“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 you have indigestion.”
I like to think that Harvey, though he directs his words to the other characters, is really speaking to the audience. And he ain’t wrong; watching Gotham requires the same advice as attacking the aforementioned bovine slab. I know I’ve been critical of the show in the past, though not without good reason. I could be a spokesman for Pepto Bismol after all the times the show gave me heartburn, but the midseason finale finally, Finally, FINALLY gave us a show that fired on all cylinders, and Heroes Rise: How The Riddler Got His Name keeps on keeping on with a extra strong start to the second half of the season, presenting us another step towards Nygma fully becoming the Riddler. Plot-wise, we’ve seen stronger Nygma-centric episodes in the past, but it gives us a gratifying insight into Nygma’s motivations as he works through an existential crisis after killing, or what we now know as attempting to kill, Penguin.
Nygma is a few fries short of a complete Happy Meal, desperate in his search for self identity. With Penguin gone, Nygma looks to fill the intellectual void in his life, and nothing helps a villain become a good villain more than an equally good arch nemesis. Unfortunately for Nygma, that role is harder to fill than he initially believed, though Lucius is a worthy adversary.
Part of that is due to the cleverness of Nygma’s riddles; it also doesn’t help that he poses them when directly threatening the lives of the candidates. The other part is the fact Penguin cared about Nygma, platonic or romantic, and the two had a special bromance before Penguin had Isabella killed and Nygma tried to kill Penguin. Nygma believes he is missing the arch nemesis/villain mentor role in his life, when the reality is it’s the loss of his friend that has left – in the words of Extreme, hole-hearted. And the hole in his heart can’t be filled with the things he does. “I want you to know that our friendship meant something to me,” Nygma tells Hallucination Penguin. “I cared about you, and I miss you.” Such honest sentimentality is rare on Gotham, and possibly many superhero shows, but it really works here.
To watch Nygma take hallucinogens to speak with Penguin is tragic, and even more so when he tosses them at the same pier he shot Penguin. As I type this, “Why can’t we be friends?” by War is playing in my head. George Harrison sang all good things must pass, and so must the bromance. But the closing of one door means another one opens, namely the reunion and conflict between Riddler and Penguin is inevitable and will push forward the tension, both thematically and emotionally, in the second half of this season.
By the end of the episode, Nygma has managed to define himself without Penguin. Hallucination Penguin had maintained throughout the episode that there is no Nygma without Penguin, and he is right. Instead, Nygma becomes Riddler, and thus we have the payoff after two and a half seasons. Riddler’s success will not hang on this one episode alone, rather, in the long play execution over this half season and beyond. Riddler’s time is now, and I hope we are not disappointed. What is never disappointing, however, is the interplay between Cory Michael Smith (Riddler) and Robin Lord Taylor. It’s no coincidence that these two occupy the majority of screen time is what makes for compelling viewing. As I mentioned in an earlier article, Gotham works best when the villains are given more space to shine, as opposed to the Gordon/Lee love story or another Bruce Wayne is in danger storyline. Hell, I’d even go for a Gotham spinoff of Penguin and Riddler; if there ever was cause for a Gotham Odd Couple, this is it.
Speaking of Odd Couples, Gotham totally needs more episodes with Harvey and Lucius as a detective team. Harvey calls Nygma’s killing spree the “egghead deaths” while Lucius accepts Riddler’s arch nemesis invitation addressed to Gordon from a costumed messenger. Someone at GCPD ought to call the Fruit of the Loom gang and report they found the missing grapes. They are a non-lethal version of Riggs and Murtaugh, as evidenced when they play good cop/ bad cop when questioning a suspect, and both realize neither of them wants to be the bad cop. Lucius “Foxy” Fox is better at Gordon’s job than Gordon is, and I could watch those two all day, much like I enjoy the real Lethal Weapon team of Penguin and Riddler. Time out for a team substitution: Lucius is in, and Gordon is out. Now, before you get angry, think about it. And for the record, Gordon does have a job offer.
Speaking of Gordon, he is relegated to the B story this week and to be honest, it’s not a bad thing. Season Two and the first half of Season Three spent too much time on Gordon dealing with his dark urges and the Lee storyline. Here, he hangs with Uncle Frank, who says he wants to make things right with the family, even though his ties to the Court of Owls raise a few eyebrows. Frank reveals he and Gordon’s father were members of the Court and that they want Gordon to join. Frank then tells Gordon it was the Court that killed his father, which stokes the revenge fires inside good ol’ Jim.
Not sure if Gordon can trust Frank, even though he wants Gordon to help him take the Court down from the inside. But it’s hard to say whose side Frank is on at this point. The producers have had difficulty knowing what to do with Gordon, and this could be an interesting direction for him. Thing is, this story felt disconnected from the others, mostly by lack of thematic devices like reflections in mirrors, seeing, and more knockouts than a Mike Tyson video game, but also in location. The change from dark, gritty Gotham to a cabin in the woods is jarring and perhaps having Gordon back where he belongs will help.
The third story sees Bruce’s Batman training interrupted, firstly by his feelings over Selina, secondly when the Court kidnaps him and replaces him with clone Bruce.
Again, there seems to be some difficulty in dealing with the character of Bruce. He has enough training to take down several teen thugs (all that was needed for the producers was to include BAM! POW! BIFF! and ZLONK! bubbles after each punch) when he searches for Selina after she left him her “note”, but falls sucker to clone Bruce’s knockout needle in the neck ploy very easily. Clearly, a 16 year old doesn’t have that neat penmanship; in fact, I find it unrealistic that teens nowadays use anything but cellphones to send texts and record information. Yes, Selina is a street urchin, but she couldn’t pinch a cellphone and send Bruce a message?
Like Gordon before him, Bruce was replaced by someone arguably better at being Bruce than real Bruce is. At the very least, it’s easier for the people in their lives. Let it not be said that Gordon and Bruce aren’t stubbornly righteous, and that may be Gotham’s real superpower.
Real Bruce awakens in a cell with a window view of snow capped mountains. It’s not a leap of logic to surmise he might be in Shangri-La, given that R’as al Ghul is supposed to appear later in the season. Let’s see how he gets out of this one, or if anyone notices his absence, though I suspect Alfred has that splinter in the mind’s eye bit of doubt when clone Bruce returns eagerly anticipating the once-maligned Shepherd’s pie.
“I just remembered. There’s someone I need to kill.” Penguin’s line at the end of the episode is the narrative push that sets up the inevitable showdown with Riddler. Meanwhile, we are treated to a Penguin/Poison Ivy subplot.
Gotham’s luck with female villains is terrible at best; but to be fair, Bat-crazy Babs is one of the best characters on the show. I’m still on the fence with this incarnation of Poison Ivy, but since I’m forced at Nerf gunpoint by the editor to watch the show, I’ll see how things play out. If there is only one who can save the 13 Going on 30 Ivy storyline, it’s definitely Penguin.
My patience of enduring less sarcastic Harvey has been rewarded with more great lines and a buddy cop team up with Foxy. Add a half star. The Penguin/Riddler plot as the A story and the interplay between the characters earns this episode another half star. Less Gordon, Lee, and Selina, another half star. Bruce in danger again, deduct half a star.
Tune in next time – same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.
