Jerome Valeska is back on Gotham and reminding us of all the reasons why he’s the best character on the television series!
On Gotham season 3, episode 13, “Smile Like You Mean It,” Jerome is brought back to life. After his body is stolen from Wayne Enterprises, the followers of a movement inspired by him work to bring him back to life. The episode is sure to delight fans and it is certainly one of my favorites of the season and of the series so far!
In observance of Jerome’s returns here’s what makes him the best character on Gotham:
He’s unpredictable
There’s something to be said about the way Jerome continues to surprise viewers. The character, much like the Joker, is unpredictable. That means that fans are continually kept on the edge of their seat wondering what the character is going to do next.
Sometimes it’s comforting knowing a character so well that their next move is easily guessed, but not with Jerome. Not knowing what is going to happen is part of the excitement of seeing him on screen. Once he appears you just know things are about to get a little wild and crazy.
He’s always entertaining, and never boring
From the way he talks, to the way he gestures, and his antics, Jerome is always keeping viewers entertained. Sometimes he’s making us laugh, sometimes he’s making us squirm, and he’s almost always making us glad that he’s not real — no matter what he’s doing it sure definitely isn’t boring.
Even Gordon on Gotham agrees that Jerome wasn’t one to bore his audience. When Dwight tried to take Jerome’s place he failed to live up to the expectations. His attempts at taking over the city doesn’t rile up the city like Jerome did. Gordon taunted Dwight in “Smile Like You Mean It” by saying, “Well for the record you’re doing one thing Jerome never did, boring me.”
Plus, his sense of humor is unmatched by any other character. It’s purely his own brand of funny that keeps fans entertained. It’s definitely dark, and crazy, but it still makes us laugh. Even though Jerome was threatening Lee, his back and forth with her was still hilarious. It’s hard to imagine anyone else pulling that off.
He’s full of charm and charisma
There’s no denying that Jerome is full of charm and charisma, even though he’s quite unhinged. It’s what caused a following of believers even after his death. They became so enamored with him that they began to dress like him and recite his sayings as though they were religious text. They were willing to put their jobs and lives at risk just to serve him and bring him back to life, all without him even asking them to.
From the beginning Jerome also had a following outside of the show. Gotham fans are intensely invested in the character. What was originally supposed to be just a one time appearance by Cameron Monaghan turned into something much larger because of the character’s popularity. Now Jerome has even come back from the dead and I can’t help but believe that it’s because fans were so crushed by his death.
His charisma isn’t something that can be duplicated either. When Jerome watches on television as Dwight tries to take over his persona he’s very disappointed in what he sees. In “Smile Like You Mean It” Jerome tells Lee, “Look at that, no charisma, no stage presence, though he is a handsome fellow.” Of course he’s joking that Dwight looks good because the man literally stole his face.
His character goes dark like none other
Much like the Joker, Jerome is darker than any other character that we’ve seen on Gotham. There have been some pretty vicious characters on the show but none of them stack up to Jerome. Something about the way that he seems to be fearless, lacking empathy, unpredictable, and ruthless is terrifying. When you add in the fact that he’s always joking about his crimes, it makes it that much darker.
Yet, despite how dark the character goes, he’s still able to pull the audience in. One would expect a character so dark to be a turn off from viewers. However, it’s quite the opposite, fans can’t seem to get enough of him.
He always leaves us wanting more
Jerome’s return always brings joy to Gotham fans. However, it never seems like his appearances on the show are long enough. After a couple of episodes of watching his amazing storylines, he eventually gets thrown away in jail or worse killed! Then fans are back to being sad at his departure and begging to see more of him.
With any luck, Gotham won’t kill him this time and maybe we can see more of him in the future.