'Gotham' Season 1 Episode 16 Recap: The Joker Makes An Appearance

In episode 16 of the new FOX series “Gotham,” Batman super villain “The Joker” makes his first appearance. Likewise, John and Mary Grayson will be featured. John and Mary are the parents of future Batman sidekick Dick Grayson, better known as Robin.

Detective Jim Gordon and his new ladylove Dr. Lesley Thompson are on a date watching the circus. In the middle of the show, a brawl breaks out right in the middle of the ring. What looked to be a part of the show turned out to be a real brawl, which left several performers injured. Jim was able to get things under control and Lesley helped treat the injured performers.

Through some comments made by some of the patients, Lesley discovers that the root of the fight is a family feud between the flying Graysons and the Lloyds. The Graysons are trapeze artists while the Lloyds are a family of clowns. Apparently, the two families have been feuding for three generations. Lesley also discovers that the recent tussle was about a rivalry between a Grayson and a Lloyd for the affections of a snake dancer called Lila.

Jim visits her trailer where he meets her son Jerome. They learn that Lila has been missing and unfortunately, through a bit of clever tracking using her snake, Jim discovers her dead body hidden in the circus grounds. Back at the station, the other members of the circus troupe is still being interviewed when a blind fortune teller walks in and speaks to Jim. Mr. Cicero, as he calls himself, gives Jim a riddle saying Lila spoke to him from the grave.

Lesley figures out that the riddle means that the murder took place at the Arkham bridge park. The two of them set out to investigate the scene and they find a hatchet in the area with the initials of a satanic cult engraved on it. Jim is not convinced that Lila was talking to anyone from the afterlife so he sent for the fortune teller and Lila’s son Jerome. He figures out that Cicero learned that Jerome killed his mother and is covering his tracks. The only question that remains is why Cicero would help the young criminal.

Jim interrogates the pair and goes on a hunch by daring them to take a blood test. He went on the theory that Jerome could be Cicero’s son. The old man finally admits the truth and the revelation comes as a complete shock to Jerome. He says that he was led to believe that his father was a sailor who died at sea and not a blind old man who works as a sideshow freak. Things get interesting when Jeerome suddenly changes his demeanor and sheds the shy and scared facade that he had been showing. He shows off his psychotic tendencies and gives the audience its first glimpse of the man who will later become the super villain “The Joker.”

Meanwhile, John Grayson and Mary Lloyd have reconciled after Jim made a point out of telling the two families to bury the hatchet. The young couple came to thank Jim for his help and hinted that they plan to marry and have a son whom fans of the Batman comics know would later become Batman’s sidekick Robin.

Elsewhere in Gotham, Oswald Cobblepot or Penguin isn’t running Mooney’s club the way Don Falcone would have wanted. Penguin has given his old mother free reign of the stage and the customers are unhappy. Viktor Zsasz is sent to remedy the situation.

Fish Mooney is also in the process of getting things in order. After she was kidnapped and imprisoned by a syndicate selling human organs illegally, she has taken control of the gang of underground vagabonds She is now slowly making her way out of the precarious situation.

Young Bruce Wayne is also determined to get his affairs in order. He sets a meeting with the board of directors of Wayne Enterprises and demands a full investigation on some illegal activities. He expresses his concern over underworld involvement in his company’s Arkham development project. He also believes that his company is involved in chemical weapons manufacture. He vows to get rid of corruption, bribery, racketeering and unethical medical practices in the company which rattles the board. Watch out for the next episode of ‘Gotham” which airs Mondays on Fox.

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