Gotham is pulling out all the stops for its fifth and final season, and that includes casting a familiar face from another dark TV series. Dexter alum Jaime Murray is on board for the series in its final batch of episodes on Fox, and she doesn't sound like somebody Jim and the other good guys will be happy to have around in No Man's Land. Here's what we know.
Jaime Murray will play a character by the name of Theresa Walker. While that's not the name of an iconic DC Comics villain (of which there is no shortage on Gotham), Theresa will certainly be a baddie. She comes to Gotham City hiding a secret about her past that is definitely dark, and Deadline reports that she'll be Jim's primary enemy in Season 5. In a fun twist, Murray isn't the only Dexter vet to join Gotham.
Fans will see a decent amount of Jaime Murray as Theresa Walker, as she is on board in a recurring capacity. That said, with only 12 episodes, Gotham's fifth season is significantly shorter than the usual 22-episode order. 12 installments will be enough for Gotham to hit the 100-episode milestone. Even if we can't count on Murray appearing in every episode of Season 5, the odds are that she'll be around in a relatively significant way. Jim's primary enemy can't just be off-screen for most of the season!
News that Jamie Murray is on board to play the main villain for Jim may come as a surprise to fans who have kept up with Gotham casting news. Shane West was cast to play legendary DC Comics villain Bane, and many assumed that he would be the big bad of the fifth season. He certainly looks intimidating as Bane, and it stood to reason that Gotham would use him for its final main antagonist.
We don't necessarily need to rule out Bane as a big bad at this point. Theresa Walker is described as Jim's main nemesis; she may not be such a direct problem for other characters. Descriptions of Bane may point toward him as more of a threat to Bruce and Co. The back-breaking bad guy of DC Comics will break a back on Gotham, and although it won't be Bruce, it will be one of his closest allies.
It stands to reason that Bruce would get a legendary Batman villain for the final season, as it will likely see him take his biggest steps yet toward donning the cape and the cowl. Joker might have been a better fit, but actually naming a Valeska brother as the Joker seems to be off-limits to Gotham, and he's more of a villain to everybody than just Bruce on Gotham.
Bane can be Bruce's nemesis, Jim's can be Theresa Walker, and everybody will have a bunch of other villains to deal with. Even the villains will probably have villains to deal with in No Man's Land! Only time will tell. We just learned that Gotham will premiere Season 5 (with a notable time jump) on Thursday, January 3 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. For some viewing options between now and then, swing by our fall TV premiere schedule.
