'Gotham' Brings 'The Killing Joke' to Life in New Episode

Now that Gotham has brought its cold, calculated, pseudo-Joker to life, it only makes sense that [...]

Now that Gotham has brought its cold, calculated, pseudo-Joker to life, it only makes sense that the Batman prequel series would adapt the popular villain's most iconic story. Tonight's episode finally adapted Alan Moore's graphic novel, The Killing Joke.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for the latest episode of Gotham! Continue reading at your own risk...

Earlier this week, Gotham star David Mazouz teased that a Killing Joke adaptation would be coming. As we know however, this show likes to flip the script on the comics, so the story wasn't a carbon copy of the original graphic novel. Some roles were switched around, leading to tragedy not for the Gordon family, but for the two people Bruce Wayne is closest to.

Of course, we're talking about Alfred and Selina.

If you recall, Alfred was taken from Wayne Manor in last week's episode, leaving only a puddle of blood and a cell phone behind. This week, we learned that Jeremiah's followers took Alfred to a remote location where the villain attempted to break him down, and making Bruce witness it. This is the first major parallel to The Killing Joke, only Alfred has taken over the role that Jim Gordon played in the book.

The other piece taken from The Killing Joke is easily the most tragic of the two. At one point, Selina Kyle heard a knock on the door and opened it, only to find Jeremiah standing there with a gun. He shot her in the abdomen, potentially causing a long-term injury.

In the comic, Joker actually shot Barbara Gordon, just before taking Jim hostage. The wound ended up leaving Barbara paralyzed from the waist down. Seeing as how Selina eventually grows into the character of Catwoman, it's unlikely that she'll remain in a wheelchair for life, but the event still had the same, devastating effect on Bruce.

Above all, the episode is called "A Dark Knight: One Bad Day," which echoes the most important line of Moore's novel. The Joker continued to tell Batman that anyone in the world, even the sanest of men, could be driven mad with just one bad day.

In the end, Jeremiah did everything he could to prove that point to young Bruce Wayne.

What did you think of Gotham's adaptation of The Killing Joke? Did it live up to the standards of the book? Let us know your thoughts by dropping a line in the comment section below!

Gotham's Season 4 finale is set to air on Thursday, May 17 at 8pm ET on FOX.

3comments