‘Gotham’ Premiere: Penguin And Riddler Are Puzzle Masterminds In Their Own Right

Last week, viewers saw the return of the imaginative Gotham series back to network television, one of the more interesting shows left where the writers can entice us with a slow-build of pre-Batman character development.

Judging from the first episode of this new phase of Gotham, season three, it will no doubt be perniciously holding our interest again because this time we get to see more of Dr. Hugo Strange’s creations trickle in.

There are so many characters to get into that the writers are having one hell of a time weaving their yarn around a now “Mad City,” as the new season of Gotham is so aptly named.

Wake up, drink your coffee, get dressed — it's #Gotham day. pic.twitter.com/DJ0YuopBP6

— Gotham (@Gotham) September 26, 2016

But the best moment of the Gotham season premiere wasn’t so much those creations, despite what WRAL believes, as they are just eye-candy. The highlight has to be when Oswald Cobblepot makes amends with Edward Nigma through a puzzle box.

It is obvious from the clip that Oswald Cobblepot, a.k.a.Penguin, has extended his plot to take Gotham to include Edward Nigma, a.k.a Riddler.

What the scene really shows Gotham fans, however, is the comparison of two different masterminds who have created their own puzzles and labyrinths for others to contend with in order to seize power.

At first Penguin believes he’s brought Riddler a challenge with the puzzle box. It’s a “test” that Riddler passes with flying colors, at which Penguin at first seems surprised before he realizes the obviousness of just how easy it was for Nigma to open.

Fans of Gotham will know that Penguin has been testing various characters out with his schemes, seizing more power little by little; but he’s also needed help along the way, and he knows it.

What we’ve also learned about his masterful ability to plot schemes, which has been revealed through how he tests loyalty with many of those around him. If there’s one thing he uses to his advantage, it is that he can use loyalty to destroy or consolidate his reign.

We know that having Riddler on his side will open a lot of doors for him, but Penguin is also bothered as to why he wasn’t killed when he was so vulnerable by another pivotal character who wasn’t part of his scheme.

This is significant, especially to him, because if it were him, he would have done the same, and it’s a “puzzle” he needs Nigma to help him crack open.

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Certainly, fans know that on Gotham, where there is union there is also betrayal, and with the creative angles the writers on Gotham love to manipulate, anything can happen.

But it doesn’t have to happen yet, and so we have this scene as a place marker for things to come. And there’s no doubt that already, just from the premiere of the new season, it’s going to be a very interesting development.

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In Gotham, it is moments such as these that carry the series forward with great momentum, leaving about as many question marks as there are on the outfit we hope to see Edward Nigma wear sometime in the near future.

Since then, a new episode has already aired of more wild plotting from the creators themselves. What can Gotham expect from these two villains further down the pike?

[Featured Image by Justin Stephens/FOX Broadcasting Co]