Gotham 3×15 Review: How the Riddler Got His Name

Gotham season 3 returned with “How the Riddler Got His Name” and gave viewers Ed’s origin story.

Even though I found “How the Riddler Got His Name” weak in a few spots the episode was still fun to watch. That’s the thing about Gotham. It’s a mess but an enjoyable one.

Gordon’s Uncle Frank wanted to reconnect with him. Jim got to know that his father was a member of the Court of Owls and that they were responsible for his death. I’m not sure what Frank is playing at. He wants Jim to become a member of the Court of Owls and help him destroy them. Is Frank loyal to Kathryn and it’s all part of a grand plan or does Frank really want the group destroyed? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

The Court of Owls also kidnapped Baby Bruce and replaced him with his clone. I have no idea why the court thinks it’s a good idea. Kitty Selina and Alfred know about Bruce having a clone and fooling them is going to be tough. However, if Bruce’s clone is able to fool those two I’m going to cry foul because that’s just lazy writing.

It also seems that the Court of Owls is going to train Baby Bruce to become Gotham’s guardian. I don’t think he’ll be turning into Batman yet but I’m excited to see Baby Bruce continue on his journey to become the Caped Crusader.

“How the Riddler Got His Name” was all about Nygma trying to get over killing Penguin. It was a Nygmobblepot episode through and through. The writers picked up a touchy subject when they decided to make Oswald fall in love with Nygma. While some fans haven’t been happy with such queer representation you have to realize that Gotham is a messed up show and no one is going to have a perfect relationship.

Killing Penguin killed a part of Nygma and he spent the entire episode trying to find someone who could be his equal. I was glad to see Lucius Fox get a bigger role. He’s a smart and sensible guy and I won’t mind seeing more of him in the upcoming episodes.

Coming back to Nygmobblepot, with Bud Ivy nursing Oswald back to health it’s obvious he’s going to seek revenge. Will he kill the Riddler or will those two work out their differences? Like I said, the entire plot is a sensitive topic which has a queer character falling in love with his (straight?) best friend who doesn’t love him back the same way.

Some thoughts and questions

1. Not having Barbara in this episode was a crime. She needs to be in every episode. She wanted Penguin dead. What’s she been up to after Nygma killed him?
2. Penguin singing an Amy Winehouse song in his iconic outfit was fun. Considering it was the Penguin from Ed’s hallucination I guess he really wants Oswald to sing to him.
3. Bullock was a joke in this episode. He needs to be a better character considering he’s the head of the G.C.P.D.

Quote of the week: “You’re the only person I know who frets about their drug-induced hallucination making a mess.” – Penguin to Nygma.

Did you watch Gotham this week? What did you think of “How the Riddler Got His Name”? Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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