afar. She was there when they threw the guys off the buildings, she was there at the school bus incident and shot one of them when he got caught. I think Theo planned to kill Jerome from the start of the episode in order to look like a hero. The Jeromes waiting outside, make sure he stays focussed is a dead giveaway. Jerome has always been in the room, but now suddenly hes being excluded. Jeromes backstory and line Ive met a guy dad, he says hes going to make me a star becomes kind of tragic. Jerome was an abused kid who was told by his own father (though he didnt know that at the time) that no one cared about him, that he didnt matter. essentially that he was worthless. After he snaps and is sent to Arkham, suddenly he meets someone who tells him that hes important, that hes going to matter, that hes going to be remembered. Of course Jerome would go along with Theos plan because at its core, it gave him something that he had so desperately craved as a kid, the feeling of being wanted. Also Theo praised the maniax for their actions so again that plays into the desire of wanting to be acknowledged as a person (even if the actions were warped and evil).
Jerome said he was 9 and that his mother had only finished round 1 of boozing, boning, and beating up Jerome with the guy she met. He was 18 when he murdered her. So for 9 years, Jerome put up with it and everyone in the circus turned a blind eye. The one person Jerome did tell what was going on turned round and essentially told him that no one cared about him. It is almost certain that his mothers abuse continued. The tragedy of that situation is had someone actually taken notice of what was going on and stopped it, Jerome couldve walked a very different path than what he ended up on. His flair as the magician suggests that maybe he missed his vocation.
Another thing that makes me think Theo set Jerome up to die was that the trapdoor that Barbara escaped through wasnt that big. It wouldnt have fit two people through at the same time meaning Jerome and Barbara wouldve had to go first and second. Considering Barbara wasnt the one Theo killed to look like a hero, it suggests that Barbara was always intended to escape whilst Jerome wasnt. Theo apologised to a dying Jerome whilst stabbing him, saying it wasnt what they rehearsed but as explained above, I think Theo always intended for Jerome to die, Tabitha knew it and Barbaras lack of surprise makes me think Barbara knew it too, thats why Jerome was kept out of the room, thats why the trapdoor was so small, and thats why everyone seemed to calm and unbothered by Jeromes death. That was the plan. Also what made Theo Galavan choose those 6 particular Arkham inmates for his team?
The main sticking point for me about Jeromes death was the fact he was so obviously the Joker. He had all the Joker traits and mannerisms. Teasing that anyone could be the Joker was fine throughout season 1, but when they fleshed out Jeromes character beyond his first appearance, he was obviously the Joker before he took up the Joker moniker, and having him and Bruce interact now before either of them became their monikers actually sets up an interesting dynamic for their future run in as Batman and the Joker.
Not having Jerome be the Joker actually diminishes the potential Joker in the Gotham universe. Joker dislikes anyone trying to steal his act so to have someone become the Joker Because they copied someone elses act is an insult to the character. Joker is the original and the one and only Joker, Jerome was the original and now Gothams actual Joker is just going to be a copy-cat because Jerome did it first.
I get that the writers cant have Jerome running free all season because that would make Gordon look incompetent, Jeromes actor has commitments to Shameless, and the writers want to tell other stories this season as well. But why didnt they have Jerome taken back to Arkham and put in solitary confinement which wouldve probably just added more crazy to the point where he becomes the fully fledged Joker? Youve kept Jerome alive so you can use him for future appearances, youve kept him out of the way so he doesnt steal the limelight from other characters, and youve set up the connection between Batman and the Joker. Its a win/win on all fronts.
Even if the reason Jerome was killed off was because of the possibility that he might talk and reveal Theo Galavans duplicitous nature, there is an easy way to write around that and still keep Jerome alive. Either have Jerome refuse to talk because he finds it more amusing to see Gordon running around figuratively blind (perhaps solitary confinement could be the punishment until he talks) or since Theo has covered his tracks well and is now seen as the city hero, who would seriously believe the word of a madman over the denial of a hero who saved a room of people from said madman. Maybe Gordon is the only one who believes Jerome and then is quest for the season is to try and find a shred of evidence to prove Theo Galavan masterminded the Arkham breakout. Youve then got the Gordon against the city dynamic and perhaps even added contention between Bruce and Gordon because Gordon suspects Galavan whereas Bruce trust Galavan and even looks up to him as a hero.
By killing off Jerome, the writers have missed a golden opportunity and wasted a perfectly good character.
Onto other bits of the show:
Barbara- Barbara is so much more fun now that she is evil and it seems like her relationship with both Theo and Tabitha is going to become a source of contention between the siblings. Barbara is delusional in thinking she and Jim will get back together and you can see why Leslie is concerned for her own safety since Barbara views her as the other woman.
Leslie- I like Leslie, shes one of the more realistic characters on the show. Shes concerned for her own safety from Barbara instead of just shrugging it off yet shes not cowering in a corner and letting it dominate her life. Shes concerned about Jim but shes letting him have his own space and work things through on his own without smothering him. Itll be interesting to see where the Jim/Leslie relationship goes (Again, the show has gone AU in this regard).
Bruce and Alfred- I actually didnt mind Bruce this episode. His role supported the main story without taking time away from it which I think is the best way to handle Bruces character until he starts becoming more interesting in the Batman stakes. Alfreds crush on Leslie was adorable and his disappointed resignation that she was in a relationship with Jim was funny.
Jim and Bullock- Their partnership works and you could believe how Jim would become almost obsessive about making Jerome pay for killing Essen. I also liked how Bullock went to Penguin and warned him about what he would do to him if Penguin messed around with Jim.
Penguin- Penguin did not approve of Jeromes way of doing things. It could have set up an interesting rivalry between the two plus if Penguin found out that Theo was the puppet master then youve got that added dimension as well. But once again its a wasted opportunity.
Selina- I dont think the writers know exactly what to do with Selina. She disappears and reappears randomly. Theres no storyline for her. She hasnt even mentioned Ivy even though those two hung out a lot last season.
LOL
For sure. The main villain for now made himself a hero.
I never thought about Jerome's death being a fake murder but I suppose it might be possible ( however remotely) that the knife was coated in something that would make it appear Jerome was dead. However, I think the most easiest explanation is that he is dead.
