CAREFUL!! THESE SPOILERS ARE TO DIE FOR!! BAHAHAHAHA!!
Gordon tries to pick up after the carnage left by Jerome and his gang when the invaded the GCPD and nearly killed every cop in the district. Bullock tells Gordon they have a lead on Jerome’s father Paul Cicero. They arrive at the apartment to find him dead with a stab wound to the head. Gordon finds an open window, thinking that Jerome escaped. While investigates, Bullock checks the blind man’s corpse. He moves his hand which is covering a canister of knock out gas. Gordon rushes over to Bullock and drag him outside. The gas begins to affect him as well. Jerome appears to taunt Gordon. When he threatens to kill him however, Tabitha quickly knocks Gordon out. At a benefit dinner for a children’s hospital, Bruce meets up with Selina who tells him she’s working. Jerome, pretending to be a magician, entertains the crowd. First he performs a trick with Bruce Wayne and then with the Mayor. During the performance, the assistant’s mask falls off revealing Barbara’s face. Tompkins tries to warn Gordon but she is knocked out and strapped to the roulette wheel. The rest of the Maniax burst in and mow down several patrons with gunfire. Alfred tries to fight them off but he is overpowered. Bruce escapes with Selina but goes back to help Alfred. When he gets back to the ballroom, Gordon stops him from going in. When Alfred’s life of threatened, Bruce enters the ballroom, offering himself up. He discreetly hands Alfred a gun and tells him that Jim Gordon is outside the curtain before being hauled off by Jerome. Jerome then threatens to kill Bruce. Gordon bursts into the ballroom, taking out several Maniax with help from Alfred. They halt their assault when Jerome presses a knife to Bruce’s neck. Suddenly, Theo Galavan stabs Jerome in the neck, killing him. Theo is hailed a hero afterward by Alfred, Bruce, and Gordon. Report of Theo’s heroism spreads throughout Gotham. However, as footage of Jerome airs, people around the city suddenly begin laughing maniacally and performing acts of violence.
Theo Galavan came to Gotham to become its savior and he will do what it takes to place himself atop the pedestal. Even make deals with devils. He has the money but he wants the power. Theo reveals his true intentions in this episode, using the Arkham inmates he rescued to make himself a beacon of hope for the ailing city. But Theo has severely dark intentions that make him a formidable character and possible rival for Penguin who is taking the backseat after breaking out last season as a loveable villain. I have a feeling that Oswald Cobblepot will not be sitting back there for long. This episode gave Jerome his shining moment. Cameron Monaghan brings out all the theatrics the Joker is known for. He even has gotten the dark, creepy tone set by Mark Hamill, which he uses when he torments his father who predicts that Jerome’s influence will spread like a disease. Jerome then becomes the showman by posing as a magician, with Barbara Reed as his assistant, to entertain the audience at a benefit dinner. It’s a creepy, dark and comedic performance, styled in the way that only a future Clown Prince of Crime can do. But alas, Jerome’s future may not come to pass as Theo Galavan follows through with his plan and kills Jerome, making himself a hero. I loved this interpretation of the character and Cameron’s portrayal is spot on. Following the aftermath, people across Gotham watching Jerome’s performance on the news begin laughing and then killing randomly. It appears that Paul Cicero’s prediction has come true. Though it would seem that he is gone, how many times has the Joker seemingly “died”. Check your DC history, he was supposed to be killed soon after his introduction in 1940 by a stab to the heart. Theo Galavan only gave him a neck wound. Plus, the episode is called “The Last Laugh” after all.
