Ed Nygma Finally Made His Move on Kristen Kringle

So in the most recent Gotham, Kristen's cop boyfriend escalated from just a big jerk to a physically abusive jerk. And then, Edward Nygma killed Kristen Kringle's boyfriend out in front of her apartment building. On the one hand, this dark story and dark topic totally defies the campy vibe of Gotham's past, but on the other, the show has taken a sharp turn towards crimes against women, so as the flipside to Jason Lennon, the suave but murderous aristocrat, it was revealed that Kristen's boyfriend was a blue-collar thug who hit her during an argument, and the only person who told her that she shouldn't stand for it was Edward Nygma.

Officer Dougherty was a real jerk, don't get me wrong. And there should be a special kick in the balls reserved for any person who abuses his romantic partner. But Ed really overstepped his bounds by killing the guy, and you know what was the biggest hint that he'll eventually become evil? His crazy flippin' laugh after doing it! He didn't burst into tears of grief, pass out, or call the cops to give Officer Dougherty a proper medical examination. And he kept repeating:

Like every villain, he simply laughed crazily and ran off, abandoning the scene. And this was a week where pretty much every bad guy was hiding a corpse. Penguin killed an innocent courier and set up plans to destroy Maroni. Selina killed Reggie. Barbara (who knew!) smiled at the sight of the Ogre's torture room. What is UP with these characters!

It still makes me vaguely unsettled feeling that it was implied that Ed is doing this out of some kind of virginal (hey, Dougherty said it, not me) rage? That's... stupid. But even darker was just how far he was willing to go to stop that from happening again. And no, it wasn't by gathering Kristen's family and friends and trying to help build a safety net around her so she could come to terms with the fact that her relationship was abusive. It was through murder. And while any Batman fan knows that this isn't going to be the last time the Riddler's twisted sense of justice leads him to kill. This is only the beginning.

Images: Jessica Miglio/FOX; Giphy