It all comes back to Alice, doesn’t it?
While taken from the comics, the dynamic between Alice and Batwoman defines this series in practically every way. Both twins are using acquired personas, but have gone in very different directions. Beth has turned to crime and is trying her best to be a supervillain. Kate has taken on the mantle of the Bat and is actively trying to fight crime and be the next superhero that Gotham needs.
These divergent paths are poised as the central conflict, but at its heart is about family. Beth has been deprived of real familial love for her entire adult life. Even accounting for Mouse, from what we’ve seen he doesn’t love her, not really. He has shown obsession and jealousy, but not true familial love. Kate, on the other hand, has shown again and again that she loves her sister, and she is willing to forgive and help Beth forge a new path. It makes you wonder if Mouse’s hold on Alice will continue. We’ve already seen some chinks in Alice’s armor, and if that continues her façade might eventually fall. Perhaps Alice’s Mad Tea party will play out in a very different way than she thinks it will.
The villain of the week was a generic assassin character with a weapon-themed name. Do they even count anymore as a villain of the week? He was working for some woman who wants to kill Batwoman, so he subcontracted with Alice to kill everyone that could recreate the only weapon that can kill Batwoman. Sure, that… works. Except Alice removed the piece that would actually make that weapon work, effectively saving her sister’s life. I don’t even know what to say about this sub-plot. I hope it shapes up into something interesting later on.
While watching the last episode I remarked to a friend that it was unfortunate that Batwoman didn’t have an Alfred to dress up as the Bat to fool people who figured out his identity. I guess any ole Pennyworth will do. Turns out Julia Pennyworth has been in comic continuity since 1981 and somehow I have never heard of her (considering that comics are weird, that's not surprising). In the comics, Julia is an important player in the aftermath of the Alice/Beth story arc, but I won’t go into that here in case it reveals too much about the future of this series.
I'm trying to remember, but I believe this is the fourth iteration of this kind of scene in the Berlanti-verse, Julia dressed up as Batwoman just as Kate showed up and they managed to fool Sophie into believing the lie. I mean, it is generally one or the other, the character is brought in on the secret or they are fooled and left on the outside feeling like an idiot. I wonder if maybe the writers are hedging their bets a little, Julia showing up with a romantic history with Kate was an interesting choice, and I bet they could easily turn her into a continuing character. Plus there was just as much chemistry between Kate and Julia as there has been between Kate and Sophie.
Speaking of Sophie, she made the wrong choice (okay, seriously, no punning intended there) twice; she ended up telling Jacob about Kate’s alter ego in the present and lied about her sexuality to the military school in the past. Those are two pretty big indicators that Sophie cannot be trusted. She cannot be trusted with the truth, and she cannot be trusted as a romantic partner. Honestly, Kate should move on from this one, she doesn’t seem to be worth it. Okay, Sophie did stand up for Kate to that military guy, but it came off as a guilty rant rather than a genuine act of love.
Bits:
You might be wondering why the entire sequence with the police wagon going through that underpass was eerily familiar? Well, that exact location was featured in an eerily similar scene in The Dark Knight.
Mary only had a few scenes, which of course she stole.
Fine, the villain's name was Rifle. Meh.
I loved the scene where Kate told off the owner of that restaurant. It made me like Kate even more than I already do. Unfortunately it made me dislike Sophie that much more. Am I being too hard on Sophie?
Catherine is another character that needs some work. Unlike her daughter, we know very little about her, so it's hard to sympathize with her.
Safiyah was name-dropped by Rifle, which could be just a fun Easter egg for comics fans or a hint at where they are taking the series.
Quotes:
Sophie: "Was that necessary?"
Kate: "Standing up for myself? Yeah, that's what it looks like when it comes out naturally."
Sophie: "Don't even go there, Kate."
Kate: "I have no intention of going there. 'There' is some sad and lonely closet that I want nothing to do with."
Julia: "Wherever the Rifle shows up, he leaves death and destruction in his wake."
Kate: "I know the type."
Luke: "How did you get past security?"
Mary: "Carl at the front desk loves double whip frappuccinos."
Kate: "Good. He'll be making them soon."
Mary: "You have two assistants who work past midnight for a real estate company without any real estate?"
I'm a little torn on this one, I enjoyed it but I feel like there could have been a better resolution to some of ongoing plots.
2 1/2 out of 4 Women dressed as the Bat
Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.
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