Ranking All Of Edward Nygma's 'Gotham' Riddles

Gotham has its fair share of memorable characters, but one of the best so far is future villain Edward Nygma. And all of the riddles Nygma has made on Gotham so far just add to the charm of the character. See, long before he was an avowed enemy of Batman, Nygma was just a nerdy medical examiner working for the GCPD. And the guy has maybe the worst luck of anyone you've ever seen. His boss totally ignores him and constantly wants to fire him. Even Jim Gordon, the closest thing he has to a friend, barely tolerates him. And once he met Kristen Kringle at work, what seemed like a sure flirtation just led to a distant, slight friendship, constantly blocked by both Kristen's bad boyfriends and his penchant for stalking rather than charming, which both make their friendship a little awkward.

So things just won't go right for Ed, and that's why he's so likable. I mean, at this point, it basically seems like he'll become a villain in order to get people to pay attention to him a little bit. And while he's a little eccentric, he doesn't read as evil whatsoever. This version of the Riddler may be bothersome. He may have terrible social skills. And he may end up with some unsavory impressions of the "friend zone." But the one thing he absolutely isn't is cruel. Anyone with a sense of humor this corny can't possibly be. Here are Nygma's nine riddles, ranked from worst to best.

9. Paradox

Well, as Ed admits, this is not a riddle. But he's wrong about it being a paradox, too — it's a piece of exposition.

8. Beautiful Woman

Boooo. Ed, this is not a riddle! This is pretty creepy and more of a visual metaphor. Because if this was a real riddle, Kristen would have figured it out rather than being terrified. She's clever! She wears glasses!

7. Nothing Part 1

Not too many cleverness points, but bumped because of Jim's immediate response — this is the closest Ed ever comes to having a friend, right?

6. Wolf, Sheep, & Cabbage

This one loses points for not having an answer, but gains them for hailing from the proud tradition of elementary school brain teasers. (And for the record, the answer is take the sheep, go back, grab the wolf, take the sheep back, trade it for the cabbage, leave that with the wolf, then take the sheep.)

5. Frog In A Blender

Look, while Nygma will never be suave, that's the sort of gross-funny thing that might be charming. And it's after that encounter that Ed realizes that he's coming off as scary rather than flirty, and tries to change his approach.

4. Nothing Part 2

Ed manages to handle his first face to face meeting with a villain by using a riddle to keep cool. Well, not cool, exactly, but chipper. Also, I guess "nothing" riddles are Ed's go-to move when evaluating a stranger. Interesting that Penguin doesn't even attempt to solve it, while Gordon got it right away.

3. Ice, Ice, Baby

Bonus points for helping to solve a murder! And as anyone who read mystery books as a kid, ice was always the answer to a particularly tough story.

2. A Hole

Harvey Bullock was literally inches away from hurling Ed off of a roof, and yet he still goes for the joke. That's commitment. And in front of his boss, no less!

1. Nothing Part 3

Gallows humor. It always gets me. And if that didn't, the random old-timey mic would have — it's so out of place and yet perfect for Ed. Your rankings may vary, but it's undeniable that Nygma's riddles are the perfect encapsulation of why fans appreciate Gotham: it manages to mix being dark and goofy all at once.

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