03x17 - The Primal Riddle

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Gotham...

"ED".

You have five minutes, quiz kids.

Wayne Enterprises runs Indian Hill, but who runs Wayne Enterprises?

"FRANK".

A w*apon is en route to destroy the city.

I can't take on Nygma and Barbara and the rest of them by myself.

You said you want to build an army, right?

What about an army of freaks?

Who ordered the hit on my father?

Frank Gordon.

Your uncle.

You have the right to remain silent.

Dock 9C.

It's where the w*apon will be arriving.

Jim.

Do I hear a favor coming on?

What is coming into Dock 9C?

Now I know who I am.

I'm The Riddler.

It's good to see you, too.

How'd things go with Selina?

This is what I was made for.

The clone is in place.

Good evening, Alfred.

And to you, Master Bruce.

"FRANK".

You need to join The Court of Owls, Jim.

A woman named Kathryn is going to call.

He would have been so proud of you.

No!

Kathryn, I presume.

I k*lled my uncle.

I make no apologies for it.

Maybe it's time we meet.

"KATHRYN".

My thought exactly.

Hello?

Anyone home?

When this guy gets home, we gotta ask him to kick on the heat.

It's colder in here than it is out there.

Fascinating.

I know you're hell-bent on getting revenge on Nygma and all.

And forming an army of freaks is a great plan.

I mean, it was my idea, but...

Quiet.

I think I hear something.

Do you think it's him?

Mr.

Fries.

Welcome home.

I see you still hold me responsible for all of that awful monster rhetoric I spewed during my campaign.

You ran people like me out of Gotham.

We both know I only said those things because that's what the voters wanted to hear.

Your experiments, Mr.

Fries...

You're trying to reverse your condition, aren't you?

I can help you.

Why would you do that?

My enemies took everything from me.

Tried to m*rder me.

You help me get my revenge, and when I take back my throne, I will give you every resource you need to free yourself from this icy prison.

Even if I wanted to say yes, I can only survive a few hours outside the cold without my suit.

And you don't have it because it's been locked away in a Wayne Enterprises black site ever since you escaped Indian Hill.

- Ivy?

- Oh.

Ta-da.

MR.

FREEZE; My suit?

So, Mr.

Fries...

Will you join us?

Where are we?

Where we are is not important, James.

What matters is why you're here.

- You know why I k*lled my uncle.

- Yes, I do.

Frank m*rder*d your father.

What I need to know is if you hold us accountable for his actions.

Frank acted alone.

He admitted as much to me.

Good.

Then we can proceed.

The city needs you now more than ever, James.

There's turmoil ahead.

And good men like you are going to be needed to hold it together.

But make no mistake, The Court, and The Court alone, can save Gotham.

So what do you want me to do?

Prove your loyalty to The Court.

k*lling my uncle wasn't enough?

That was between you and Frank.

It had nothing to do with us.

When the time is right, we will call upon you.

And Frank's body?

It's still in the brownstone.

We've already taken care of it.

- Who's the stiff?

- Jim's uncle, Frank Gordon.

- Never met him.

- They were estranged.

Have you seen Jim?

He's working a case.

Or he's walking in the door as we speak.

Hey, Jim.

Come in.

We, uh, have some bad news for you.

- What's going on?

- I'm sorry.

We found your uncle's body this morning.

He was pulled out of the harbor.

I did my prelim.

The burns on his left temple suggest he was sh*t at close range.

Lab is running ballistics.

You saw him at the cemetery yesterday.

He seemed on edge.

Did he say anything?

No.

He, uh, just stopped by to pay his respects.

We didn't talk much.

Thanks, Lee.

I'll take it from here.

That's it?

That's your reaction?

What do you want me to say?

I know you.

You're hiding something.

- You know something.

- Lee, come on.

The man just lost his uncle.

Yeah, Harvey.

You just keep covering for him.

My condolences.

She's right.

You do know something, don't you?

Uncle Frank sh*t himself.

Said it was the only way to get me inside The Court.

- Did it work?

- I met with a woman named Kathryn.

She says I have to prove my loyalty to The Court first.

Look, I see the need for playing it cool.

But right now, The Court's readying a w*apon that could destroy the city.

We don't have time to sit on our thumbs and do nothing.

I don't like it any more than you do, but if I push too hard, we might blow the only chance we have at stopping this.

And Uncle Frank will have d*ed in vain.

Okay.

So what do we do now?

Kathryn said to get back to work.

Keep up appearances.

It shouldn't be too hard.

Look who resurfaced.

BARBARA; Hello?

Ed?

It's Barbara.

Your old friend you've been blowing off.

I'll allow you to call me Ed because we have history.

But my name is The Riddler.

So the headlines say.

Now, why are you here?

When Penguin was mayor, did he mention a mysterious group?

One that controlled the levers of power in Gotham from the shadows with total impunity?

- No.

- See, I didn't claw my way to the top only to find out there's someone above me.

I've been trying to find out who they are, but no one in this town seems to know anything about them.

Then how is it that you know about them?

Jim Gordon put me on to them.

And what is his interest in all this?

He didn't say, but he did ask me to investigate a shipment coming into Dock 9C yesterday.

The Harbormaster was protecting a crate from Indian Hill.

- What was inside?

- I don't know.

Before I got a chance to find out, some masked assassin slaughtered half my men.

What do you know?

When I was at Indian Hill, Professor Strange hinted at some powerful secret group, but he didn't tell me who they were.

This is the one riddle that got away.

I will get you the answer you seek.

But I will do it in my own way.

You're going to make a big production of this, aren't you?

Only someone with power and connections would have information on this group.

I need to speak with Gotham's elite.

And nothing brings out the bourgeoisie quite like opening night at the theater.

Where wilt thou lead me?

Speak, for I will go no further.

I say, Ghost...

Speak your business or I shall go no further.

My business is not with you, Prince of Denmark.

But with your audience.

I've come to address you, the ruling class of Gotham.

You've kept a secret for far too long.

But tonight, I will kidnap and t*rture one of you to expose the truth.

So spread the word to all your friends.

The Riddler is coming.

Also, I found your performance to be wooden and unrealistic.

({GROANS) And, scene.

And that, my old mucker, is checkmate.

Good game, Alfred.

You let me win, didn't you, Master Bruce?

- No way, Alfred.

- No way, my foot.

That's very unlike you, isn't it?

And to be honest, I mean, you haven't been yourself these past few days, have you?

I don't know what you're talking about.

I think you do know what I'm talking about.

So, come on.

Out With it.

The other day when I came home, you asked how things were with Selina.

I made it sound like things were hopeful.

I lied.

She said she never wanted to see me again.

I was embarrassed.

I was afraid you'd ask me about seeing Selina, and I'd lie...

I just didn't want to talk about it.

Well, I...

I understand, Master B.

And thank you very much for being so candid.

And I really wouldn't worry about Ms.

Kyle.

You know, time has a way of sorting these things out, doesn't it?

Talking of which, I should check on the dinner.

- Alfred.

- Sir.

Thank you.

You're a good friend.

Glad to hear it, sir.

It's me.

It's happening again.

Hey.

So, the audience has been accounted for.

Is this Hamlet?

I guess he wasn't meant to be.

You crossed paths with Nygma recently.

Any idea what this secret is he's talking about?

No, I have no clue.

My guess is he just made it up.

Captain, we got the all-clear.

All right.

This is all that's in there.

It's a riddle.

Shocker.

Written in iambic pentameter.

Like a Shakespearean sonnet.

"L am a man who holds a high position" "Who shows two faces to all those he rules" "A fraud, criminal and sometime politician" "Gotham, my constituency of fools" A two-faced politician whose constituency is Gotham.

- The Mayor?

- Fraud.

Criminal.

Sounds like he's describing Penguin, but that doesn't make any sense.

Ed told Lucius he k*lled Penguin.

Aubrey James.

He was recently reinstated, and he's been mayor before.

Sometime politician.

But why not just grab him?

Why tell us in advance?

Because Nygma wants to make a show of it, and make us look bad in the process.

Call the Mayor's Office.

Tell them we're on our way.

We don't need Nygma for anything.

He should be dead by now.

He's obsessed with finding the answer.

Which is an easy solution for us.

Once he does, we'll get rid of him.

I promise.

And how's him causing a scene at the theater help us?

It doesn't.

But it does help me more fully announce myself on the Gotham stage, if you'll forgive the pun.

You wanna become famous?

Try dying.

- I can help you with that.

- Okay, that's enough.

What actually is your plan?

Kidnap Mayor James.

The man ran this place for 10 years.

If anyone knows about this mysterious group, he does.

You could've just said that.

I could've had him here, being tortured.

Okay, see, but first I had to tell the GCPD what I was going to do.

How else am I supposed to properly embarrass them publicly?

My crimes must live up to my name and this is no exception.

And what if the Mayor doesn't know anything about this group, hmm?

- What then?

- I have a plan B to smoke them out.

But first, I need something from you.

There's a biker bar on the corner of Spaulding and 8th.

It's full of brawlers, lowlifes.

I need a b*mb to detonate there tonight.

I'll let you know when.

So tell us, genius, how do you plan to get Aubrey James now that you've told the GCPD you're going after him?

Oh, that's simple.

They're gonna bring him to me.

You know how many crooked politicians there are in this city?

This riddle could be for anyone.

Oh, my gosh, this is delicious.

All the same, Mr.

Mayor, we'd like to move you to a safe house, immediately.

Did you not see the muscle twins over there?

I'm perfectly safe here.

Besides, what's The Riddler want with me, anyway?

"BULLOCK".

We're not really sure.

He did say something to the crowd at the theater about a secret.

My life's an open book.

You feeling okay, Mr.

Mayor?

You look a little...

It's my blood sugar.

I've had too many of these danishes.

Where are my pills?

Wait a minute, where did you get these?

An appreciative citizen.

Why?

- Oh, boy.

- Nygma.

This is bad.

Yeah, I think I'll pass.

You cannot be serious.

I've seen mass graves more inviting than this place.

Strange messed me up pretty good.

He convinced me I was some sort of goddess.

And it took me a long time to get over it.

Now, this place might be bad, but Gotham is worse.

Hey, freak.

You're on company time.

Get back to work.

You don't have to take that.

- You should totally kick his ass.

- Yeah.

But he's my boss.

Bridgit, there is nothing wrong with being a freak.

I'm a freak.

So is Penguin.

You belong with us.

We've met before, haven't we?

Yeah.

I'm Ivy Pepper.

Selina's friend.

Oh, I know.

I ran into one of Strangers puppies.

Kind of had a growth spurt.

Though, to be honest, I'm not complaining.

Ivy.

- And you're part of this?

- Yeah.

It's almost like we're a family.

You don't have to be alone anymore.

I could k*ll your boss just to sweeten the deal.

Nah.

- Hey, you.

I quit.

Thank you for letting me come in.

The nosebleeds are getting worse.

You did the right thing coming here.

- What did you tell Alfred?

- Nothing.

I said I was tired, then snuck out of my room.

I'm dying, aren't I?

Yes.

I'm sorry.

The process that brought you into this world was flawed.

Will I die before Bruce returns?

No.

Bruce Wayne will be back in Gotham well before then.

I know we've asked a lot of you.

After Indian Hill, I didn't know what to do or where to go.

You gave me a purpose.

That's more than most people can say.

I'm glad you see it that way.

When Bruce returns, people are going to die, aren't they?

A lot of people.

You haven't gotten attached to anyone, have you?

Alfred, perhaps?

- You've spoken fondly of him.

- No.

I just want to know.

The number is immaterial.

What matters is that Gotham must fall.

And because of your sacrifice, it will.

Can we count on you?

Yes.

His BP's dropping.

We need to stabilize him.

I want this ER secured, badge access only.

No one gets in - unless they're sick or dying.

- 10-4.

Nygma knows this is the closest hospital to the Mayor's Office.

We brought him right to him.

Great.

Let him show his face.

I got unis all over the place.

What are we missing, Harvey?

What could Aubrey James know that's so important to Nygma?

Paging Detective James Gordon.

Paging Detective James Gordon.

- Where's that coming from?

- Communications room.

Second floor.

It's a trap.

- Please, don't k*ll me!

Stay here.

So, Jimbo.

Now you must be wondering what I want from that ding-dong Aubrey James.

Well, turns out, he has answers to a riddle.

One that you put into motion when you sent Barbara down to Dock 9C.

The question being, who runs Gotham?

I gotta get out of here.

No, Mr.

Mayor, you're in no condition to go anywhere.

- Jim, tell me you got him.

- He wasn't there.

But the secret he's after, it's The Court.

- You better get back here, quick.

- What is it?

There was some kind of expl*si*n.

A lot of victims.

I got a bad feeling.

It's him.

Don't leave the Mayor's side.

- Authorized personnel only.

- To hell with that.

My friends got blown up.

Hello, Aubrey.

We got company.

Where is she?

Not here.

I know she and Nygma kidnapped Mayor James.

Nygma mentioned Dock 9C, and she's the only one I told.

Nygma's got a big mouth.

Wait, wait, wait.

Let me get this straight.

You mean this whole stupid riddle thing with Nygma is real?

What?

He clearly knows everything already.

I heard a rumor he hurt you pretty bad a while back.

Both of you.

Surprised you're defending him.

Listen, you tell me where they are.

I'll take Nygma down, but I'll get Barbara a free pass.

It's true.

I hate him.

But I don't know where they are.

Harvey.

Okay, I'll be right there.

Nygma sent another riddle.

Never should have brought Barbara into this.

You better hope I get to her first.

You should've given that freak up.

No one wants Nygma dead more than me, but I can't betray Barbara.

Yeah.

Cause she's always got your best interest at heart.

Listen, you're in way over your head on this one.

You don't want to mess with these people.

You see, everything that you say just makes me more intrigued and determined.

I will be the one who unmasks them.

You're insane.

Remember me, Aubrey?

I know that voice.

I'm so glad.

I thought maybe it got muffled what with that box on your head.

That was fun.

We should do that again for old times' sake.

You don't get it, do you?

These people, they're like God.

They see and hear everything.

They'll know I talked.

Then it's the box.

No.

Please, anything but that.

They call themselves The Court.

And?

That's all I know.

I've never met these people.

L just did what they asked me to, I swear.

Very good.

Thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

You've been very helpful.

Helpful?

All he gave us was "The Court." He gave us tangible evidence of their existence.

Now they'll know I'm not bluffing.

What are you talking about?

I'm going to force The Court to reveal themselves.

What is the one thing that every secret organization is afraid of?

Being exposed.

Bingo.

Finally.

Did you bring what I asked for?

It's time to get The Court's attention.

Baby.

Gordon came to the club.

He knows everything.

You should've never gotten Nygma involved.

I boosted the premium stuff, Otto.

You're welcome.

Hello, Selina.

What the hell are you doing here?

I wanted to see you.

I missed you.

Did you fall on your head?

I told you to stay away.

You did?

I forgot.

Why are you acting so weird?

I'm sorry.

I didn't sleep well last night.

Mmm-hmm.

Well, I just came to feed my cat.

So if you're not gonna leave, lam.

I promised myself I'd stay away.

That it would be safer that way.

But things have changed.

What are you talking about?

You know what?

I don't care.

Just don't be here when I get back.

Selina, wait.

I'm not Bruce.

- Jim.

- Lee, now's not a good time.

Your uncle's autopsy.

Ballistics came back negative.

No match.

But there were microscopic tears along the entry wound made postmortem.

What are you saying?

Someone removed the b*llet that k*lled your uncle and replaced it with another one.

It's an old mob trick to cover up a m*rder.

- You're reaching, Lee.

- I don't think so.

And I think you know what happened.

Listen to me, you need to drop this.

You could get yourself hurt.

You think I care what happens to me?

I am sick of watching you destroy people's lives and get away with it.

When I find out what you did, I'm going to make sure you pay for it.

And I'm going to enjoy it.

Jim, hey.

Where's the riddle?

Me and Lucius took a cr*ck at it, but maybe you'll have better luck.

"You can see me, but you cannot touch me.

"With the flick of a switch, I enter your home, "with another, I leave you alone.

- "Where am I?" - He's taunting us.

If he kills James, the press is gonna hand us our asses on the 6:00 news.

Harvey, you're a genius.

Yeah, tell me something I don't know.

I have a question.

What is this mysterious Court that controls the levers of power here in Gotham?

Alvarez, go to Channel 7!

Find out where Nygma's broadcasting from.

Our dear Mayor's head be blown to bits - in order to keep their anonymity.

- Are you watching the television?

- I am.

The Court cannot be exposed.

We would clean this up on our own, but there are too many eyes watching.

However, this does afford us an opportunity, James.

To prove my loyalty.

You want me to find Nygma and bring him to you?

I understand this puts you in a difficult position.

He's a cop k*ller.

He belongs in prison.

If you decline, this conversation will be our last.

The choice is yours.

That was The Court.

- If I hand him over, I'm in.

- They'll probably k*ll him.

If I don't, we'll never stop them from destroying the city.

I know what you're thinking, Aubrey.

That the police are gonna somehow find you, rescue you.

But I gave the GCPD every chance to save you.

But they're no match for me!

We're both dead men.

You don't get it, do you?

The Court's isn't gonna bargain with you.

You underestimate me, Mr.

James.

- Hello.

- Nygma.

Jim.

I'm so sorry.

We can't be clogging up the lines.

I'm actually expecting an important call.

You wanna know who runs Gotham?

I have the answer.

Come by the GCPD.

I'll tell it to you.

Hmm.

Yeah, I think I'll pass on that.

Then you'll never know the truth.

You think I told Barbara everything I know?

You always were clever, Jim.

I respect that.

Empty out the GCPD.

I want it to just be you and me.

Alone.

Well, and this idiot with the b*mb around his neck.

You think he'll show?

The thing that drives Nygma is also his weakness.

He'll be here.

You sound like every man, woman and child in Gotham isn't depending on you to succeed.

Yeah, no pressure.

- Good luck, pal.

- Thanks.

Where's Ed?

That lunatic dropped me off, sent me in alone.

- Get the b*mb squad in here.

- Sit down and shut up.

Ed.

It's just the two of us in here.

Just wanted to make sure I wasn't walking into a trap.

Nah, uh-uh.

Sit down, Aubrey.

You said you had the answer I was looking for, Jim.

It would be incredibly disappointing if this was all a ruse.

More so for Mayor James.

Just tell him what he wants.

He talks too much.

You should probably just go ahead and blow him up.

"MAYOR JAMES".

I'll have your badge, Gordon.

I'm not bluffing, Jim.

Neither am l.

What's the blast radius on that thing?

Am I good here?

Or should I duck behind the desk?

I want the answer, Jim!

I k*ll him, I still walk out of here with you as my hostage.

No.No!

No!

Oh, come on.

There's a radio frequency jamming the signal between the detonator and the b*mb.

- How?

- Tabitha.

She's holds quite the grudge against you.

She called me.

Told me how to disarm the b*mb.

I'll admit, I didn't see this coming.

But that doesn't change anything.

I want to know who The Court is.

Or Aubrey dies.

Don't.

You wanna know who runs Gotham?

Then let Mayor James go.

Take a ride with me.

But if you pull that trigger, you'll never get the answer you're looking for.

You fool me once, Jim.

Shame on you.

You fool me twice!

Well, that's just not gonna happen.

Then the riddle will go unsolved.

Fine.

Let's go.

Let me get this straight.

So, this limo pulls up, literally out of nowhere, and this creepy lady tells you to get in because "you could be so much more." And you did?

I had nowhere else to go.

So, where have you been the last few months?

It's not important.

What matters is you need to leave Gotham.

- Right away.

- Why?

Because the city has been judged.

And something bad is going to...

Judged by who?

The people who took you?

Wait a minute.

Your clothes, your hair.

The way you talk.

Where is Bruce?

- Selina...

- What did you do to him?

He's fine.

He's not in Gotham, but nothing bad is going to happen to him.

- Then where is he?

- It doesn't matter.

You just have to trust me.

You need to leave Gotham today.

Trust you?

- I don't even know you.

- Where are you going?

- To tell Alfred.

- Selina...

Now, let me go.

Selina, you can't tell anyone.

Then why the hell did you tell me?

Because I care about you.

And if there's one person I want to save, I want it to be you.

That's the difference between you and Bruce Wayne.

He would try and save everyone.

You can pretend all you want.

But you will never be him.

You're nothing.

You're not even a real person.

You don't matter.

You're wrong about me.

I do matter.

- And I won't let you tell Alfred.

- Oh, yeah?

How are you gonna stop...

Remember the night you came over to Lee's for dinner?

It feels like a lifetime ago.

Leslie made fondue.

The wine was a Bordeaux.

Well aged.

Smooth tannins.

Miss Kringle wore a black dress with pink trim.

I tried like hell to get out of it.

Lee insisted.

The truth is, I had a good time.

I considered you a friend.

I can sneak up on you or be right in front of you without you even knowing.

But when I reveal myself, you will never be the same.

- What am I?

- I don't care, Ed.

Betrayal.

That's how every friendship ends.

So, what good are friends anyway?

Who are they?

The answer to your question.

Hello, Mr. Nygma.

I hear you've been asking about us.

How do I know you're real?

Isn't that the point of a good mystery?

You're never quite sure what to believe until the end.

Gordon could've put you up to this.

I assure you, Detective Gordon had to be convinced to bring you here.

But let me put it like this.

That question Professor Strange had you ask Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox last year at Indian Hill, the one that has tortured you, the one you'll never be able to answer...

That answer is with me.

What now?

Get in.

And all your questions will be answered.

You won't be needing the g*n.

You've made us proud, Detective Gordon.

What are you going to do with him?

A man with Nygma's intellect could be quite useful to us.

I'm sure we'll find something for him to do.

We'll be in touch.

Good evening, Ms.

Kean.

May I offer you a drink?

Something went wrong.

Gordon took down Nygma before he could find out the truth about The Court.

Probably 'cause I told Gordon how to disarm the b*mb.

What?

Why?

You promised that when Nygma handed over the underworld, I would get to k*ll him.

Sealed it with a kiss, remember?

Don't you get it?

As long as The Court is out there, I'll never be in control!

Don't you mean, "We'll never be in control"?

Seen it a thousand times.

Ambition.

Power.

People can't help themselves.

She's changed, baby.

- When are you gonna see that?

- Shut up, Butch!

Move!

This is trouble.

It's good to be home.

FYI, I've been to Wayne Manor.

It's way cleaner.

You never said anything about Fries being a part of this.

You're a little hot.

Maybe you need to cool off.

Oh, come on, you guys.

We're on the same team now, remember?

A family?

Keep him away from me.

There's a question mark on your face.

You can sleep in the freezer.

Hey, Pengy.

Check it out.

Do not call me Pengy!

My...

AKA Edward Nygma, was apprehended by the GCPD this afternoon after kidnapping interim Mayor Aubrey James.

However, while en route to Arkham Asylum...

Riddler.

He managed to escape police custody and is now at large.

How long did he have to think about that one?

Rest up, everyone.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.

I'd like to introduce our newest member, James Gordon.

Welcome to The Court of Owls.