For us fans of Gotham, the wait for the fifth and final season has been hard to endure, doubly so because of the Batman prequel series not premiering during the fall as it had for the previous four years. But now that we’re merely weeks away from showtime, the network is strategically teasing us with new footage.
If you’ll recall, we received quite the incredible trailer earlier last month that hinted at what’s next for the Joker-esque Jeremiah Valeska and heralded the arrival of Bane, with another brief appetizer showcasing the Scarecrow a week after that.
In this instance, Jeremiah is the primary focus yet again. As you can see in the promo embedded at the top of this article, he’s portrayed as a sort of bogeyman – not to mention reminding us more of the Clown Prince of Crime than ever before. Though it’s hard to say what’s going on when being viewed out of context, it’s probably safe to assume that nobody would want to be in Alfred Pennyworth’s shoes at that moment.
In addition to Ecco, his not-Harley Quinn, also putting in an appearance, it should be noted that Jeremiah’s chilling giggle can be heard near the end. Actually, I find that tease to be quite rewarding because it means he’ll break away from his more serious Hannibal Lecter-like demeanor from season 4 and embrace his madness.
So, even if he’s never called “Joker” before the series wraps, I’m confident Cameron Monaghan will go down as one of the finest actors to have played a version of the Ace of Knaves – and he’s done it in two distinctly different ways. So far, I prefer the late Jerome, but Monaghan has 12 more episodes to persuade me that Jeremiah is king.
Gotham returns for its fifth season on Thursday, January 3rd on Fox.