Season 2 Episode 14: Riddle Me That...
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...
Riddler broke away from Shadow's pact
He made his own game
He kidnapped 3 cops
Batman, Nightwing, and Batgirl are solving each riddle to save them
Two officers were saved, by Riddler killed one when Batman couldn't get through the door
Batman just recently got off of Venom
Batman stands there, watching the projector and Riddler laughing. He finally stops and looks at the camera.
Well, I'm sorry, Batman. But I've got to run. Actually, I've set it so that the video you're watching right now is 30 seconds behind. By now, I'm already running. But if you try to chase me, you won't hear my final riddle.
Riddler grabs his cane.
I know what you're thinking: 'Is this over?' Almost! Farewell Batman, I'll see you on the Grey Ghost.
Riddler hits the projector with his cane, breaking it.
"Batman? Batman! Are you there?" Nightwing asks over the comms.
"I'm here. Finger is dead and Riddler is gone. He's left me one last riddle, a clue to his location. After what he's done, we have to find him."
The Batman
Batman, Nightwing, and Batgirl return to the Batcave.
"Bruce, are you okay?" Nightwing asks.
"We can't think about the dead now. Riddler is getting away. He left me with one last riddle. If we can solve this, we can get revenge."
Nightwing starts taking off his mask and suit.
"Seriously Bruce, it's okay for you to take a break, or, or grieve." Barbara says.
"Not when there's a maniac on the loose." Bruce says, taking off his mask.
Meanwhile, Gordon and Sarah walk into warehouse 2B. They find Officer Sprang sitting down in the building. Sarah and Gordon help her walk out of the building. A couple more cop cars drive up.
"I'm not sure who survived." Sprang admits.
"We'll check the other locations." Gordon says.
Gordon nods to Sarah and they walk into their car.
"Farewell Batman, I'll see you at the Grey Ghost." Bruce repeats.
Dick, without his costume, walks up behind Bruce.
"I think I saw something named The Grey Ghost on a shelf somewhere in the Manor." Dick states.
"That was a collection of a TV series I used to watch as a kid."
"Do you think that's what Riddler meant?"
"I thought so. But that was filmed in Panessa Studios, which has no sign of a break in. No suspicious activity or background of anyone who worked on the show."
"Well, some of the actors live in other cities and states. Riddler probably isn't there by now. We need to give him more time."
"We can't just sit here and wait. We must bring Riddler in ASAP."
"...let me see the recording."
Bruce plays it.
I know what you're thinking: 'Is this over?' Almost! Farewell Batman, I'll see you on the Grey Ghost.
"Well for one, he doesn't say AT the Grey Ghost. He says ON the Grey Ghost." Dick points out.
"Like the Grey Ghost is something physical?" Bruce states and turns to the computer.
"He said 'Farewell,' like he was going somewhere. Do you think he's leaving Gotham City or something?" Dick asks.
"Probably. Ignoring the TV show, the Grey Ghost was the name of a cruise ship. Turned into a war ship during World War 2. It was turned back into a cruise ship after the war, and is now docked in Gotham City. It's scheduled for a one week vacation all the way down to Florida, tonight."
"That could work. Check all the passengers who are boarding tonight."
"I already am. No Edward Nygma. But there is an Arthur Wynne."
"So?"
"Arthur Wynne was the inventor of the crossword and died in 1945. That's way too many coincidences. We need to check out the cruise ship before it takes off."
"It takes off in 45 minutes. We have to get ready now."
"We'll take the Batboat. Alert Batgirl."
Dick walks away.
Bruce turns and sees the bottle of Venom pills on his work desk. He tries to ignore them, and leaves.
Meanwhile, on the cruise ship, a passenger walks up to security.
"Good evening. I hope you have a safe trip Mr...Wynne." The security states.
"I hope you have a good evening too, Miss." Riddler says with a smile.
The Batboat speeds over the waves of the Gotham River until it sees the cruise ship sailing away.
"Riddler is on that boat." Batman states.
Inside the boat, is Robin and Batgirl.
"So why are you wearing your old Robin suit again?" Batgirl asks.
"Feeling nostalgic." Robin states.
"Get ready. Here we go."
Batman ejects out of the boat and grabs onto the railing. He hops up onto the deck and sees some people strolling on the deck late at night. Robin takes over driving the Batboat. Batman walks inside and through the halls of the ship until he finds the captain.
"Batman, what the hell do you want?" He asks.
"Arthur Wynne. He's a wanted criminal and a murderer. He's somewhere on this ship. I want to know where."
"I have no idea! He could be in his room or something!"
Batgirl grapples up onto the deck and sees the pool. On one of the lounge chairs is Riddler, reading a magazine, solving a crossword, with a duffel bag by his side.
"Batman, I found Riddler. He's by the pool." Batgirl tells Batman over the comms.
"It's about time you got here. I was waiting for you." Riddler says and puts down his magazine.
"You're going to jail for a long time, Nygma." Batgirl states.
"Not before I beat you in this little game." Riddler states.
"This game is over. We've caught you!"
Riddler zips open and reaches into you bag.
"Looks like I might as well put up a fight. Wouldn't want to make things easy, now would we?" Riddler chuckles.
He pulls out a shotgun and fires it at Batgirl. Batgirl dodges two shots before hiding behind a pillar. One shell hits the pillar before Riddler gets glide kicked by Batman.
"NYGMA, IT'S OVER!" Batman yells.
Riddler looks up at Batman and scowls. He gets up and runs towards the railing before Batman blocks him from running.
"It...is...over."
Riddler pauses, before firing his shotgun and knocking Batman over the railing. Robin in the Batboat is there to catch him. Riddler fires his shotgun at Batgirl, forcing her to dodge as Riddler runs down the deck and through the food court. He reloads his gun. Riddler runs out to the deck again, and sees the railing. He then sees the Batwing rise and face him.
"Oh...shit." He curses.
Batman fires a net which attaches to Riddler, shocking him. Riddler tries getting back up when Robin grapples up to the deck and punches him back down. Batgirl catches up. Batman hops out of the Batwing and stands on the wing.
"We've got him."
Back at the GCPD, Riddler is escorted in and locked in his cell.
"I'm being locked up here for life. Something Sergeant Finger unfortunately doesn't have anymore." Riddler laughs as the guard ignores him.
Later that night, the Great White Shark steps out of his limo and onto the street. That's when Gordon and Sarah walk up to him.
"Mr. White." Sarah starts.
White turns. They hold up their badges.
"GCPD. We have someone who admitted to you hiring them to kill the commissioner of police. Will you come with us?" Sarah explains.
White looks at them before backhanding Sarah across the face and she falls onto sidewalk. He pushes Gordon out of the way and runs down the street. Sarah grabs her taser and fires it. It hits Warren in the back of his thigh and he falls. Gordon gets up and puts him in handcuffs.
"Warren White, you have the right to remain silent, everything you say can and will be used against you in court of law." Gordon says. "Nice one, Essen."
Sarah smiles.
Batman drives the Batmobile towards the GCPD building when he gets a call from Robin.
"Batman, where are you going?" He asks.
"To the GCPD, Dick. Riddler works with Shadow. We've taken down one member of his team. He'll know something about him."
"Alright. Let's hope he'll give you the answers."
The Batmobile zooms down the street.
Gordon returns the GCPD building and takes off his coat. He sits down at a chair and takes off his glasses. He rubs his face when Batman walks up to him.
"Batman." Gordon says.
"Riddler's locked in the holding cells. I need to speak with him. Alone." Batman states.
"I'll...send him to the interrogation room."
"Thanks, Jim."
Batman walks into the interrogation room and sees Riddler in handcuffs sitting there.
"The Bat! Why are you here?" Riddler starts.
"I need to talk. About Shadow. You know about him. I want to know. Where is he? Who is he? What does he want from me?" Batman asks.
"He wants revenge."
"Why?"
"I don't know. He didn't reveal his face or his reason to any of us. He kept changing hideouts so it was impossible to track him down. He could be on his next by the time I tell you where the current one is."
"Do you know his plan?"
"Yes, but I won't tell you."
"How does trying to murder 3 cops fit into his plan? It only gets you caught."
"It wasn't. It was my plan. I broke away from his team to create my own game. Show Shadow who's the smartest."
"Well, you failed. You got caught in less than an hour. Easily. I thought your riddles would at be a lot tougher. You're losing your touch, Riddler."
Riddler laughs.
"And that's why I've outsmarted you. Maybe the riddles were meant to be easy. Maybe in making them easy, I was actually showing my intelligence. And how I am SMARTER than the Batman."
Batman looks shocked.
"I meant to get caught, Batman. Not to plan a breakout, no. But to show that I can outsmart you, even in cuffs."
"How?"
"...there's still one more hostage."
"...where?"
"Oh, I'll tell you where, but inside is my toughest riddle."
"WHERE?!"
Batman grabs Riddler.
"Don't worry. You have unlimited time. But as soon as you enter, you'll have a minute to solve my toughest riddle. If you don't, you will die."
"WHERE!"
Batman throws Riddler to the ground. Riddler looks up at him.
"The old water tower. I've turned the thing into my own base operations. Hurry. Soon...someone's trapped in there."
Batman goes to leave the interrogation room.
"Oh, and one more thing. Robin, Nightwing, or Batgirl comes, and the hostage dies. No matter what."
Batman leaves.
Batman drives towards the water tower with Robin over the comms.
"Are you sure we can't help?" He asks.
"No. Riddler said if any of you showed up the hostage would die. It has to be me." Batman says.
The Batmobile stops and Batman hops out. He grapples to the top of the water tower and opens up the hatch. He looks inside at the darkness. He takes a deep breath and jumps down. The lights turn on, revealing a base as the hatch closes and locks. He looks around the base. There's Riddler's bed, a bomb, some monitors, and a death chamber where Riddler keeps his hostages. He looks inside but there's no one there. He then hears Riddler's prerecorded voice.
Batman! It's good to see you here! By now you've probably realized that there is no hostage. That's because my final hostage...is you. You've also probably realized this base is empty except for a couple of things that belong to me. Like my work desk. Like my bed. Like these monitors. Like this bomb for example.
Batman looks at the huge bomb.
Once this recording is over, the bomb will start it's timer of 1 minute, and blow up the water tower. I'v analyzed your explosives on your belt. They're not strong enough to escape so don't waste your time. You also can't defuse the bomb. Not in the time you have. The only way out is to solve my riddle using the dial in the hole. Solve it correctly and the door opens and the bomb is disarmed. If you make it out alive, then you'll prove that you're better than me, and I will acknowledge that. If however, you die in the blast, then I, the Riddler, am Gotham's intellectual superior! Here is my last...riddle:
Everyday you stare at my eye, and I look back, but you never die. One day soon, I WILL catch you, your body still, and black and blue. You'll be bloody, or broken, or worn, or torn, it'll be just like when you were born. Life will go on, Gotham filled with madness, but you won't know since you're in eternal blackness! What am I?
Batman grapples back up to the hatch on the ceiling as the bomb timer starts. He places a small bomb on the hatch and drops back down. It blows, but the hatch remains unharmed. Batman runs over to the bomb. He doesn't know how to disarm it. Time eventually runs out, and the bomb blows up the water tower. There's only tiny bits of metal and materials left in the blast.
A guard watches Riddler in the interrogation room. He hears Gordon from the other side of the door.
"There's been an explosion at the water tower. We've got to make it over there." Gordon states.
Riddler smiles and chuckles.
"Looks like the Batman wasn't smart enough to solve my riddle after all." He states.
The door to the interrogation room opens and Batman steps in.
"What the hell? Batman?! But, the explosion! You're supposed to be DEA-" Riddler yells but Batman punches him across the face, knocking him to the ground.
Batman turns around and leaves the room. He meets Gordon in the halls.
"Was the explosion a death trap?" Gordon asks.
"Yes. I had to disarm a bomb, but the only way to do that was by answering the riddle." Batman answers.
"But did you?" Gordon asks.
"No. I couldn't solve a riddle in under a minute."
"So...how the hell did you survive?"
"To stop me from getting out, Riddler made everything in the water tower bomb proof so I couldn't blast out. But his own logic was the thing that tripped him up. I locked myself in one of his death chambers. It protected me from the blast."
"Well, isn't that irony? Poor bastard."
"Maybe if he actually thought things through, he would've been able to win. And after I escaped, I was able to answer the riddle. It was death."
Batman leaves.
Riddler sits in his cell at Arkham, screaming.
"I HAVE TO KNOW! I HAVE TO KNOW, GODDAMMIT! HOW THE HELL DID HE DO IT?! HOW THE HELL DID HE SURVIVE! I HAVE TO KNOW! I HAVE TO KNOW! HOW DID HE DO IT?! I HAVE TO KNOW!"
A guard walks up to his cell and hands him a postcard. Riddler stops shouting and grabs the card.
Riddle Me This...Riddle Me That...who got their ass kicked by the big, bad, Bat?
-Shadow
Riddler lets out one last yell.
Batman returns to the Batcave and sits at his work desk. Dick and Barbara walk up to him.
"Bruce...I know someone died tonight on your watch. Maybe you could've been able to stop them if you were stronger. Are you...going to be okay?" Dick asks.
Bruce looks at the bottle of pills. He picks it up and looks at it. He twists the cap but then spills all the pills out on the floor.
"Yes, Robin. Failure comes with the job."
The Batman
Riddler is escorted down the hallways of Arkham Asylum when and taken in for a psychiatrist appointment.
"Hello, Mr. Nygma. My name is Professor Hugo Strange. And we are going to be discussing your obsession with riddles."
"How did he do it..." Riddler mutters.
"What are you saying?" Strange asks.
"I set up the perfect death trap. He was supposed to answer the riddle or get blown up, and the bomb went off but...he survived...how is that possible?"
"The Batman is a master escape artist."
"How did you know it was Batman?"
"Who else would it be? Plus, the news is covering the story."
"It's one riddle that's going unsolved. How can I let that happen?"
"There a lot of riddles that go unsolved, Mr. Nygma. Is there a God? When will the world end? The meaning of life...but you don't seem bothered by them?"
"That's because I know I'll never get an answer to those ones. Believe me, it took a while to get over, but...this one I COULD get an answer to. It was so close. But I don't have one."
"There are other questions you could get an answer to but don't."
"Impossible. I know the answer to every single riddle ever."
Hugo chuckles.
"We'll see about that."
Next Time on the Batman: The Bat and the Cat (2x15)
Catwoman returns on her journey to find out Holly's past. But at the same time, Shadow puts the next step of his plan into action. With a double threat on the horizon, the team splits up to be able to take them both down.
WKH HQG...?