Did Gotham Just Tease The Joker?

02/09/2015 09:34 pm EST

Why wait for the forthcoming Red Hood-centric episode of Gotham to get all worked up about the possibility of The Joker? Start now, with FOX's first promo for the next episode, "The Blind Fortune Teller."

In next week's episode, Jim Gordon and Dr. Leslie Thompkins will visit the circus, meet the Flying Graysons and any number of creepy clowns...but, according to the latest teaser, the week's villain is "no joke."

Cue the image above with the giant, exaggerated smile and hollow, soulless eyes.

The character appears to be Cameron Monaghan's "Jerome," about whom nothing is said in the official synopsis. One assumes he will be a suspect in the attack on the circus that drives much of next week's plot.

Showrunners have said all season long that they will eventually deal with The Joker, with misdirects, teases and Easter eggs reaching back as far as the pilot episode. Recently, Bruno Heller said that the show would "soon scratch the surface" of the villain, much of whose origins are unknown.

Gotham airs on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

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