ZOMG THE JOKER IS COMING TO GOTHAM!!! Or so the promos would have you believe. Before Gotham premiered, showrunner Bruno Heller said that there was a potential Joker in every episode, which eagle-eyed viewers will know is total bullshit. With the exception of that comedian in the pilot, no one has come close to being a possible Joker (we’ll not speak of the stupid theory that Cobblepot is actually the Joker). Until “The Blind Fortune Teller,” where we meet Jerome Valesca.
The good thing about the Joker is that there’s no canonical backstory, so you’re free to do pretty much whatever you want – Tim Burton’s Joker is different from Alan Moore’s, who’s different from Christopher Nolan’s. So it’s not scandalous that Bruno Heller’s Joker is kind of a carny. My problem is, does Gotham need a Joker? We already have the Penguin and Dons Falcone and Maroni as heavies, and the seeds have been planted for Two-Face, the Riddler, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, and the Scarecrow. The Joker’s best foil was always Batman, not Gordon, so Valesca’s introduction just serves to bloat an already-overstuffed roster of villains.
So Gordon and Leslie Tompkins (since when is Lee a nickname for Leslie? Is that a thing?) are at the circus, when a bunch of clowns attack a bunch of acrobats (the Flying Graysons, naturally). The fight was over a woman named Lila, found dead in a wagon. So Gordon rounds up everyone and takes them to the station. (An incredulous Captain Essen asks: “Your primary suspects are clowns and acrobats?” Um, yes? It was the murder of a circus performer by a circus performer. How fucking weird would it be if the suspects weren’t clowns and acrobats?)
There’s some stuff about a family feud that’s not as interesting as Gotham thinks it is, and Mark Margolis (Tio fucking Salamanca from Breaking Bad) shows up as the titular soothsayer, but this plot really exists to get Jerome to start laughing creepily, which (as you can tell from the banner picture) he totally does. Almost on cue, in fact. It’s not that it’s not effective, it’s just that he turns on a dime, and the transition is a little too jarring, which is different from the unsettling effect that the show was going for. Oh, and I guess we were supposed to be reminded of Arkham, too, since that’s presumably where Jerome is headed after confessing to murdering his mom.
Elsewhere, Barbara is hanging out with Selina and Ivy, and nothing in the world could make me care about this.
Bruce goes to have a meeting with the board of directors of Wayne Enterprises, because if businessmen love one thing, it’s taking time out of their day to be lectured by a twelve-year-old. But in Bruce’s defense, all the board members are condescending pricks. David Mazouz remains one of Gotham‘s bright spots.
A Few Thoughts
- Morena Baccarin and Ben McKenzie have good chemistry, but it’s a shame to see an actress as winsome and charming as Baccarin repeatedly cast in roles that require her to do nothing except fall in love with the main male character (e.g. Firefly, Homeland)
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So Gordon knew the snake would lead him to Lila’s body? It’s a snake, not a fucking bloodhound
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Fish Mooney’s prison subplot is actually kind of interesting (high praise for Gotham). I’m intrigued as to who the “manager” is, but at the rate Gotham is shoving villains down our throat, it’ll probably be Killer Croc or Calendar Man
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I guess Bruce is out of school once more
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Lee got mad at Bruce because he didn’t immediately trust a self-proclaimed psychic who just wandered in off the street. Gimme a fuckin break
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Cobblepot should just rename his place Club Incest. That place sucks
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