First Look: ‘Gotham’s Tigress and Theo Get Catty With Barbara (PHOTO)

Damian Holbrook September 24, 2015, 1:00 pm

Whip it! Whip it, good! After a killer introduction in Gotham’s season premiere, this week Gracepoint vet Jessica Lucas (center) really slinks into the role of Tabitha Galavan, a character based on DC Comics’ assassin Tigress, to terrorize the city with bad-to-the-bone brother Theo (True Blood’s James Frain). “She’s the enforcer in that duo of Theo and Tabitha,” says Lucas, adding that executive producer Danny Cannon has already likened the lethal, leather-encased character to another one of TV’s female powerhouses. “He specifically said that she was going to be like Jennifer Garner in Alias, and that she would be a badass who got to some really cool stuff. That really excited me.”

In addition, Lucas is thrilled to be playing what is basically the first draft of the DC Comics villainess. “She isn’t Tigress yet, and what I love about the show is that it’s more about who these people were before they became those iconic characters,” she shares. “We’re exploring who she is as an individual first, and I don’t even know when Tigress will even emerge. For now, she is just Tabitha.”

And in Monday night’s episode, viewers will get to see just how much Tabitha is not to be messed with, when Theo’s band of Maniax get themselves into a situation only an expert shot with a cold heart can resolve. As for what is driving the Galavans’ vendetta against Gotham, expect a slower reveal. “It’s not until about episodes 4 or 5 that we start to understand their history with the city, who their family was, and what their intentions really are. Their story is basically one of revenge,” Lucas reveals. Until then, we’ll just have to settle for the simmering heat building between Tabitha and recent Arkham Asylum escapee Barbara Kean (Erin Richards). “She definitely takes Barbara under her wing and there’s also a little bit more,” teases Lucas. “Maybe a little bit of a love triangle.”