Has Gotham‘s femme fatale been neutered? Tabitha Galavan, a.k.a. the future Tigress, has always been a wild card on the Fox/DC Comics drama. But after she tried to get revenge on Jim Gordon for what he did to Barbara, Tabitha was reprimanded by her brother Theo so harshly that he actually threatened to cut her throat. Now that’s bringing sibling rivalry to a whole new level!
While Theo may be in jail for his crimes against Gotham, he’s deep in the throes of planning a long con to get his revenge on the city—only Tabitha’s reckless decision to hire assassins to kill Gordon almost threw his whole plan in the trash. But did Theo’s threats get through to Tabitha? Nerdist spoke with Jessica Lucas, a.k.a. Tabitha Galavan, all about that intense brother/sister showdown in the prison, what’s next for their dynamic now that Theo’s in jail, and more. Check out our full Q&A with Lucas below!
Nerdist: In the last episode, Tabitha tried to get revenge on Gordon for what he did to Barbara. Is she still going to try to do something to him, or has she given up that vendetta?
Jessica Lucas: She has definitely been put into her place by her brother. That interaction was as much about the power struggle that still continues between Theo and Tabitha as it was about Barbara. The first opportunity that she has to branch out on her own and be away from her brother, she jumped on it. She made a very reckless decision. She’s much more reckless that Theo and he is what keeps her at bay. That was as important to take away from that interaction as her caring about Barbara.
Nerdist:Â That moment when Theo told Tabitha point blank that if she messed up his plan in any way, he would slit her throat, that’s the first time we’ve seen these two siblings not on the same page. Did that moment shock Tabitha at all?
JL: That fact that he would take it so far as to threaten her is surprising—but that is the undercurrent of their relationship and has been since the beginning. As far as I can see, you’re never supposed to know if she’s fully on board with him. There’s a lot of resentment in their relationship and there seems to be a deeper backstory that exists between the two of them. So that was the first moment where we understood that maybe they are not so much on the same page.
Nerdist:Â So where does that leave Theo and Tabitha’s relationship as we head into this next episode?
JL: You’re going to see the cracks get deeper and widen between the two of them. He’s still in jail and this episode, he’s on trial. So it will be interesting to see if he gets out or what happens there. But it all comes to a head by the midseason finale. There’s a lot of change coming for Tabitha.
Nerdist:Â Obviously Tabitha still cares about Barbara deeply. But since Barbara is currently in a coma, are we going to see any more from that relationship this season?
JL: I don’t actually know. But like I said, I think that relationship was more of a way to highlight the power struggle between Theo and Tabitha than it is about Barbara and Tabitha actually having real feelings for each other. There’s a lot of manipulation on Tabitha’s end and it was always just this power struggle between them of who gets Barbara. I don’t know if Tabitha will continue to pursue her anymore.
Nerdist:Â Tabitha doesn’t seem to care as much about Theo’s larger plan for Gotham and Bruce Wayne as Theo does. How involved is she with Father Kreel and that whole plan?
JL: That’s pretty accurate. Exactly what you’re feeling is the truth. She doesn’t pay attention to the larger scheme or plan. She’s easily bored. So by the end of episode 11, you’ll know just how on board she is with Theo’s plan.
Nerdist:Â What are you most excited for fans to see from the next few episodes?
JL: There’s a terrific physical fight scene between Tabitha and Alfred coming up that we worked so hard on. I’m really proud of it. But I can’t tell you why they’re fighting! That would give too much away.
What do you think about this brother/sister duo? Sound off in the comments.
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Images: Fox
Gotham air Mondays at 8 p.m. on Fox.
