In "Gotham" season 2, the shy and timid Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) is inching closer to become the Riddler, and he is about to mess up the relationships he has formed with Jim Gordon (Ben Mckenzie) and Kristen Kringle (Chelsea Spark).
During an interview with Collider, Smith discussed his character's downward spiral and how they created a nice backstory for one of Batman's most formidable opponents.
Smith shared that people cannot believe that the Riddler had any romantic relationships in the past, and that it was "so, so, so wrong" to introduce Kristen in the first place then kill her off eventually.
But for Smith, it all makes sense. "There's a reason why people are the way they are," he said. "I'm very excited about the choices they made, and especially how it happened. It's so aggressively personal and unintentional. And I'm sad to see Chelsea go because I'm such a big fan of hers."
According to Smith, it was essentially for the Riddler to enjoy the dating scene before embracing villainy because "he feels like he graduated in life."
"He has a little bit more confidence in the fact that he is desired by somebody and understood by somebody, even if it's for a short period of time," Smith explained. "It makes him feel like he's not as crazy as everyone makes him feel. Of course, it turns out that he's crazier. But he gets to feel, for a little bit, like someone who can be loved and like someone who can be understood."
As for Nygma's friendship with Gordon, Smith sincerely believes that his character really did like Gordon initially.
"I think there was a very non-romantic crush on Jim Gordon because he's the dashing guy who's principled and came in with a vengeance," he said. "I think that was probably exciting for Ed. He got to do the job with someone who's perhaps as passionate as he is, and who's not just a schmuck that abused him."
However, despite the fondness he has for Gordon, their friendship never really went anywhere, especially now that he has killed Kristen. He now has to make new friends and form new alliances in order to carry on with his deeds.
"I don't know that that's going to be with Jim Gordon. Jim Gordon is a police officer and Ed has now killed two people. That relationship could potentially get more complicated. As Ed gets more confident, he doesn't need to feel validated by Jim Gordon," he said.
