After an expectedly memorable performance in season 1 of Gotham, Jerome Valeska (played by Cameron Monaghan) has been a crowd-pleaser as he slowly becomes the live-action Joker that most fans have been waiting for. As a dedicated admirer of Mark Hamill’s Joker, I’m willing to admit that Monaghan’s Jerome is slowly moving up the list of greatest Joker interpretations I’ve had the pleasure of watching. The character has come back in each season in very brief stints. In season 2, after supposedly killing him off, it seemed that that was end for that fantastic incarnation.
However, after more than a season, the Gotham writers managed to slowly incorporate the possibility of character resurrection. And so, Jerome managed to make another memorable return in season 3. Instead of killing him off once more, the character is tucked away in Arkham Asylum, with many hoping he will eventually bust out and wreak havoc once again.
But now that he is alive, is it possible that he will become a regular in the upcoming season 4? Although many fans hope that that would be the case, I personally don’t believe he would and apparently, that opinion is shared by Drew Powell, who plays Butch Gilzean. At a recent Heroes and Villains festival, Powell said:
“I feel like Jerome is a solo artist. He’s not one to team up with anyone. Early on he had his Maniax, but I think the evolution of that character is he’s a unique psychopath/sociopath, both. So I don’t see any teaming up with Jerome. And that’s part of the deal with him which was interesting; how they kind of had a Jerome section in the middle of our season. And part of that is the actor has another job, and the other part is that character is intense. 22 episodes is a lot of TV… So those characters that are super intense… you can’t use them all the time or it stresses people out. So yeah, I think when Jerome comes, it’s all about Jerome.”
Though this is far from confirmation, I believe it’s a pretty accurate guess. In the end, although he makes a lot of points regarding the character and why he simply could not work as a series regular, it all boils down to whether or not Monaghan has the time. Prior to his appearance on Gotham, drama fans will recognize him as a main cast member of the hit Showtime series, Shameless. It’s likely very difficult for the actor to juggle two shows at the same time.
However, it simply works out that way. The character is simply one of Gotham‘s gems that shouldn’t be flaunted unless they are ready wow people. The “more is less” approach is the better choice here because otherwise, the character will likely become far too tired too quickly.
What do you think? Do you believe that Jerome will more likely make increased appearances in season 4? Let me know.
Gotham season 4 is set to premiere on September 28th, 2017.
