Tonight’s episode of Gotham, titled “One of My Three Soups,” sets into motion a major scheme for fan-favorite maybe-Joker Jerome Valeska (Cameron Monaghan), according to series star — and episode director — Ben McKenzie.
During a special screening of the episode and roundtable session attended by CBR in Burbank on Wednesday, McKenzie had this to say about Jerome’s future on the show:
Cameron [Monaghan] came in in the middle of season one as what we originally thought would be a one-off, a sort of precursor to the Joker but not necessarily the Joker — but he was so magnetic and so committed that it felt like we had to go further, there was more that he could do and more that we could do with the character, certainly. Now we’re in a full blown — the end of the season really kicks it off but it becomes even more of a story of his machiavellian plans to either take over Gotham or destroy it trying.
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Jerome’s position within both Gotham and the Batman-adjacent source material has been a bit contentious for fans since his Season 1 debut. With every episode, he becomes more and more recognizable as The Joker, all while (almost defiantly) avoiding the moniker or traditional trappings of the role outright.
However, it seems as though that tipping point has finally been reached (maybe) as Gotham‘s fourth season winds to a close — Jerome’s plans to take over the city are manifesting in a tenuous alliance between himself, Jervis Tech and Jonathan Crane as he spirals further and further into his own madness, and closer and closer to finally completing his Joker transformation once and for all.
“One of My Three Soups” airs at 8 tonight on Fox.