The 'Gotham' Love Triangle Just Took A Dark Turn

OK, Gotham fans: this whole Ed Nygma and Isabella love story has officially gotten weird. It was strange enough when the Riddler's new girlfriend dressed up as his old, dead, murdered love interest for... therapeutic reasons, but it got even weirder when Penguin cut the brakes on Isabella's car, sending her careening towards an oncoming train. It was intense, to be sure, but it is also exactly what I would expect from Mayor Oswald Cobblepot, as he's not only a budding villain, but also still totally lovesick over Ed (who still seems totally oblivious to his boss' feelings). We didn't see what exactly happened, and while there's a chance Isabella could be dead on Gotham, I think killing her off already would be a huge waste of the character.

The way Isabella has become obsessed with recreating the circumstances of Kristen's death has some sinister undertones. Even the way she tried to play off those glasses as her "backup" pair sounded fake, as though she was aware that she was toying with Ed's grasp on sanity, something that only a person who knew more about him would know how to do.

Since the idea of radical plastic surgery was introduced in this episode, perhaps it's possible that Isabella purposefully altered her appearance to look like Kristen Kringle. She seems to have a fixation on recreating the relationship between Kristen and Ed, going so far as to tempt him to hurt her in the same way he killed Kristen — strangulation.

While Penguin is convinced that Ed would come crying to him if Isabella disappeared, Ed seems obsessively invested in this relationship. Not to mention, he's so smart that he would likely put together Penguin's attempted calculations almost immediately. He'll add it up and possibly distance himself from Penguin even before it's revealed whether or not Isabella ultimately survives.

Since the love triangle between these three has quickly become one of the most interesting aspects of Gotham Season 3, whatever happens to Isabella should have a huge impact on whether Ed and Penguin ever really get together. And, of course, it represents the latest development in the ongoing mystery of who Isabella is, and what exactly she desires.

Images: Nicole Rivelli/FOX (2)