First take: In perhaps one of my least-favorite episodes of the season, Gotham provides what might be my favorite scene of the entire show.
Gotham continues to be a mixed bag. After a few episodes that weren’t too shabby, the show aired a bit of a dud. Fish Mooney unites her family (corny), Gordon and Leslie flirt (cheesy and awkward), Penguin slits a throat (then stays off screen) and Bruce takes hold of his company (left me wanting more). Overall, “The Blind Fortune Teller” was more of the same with Gotham, but sprinkled with a little extra all over… whether that be cheesy, storylines or just bad acting. The episode could be my least favorite episode thus far. That’s all I have to say about it.
Now, to the only saving grace of the show this week… and the reason for all of the hype.
Cameron Monaghan as “Jerome” or maybe/possibly/probably Gotham‘s Joker. We are introduced to this character early on in the episode and we see that something is a little off with him. Add to it that he finds out he just lost his mother. It’s an effective scene and then Jerome is left in the dark for about half an hour. When he returns, he steps up his sadness even turning it into sobbing. Then he makes the turn that he can’t go back to (see above). Monaghan really does a good job here, reaching an almost too-similar vibe with the late Heath Ledger’s take on the Joker, yet still making it his own. After rewatching this scene repeatedly, I’ve come to the conclusion that I loved it… however I was a little disappointed with it… and that isn’t the fault of the creators behind the show, but rather FOX.
In the current Scott Snyder/Greg Capullo Batman:Endgame run, DC held off from spoiling a major surprise that appeared on the last page of part 1: the Joker. Well, technically not the Joker but that he was the person behind the plan. By holding off, fans were able to enjoy the surprise as the artists intended and for that, DC received major accolades. FOX, however, did not. As DKN’s Eric Joseph previously reported, showrunner Bruno Heller said he may or may not be the Joker, and that it wasn’t a bait and switch. FOX decided to go ahead and say “hey, let’s get ratings! The Joker is going to be on the show!” I had the fortune of watching this episode with someone who had no idea what was coming, and she really enjoyed the twist. For many of us though, we knew what was happening and weren’t able to enjoy it like we could, or should, have. Opportunity missed.
Anyways, this won’t be the last of Jerome and I am really looking forward to this character’s development in the show. Could he rival Robin Lord Taylor’s Penguin?
Ha! Don’t make me laugh.
Episode rating: 5/10
