‘Gotham Season 3, Episode 13 Spoilers: “Mad City: Smile Like You Mean It” Hints Jeromes Return from the Dead, Joker Mythology Introduced?

‘Gotham’ season 3’s episode 13, titled “Mad City: Smile Like You Mean It,” is set to feature the return of Jerome as the iconic Batman villain, The Joker. Dwight is set to resurrect Jerome and sends out his acolytes around Gotham City. Meanwhile, Penguin’s conflict with Nygma intensifies.

The synopsis for “Mad City: Smile Like You Mean It” posted on TV Guide reads, “While on the run from Gordon (Benjamin McKenzie) and Bullock (Donal Logue), Dwight (guest star David Dastmalchian) tries to revive Jerome (guest Cameron Monaghan) and also activates his acolytes around Gotham City.

In other events, Selina's (Camren Bicondova) mother's (guest star Ivana Milicevic) intentions are revealed; and the power play between Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) and Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) escalates.”

It seems that Jerome Valeska won’t remain dead for long. The preceding episode, titled “Ghosts,” saw the rise of a fanatical cult dedicated to his resurrection following his death in season 2 by the hands of his boss Theo Galavan.

Dwight, a morgue worker who became Jerome’s fanatical follower and eventual cult leader, was last seen standing over Jerome’s dead body as he prepared to bring him back from the dead.

Executive producer Ken Woodruff confirmed during a previous interview that viewers may expect Jerome to return but not until season 4. He said, “…but primarily in the mid to second half of Season 3 -- to delve back into the mythology of the Joker, and characters that may or may not be the Joker -- but more likely characters that are an amalgamation of what we'll come to know as the Joker.”

Fellow executive producer John Stephens also admitted that season 3 will mostly feature the rise of the Joker mythology, which becomes a major storyline in season 4. He said, "We're going to see how the cult of the Joker, which we started at the beginning of last year and we touched on in the middle of the year, is going to extend and deepen and change a little bit this year… You have these sort of underground movements that have started to talk about Jerome and what he represented and how he's going to come back on the day, sort of like John the Baptist, et cetera…"

Stephens added, "[That] sets the stage for, perhaps if there's a Season 4 on FOX, hopefully we'll bring that back in a much bigger way, and you will see these different versions of the Joker myth that develop next year with Jerome and with other characters. [Then] we can put those pieces together and go, 'Oh,' eventually, 'that's where the Joker himself came from.'"

Meanwhile, it was revealed that the conflict between former friends Penguin and Nygma will soon intensify. The promotional photographs for episode 13 posted on TV Fanatic showed Barbara (Erin Richards) all glammed up but it seems that her night would become interrupted.

The unexpected visitor is revealed to be a rather crazy-looking Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. Penguin wielding a knife. It remains unclear whether this visit is part of Penguin’s plot against Nygma.

‘Gotham’ season 3’s episode 13, titled “Mad City: Smile Like You Mean It,” is scheduled to air on Fox on January 23, 2017. It will be followed by episode 14, titled “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies,” scheduled for January 30.