The title is a reference to an antiquated saying that basically translates to:Â âShall I pour the tea?â
Enjoy!
**
âEd! You came!â
Oswald beamed as he embraced Ed tightly. Ed allowed it, patting Oswaldâs back companionably.
âHello Oswaldâ, Ed said, even though the person in front of him seemed a poor imitation of The Penguin he had known.
Whilst his clothes were expensive as always, Oswald was dressed in drab shades and his hair, whilst clean was limp and combed so extensively it seemed plastered to his head. Worst of all was Oswaldâs smile: it seemed almost painted on and did not quite reach his eyes despite his apparently genuine tone. It reminded Ed of the kind of smile someone wore after accidentally hitting their funny bone.
âYouâre looking wellâ, Ed lied as he followed Oswald into the mansion.
âBetter than last time you saw me I betâ, Oswald laughed, gesturing for Ed to follow him up a staircase.
âYour letter said this place was bigâ, Ed said with an appreciative whistle.
âIsnât it? It would get awfully lonely if I didnât have my family living here with meâ.
Ed recalled Oswald mentioning these âfamily membersâ in his letter. He hoped he wasnât about to be sidelined into a meet and greet with some long lost cousin or something. He had important things to discuss with Oswald. He hid his dismay as they entered a drawing room and Oswald introduced him to an older man with the same delicate features and dark hair.
âThis is my father, Elijah Van Dahl. Father, this is Edâ.
âEd Nygmaâ, Ed said politely, extending a hand.
âYour reputation precedes youâ, Elijah said, his voice soft but his grip firm as they shook hands.
Ed noted the faint chemical smell, the swollen veins on Elijahâs neck and the paper like texture of his hand. As he stirred in his armchair, Ed heard a faint rasp in Elijahâs breath at the slight movement. He wondered if Oswald knew his father was sick.
#this scene had that supposedly *humorous* tone cause of the contrast between them at the moment #but this was truly so gd heartbreaking in so many ways and the angst just kept flooding after that #Ed already being right in the middle of a paranoid crisis therefore thinking Oswald would instantly give him to the police #if he was sharing his plans regarding Jim with him #Ed looking confused and so uncomfortable when he realizes that Oswald isnât there anymore even if heâs standing in flesh before him #realizing that the mind of the only other human being he was able to share with and could trust is gone cause of what Arkham has done to him #Ed fearing for himself if Oswald was gonna report him fearing he could end up being brainwashed and what he considers to be a vegetable #losing his intelligence aka the thing he treasures the most in his personality but also losing the new identity heâs starting to build #even thinking until the very end of the thing while he was getting caught and that it was over for him that Oswald did give him to Jim #that it was the only logical explanation on how Jim would have succeeded into beating him #now letâs talk about Oswald who got kicked out Edâs appartment the only person left he thought he has a connection with and could turn to #maybe even giving him a home once again like Ed had done earlier when he was badly injured #leaving after having been not so politely dismissed and rejected but still broadly smiling at Ed until he shut the door to his face #probably reflecting onto that once he was all alone trying to figure out what heâs done wrong while his mind canât even go there anymore #except via his guilt #probably thinking heâs just a burden to people whoâs embarrassing them more than anything else but that he deserves it in every single way #Oswald walking in the cold and the rain of Gotham reflecting on Gertrudâs grave on how alone he is and how his mother is dead because of him #lbr here I have too many feelings and not enough tags for this (@witchunters)
I was PHYSICAL HURT by this scene and the fact the two of them never met up again for the rest of the season, instead continuing to harbour god knows how many misconceptions about each other and each otherâs opinions of them as laid out so BEAUTIFULLY IN THESE TAGS UGH!
Their scene in Arkham next season was a BALM TO MY SOUL like, I canât even TELL YOU
Yes, the Riddler manifesting himself here (=Ed bringing himself down) to tell Ed that heâs naive to trust Oswald, that he canât have any sort of emotional bond with anyone, and only have him(self) to count on as to preserve himself is just the continuity of Edâs paranoia crisis in this moment. The Riddler knew he needed Oswald at the time so Ed could âprogress*, but he wasnât obviously very thrilled by Edâs emotional attachment to Oswald.
We can also assume that once Oswald got Ed out of Arkham, the Riddler didnât manifest cause he simply didnât need to, Ed didnât need him anymore (or the other way around, depending on how you/the writers think D.I.D works, ugh..). That part of Ed was at peace and was finally trusting Owald and accepted the fact that he was gonna be part of Edâs life for good and he was okay with that. Which is why where the Riddler was being possessive with Ed before naturally transferred/turned into Ed acting that way with Oswald, and why the things Ed did to protect Oswald and keep him all to himself were extreme when he has wanted to prove that he and only himself could be a valuable asset for Oswaldâs well-being, and that only the two of them could share this special and unique connection (no homo though).
After all the shit storm we all know about, the miscommunication and misunderstandings between those continues to this day. Ed would rather die than admitting to Oswald that he had missed him, drugged himself, fantasized about him, and went nuts and out of control without him (the only one knowing about this so far is Lucius when he was forced to play the role of Edâs shrink when Ed had confessed and admitted that to himself when he was high). And Oswald has his own pokerface as a protection for himself so he wouldnât let Ed know he still loves him even after Ed shot him, and to prove heâs not a slave of his emotions like he accused him to be.
đ„ There is beauty in destructionđ„ 