A new sneak peek at a scene from next week's Gotham features the dastardly Jerome channeling Mark Hamill's version of the Joker just before he plans on killing his father.
The show hasn't actually told viewers that Jerome is definitely playing a younger version of the Joker, but actor Cameron Monaghan's portrayal of the character certainly gives viewers reason to believe that.
In this clip, Jerome has his father bound and tied up. As he prepares to kill the man, Jerome relates a story about his childhood growing up with the parents who shaped him.
"Every spring, right around my birthday, there was this guy — him and my mom used to drink and fornicate and beat the crap out of me," Jerome says in the clip. "They'd make a whole night out of it."
Of course, the clip ends with Monaghan's Joker-like laugh.
This scene shows the continuing evolution of Jerome as a character as he continues to take on more of a Joker persona on this season of Gotham.
"Obviously, he's much more aggressive in the second season," said Monaghan about the character to ComicBookResources.com.
"The scope is broadening, and he's becoming more confident. He's starting to strike out and accomplish more. That's something we'll see more over the next few episodes, is his rising and embracing his lust for violence and appreciating it in a way that he's never had the chance to before."
That's not to say, though, that the actor thinks of his character as the Joker — regardless of how Gotham's viewers see him. In fact, Monaghan tries not to pursue that line of thinking.
"I think of him as Jerome," said Monaghan. "At the end of the day, I have to attach to what is tangible right now. What's important to note is that he's representative of the idea of who the Joker is — the spirit, the lunacy and the enjoyment of chaos and laughing at other people's pain. In many ways, right now, for our show, the Joker is more of an overarching concept."
Gotham is only in its second season — would the showrunners really unveil one of Batman's top archenemies so quickly? Or could Jerome be a red herring? Or even just serve as inspiration for the person who will eventually become the Joker?
There's only one way to find out: tune into the same Bat-Time and same Bat-Channel: watch Gotham on Fox on Monday nights.
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