Season 2 Episode 13: Riddle Me This...
My name is Bruce Wayne. When I was 8 years old, my parents were killed by an evil. And so I made a promise to fight that evil. I traveled the world for 18 years, and returned to Gotham City to protect it. Now I have new allies, helping me in my crusade, but I also have new enemies. New threats have arrived in my city, and I must stop them. I am vengeance. I am the night. I am the Batman.
Previously on the Batman...
Bruce took Venom
Riddler was broken out of jail and made part of the Shadow team
Wayne Enterprises has been taken over by Penguin
Lucius was kidnapped but freed from Shadow
Dick asked Barbara out on a date
Because of the Venom, Robin, Alfred, and Batgirl quit
Bruce locked himself in the Batcave with no Venom
Feet run across the rooftops, jumping across the alleyways and the body they're attached to uses a grapple hook to get up to high places. They run across a tall rooftop and look across the city. They see their destination. They jump and crash through a window, rolling onto the floor before standing up to reveal themselves as Dick Grayson, but in a new vigilante suit.
Nightwing.
He slides through a vent on the wall and sees in the other room, several gunmen with a hostage tied to a chair with a bag over their head in the center. He jumps from the vent and kicks a gunman to the ground, and then smashing their head into the floor.
Nightwing grapples up to a gargoyle and sees a man holding a pistol walking down a hallway with a weak roof. He uses his grapple to break through the roof and grab him by his leg. He zooms up through the roof and hangs from a gargoyle.
Nightwing fires his grapple hook to the ceiling and swings down. He grabs one thug by his collar and swings back up out of sight. The thug yells and drops his machine gun as another thug turns to find that he's gone. Nightwing drops down behind the thug and Batclaw slams him.
He grapples up to where the hostage is tied up and tackles a thug guarding him. He punches him and throws a shuriken at another thug on the other side of the chair. He fires his grapple, grabbing onto the last thug's leg, and trips him.
Nightwing stands up and walks over to the hostage.
"It's okay. I'm here to help. You're safe." Nightwing says.
Nightwing takes off the bag on the hostage's head. It's Bruce Wayne.
"Bruce..?" Nightwing asks.
"It's great to see you, Nightwing!" Bruce greets.
Bruce and Nightwing walk into Wayne Manor. Dick takes off his mask.
"Who the hell were those guys?" Bruce asks.
"They were the last remnants of the Mutant gang. Very highly trained." Dick explains. "How did you get captured by them?"
"Well, I payed Lucius a visit and he helped me track you down. I followed you, and was ambushed by them."
"So what happened to you, Bruce? You disappeared for a month! Rocking the beard by the way."
Bruce rubs his hairy chin.
"I decided to get rid of the Venom. I got enough food and water to last a month, and locked myself in the Batcave. There's only one bottle of pills down there, to remind me of what happened. Of what I became. The Venom's out of my system. I'm never taking it again." Bruce states.
"Good. You shouldn't." Dick replies.
"I'm sorry, Dick. For what I did...and for what I became. Any news on the Shadow?"
"No. He or his team haven't made an appearance since you left, and Cobblepot hasn't made any suspicious requests as far as we know of. Except for changing the company name to, and you're going to like this, 'Cobblepot Enterprises.'"
Bruce groans.
"Lucius still works for that company?" Bruce asks.
"No. Cobblepot fired him first chance he got." Dick explains.
"So the city has missed Batman?"
"Everyone thinks Batman and Robin died or left or something. Or maybe Batgirl took over for them. Now 'Nightwing' is the hero Gotham deserves."
"Not for long. The Batman is making a return. What about Robin?"
"I'm not sure about that yet."
"So what happened to everyone else? Lucius got fired. What about Gordon? Barbara? Alfred?"
"I...used your money to buy myself an apartment. Me and Barbara have been working together on several projects. We've gotten a lot closer. Lucius helps us as well. Gordon's doing fine. Barbara tells me that Gordon and his wife are getting into a lot of fights though."
"And Alfred?"
"That night he quit, he walked off into the night. We didn't talk. He just straight up left. We haven't seen him."
"Are you willing to join the team again?"
"...sure. Barbara will be too. Lucius as well...maybe."
"But we need to find Alfred."
"That'll be the hard part."
"But we'll do it. Let's plan the Batman's return."
The Batman
Shadow finishes off the lights in his new sewer base. Riddler walks into the base.
"What's the point of making this base if the Batman is dead?" Riddler asks.
"I don't think he's dead." Shadow states. "It's obvious that new vigilante was just Batman, changing his choice of attire. I saw him the last time he was seen. In the subway tunnels, and in our base."
"And how do you know he didn't die in the explosion?"
"Because Lucius didn't."
"...that's your only reason?! How do you know Lucius didn't escape in the last minute on his own, or Batman got Lucius out but couldn't escape himself?"
"I just know, Riddler. You have to trust me."
"You broke me out of prison, and told me you needed me to check over your plan on how to kill Batman. Why the hell should I trust you?"
"I don't know, Nygma. I told you you were free to leave, but you stayed for some fucking reason. You think what I'm doing is stupid? Then get out! Cobblepot left! Enjoying the gift I gave him. Crane left! Off with his human experiments again...everyone left! Except for you...and-"
"I'm going to stop you right there. What's going to happen when Batman never shows up again, and you realize you went through all this hard work for nothing? Batman is dead, you got your revenge! And even if he isn't, he's gone! Hell, why do you even want revenge in the first place? You're new to Gotham. What did Batman do to you?"
"That's none of your business."
Riddler walks out of the room.
"Barbara!" Bruce greets.
They both hug in Dick's new apartment.
"It's good to see you again. So how'd you spend the last month?" Barbara asks.
"Locked in the Batcave." Bruce answers.
"We didn't just come to say 'hello.'" Dick joins.
"What's the problem?" Barbara asks.
"A new criminal just came to town. Black Spider. He's an assassin. He has a hit list, so far all in Gotham, and he's taking out a lot of men and women. We have to stop him." Dick explains.
"Do you have his location?" Bruce asks.
"Actually, I do. We found his apartment. There we discovered his hit list. All of the names were crossed off. All except two." Dick explains.
"And who were those?"
"Arnold Wesker. He's a ventriloquist. Heard he had some mob relations."
"And the other one?"
"Falcone. You missed this, but...he's alive, Bruce."
Bruce is shocked.
"Nah, I'm just messing with you. He's still dead." Dick says.
"Then who's the other name?" Bruce asks.
"Gordon."
"...Gordon was shot on Christmas Eve."
"Exactly. It was an assassination attempt. Luckily he survived, but Black Spider knows that, and he's going to try again."
"You said you know where he is."
"Yeah, I placed a tracker on him. We've got to suit up and stop him from trying."
"Who's he going to kill first though?"
"Exactly. We don't know. We'll have to split up. I'll protect Gordon."
"So will I." Barbara states.
"I'll protect Wesker. We have to move out, quickly." Bruce announces.
"You still going as that vigilante?" Barbara asks.
"No. The people of Gotham need the Batman."
Later that day, Wesker is in his apartment carving a dummy. Gordon is having a fight with Barbara in his apartment. Batgirl and Nightwing watch through the window from a rooftop across the street.
"We're in place, Bruce." Batgirl says in her comm.
"So am I." Bruce responds with.
"Get ready..." Nightwing states.
Batgirl stares at the window at her parents.
"Do they always fight?" Nightwing asks.
"Did you not sense the tension during dinner at my house?" Batgirl answers.
"Yeah, I could. This isn't because of me, is it?"
"No, no. It's all them."
"Good. I mean, not good."
"Yeah...not good."
Batgirl keeps staring. She sees Gordon yelling at her Mom, before stopping, and turning to the door. He walks over and unlocks it. He is then tackled by Black Spider.
"Oh no." Batgirl says. "We've got to go."
"Good thinking." Nightwing says.
Batgirl grapples to the building across the street, and Nightwing follows. They swing to the other buildings as Nightwing bursts through the window. Gordon is thrown across the room as Barbara screams.
"Get out of here! GO!" Nightwing yells.
Black Spider charges and starts attacking with martial arts. Nightwing blocks his punches and swipes and hits and kicks. He headbutts Spider but Spider pushes him back and punches him across the face twice. He kicks him back and punches him again. Spider then gets kicked to the ground by Batgirl.
He's kicked across the face before getting back up. He rolls away before humping back up as Nightwing charges him. Black Spider dodges his attacks and knocks Nightwing down. He dodges Batgirl's punch and headbutts her. He pushes her down and jumps out the window, onto the fire escape.
He tries running up the stairs to the roof but Nightwing hops out and grabs his ankle. He pulls his leg and he falls down the stairs. Black Spider swipes his leg and trips Nightwing. He runs down the stairs. Nightwing jumps off the fire escape and lands on a lower platform, grabbing Spider. Spider headbutts him and kicks him over the railing.
Nightwing lands on his feet on the sidewalk as Black Spider quickly runs back up the fire escape stairs, towards the roof, punching Batgirl on the way. A crowd forms and sees Nightwing looking up at Black Spider reaching the roof and running off.
"Dammit." Nightwing whispers.
That's when Black Spider falls off the roof and lands on a parked car, crushing it.
The Batman then stands on the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the crowd. His cape flows in the wind as the people are in awe. Batman grapples away to the skyscraper, as an injured Nightwing and Batgirl grapple behind him.
Gordon walks up to the GCPD rooftop. He sees the Bat Signal. He walks over to it and puts his hand on the lever, not pulling it. Then Batman appears behind him.
"You're back." Gordon states.
"Good to be." Batman states.
"Where did you go?"
"...I...had to leave for a little while. Think about what I was doing, and why I was doing it."
"A lot of things about you did seem to change."
"That's not important now. I'm back. And we have much more important matters. Someone tried to assassinate you. For the second time in a month. Do you know why?"
"No. But I'm a detective...well, technically the commissioner, but I still have some smarts. Me and some of the boys in blue are trying to find out why."
"It's dangerous, Jim. I'll deal with it."
"I'm a cop, remember? You can't do everything by yourself. Why would you need me? Or Robin? Or Batgirl? Or Nightwing? Is he with you?"
"He's another ally."
"Well, all together we'll figure out who's targeting me. Nice to have you back, Bats."
Batman nods and jumps off the roof.
Riddler walks into Shadow's base.
"Well, what did I tell you, Mr. Nygma? Riddle me that..." Shadow starts.
"The Batman's alive...who knew?" Riddler says.
"I knew. And I'm still working on the next step of my plan."
"Ah yes. If I remember correctly, that should be destroying his allies, wouldn't it? Starting with...who Batgirl? Then Robin..."
"I'm still working on it."
"Well, I'm not waiting that long simply to outsmart the Batman."
Shadow turns.
"Then fuck off." Shadow says.
"Fine. I'm out of this operation. It's only you now."
"I only need me to kill Batman."
"You think you're so clever, don't you?"
"Ha! And that comes from Edward Nygma!"
"You doubt me, Shadow?"
"Yeah. You're smart, but also overconfident."
"I'll show you overconfident. I'll put together the ultimate game. A game the Batman and his allies can't win."
"Then do it, Nygma. Show me how smart you really are."
Riddler turns around and leaves the base.
Gordon and Sarah walk down a hall of the GCPD, towards the interrogation room where Black Spider is being kept.
Gordon bumps into a cop who's walking the other way.
"Sorry." Gordon says.
The cop stays silent and walks down the hall with his head down.
"Hmm..."
Sarah opens up the door to the interrogation room and Gordon walks in.
"Two days ago you tried to kill me. You tried to kill me a month ago too. I want an answer. Who hired you?" Gordon says.
"Screw you!" Spider responds.
"Let me talk to him." Sarah suggests.
Gordon leaves the room. Sarah sits across from him.
"So you'r not giving him up, huh?" Sarah starts.
"No. I won't give someone up so easily." Spider replies.
"Why not?"
"I'm no snitch."
"Do you know this person? Like...friend or family."
"...no."
"So you got caught. And that person who hired you is sitting on his ass, laughing at you. You're not getting paid. We can bring that person down, but you won't let us."
"This isn't working, lady."
"We found your hitlist. Can you at least answer a couple questions about that? Are all those men and women wanted dead by one person, or is that multiple people with multiple hits?"
"Multiple people."
"Good. So it's just one person who wanted Gordon dead?"
"Yes."
"Alright. There's a lot of people in Gotham who want the commissioner dead. So how much did Mr. White pay you to take down Gordon?"
"1 million. Wait, how do you know White hired me?"
"I didn't. It was a suspicion. Thanks for confirming it for me." Sarah collects her files and walks out of the room.
"What did you find out?" Gordon asks.
"That the person who hired Black Spider is Falcone." Sarah replies.
"But Falcone is dead."
"Not anymore."
"The hell does that mean?"
"Nah, I'm kidding. It was Warren White."
"The Great White Shark? He told you?"
"No. He just accidentally confirmed my theory. I suspected that since Black Spider did a lot of work for Warren in the past, you working on his case recently, arresting his friends and everything, and the fact that he could actually afford Black Spider, it wasn't that hard."
"Then let's go see those security tapes. We've got a confession."
Sarah talks to the guard, as Gordon watches the game on a TV. The guard and Sarah start looking through the tapes when there's a broadcast in the middle of the game.
"Citizens of Gotham! It is I! Edward Nygma! The Riddler! And your intellectual superior. This is a message for the Batman. Right now, there are three cops who have been taken hostage from the GCPD. They are tied up in random locations all around the city. In 1 hour, 60 minutes, starting when this broadcast is over, the death traps they're in, will activate, brutally killing them. You want to save them, you're going to have solve my 9 riddles. You solve 3, one cop goes free. Here's your first riddle to start you off: Riddle Me This...I'm an instrument who's music always comes from the HEART. Answer this, and then you'll start. What am I? This game is going to be...divine... Good luck, Batman, solving all 9 riddles. And hurry, because you don't want anyone to die..."
"Oh...shit." Gordon comments.
Gordon marches through the GCPD building.
"I want every damn cop, off duty, on duty, I don't care, to report in! We must account for everyone and see who's..." Gordon stops. He notices a box on a nearby desk. He slowly walks over to it and opens it. In there are 3, bloody badges.
Officer Sprang
Officer Dick
Sergeant Finger
"Dammit!"
Bruce puts on the Batsuit, Dick the Nightwing suit, and Barbara the Batgirl suit.
"I don't get why we're suiting up." Batgirl states.
"So we're ready." Batman says.
"Yeah, but we need to solve the riddle." Batgirl says.
"It's obviously an oregan." Nightwing says.
"Oregan? Like the piano instrument?" Batgirl asks.
"Exactly. Instrument? Heart?" Nightwing states.
"That's good, Robin." Batman says.
"But where would we find an oregan?" Batgirl asks.
"A church?" Nightwing asks.
"Worth a look. But there are two in Gotham." Batman says.
"Most likely Divinity Church, for that 'DIVINE' comment." Nightwing says.
"Then let's go." Batgirl states.
They enter the church later in the night and find 3 sentences on the wall.
"These 3 riddles must all lead to different locations." Batgirl says.
"3 riddles. One for each officer. He knew we would have to split up. He's predicted every move we're going to make." Batman says.
"We're still going to do it. We take 3 riddles each and solve them." Batgirl announces.
"Well then you might want to hurry." A voice calls.
They see a projector, projecting Riddler onto the wall.
"There's only 35 minutes left until the hostages die." Riddler announces.
The 3 look at the riddles painted on the wall.
"We've already answered one. We only have 8 left." Nightwing states.
"...alright...okay, I'll take this one on the left." Batgirl points to a riddle.
What can you catch but not throw? I'm excited to see what you know.
"There's a riddle painted on the oregan. It's the one that comes after the heart instrument riddle. I'll take that one." Nightwing states.
In the early morning, this subject loses it's head. But it gets it back at night, when you go to bed. What is it?
"By 'subject,' I assume he means the answer."
"I'll take the last one." Batman states.
Until I am measured, I am not known. Yet how you miss me when I have flown.
"For yours, they're talking about a unit of measurement. It says it right there. But what unit of measurement flies?" Batgirl wonders.
"Time." Nightwing states. "Time flies. And it's used to measure."
"If that's going to lead me anywhere, it would be the Clock Tower. That's where I'm headed."
"What about mine?" Batgirl asks.
"Easy. A cold. It's a classic. Not that hard." Nightwing says.
"Yes, but where would 'cold' take me?"
"I don't know. It's January, which means it's getting colder. It's snowing, it's chilly, it's freezing...Victor?"
"I was reading some reports of a suspicious man wandering around Arkham, who wanted to talk to Freeze. Worth a shot. I'm heading to Arkham."
"And Dick?"
"Loses it's head in the morning...but gets it back at night...what has a head...maybe it's not a body. Maybe it's something else. Where do you put your head at the end of the day?" Nightwing wonders.
"On a pillow."
"So...a mattress store?"
"Those are our best bets. We only have half an hour to solve the other riddles. Move out." Batman orders.
Everyone leaves the church. Batman arrives in the Clock Tower and looks around. He sees another riddle on the wall.
Alright Batman, let's have some fun. When can you add 2 to 11 and get 1?
Meanwhile, Batgirl arrives in Arkham and walks through the halls to the Intensive Treatment wing. She finds Freeze, sitting in his cool cell. She nods towards a guard, who opens up the door. Freeze turns to her.
"You took me away from my wife. I know you're not here to let me go. What do you want?" Freeze asks.
"Edward Nygma. The Riddler. Refers to himself as an intellectual superior to everyone. He was here earlier, wasn't he?"
"Yes. He told me to tell you something."
Batman looks around the Clock Tower. He then looks at the clock. He remote controls the Batmobile on the street below, to fire out the power winch, grabbing onto the hour hand of the clock. It pulls it from 11 to one o' clock. 2 hours. He looks past the hour hand. Right in the spot where the one is, he sees through the window, and old abandon building. That's where to go next.
"I have a wife, which I cannot see. But where did Nora Fries used to be?" Freeze states. "He put a lot of emphasis on the last two words of the riddle.
"To be..." Batgirl mutters to herself. "2B. Wasn't that the warehouse you kept Nora in?"
"Yes. I solved it myself. Clever."
"Thanks, Victor." Batgirl says and runs off.
She contacts Batman on her way out.
"Batman, how are you doing with the riddles?" She asks.
"We only have 15 minutes left. I solved the one at the church, and the one at the Clock Tower. That's two. I'm on my way to the last location now."
"Same. Only one more riddle. We're nearly done."
"But we have to hurry. The hostages don't have a lot of time left."
"Got it."
Nightwing drops into the mattress store and finds the projector on the wall. Riddler is telling his riddle in the video, which is on loop.
If you've solved the riddles so far, you are saving officer Dick. Right now, in the next room, behind the locked door, he's trapped in a human sized container, which is slowly filling up with water. There's an unlock mechanism on the chamber, but it can only be opened from the room you're in right now. There's a hole in the wall, and inside the small hole, there's a lever. You grab the lever and twist it, the door opens and the officer goes free. It's that simple.
Nightwing walks over to the hand sized hole in the wall. He goes to stick his hand inside.
Oh! And I should mention that around the hole are all 26 letters of the alphabet. You turn the lever to the correct letters of the alphabet, and pull to select. But there are no resets. So do try to get it right. But Mr. Nygma! What letters must I turn it to? Well I'm glad you asked. The letters that spell out the answer to my riddle of course!
The water reaches the officer's chin.
Riddle Me This! Here's an idea! Why don't you take a chance, sir? Here's the riddle: What asks but never answers?
"You, jackass." Nightwing mutters.
Batgirl reaches the warehouse and sees the projector.
There's a hole in the wall that you must stick your hand into. In there is a dial. Turn the dial to each letter around the hole, and pull to select it. You must spell out the answer to my riddle. If you don't...well, then Officer Sprang gets CRUSHED in my own version of the Iron Maiden! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! She's in the next room behind the locked door. Don't try blowing it up. It's bomb proof.
Do not worry, we're nearly done this dance. A possibility of something happening, the definition of...
Batgirl ponders the thought.
"Asks...but never answers..." Nightwing thinks.
"What...when...where...why...who...who...goddammit it's an owl isn't it?"
No answer.
"Let's hope so."
Nightwing sticks his hand into the hole and grabs the lever. He turns it to O then W and then finally L. The door on the chamber opens and the water, along with officer Dick go free.
"Wow, that worked?" Nightwing says.
Nightwing hears Riddler's voice.
One cop down, but there's still two more to go...and only 6 minutes left.
Nightwing contacts the others.
"Guys, I'm done here. My hostage's free." He states.
"Almost." Batgirl says.
Batgirl goes on her phone and googles the traits she needs to define. They all fit one word: Chance.
"Gotcha."
Batgirl grabs the dial and turns it to spell out chance. It works and the hostage goes free.
"Few."
There's still Sergeant Finger. She's not free yet. The Riddler's voice says.
"Yeah, I'm done." Batgirl states.
Batman drives his Batmobile to the location and rushes in. He sees the projector.
There should a hole on the wall with a dial inside. Turn it to any letter of the alphabet and pull to select it. You must spell out the answer to my riddle and Sergeant Finger will go free. She's locked behind the locked door in the next room. Riddle Me This! Only one more riddle to catch the fiend, who's the master criminal behind the scenes?
"Shadow..." Batman whispers.
He turns the dial to S, H, A, D, O, and W. He pulls the lever and Riddler appears on the screen with Finger tied to a chair.
"You answered Shadow, Batman. But you didn't know. Him and I broke up a while ago. This is a solo act. This is just me. ME! I am the intellectual superior. I am the master behind the scenes, not him! So I'm afraid...you got the answer wrong."
"Riddler, wait...Riddler!"
"Riddle Me This...what tastes better than it smells?"
Riddler pulls out a pocket knife. Batman runs over to the locked door and tries to break it open but fails.
"NYGMA!"
"Answer: A tongue."
Riddler takes the knife and grabs Finger's head with his hand. Muffled screams are heard from off camera. Splattering, cutting, screaming. Riddler looks back at the camera, holding a severed tongue. Riddler's camera shows Finger's head and neck, cut open with Riddler's knife. She's dead.
"I'm afraid you failed one hostage, Batman. And I'm still on the loose."
Riddler starts laughing. Batman looks down. He's failed.
The Batman
Next Time on the Batman: Riddle Me That... (2x14)
With Riddler still on the loose, the team plays Riddler's final game to try to bring him to justice.
ZHOFRPH EDFN!