Sam Salama Cohén">
Psycho Drive-In logo
Search
  • PDI Press
    Featured
    • ON SALE NOW! NOIRLATHOTEP 2: MORE TALES OF LOVECRAFTIAN CRIME!!

      Sam Salama Cohén
      December 31, 2018
      News, PDI Press, PDI Press Catalog
    Recent
    • ON SALE NOW! NOIRLATHOTEP 2: MORE TALES OF LOVECRAFTIAN CRIME!!

      psychodr
      December 31, 2018
    • VOICES FROM THE NIGHT: The Living Dead Tell Their Stories

      John E. Meredith
      October 31, 2018
    • American Carnage: Tales of Trumpian Dystopia

      psychodr
      March 24, 2018
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    Featured
    • Psycho Goreman (2021)

      Sam Salama Cohén
      February 12, 2021
      Movies, Reviews
    Recent
    • Psycho Goreman (2021)

      Nate Zoebl
      February 12, 2021
    • Advance Review: Bad Girls (2021)

      Paul Brian McCoy
      February 9, 2021
    • Shadow in the Cloud (2020)

      Nate Zoebl
      February 2, 2021
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
    Featured
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      Sam Salama Cohén
      July 13, 2018
      Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview with Indie Horror Master, Chris Bickel

      The Final Girl
      July 13, 2018
    • David Black: Carnies, Carnage, and the Creative Chaos of Darkness Visible

      Dan Lee
      March 7, 2017
    • Jaiden Kaine joins the Marvel Universe as new Luke Cage baddie, Zip

      Andre Lamar
      September 29, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Batman: The Killing Joke

      Jason Sacks
      July 28, 2016
    • SDCC 2016 Interviews: The Cast and Creators of Syfy’s Van Helsing

      Dave Hearn, Paul Brian McCoy
      July 27, 2016
    • Wondercon Interview: The Cast of Damien

      Gary Richardson, Laura Akers
      April 16, 2016
  • News
    Featured
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      Sam Salama Cohén
      July 30, 2019
      DVD/Blu-ray, News
    Recent
    • John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum arrives on Digital 8/23 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand 9/10

      psychodr
      July 30, 2019
    • X-Men: Dark Phoenix arrives on Digital 9/3 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD 9/17

      Paul Brian McCoy
      July 16, 2019
    • Avengers: Endgame arrives on Digital 7/30 and Blu-ray 8/13

      psychodr
      July 16, 2019
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Breaking
  • Psycho Goreman (2021)
  • Advance Review: Bad Girls (2021)
  • Shadow in the Cloud (2020)
  • Promising Young Woman (2020)
  • Possessor: Uncut (2020)
  • Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
  • RSS
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Tumblr
  • Who We Be
  • Contact
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
Home
Reviews

Gotham 2.03 “The Last Laugh”

Sam Salama Cohén
October 12, 2015
Reviews, TV

And the killing spree continues! This season, there’s no Gotham episode that doesn’t see the death of a character from the Batman mythos, and that’s part of the charm of this series; that you really don’t know which way it’s going to go; who’s going to fall next.

In the first episode we saw Richard Sionis, aka Black Mask (Todd Stashwick), get executed. In the second one lots of nameless people were murdered by Jerome Valeska (Cameron Monaghan) and his maniac friends, and Jerome himself shot Commissioner Essen (Zabryna Guevara) dead, in a bold move that introduced the maniac crew to all of Gotham, thanks to the wonders of TV.

jim gordon

However, “The Last Laugh” gave us the most shocking death yet, and that’s the one of Jerome himself, who had been the absolute star of the show, in front of a huge audience, just like he would’ve liked.

The Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) had been the best character Gotham had to offer in the first season, and his very presence on screen guaranteed a great sequence, embodying the cold blooded, treacherous villain that will do anything to get to the top of the mob chain. This season, however, Jerome had completely stolen the focus while in the meantime doing justice, with amazing performances, to the character he was supposedly going to turn into in a few years: Batman’s arch-nemesis the Joker.

However, it is nice that Jerome’s death has a strength and a weight on the show’s overall plot and its characters that maybe other deaths didn’t.

jerome & tabitha

 

It is worth noting that he gets killed after performing his own twisted show at a benefit gala for the Children’s Hospital; of which Bruce Wayne’s parents were fundraisers – in a scene echoing the recent “Court of Owls” storyline in Scott Snyder’s Batman comics. Taking into account that the mysterious Court of Owls is said to appear in Gotham, this could be a nice, subtle hint – with the attendance of all the show’s main characters:

Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie), gets tipped by his girlfriend Lee Thompkins (Morena Baccarin), who this time around has a more important role, and also a very fun interaction with Alfred (Sean Pertwee), trying to set up an elegant date with the doctor, unaware that she’s in a relationship with Jim.

Also, we get to see a twisted Barbara Kean (Erin Richards) helping Jerome perform his show, and all the time they’re on-stage – he as the false magician to entertain the guests, and she as his false hostess – the viewer knows something terrible is about to happen; even fearing for the safety of Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) when the reluctant young playboy-to-be, has to take part in the show as his most dangerous PR feat as of yet, and almost gets himself killed.

jerome & bruce

As planned, there is one clear winner of the whole ordeal, and that’s the one we’ve seen pulling the strings of the villains, Theo Galavan (James Frain). He emerges as a figure who has confronted Jerome’s madness and violence because he’s sick of the reign of terror the maniacs have created. Create terror to abruptly help stop it. An old trick, but one that still works in all the good guys eyes; even if it was thanks to the very cool team-up of Jim, Alfred, and young Bruce that the armed thugs were taken down, preventing a further loss of innocent lives.

There’s a great subplot building, as well, where Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), now back on the force, confronts Penguin in his own turf, trying to lend his pal Jim a hand. He tells the new King of Gotham that Jim owes him no favors, and that whatever happened between the two of them, it’s over. I hope this won’t backfire on Harvey in a bloody way.

jerome

The ending of the episode, with random people adopting a Joker-like smile and attitude, and engaging in brutal beatdowns or killings after seeing a now-deceased Jerome laughing on TV, is a clear nod to the latest Joker arc on the Batman comics, where Joker’s poison was spread through laughter all over Gotham like wildfire, turning people into crazy, murderous copies of themselves.

Whether this is something that’ll be followed or not, we still have to see.

The person we thought would become the Joker is now dead, with a smile on his face.

But at least he stole the show.

(Visited 70 times, 1 visits today)
Gotham 2.03 "The Last Laugh"
Sam's Rating
4.5Overall Score
Reader Rating: (0 Votes)

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Share on Tumblr

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Ben McKenzieCameron MonaghanDavid MazouzDonal LogueErin RichardsGothamJames FrainMorena BaccarinRobin Lord TaylorSam Salama CohenSean Pertwee

Fear the Walking Dead 1.06 “The Good Man”
31 Days of Halloween 2015: Day 12 – The Reflecting Skin

About The Author

monsterid
Sam Salama Cohén
Honest Man / Thunder God

Sam is a passionate comic lover, who since an early age, found himself into the grasp of Marvel titles such as Conan the Barbarian, Captain America, Spider-Man, and, of course, his true love (after his wife Natalia, that is), the Avengers. When he was very little he created his own comic, which thanks to having relatives on the US and other countries, travelled all over the world. Now he is a happy reader. Though looking at his Resume one would think he is the serious kind of guy-Economics degree, Auditor for several years-fun and rhythm flow through his veins, and have been that way since he can remember. Spanish and currently living in Madrid, he loves travelling around the world-and getting comics wherever he goes!!! He has experience managing comic-book related online communities, and during his time on both www.AvengersForever.org and the great, unique www.ComicsBulletin.com he has had the chance to work as reviewer/columnist/interviewer, learning the ropes as he went along. As Comics Bulletin’s Social Media Manager, he devoted a lot of his time to managing and improving the site’s presence on social networks, and on building an active and interesting Community. You can find him as @SamSalama on Twitter, and as Samuel Salama on Facebook.

FACEBOOK

FACEBOOK

Daily Top Ten

  • If It Ain't Funk He Don't Feel It: Howard the Duck (1986)If It Ain’t Funk He Don’t Feel It:… by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Witchy Wednesdays: The Worst WitchWitchy Wednesdays: The Worst Witch by Jessica Sowards
  • Game of Thrones 4.08 “The Mountain and the Viper”Game of Thrones 4.08 “The Mountain and the Viper” by Dave Hearn
  • House of Wax (2005)House of Wax (2005) by The Final Girl
  • Lost in Translation 178: Electra Woman and Dyna GirlLost in Translation 178: Electra Woman and Dyna Girl by Scott Delahunt
  • Lost in Translation 198: Starship ExcelsiorLost in Translation 198: Starship Excelsior by Scott Delahunt
  • Advance Review: Watchmen – An HBO Limited Series Blu-rayAdvance Review: Watchmen – An HBO Limited Series Blu-ray by Paul Brian McCoy

PDI Press Bestsellers

Entertainment Earth

Weekly Top Ten

  • Sick Flix: Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975)Sick Flix: Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom (1975) by Corin Totin
  • The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)The Final Girl: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
  • Advance Review: The Legend of Tarzan (2016) Blu-rayAdvance Review: The Legend of Tarzan (2016) Blu-ray by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Sick Flix: Guinea Pig - Devil’s Experiment (1985)Sick Flix: Guinea Pig – Devil’s Experiment (1985) by Corin Totin
  • Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010) by The Final Girl
  • The Hills Have Eyes (1977) vs The Hills Have Eyes (2006)The Hills Have Eyes (1977) vs The Hills Have Eyes (2006) by Corin Totin
  • Cahiers du Horror 08: Director Roundup February 2021Cahiers du Horror 08: Director Roundup February 2021 by Fred L. Taulbee Jr.
  • If It Ain't Funk He Don't Feel It: Howard the Duck (1986)If It Ain’t Funk He Don’t Feel It:… by Paul Brian McCoy
  • Interview of the 50 Foot Cheerleaders!Interview of the 50 Foot Cheerleaders! by Jason Sacks
  • The Searchers: A Quaint and Polite Film about Racism, Rape, and RemorseThe Searchers: A Quaint and Polite Film about… by Thom V. Young
Entertainment Earth

Latest Reviews

  • Psycho Goreman (2021)

    Nate Zoebl
    February 12, 2021
  • Advance Review: Bad Girls (2021)

    Paul Brian McCoy
    February 9, 2021
  • Shadow in the Cloud (2020)

    Nate Zoebl
    February 2, 2021

Latest Columns

  • Anything Joes: UNBOXING: Super 7 Cobra B.A.T.

    Greg Engle
    March 2, 2021
  • Anything Joes: UNBOXING: GameStop Exclusive Funko Box – Transformers Vs GI Joe

    Greg Engle
    February 28, 2021
  • Cahiers du Horror 08: Director Roundup February 2021

    Fred L. Taulbee Jr.
    February 26, 2021

INSTAGRAM

psychodrivein

Today at http://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: UNBOXING: Super 7 Cobra B.A.T.

Greg takes an up close look at the new addition to his family, the Super 7 Super Cyborg Cobra B.A.T.
---
Watch Greg unbox the Cobra B.A.T. at the link in our profile!

@anythingjoespod #AnythingJoes #GIJoe #Cobra #Super7 #SuperSeven #CyborgCobraBat #CobraBat
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: UNBOXING: GameStop Exclusive Funko Box - Transformers Vs GI Joe

Greg tests his luck with the new GameStop Funko Box.
---
Watch the new video at the link in our profile!

#AnythingJoes #GIJoe #Transformers #FunkoPop #GameStop #Unboxing
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Cahiers du Horr Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Cahiers du Horror 08: Director Roundup February 2021

Trollhunter (2010) combines some great special effects with a mythical monster concept.
---
Read more of Fred's article at the link in our profile!

#CahiersDuHorror #DirectorsRoundup #AndreOvredal #JonathanGlazer #MattBettinelliOlpin #SCraigZahler #TylerGillett #BoneTomahawk #BrawlInCellBlock99 #DraggedAcrossConcrete #ReadyOrNot #SexyBeast #ScaryStoriesToTellInTheDark #Southbound #TheAutopsyOfJaneDoe #Trollhunter #UnderTheSkin
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Lost in Transla Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Lost in Translation 372: X-Men, The Anime

The series uses a different villain than seen in other X-Men adaptations, which makes for a refreshing change of pace.
---
Read more of Scott's article at the link in our profile!

#LostInTranslation #XMen #Anime
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Everybody Dies: Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Everybody Dies: Hamlet at Elsinore (1964)

The fact that Hamlet at Elsinore was filmed at the ACTUAL Elsinore castle creates a striking verisimilitude.
---
Read more of Rick's article at the link in our profile!

#ShakespeareOnFilm #Shakespeare #WilliamShakespeare #Hamlet #HamletAtElsinore #ChristopherPlummer #MichaelCaine #DonaldSutherland #RobertShaw
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: S01E11 - G.I. Joe #3 / The Trojan Gambit

Greg and Jaren discuss the giant robot invading The PIT, and explore how science fiction fits into the G.I. Joe universe.
---
Listen to the guys discuss this comic at the link in our profile!

#AnythingJoes #GIJoe #MarvelComics @anythingjoespod
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Psycho Goreman Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Psycho Goreman (2021)

Psycho Goreman is like a gloriously inappropriate Power Rangers episode for adults.
---
Read more of Nate's review at the link in our profile!

#PsychoGoreman #StevenKostanski #OwenMyre #MatthewNinaber #NitaJoseeHanna #AdamBrooks
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Advance Review: Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Advance Review: Bad Girls (2021)

Bad Girls is a kaleidoscopic fever dream of rapid-fire cuts, over-the-top violence, psychedelic drug orgies, raging punk metal screams, and dashes of existential angst.
---
Read more of Paul's review at the link in our profile!

#BadGirls #TheThetaGirl #ChristopherBickel #MorganShaleyRenew #SenethiaDresch #ShelbyLoisGuinn
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Sundance Film F Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Sundance Film Festival 2021: Judas and the Black Messiah

The standout performance in Judas and the Black Messiah is Kaluuya as Fred Hampton.
---
Read more of Peterson's review at the link in our profile!

#Sundance #Sundance2021 #SundanceFilmFestival #SundanceFilmFestival #JudasAndTheBlackMessiah #ShakaKing #DanielKaluuya #LaKeithStanfield #JessePlemons
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: Adroit Theory G.I. Joe Glass Set Unboxing

Greg takes a quick look at the recently released Adroit Theory 7 piece glassware set.
---
Watch Greg's unboxing video at the link in our profile!

#AnythingJoes #AdroitTheoryBrewing #Beer #Glassware #GIJoe @anythingjoespod
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Sundance Film F Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Sundance Film Festival 2021: Ailey (2021)

Ailey might not break any narrative and cinematic ground as a documentary, but it is a gorgeous evocation of artistry.
---
Read more of Peterson's review at the link in our profile!

#Ailey #SundanceFilmFestival #SundanceFilmFestival2021 #Sundance2021 #JamilaWignot #AlvinAiley
Today at http://psychodrivein.com Anything Joes: Today at http://psychodrivein.com

Anything Joes: Top 10 G.I. Joe Classified Figures of 2020!

Greg & Jaren share their thoughts on the top 10 best releases from the G.I. Joe Classified line last year.
---
Watch Greg and Jaren count them down at the link in our profile!

#GIJoe #GIJoeClassified #AnythingJoes @anythingjoespod
Load More... Follow on Instagram

TWITTER

My Tweets

Look Who's Talking

Ray
Ray - 3/3/2021
The Searchers: A Quaint and Polite Film about Racism, Rape, and Remorse
Bad review. Ethan doesn’t reject the family or society at the end, he realizes there is no place...
Amari Wolfe
Amari Wolfe - 12/11/2020
Popcorn Cinema: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
Don't know why, but the mention of Whammo Air Blasters made me laugh until it hurt. Very nicely...
mega leo
mega leo - 12/5/2020
Women in Horror: I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
To torture someone takes a cold kind of sadism. One that exceeds rage or revenge. One that shows a...
RSSTwitterFacebookinstagramtumblr

Archives

Large_rectangle_336X280
All work on this site is Copyright © each individual writer.
  • PDI Press
    • PDI Press Catalog
    • PDI Press Writers
      • Fiction
  • Columns A-D
    • A Fistful of Dollar Comics
    • ABCs of Horror
    • All Binge… No Purge
    • Anything Joes
    • Beautiful Creatures
    • Big Eyes Smart Mouth
    • Big Sleeps and Long Goodbyes
    • Cahiers du Horror
    • Dispatches From the Field
    • Drive-In Saturday
    • Dungeons & D-Listers
  • Columns F-P
    • The Final Girl
    • First Looks… Second Thoughts
    • The Flesh is Weak
    • Innocence and Experience
    • Lost in Translation
    • Page to Screen
    • Popcorn Cinema
    • Psycho Essentials: The ’80s!
  • Columns S-Z
    • Schlock & Awe
    • Shakespeare on Film
    • Shot for Shot
    • Sick Flix
    • Unnatural Selections
    • Versus
    • Video Word Made Flesh
    • We Got Lists
    • Women in Horror
    • The Xeno File
    • Zombies 101
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • DVD/Blu-ray
    • Movies
    • TV
    • Series
  • Interviews
  • News
    • Trailers
  • Psychos
  • Merchandise
%d bloggers like this: