Gotham star Cameron Monaghan decided to treat instead of trick his fans this Halloween as he took to Instagram to share some new photos from the upcoming season 5 which gave us a fresh look at his character Jeremiah Valeska. And, as we’ve heard before, he’s now got himself a girlfriend in the form of Francesca Root-Dodson’s Ecco, who looks like she’s going to become the proto-Harley Quinn to Jeremiah’s juvenile Joker.
Monaghan’s images depict the happy couple dancing together in some kind of abandoned creepy stock room. Dressed in matching striped outfits and with Jeremiah’s wide-brimmed hat and Ecco’s unique hairstyle, there’s definitely a Clown Prince and Princess of Crime vibe going on here. The actor captioned his post: “For some people, every day is Halloween.”
Fans have been expecting to see Harley Quinn on Gotham for a while, with Barbara Kean initially thought of as the prime suspect to become the character. However, we later learned that, while this idea was tossed around briefly, it was ultimately decided against. It makes much more sense that Ecco, Jerome’s henchwoman now sided with Jeremiah, would be a stand-in for Dr. Quinzel instead.
Root-Dodson previously hinted that her character would become Harley by sharing a snap of herself from season 5, complete with painted white skin. As with Jeremiah as the Joker, it doesn’t look like Gotham has clearance to replicate Harley Quinn’s iconic look on their show, but it seems they’re doing all they can to evoke the character without getting told off from WB execs.
Remember, though, Jerome and Ecco likely aren’t the real Joker and Harley. Showrunner John Stephens has said before that their intention with Monaghan’s character is for him to be the inspiration for another psychopath out there who becomes Batman’s nemesis. So, presumably the same’s true of Ecco.
Gotham season 5 will consist of twelve episodes and premieres on FOX on January 3rd.