'Gotham' Season 2 Cast, Trailer: Jerome's Dead, the Real Joker Arriving Soon?

Theo Galavan, Barbara Kean and Jerome Valeska put on quite the performance on Monday evening's episode of "Gotham," and by the time the show came to a close, someone was left without a pulse.

Commissioner Essen's murder pushed Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock to knock on doors and knock out thugs in the interest of finding Jerome, who murdered Essen. The hunt led them to Cicero, Jerome's father, who is a blind fortuneteller who abandoned the circus in favor of Gotham City.

Unfortunately, Tabitha and Jerome found Cicero first, and the father who'd frequently turned a blind eye to abuses dealt to his son was then murdered by Jerome and framed for breaking the Maniax out of Arkham Asylum. When Gordon and Bullock arrived to the murder scene, Bullock was knocked out by a canister.

Later, Bruce, Alfred and Selena attended a charity gala, which quickly grew violent. The evening's magician, "Rodolfo," turned out to be Jerome and the magician's assistant was Barbara in disguise. Before Rodolfo was unveiled, he beckoned a reluctant Bruce Wayne onstage to be sawed in half, and Deputy Mayor Kane was summoned and suffered a dagger to his chest.

When mastermind Theo feigned bravery and stood up to the magician, in the interest of making himself look like a hero, Theo was quickly knocked unconscious by Jerome. Gunmen then took over the room, and Alfred and Jim (who was snuck onto the premises with the help of Selena) attempted to fight them off. In the middle of all of the action, Theo emerged and ended the uproar by plunging a blade into Jerome's neck, killing him. Jerome bled out onstage with a smirk on his face and Barbara escaped through a trap door. Later, when Gotham citizens witnessed Jerome's actions on television, they began having mental breakdowns, possibly inciting the arrival of the real Joker.

Also during the episode, Theo later kissed Barbara at his home, and Tabitha jealously watched in secret. Additionally, Bullock paid Oswald Cobblepot a visit, and threatened to beat him down if he ever approached Gordon for a favor. He added, "I still owe you for Fish."

Regarding the unveiling of the joker, show creator Bruno Heller has said that there's a possibility of a female joker, he told Comic Book, "One of the central themes of the DC world is transformation and revelation. Absolutely, those kinds of -- I wouldn't want to call it playing with people's expectations or gender expectations - but we've absolutely considered the possibility of a female Joker, and we haven't... well I'll stop myself from saying more because I won't be able to stop revealing things."

According to TV Guide, Episode 4, "Strike Force" will show Captain Barnes (Michael Chiklis) form a task force, with help from Gordon, to take the Penguin out of commission. Meanwhile, Penguin will keep busy as he tries to fulfill a favor for Galavan; and Nygma will finally ask Kringle out on a date.

"Gotham" Season 2, Episode 4, "Strike Force," will air on Fox on Monday, Oct. 12, at 8 p.m. ET.