03x15 - How the Riddler Got His Name

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Gotham...

- Bruce Wayne?

- No.

But you could be.

I've done a wonderful job erasing the scars.

Are you prepared?

Yes.

But I still don't understand how I can help save Gotham.

"FRANK".

You're only part of the plan.

You know what must happen if he refuses.

No one refuses the Court.

- You lied to me.

- I didn't tell you the truth.

- It's the same thing!

- Perhaps.

But telling you your mother was a con artist who'd only sought you out for the purposes of getting money from me didn't seem like a very attractive alternative.

I don't love you.

You need me, Edward Nygma.

Just as I need you.

You k*lled Isabella.

I loved her, Oswald.

- Greetings, Professor.

- Help!

Somebody help!

The building's empty.

No one's coming to help.

Have a seat.

Who are you?

That is an excellent question.

But, I get to ask the first one.

I can fill a room, or just one heart.

Others may have me, but I cannot be shared.

What am I?

What?

It's a riddle.

Answer the riddle!

I...

Knowledge?

Knowledge can't be shared, Professor?

Really?

You are the chair of a chemistry department.

You've spent a career sharing knowledge!

No!

I apologize.

I'm not myself these days.

Hands, please.

I can be a member of a group, but I can never blend in.

What am I?

I...

A shadow?

The answer is an individual.

Duh!

I expected more.

But then, none of the others did very well either.

- The others'?

- Oh, you'd know them.

One was an artist, one was a writer, one was a philosopher.

The stars of Gotham's intellectual and artistic constellation.

Fallen stars, now.

Why are you doing this?

My best friend recently said there was no me without him.

I sh*t him and dumped him in the river.

He was a sort of guide to me on my journey.

You see, I know who I am, Professor.

It's how to be him that is eluding me.

I seek guidance.

I feel your every move, I know your every thought, I'm with you from birth, and I'll see you when you rot.

What am I?

I don't know!

Well, that's just too bad.

No.

No!

"BRUCE".

We'd gone to the movies.

My father wanted to cut through the alley to get an uptown cab.

The man came out of nowhere.

His face was covered.

He had a g*n.

I remember how cold it was.

I heard a cat.

He sh*t them both, and I did...

I did nothing.

Excellent, my dear.

You truly are Bruce Wayne.

- Yes.

- We're ready.

Then proceed.

I'll see you tomorrow.

And on your end?

I hope your nephew is amenable.

Should he refuse, you know what must happen.

I know the rules, Kathryn.

"KATHRYN".

We are to proceed.

Do the rest.

Alfred Pennyworth is my guardian.

He has been with me since I can remember.

What did I tell you about dripping on the couch?

You are the only person I know who frets about his drug-induced hallucination making a mess.

But...

- If it makes you happy.

- Thank you.

I wonder how long you will be the public face of grief when people hear that you k*lled your best friend.

And then there are your extracurricular activities.

How many are we up to now?

Five?

Six?

There was the curator.

The writer, pretentious ass.

It's so frustrating.

They all fit the profile, high l.Q., driven, creative.

Yet, each one failed.

You must be the first person in history to go on a k*lling spree in order to find a life coach.

Perhaps you should ditch the riddles.

No.

A good riddle reveals the asker.

To solve it is to solve the mystery of the person posing it.

If I can find someone to solve my riddles, I can find someone to help me.

Do you really think you're going to find someone who can teach you how to be a villain?

Yes!

Of course I am.

You said yourself, there is no Edward Nygma without the Penguin.

But knowing who I am and knowing how to be him, those are separate things.

Ed, villains do not have teachers!

I made myself into the Penguin when I threw Fish Mooney off a building.

I didn't have anyone's help.

Oh, how interesting.

Perhaps I'm thinking about this all wrong.

Obviously.

I don't need a teacher.

I need an enemy.

No, that is not...

The greatest villains have always been defined by the men that try to stop them!

And I know the perfect man.

Please, do not say...

Jim Gordon.

A serial k*ller of smart people?

In the last few weeks, six members of Gotham's intellectual and artistic elite have k*lled themselves or d*ed in strange accidents.

Last night, an old professor of mine d*ed in a lab fire.

At a certain point, coincidence becomes pattern.

You getting bored down in the lab, Lucius?

Yes, but that is not why you should look at this.

Listen, we are still finding bodies from Jerome's night of m*rder of mayhem.

Not to mention, out looking for our dear missing mayor.

I do not have the resources to allocate to your hunch.

Did you hear how I used that word "allocate", hmm?

- Let me call Gordon.

- No.

No.

The man's due R and R.

Besides, he's reconnecting with some long-lost uncle or something.

Jim Gordon?

Detective Jim Gordon?

Gordon ain't here.

So give me the message, fruit guy.

Six masters have passed There's about to be more A king, a queen and their corps The key to saving them ls on this card So won't you please help them By making...

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

One more time!

What the hell is this?

"Six masters passed." That could be the six murders.

I told you...

Harvey, the k*ller's sending Gordon a clue.

He's gonna k*ll again.

Okay, say you're right.

Now, which way is up on this thing?

Let me see that.

"A king, a queen and her corp." It's a drawing of the Knight's Tour.

Right.

So the target is...

Come on.

- Thanks for coming.

- Like I had a choice?

Oh, you'll thank me.

This is gonna be electrifying.

Knight to Queen three.

Mate in two.

- Quiet, please.

- Oh, honestly.

They call anyone a Grandmaster these days.

Can we discuss why you're doing this?

I've told you why.

The real reason.

See, Ed, the trouble with talking to projections of your psyche, and you of all people should know this, is that they know everything you know.

Including the things you're trying not to know.

Gordon can't help you.

No one can.

Face the truth.

Excuse me, sir.

Only players are allowed on the floor.

No Jim Gordon.

But then, who solved...

Of course.

How can I help you?

Yes, ma'am, we need to evacuate the building immediately.

We're in the middle of an important tournament.

Are you sure?

Maybe I was wrong.

Maybe this isn't the place.

Oh, how interesting.

Checkmate!

GCPD!

Everybody out!

Don't move, freeze!

Forget what I just said.

Freeze.

Do not move...

Why am I here, Uncle Frank?

Maybe you wanna tell me where the hell you've been since I was a kid.

Or what happened between you and my dad.

Yes.

Yes, I do.

But I need to know that you trust me.

You're family.

Of course I trust you.

Did you ever do something you thought was right at the time, but would now give your life to do over?

Yes.

Looking back, I've done too many terrible things like that.

But the worst was break from your father.

Keep talking.

I loved my brother Peter dearly, and you're my brother's son.

I came back to Gotham because of you, Jim.

I want to make things right between us.

So, you shift your weight to your front foot as you swing your arm forward, just like chopping down a branch.

Like...

Easy as pie.

Right, so, weight on the back foot.

Blade comes back evenly, and, well...

Precision under pressure is everything, Master Bruce.

And a clear conscience.

Were you aiming for the window, Master Bruce?

You keep distracting me.

Well, you should be able to hit the target regardless, shouldn't you?

I mean, we had rules about training.

Rules which will be impossible to stand by if you remain unfocused.

Now, I sense there's something weighing on your mind.

Miss Kyle, perhaps?

I'm not unfocused because of Selina.

Oh!

Right, I see.

Right.

So, it wouldn't trouble you to know that she dropped a note off for you in the mailbox, then.

She asked to see you tomorrow.

No.

Selina's been avoiding me for weeks.

It's gonna take more than a note to have me running.

I got Alvarez and Campos looking into the other egghead deaths.

Hopefully, something will kick up.

Or else we could sit around and wait for him to send us more singing fruit.

Maybe he has sent us a clue.

Oh h h.

- Oh-ho-ho.

- Mmm-hmm.

You're late.

I expected this call seven minutes ago.

This is Lucius Fox of the GCPD.

I know who you are, Mr.

Fox.

And by the way, it's bad manners to intercept other people's mail.

You mean the telegram you sent Gordon.

He's not here.

Who is this?

You don't actually expect me to answer that, do you?

Then tell me why you k*lled Professor Dyson and the others.

- I know it was you.

- I had no choice.

They failed my test.

Now it's your turn to try.

And if I don't accept the invitation?

There are lives at stake, Mr.

Fox.

And not just your own.

Now, listen closely.

Tomorrow, when the pawn's on queen, you'll find my next target in the belly of the beast.

Solve my clue, Mr.

Fox, and you'll be one step closer to passing my test.

"When the pawn's on queen"?

"Belly of the beast." And I'll be one step closer to introducing myself to Gotham once and for all.

Close.

Better luck next time.

I missed on purpose.

Oh?

Wanted to make sure my g*n works.

Oh, come on, Jim.

What do you take me for?

I have no idea.

You say you've done terrible things, you bring me out here, you promise me the truth, and I'm still waiting.

If this is a trust-building exercise, it's not working.

What happened between you and my father?

Have you ever heard the old Gotham tales about the Court of Owls?

Pretend I haven't.

The Court is a secret society that's controlled Gotham for centuries.

Started by its oldest, wealthiest, most influential families.

The Court was once a mechanism devoted to maintaining balance in Gotham.

But time and power have corrupted them.

If it's so secret, how do you know about them?

Your father and I were both members.

I still am a member.

Is that so?

The Court doesn't mean you any harm.

They have the highest regard for you.

In fact, they want you to become a member.

Peters, we got a tip from a guy who electrocuted a bunch of players at a fancy chess tournament pointing us to a pawn on queens.

Now, here, you work at a pawnshop on Queens Avenue.

Coincidence?

No.

So?

I don't know nothing about that.

Why you so close to me?

Many interrogators employ the tactic of invading someone's personal space to destabilize them.

Do you feel destabilized, Mr.

Peters?

Is this guy even a cop?

Hey!

We can do this the hard way or the easy way.

And I'm wearing my nicest suit, so I'd prefer the easy way.

- Hey, screw you.

- All right, Lucius, hit him.

- What?

- What?

I'm wearing my nice suit.

We're disregarding the latter half of the clue.

It said we'd find the target in the belly of the beast.

Oh, if you wanna do a cavity search on this slob, go ahead, be my guest.

- Hey, you could just hit me.

- No one's hitting anyone.

I wasn't even supposed to work today.

I was covering for Teddy Thirio, the owner's cousin.

Thirio.

That's the Greek word for "beast." You know, sometimes, I think you just make that stuff up.

Come on.

What are you making?

- Shepherd's pie.

- Again?

Well, you're more than welcome to take over the menu, Master Bruce.

Did I ever tell you how I copped this recipe from an old lady friend of mine?

Sylvia.

A memorable fling.

Ended badly, though.

Can't remember what we rowed about.

Something idiotic.

It left me reeling, Master Bruce.

I couldn't concentrate on my studies.

Really?

You think telling me a transparent anecdote will make me run to Selina?

No, I don't.

You see, Sylvia and I, we got closure.

Now, it seems that Miss Kyle has offered you the same opportunity, and I suggest that you...

You take it.

Fine.

If it'll get you to stop, I'll go.

I'll keep the pie warm for you, Master Bruce.

Thirio's not in his apartment.

Have Campos put out a city-wide BOLO.

I'm going to the Academy graduation.

I have to, uh, impart my wisdom on the new cadets.

How do I look?

Is this what Gordon deals with?

Thank you.

Have you seen my badge?

"The Chess k*ller." How terrifying.

How will anyone sleep knowing the Chess k*ller is on the loose?

It's just a name dreamed up by some hack.

Today will change everything.

- This is a mistake, what you're doing.

- I don't recall asking you.

I showed you how to be Ed Nygma, a man who could run the underworld and operate in plain sight.

What you are planning is madness.

No.

It's a way forward.

And the fact that it scares you gives me all the confirmation I need.

Ed, you are not sleeping.

You are taking dr*gs.

You are having a conversation with your dead friend.

Just admit that you are lost without me, or you will destroy everything!

I have to go.

What are you doing?

He's fierce in my dreams, seizing my guts He floats me with dread Soaked in his soul He swims in my eyes by the bed Pour myself over him Moon spilling in And I wake up alone Enough!

I admit that k*lling you k*lled a part of me.

But I will find a way forward, no matter the cost.

I will be born anew!

And I will leave you behind.

Penguin saw you, Ed.

He was the only one!

He made you!

There is no Ed Nygma without the Penguin!

Meet Ted Thirio.

Came in about an hour ago.

Cause of death seems to be blunt force trauma to the head.

However, Mr.

Thirio also has a long incision along the right side of his abdomen that's been crudely stapled shut.

The Chess k*ller promised a clue inside the belly of the beast.

Think there might be something in his stomach.

- Okay.

- You worked at Arkham Asylum.

Why would a k*ller engage in this kind of cat and mouse?

Crazy or sane, at the core, most people just want answers to life's big questions.

"Will I ever be loved?" "Who am I?" Although, most people try to answer the question in a logical fashion, while others...

Hmm.

Stuff Harvey Bullock's badge inside a dead body.

What does that mean?

It means I know who the next target is.

Thank you, Doctor.

Uh...

Thank you, Doctor.

Sorry.

I know.

Thank you.

"As you take the badge today," "approach Gotham as you would a cut of prime rib." "Have a plan, don't be afraid," "and have plenty of antacids on hand in case of indigestion." What the hell are you doing here?

Well, seeing as how your department is unable to locate our missing mayor, I'm here to give the graduating class a few remarks in his stead.

There's no way I'm letting a cop k*ller address those cadets.

I see.

How is the view from the moral high ground, Harvey?

View's perfect.

Now, get lost.

Oh, Lucius Fox.

Must be about me.

Wanna play?

You guys wanna play?

You wanna play?

Come on.

- I'm looking for Selina Kyle.

- Oh.

I remember you.

Bruce Wayne.

- Listen, I don't want any trouble.

- Sure.

- How much cash you got?

- Get him, Sonny.

- Stop!

- Yeah, do it.

Go on, do it.

Sonny, I said back off!

- What are you doing here?

- Looking for you.

- Can we go somewhere?

- No.

I gotta talk to Sonny.

We got business.

Oh.

Does that shock your tender sensibilities?

- He's a thief.

- I'm a thief.

- You can't trust him.

- But I can trust you?

Look, I'm sorry.

I should've told you I suspected your mother of lying.

I was trying to protect you, Selina.

I can protect myself.

Just go home, Bruce.

You don't belong here.

Why'd you ask me here if you were going to be this way?

What are you talking about?

The note you left in my mailbox.

I didn't leave any note.

Don't come looking for me again.

We'll talk later, Sonny.

Too bad your girlfriend split.

I don't think she's my girlfriend.

Me neither.

So, about that money.

- It's my turn.

- Whoo!

Poor Brucey.

Staying down there, huh, big boy?

Oh, oh, he's up.

Big boy.

Hello, cadets.

My name is Edward Nygma.

Captain Bullock's tied up.

What a day, eh?

You all look just dandy in your uniforms.

How do I look?

I have one question for all of you.

Light as a feather, yet no man can hold it long.

What am I?

Well, no future commissioners here.

The answer is...

Your breath.

- I think that's for me.

- You Foxy?

Nygma..

Hello.

Only one person refers to me as "Foxy." I have gassed a room full of folks with a deadly toxin.

I cordially invite you to come upstairs and play a game with me for the antidote.

This is a game between me and you.

Come upstairs alone, or the cadets and Bullock die.

I'm on my way.

Well, look who it is.

I'm so glad you decided to play.

Are you okay, Harvey?

Look at him!

He's fine.

I want to hear Harvey say he's okay.

Don't try and outsmart this lunatic, Lucius!

Cadets' lives are at stake.

Let's begin.

Wonderful.

I will give you three riddles.

For every riddle you get wrong, I cut a rope.

You get three wrong, and this excuse for a higher primate, and the antidote around his neck...

Fall over the ledge.

Wow.

Am I clear?

And if I get them right?

Everyone lives.

Even if you get just one.

Can't say fairer than that?

Okay.

Wonderful.

First riddle, I can fill a room or just one heart.

Others can have me, but I can't be shared.

What am I?

The answer's love.

What?

No.

No!

The...

The answer is loneliness!

How do you not know that?

No, no.

No.

No, Nygma, no!

Oh, God!

Ask me another.

Okay.

Second riddle, I can be a member of a group, but can never blend in.

What am I?

A snowflake.

A sn...

No!

No!

No!

The answer is an individual.

Wait.

Snowflake is also a suitable answer.

No two are alike, making them by definition, individuals.

Therefore, an answer befitting your riddle.

Okay, I don't think you grasp how this works.

You have to give my answer.

Oh, mama, I'm sorry!

Oh, God!

Oswald was right.

He's the only one...

No!

It's just you.

You aren't a good enough enemy!

No.

No.

No.

Three riddles, three answers.

Those are the rules, Ed.

Okay.

Final riddle, I feel your every move, I know your every thought, I'm with you from birth, and I'll see you rot.

What am I?

What did you do, Ed?

What did you...

What happened to Penguin?

Something happened, didn't it?

Did you k*ll him?

This is not gonna be good.

Please don't let me go this...

You did, didn't you?

I feel your every thought, I feel your every move, I know your every thought, I'm with you from birth, and I'll see you rot.

What am I?

A reflection.

Why does it always have to be three answers?

Why can't he get four?

Come on!

Correct.

Oops.

Thanks, buddy.

I never doubted you.

You.

What are you doing here?

It's good to see you, too.

How'd things go with Selina?

How did you...

You sent that note.

And you're dressed like me.

Even your hair.

Yes.

Like looking into a mirror.

A powerful knock-out drug.

Why?

This is what I was made for.

To be Bruce Wayne.

How could you, how could my father have been a part of this?

We were proud to join.

We thought we were gonna do good.

The Court lied to us.

Or we lied to ourselves, I don't know.

And now?

You're still a loyal member?

They think so.

I was a true believer, God help me.

I despise them with every bone in my body.

What changed your mind?

Your father saw through their lies.

I didn't listen to him until it was too late.

When was too late?

When they k*lled him.

No.

No.

I was there.

It was an accident, a drunk driver.

Just looked that way.

I was there.

I was in the wreck!

I watched him die.

Car wrecks like that are simple business for the Court.

My brother was making trouble, and they k*lled him.

Sure as I'm standing here now.

Now?

Some 20-odd years later, and you come and you tell me this crazy story?

Where the hell have you been?

Where were you when my mom and I needed you?

I'm truly sorry I wasn't there for you, Jim.

I had no choice.

The Court sent me overseas.

I had to prove my loyalty.

How could you prove your loyalty to a group that m*rder*d your own brother?

I knew they'd k*ll me if I didn't obey.

I chose to live.

Until now.

Why now?

Because now, you've been asked to join the Court.

Now I'm not alone.

Now...

You can help me destroy them from within.

Others have tried and failed.

But with you and I working together inside the Court, we can bring the rule of democracy and law back to Gotham.

Why should I trust you?

Why should I believe you?

Because we're family?

You have to believe in something.

And while all the cadets survived the att*ck, police say the culprit, former mayoral chief of staff, Edward Nygma, remains at large.

Be on the lookout for a green suit.

That's right, a green...

Good evening, Alfred.

And to you, Master Bruce.

Well, you seem remarkably chipper.

Things went well with Ms.

Kyle, I take it?

- Selina's Selina.

- Well, say no more.

You spoke, that's all that matters, innit?

You up for some shepherd's pie, then?

Sounds delicious.

Right, jolly good.

Won't be a moment.

B-team, spread out.

Lock down egress.

- All clear.

- Clear!

Upstairs.

Clear!

Captain, all clear.

I know.

He's not here.

Hello, Foxy.

So, the antidote around Bullock's neck, that turned out to be grape juice.

And the deadly toxin?

Plain old knock-out gas.

Why the charade?

Well, the point wasn't to k*ll a bunch of cops.

The point was to have you play my game.

But you k*lled Penguin.

And you k*lled Professor Dyson and the others.

Why?

Have you always been Foxy, Foxy?

I'm not sure what you mean.

All my life, I've felt like there was someone inside of me.

Someone stronger and...

And smarter.

Someone that people would fear.

No one else saw that.

Except Penguin.

- Except Oswald.

- So why did you k*ll him?

Because Oswald k*lled the woman I loved.

And with Oswald gone, is that the role I'm meant to fill?

To be your reflection?

No, because I know who I am.

I know how to be him.

And you helped that.

So, thank you.

Ed.

- You k*lled six people.

- Mmm-hmm.

Seven, including Penguin.

You just announced to the entire city that you are a villain and a m*rder*r.

Mmm-hmm.

Ed, if there is any part of your mind that is not insane, listen to me.

You need help.

Turn yourself in.

My actions seem mad to you.

To anyone.

L...

I just k*lled the best friend that I have ever had.

My search for a teacher or an enemy, that was just me trying to hold on to him for a little bit longer.

But now I know who I am without him.

So who are you now?

Oh, come on, Foxy.

I'm The Riddler.

I've always loved the view from here.

Not really a fan.

You understand why.

I want you to know that our friendship meant something to me.

I cared about you, and I miss you.

Gee.

Almost makes up for being dead.

You do know the entire GCPD is hunting you.

Yes.

Well, not to burst your bubble, but wanted or not, no one is going to be afraid of "The Riddler." Maybe not yet, but they will be.

Goodbye, Oswald.

Well, look who's alive.

Who are you?

LVY Pepper, you stupid.

Do we know each other?

I pulled you out of the river.

Been nursing you for weeks.

So boring.

You sleep a lot.

You look strange, like you're gonna puke.

Are you okay?

I just remembered.

There's someone I need to k*ll.

Uncle Frank?

"KATHRYN".

How did he take it?

His interest is piqued.

But convincing him will take some time.

We don't have time.

I won't let you down, Kathryn.

I assume things went smoothly on your end?

The clone is in place.

What about Bruce Wayne?

He should be waking up as we speak.