Jerome and Jeremiah: The Duality Of Gotham’s Jokers
Gotham is one of those series which I acquired a taste for during the time I was watching it. It was like beer, something I did not like when I first experienced it but eventually when I started drinking it regularly, I ended up loving it. I was quite skeptical of the series at first because simply the characters did not pull me. Even the pilot episode, something which I always think is the “hook” with which a series grabs the viewer, was not that great.
I stopped watching it in the middle of season one courtesy of the vast choices on Netflix which can lure anyone in different directions. However, as Batman is my favorite superhero and comic book character, I decided to give this a chance out of loyalty to Bruce Wayne and his caped crusader alter-ego.
It was then that I saw the first appearance of Jerome Valeska played by Cameron Monaghan. At the time, because I did not know that there will be a twin brother in season four, I thought that Jerome was the Joker. Due to the scenes in Arkham, the make-up, the laugh along with the side dish of insanity, I was totally convinced that I was seeing some kind of a Joker origin story.
For me, I can’t see Batman in isolation. I always see him in the context of his greatest adversary. Yes, that is how big an anti-hero Joker is for me that the I perceive Batman in totality with his enemy. So, whenever there’s any animated movie, series, film about the Dark Knight, I am always more interested and concerned about who will be playing the Joker and whether they will be able to pull it off efficiently or not.
To be honest, people might have doubts over Monaghan’s performance as comparisons with Heath Ledger and Jack Nicholson are bound to come up, but I think he has done an excellent job in playing the role. More so, Monaghan must be given extra credit for playing not one but two characters of supposed Jokers, a task which would have been immensely heavy, mentally.
In Jerome, we see a Joker who kind of embodies the character we have read in the comic books. He is a sadist but is not an immaculate planner. Although he does show some of his schemes especially when he sabotages the rock concert in season four and kidnaps eminent personalities of Gotham and ties a bomb around their neck; but these schemes are more about Jerome finding an audience to show off his “skills” rather than carrying out a plan with due diligence. We can also get a sense of the Joker from comic books in Jerome when the poison gas is shown which makes the people laugh and disfigures their face in the process.
However, when I first saw the character of Jeremiah Valeska, Jerome’s twin brother and when he got infected with the same gas which resulted in his insanity, I was blown away by the fact that how Monaghan was able to tone down the more physical aspects of Jerome (the laughs, haphazard body movements etc.) and at the same time was able to give the character a more lethal and evil shape than Jerome ever could.
Jeremiah did not care about an audience. He is concerned only about the end result and for that he will do whatever is necessary. Jeremiah, before becoming the Joker was shown to be a prodigy who was an expert engineer and was living in isolation because he was scared of Jerome finding him. In Jeremiah’s Joker, we can see the perfect amalgamation of his intelligence and prudence and although his brain has now become toxic, he seems to be able to control it rather than letting the insanity take control of him unlike his twin brother. His aspect of controlling the insanity, is something which I loved in Monaghan’s portrayal of the character.
If anyone is nearing the end of season four, then we can sense the fact that Jeremiah with his purple suit, white face and a character which resembles that of Harley Quinn is now starting to set into the character of the Joker, who will go on to become one of the greatest villains of all time. In a series where everyone seems to stay alive (especially Penguin) irrespective of how many times they are killed or are brought back to life (like Jerome), Monaghan’s performance as both Jerome and Jeremiah stood out for me because this was the first time I saw a duality in the character.
To me, both of them were Jokers of Gotham, who terrorised the city during different times. Playing the character of one Joker and that too doing it justice is an achievement in itself, but then going on to play the role of another, who has a complete set of different ideals and body language, is something which I appreciate and give the highest of respects.
I have read and seen any different Jokers during the times I have gone through different versions of Batman comics and movies. I did not think I would say this but Monaghan’s character of Jerome and Jeremiah certainly features one of the best performances of the character I have seen to date.
I was so disappointed with Jared Leto’s role as the Joker in Suicide Squad. I felt so much more could have been done with the role and that was also the result of the tremendous short amount of screen time he got. But Monaghan came and swept me away in Gotham.
The Joker, as many will agree, is a far more complex character to play than Batman. He has more shades to his characters and it does take a toll on the mental health of the actor who attempts to play him. Monaghan did this with the utmost maturity and professionalism and his dual Jokers’ will stay in the memories of the people for quite sometime.
