Tag Archives: Jerome

Monday Morning Gotham: Faceless

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The biggest motif about superheroes, (and for those of us with hero complexes) is the need to hide our identity behind a hood, cowl, or mask. But what happens when the “face” we put on overtakes the person we are trying to be? Is that even a bad thing? Tonight’s Gotham sees Dwight, one of Jerome’s biggest disciples, become such a component in his “reanimation” that he literally will wear Jerome’s face as a mask…surrendering with his hands up.

“Poor, blind baby. It’s always hardest to see what’s right under our noses.” – Barbara  Season 3: Episode 11 – Beware the Green-Eyed Monster

 

Sometimes the idea of taking on a persona becomes stronger than the very ideals we try to uphold. I mean look at Batman…the line between the Bat and Bruce Wayne has blurred and sharpened drastically over the long history of the character. A lot of us have to be more than just our regular old selves to get through certain aspects of our day. Does that make us faceless? Should we be able to be just ourselves and let that be the end of it? The truth is that all of us have an innate desire to do more, to be more. We all want to be better, stronger than we were before. To do that, some of us have to look deep inside of ourselves and tap into something that may or may not have existed. Others may have to just change altogether. I know what that’s like. Being seen one way and placed in this fixed position can leave you feeling under-valued, unappreciated. That becomes the seed that grows into the desire to want to break out from up under one’s former characteristics.

I don’t have a secret identity. Yet, the mask I wear does differentiate me from the man I once was. Sometimes, we don’t always lose ourselves in our new personas…we might even gain an identity in of itself. To have a mission, to have purpose, to have reason to keep putting one foot in front of the other…maybe we aren’t so faceless after all?

justTerry

Monday Morning Gotham: Deciding Factor

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The big takeaway for tonight’s episode is the return of Jerome.

“I said Jerome’s in the house…watch ya mouth!” Wrong show, but seriously who else has been waiting for this. Hugo Strange’s resurrection program as it were, combined with Jerome’s murder (by Theo Galavan) last season…should be some interesting developments but I’m not here to talk about any of that. Let’s go back a bit and quickly analyze a line from Mr. Valeska’s more memorable messages.

“Why be a cog…be free, like us!” – Jerome Valeska sending a message to the GCPD

Season 2, Episode 2: Knock, Knock (Rise of the Villains)

So what exactly is the deciding factor when it comes to the decisions that we make? It is family, personal gain, pride, loyalty? The expression, “Freedom ain’t free” makes a lot of sense when you factor in the military overtones it serves. But what about for regular people who just work a normal job…people who make up the framework behind some of these big companies; the cogs in the huge machines. Does being free mean not having to be a little man amidst a bigger plan? Yes. Key word not having to be. The true cost of being free lies in an even greater power source: choice. The deciding choice that determines winners, losers, victories, defeats on a daily basis. I know I can be viewed as a cog, a spoke on the wheel and am at the mercy of my employers. Sometimes it’s not about bringing down the machine in order to be free. I think Jerome, in the Gotham sense wants to prove that while he may be a part of grander design, he can still operate independently, apart from whatever said plans may or may not have for him. When you are good at what you do, somebody will be willing to compensate for your services. Knowing this, means that while you may be a cog, you can be one that can exist in any machine and that is a level of freedom that pays for itself.

What is your next big decision? Will it allow you to be more restricted or offer you more flexibility? Let that be you deciding factor.

justTerry