Previously in last week’s Batwoman recap, so much power walking, Luke decided he’d rather be in the afterlife with his dad instead of living in a world where he can get shot for no reason but Mary and Ryan saved his life anyway, and Bad Dad (finally) disbanded The Crows.
We open with a man running away from someone or something, only to be attacked by what appears to be a rogue sword. Batwoman immediately shows up to fight the sword-wielder and tries to radio the Batcave for backup, but no one answers.
Cut to Wayne Tower where there are ZERO safety precautions in place because Luke is yet again at his favorite Thinking Spot, the literal ledge of a building. Ryan joins him and attempts some light-hearted banter, but Luke isn’t ready to joke yet and tells her that he needs time by himself to think and process. As a queer woman, Ryan completely understands this, and just makes sure Luke knows that when he’s ready, she has his back.
“I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend.”
Breaking News from Gotham Courthouse: Dana Dewitt reports that, shocking no one, Tavaroff is out on bond and still has a very punchable face. She also attributes his arrest to “hero” and former Crows boss Jacob Kane which like, let’s not pretend Jacob wasn’t ready to give Tavaroff a medal like 48 hours earlier. Sionis is watching this news brief WITH SAFIYAH, who’s in town to settle some business, hopefully with the help of Circe. Roman doesn’t want his daughter involved now that she has a shiny new face and backstory to go along with it. With a stay at a fancy Malibu retreat and of course, a regimen of his company’s Rebirth (LOL) burn cream, you too could wake up with Wallis Day’s face. Safiyah isn’t fooled by marketing though, and wants to know who’s manufacturing faces in this town since Pretty Little Liars has been off the air for years. When Sionis reveals that it was Alice, Safiyah calls him an idiot for unknowingly reuniting the Kane sisters.
Safiyah is back and ready to read these Gotham men for filth.
Meanwhile, CirceKate is in the middle of a Pop Punk Peloton ride (probably) when Jacob and Alice kidnap her faster than you can say “whoaaaaaa I never meant to braaaag, but I got him where I want him now.” The show is trying very hard to remind us that Jacob is on our side now, so they put him in a crew neck and leather jacket and said “Redemption Arc, bitches!”
“Wow, now I see why they say Peloton is a cult…”
Batwoman’s in some kind of government safe house while Mary walks her through the scene from the Batcave since Luke is still Processing. The two are trying to get a jump on the cleverly nicknamed Sword Lady currently slicing her way through Gotham. This most recent victim is a blind man with a sword still sticking out of his body. Sword Lady hasn’t left the scene though and reveals herself to be none other than a Not Dead Tatyana.
“No one stays dead on this network for very long, what did you expect?”
At Crows HQ, Jacob and Alice run CirceKate’s DNA and it’s a perfect match for Kate Kane. I guess shutting down the Crows doesn’t mean you no longer have access to city-wide fingerprint databases? If I leave my job for another one in remotely the same industry, they will shut my shit down SO FAST, but I guess Gotham plays it fast and loose with their security.
Anywho, since they don’t know Kate’s “wake word” because Ocean unalived Enigma, Alice has to resort to using personal items to jog Kate’s memory. Ocean shows up with said items and very awkwardly meets his girlfriend’s (?!?!?!) bad dad. Ocean’s face turn happened so fast that I was convinced I missed something between last episode and this one. I have to imagine that Alice demanding to have it all was enough for him to realize he was being a dick, but by the end of this episode, it’s clear why they needed us to be Team Ocean again. Alice explains to Jacob that Enigma fucked with her head and Jacob realizes Enigma tried to take Alice’s ability to love.
Meet the Parents.
Back in the Batcave, Mary and Ryan debrief about the safehouse victim and, thanks to Luke’s thingy that unseals sealed records, learn that he was blind because Circe Sionis gouged his eyes out with a spoon. They get some more background on Circe and then use Luke’s own tech to track his location. Mary and Ryan’s Friendship™ has always been very important to me, but watching them piece this together while their friend works through some very real trauma, brought me so much joy.
Look at them!!
Meanwhile, a street clothes-laden Luke Fox is making his way to a secret law enforcement-only poker club where nothing shady ever happens and everything is definitely on the up and up. Of course, Tavaroff is there and smugging his dumb face all over the joint. He and Luke have words, Luke steals Tavaroff’s shot, and before they can start their poker game, none other than John Diggle (!!!!) sidles up to Luke at the bar. Wow, I missed him.
Operation: Will the Real Kate Kane Please Stand Up continues with Jacob trying to jog her memory with a concert ticket and of being grounded for the summer. Kate can’t believe she received such a harsh punishment when it “wasn’t even coke”, but what can one expect when their father stopped looking for both of his daughters and they have a literal evil twin. Ouch.
Alice decides to try her hand at bringing Kate’s memory back with a mug and a heart-wrenching story about Kate’s crush on a sk8er girl. Kate was so excited because the girl liked her back, but she was afraid to come out; even to her twin, the most important person in the world to her. Beth wanted Kate to know that she knew and she loved her, all of her, so she made her a mug with “Mind Reader” painted on it in rainbow colors. The story jolts something in Kate’s memory and all of a sudden Tiny Kate in a Tie is in that basement where Beth was kept all those years ago. Kate, who now has a shocking amount of emotional range, is gutted that Beth found her, but she couldn’t return the favor. Alice softly replies that “there’s still time” and my heart somehow swelled and broke at the same time. The Kane sisters have had a Time, y’all. And every time they start to drift or one of them dies or gets kidnapped, they remember how much love they have for one another and they find their way back.
“Please, I know you’re in there. People are asking where you’ve been.”
“I’m right out here for you. Just let me in.”
Outside the poker club, Ryan confronts Luke and asks him to come home. He reveals to her that he can’t thank her for healing him because he didn’t want to wake up. Ryan slowly realizes the implications of what her friend is saying to her, and she’s speechless. Luke asks why he would want to live in a world where it’s not a matter of if he’ll get shot, but when. I talked about this a bit in last week’s recap, but I want to reiterate that even though I hate that Luke got shot, I do think it’s incredibly important that they’re also showing the very real mental toll that being Black in America can have on a person. Luke’s experience might be heightened what with it being TV and all, but it’s honestly not that far from the emotions so many people feel. Luke goes back to his game and leaves Ryan with a lot to ponder.
Mary’s on the phone with her dad who tells her that Kate’s alive, and Mary is understandably freaked out considering the number of times someone has claimed her sister is still alive. (PS — say “parietal bone” again, Mary.) We get a mini exposition dump about Kate thinking she’s Circe Sionis, and Mary warns Jake that she could be connected to Safiyah. On cue, some goons attack Jake and then Alice tells Kate to run before getting attacked by Tatyana.
Mary is still freaking out, but this time it’s to tell Ryan everything she just learned about CirceKate and to wonder AGAIN why Julia would lie about the damn parietal bone because one can’t just live without a SKULL, Ryan! My guess is that Jules was hypnotized by Enigma, but we’ll let Mary keep freaking out because it’s kind of adorable. They won’t have to wonder for much longer because CirceKate stops the Batmobile in its tracks, so Ryan offers her a ride, as you do.
“Wait, we have a Batmobile now?!”
Look, I don’t know much about poker, but these dudes seem to know what they’re doing and Luke confidently goes all in. Diggle, who still hasn’t introduced himself by the way, asks Luke what the deal with him and Tavaroff is. Finally, Haircut asks who the new guy is, and Diggle explains that he’s in town on a contract with A.R.G.U.S. Tavaroff thinks he’s got the game won, but Luke gives a dope speech about the House cheating and somehow still losing. Luke wins with a straight; something rarely seen on this show.
And then at Sionis’ office, a group of corrupt white men threaten other corrupt white men and Snakebite Jake is arrested.
Back in the alley outside the poker club, Tavaroff and his sad white boi ego fight Luke. Diggle breaks up the fight and gives Tavaroff a lesson on what “respect” actually means.
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Upfront comment: this show, S2, is insane . . . in (almost) the best possible ways. *
* I say “almost” because look: we reunited to female “loves of their lives” . . . and STILL no kissing! [And don’t say “COVID”, unless we’re to believe that ONLY La Skarsten and guy-who-plays-dear-departed-(for real this time?)-Ocean (sorry I never learned his name) were the only 2 in the cast vaccinated by this time?]
Oh, one other upfront comment/spec: if Alice made CirceKate’s face (from a photo no less) shouldn’t Alice be more than able to make a KateKate face? [And what excuse will they find for that NOT happening? I did notice that, WD in the Circe mugshots (of course), she didn’t seem to have brown eyes (in WD’s case, brown contacts). Considering that Alice recognized the non-Circe-ness of the burn victim in front of her by the lack of those brown eyes, seems a bit more than trivial oopsie!)
Oh, and yet another upfront re that reunion: wouldn’t have “Crowphie” had some professional awareness of the insane criminal Circe Sionis? But she didn’t bat (!) an eye at that face!
OK, I’m really going back to read the recap now… ;-X
* “I wish you would step back from that ledge, my friend.” Is that your photo tag, Nic? Because Holy Golden Oldies (just like me), Bat(woman)! Love that song…
* [Seems to be photo tag day for me] “Safiyah is back and ready to read these Gotham men for filth.” Damn, why does Safiyah have to be so evil? Considering every time she (meaning Shivaani Ghai) opens her mouth, aural sex (suggestive of the homynym!) comes out? Gah, that accent. Talk to me, Shivaani…
* But the best part of kidnapping CirceKate? Alice’s “Yoga pants? It’s worse than I thought!” RS is fab, for sure, but we have to credit the writers for giving Alice all the best lines!
* “Ocean’s face turn happened so fast that I was convinced I missed something between last episode and this one….by the end of this episode, it’s clear why they needed us to be Team Ocean again.”
All of this. Combined w/ the (gotta say it) wooden performance and lack of chemistry, Ocean never seemed more than a running plot device to me. “Alice is straight” (sayeth show runner)?: yeah, still not really seeing the evidence. [More upon another character’s alleged “straightness” in a half a sec.]
* “Mary and Ryan’s Friendship™ has always been very important to me”.
Me too . . . except in my headcanon, it’s “Mary and Ryan’s ‘Friendship'” (can I get a separate ™?). Yeah, so in that “OutFest” panel last week, Javicia expressed surprise that some fans {raises hand} were shipping Ryan w/ Mary [Moderator of the panel let out a “Yes!” at that]. La Leslie: “But Mary is straight!” Ahem—evidence unseen, girlfriend.
Yeah, yeah, yeah: I’ll be the dyke re whom The Straights say “you think every female is NOT straight.” To that I plead . . . NOT Guilty! [Nia Nal on Supergirl? Adorbz to the moon & back—but straight. Brainia is Endgame.]
But I see what I see, y’know? What’s there in front of me. And I simply don’t see Straight Mary. [While I do see Mary&Ryan CHEMISTRY, galore! Galore, as in p***y. As in, I’m hungry, aren’t you two, too?] Moving on!
* “Meanwhile, a street clothes-laden Luke Fox”: so cute in his lil’ cap.
* “they have a literal evil twin”: from what I understand, Mistress Eye-Gouge, I’m not sure you have standing to talk.
* “bringing Kate’s memory back with a mug and a heart-wrenching story about Kate’s crush on a sk8er girl. Kate was so excited because the girl liked her back, but she was afraid to come out; even to her twin, the most important person in the world to her. Beth wanted Kate to know that she knew and she loved her, all of her, so she made her a mug with “Mind Reader” painted on it in rainbow colors.”
This scene. Someone’s cutting onions. [Sigh, never have I more wished I’d had an understanding twin at that age. Then maybe my life… nevermind.]
* “Kate, who now has a shocking amount of emotional range” {insert Latrice Royale “The Shade of It All!” GIF ;-/ }
* “Mary is understandably freaked out considering the number of times someone has claimed her sister is still alive. (PS — say “parietal bone” again, Mary.”
And say “Julia” again. Will SHE ever be taken out of her Dear-Departed-Enigma haze (We don’t have to guess, we saw it. Aided by an injection from her Riddler cane), or is she being memory-holed? (so to speak)
* “so Ryan offers her a ride, as you do”
I know we’re building to the Ryan is a Big Fucking Hero (and NO ONE Ever Motherfucking Doubt It!) ending, but I just wanted to give shout-out #1 here
* ” Luke wins with a straight; something rarely seen on this show.” LOL, but in the (alleged!) case of Mary and Alice, Still! Too! Often! ;-D
[This comment is growing…well, to about the size of my Batwoman obsession. So posting now, more later]
* Mary responds much the way I’ve responded to everything in the last year: “Literally, what is happening?”
100%
* “Sophie saunters in wearing a cuffed blazer and the face of someone who thought they’d never see the love of their life again.”
And no triggering at seeing the love of their life wearing the face of Circe Sionis. Which, admittedly, might not be at the level of Gabrielle seeing Xena wearing Callisto’s face, but still. O_o
* “Is it just me or does she look MORE like Alice’s twin now?”
LOL, a couple of shout-outs to my favorite Batwoman reaction podcaster, Anna. [Find her on YT here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcCPPUf7fNt1ZxtToM0IIdg ] 1) She called for Wallis Day to be recast as Kate Kane within about a week or so of RR’s announcement she was leaving (saying that WD “looks a lot like Rachel Skarsten”), and 2) in her most recent pod (last week) calling for, between/among Sophie/Kate/Ryan, “the lesbian love triangle I deserve”. LOL, So Say We All!
* “And speaking of Luke, he’s getting one of those patented John Diggle pep talks in the alley.”
If you say so (re patented). As someone who only knows Diggle from Supergirl & Batwoman crossovers, I’m a little fuzzy on who he is (from The Flash? Green Arrow? Both?). I did do a double take, when he talked about Luke seeing his father. He knew that (Luke told him off camera), or just guessed? [Helluva guess!]. He certainly seemed to be who Luke needed, at that moment.
* “look, I still hate Jacob Kane, but if he gets to make sure Alice hears exactly what she’s always needed to hear, while also being locked up?? I’ll take it.”
Same. [Though admittedly, I didn’t really NEED Jacob locked up, just gone. But locked up is cool.]
* “Before they can kiss (hmm? what? who said that?)” LOL. Chemistry-wise, would have dug Alice kissing Sophie. But I defy ANY woman to stay “straight”, when Safiyah is in front of them, and talking!
* “Honestly, I’d argue that Ryan not only lived up to it, but she surpassed it in a way Kate just couldn’t. And that’s not Kate’s fault. Ryan has lived a life that Kate Kane just hasn’t, and she brings all of that lived experience to the cowl. She knows what it’s like to be the person who society looks down on, and that allows her to empathize with the very people she helps. Kate Kane created Batwoman and the symbol that goes along with the mantle; but right here, Ryan proves exactly why she IS Batwoman.”
Applause, applause!
* “Who is that girl I see, staring straight back at me?” Sing out, Xtina!
* “Ryan could not care less about something because she absolutely didn’t give up her plant for a stupid boy.” Yup. “And for some reason that I still can’t figure out, Alice chooses Ocean over Kate.”
OK, I _get_ the Tatiana-May-Be/Definitely-Is-Killing-Ocean panic (Hell, even if I don’t ship them, I generally do not favor murder). But this is a guy that Kate never even knew about (what w/ Alice being under a Enigma-Mind-Wipe about him all S1). Oy vey, drama.
* “then Safiyah brought her crashing back down to reality. So the old Alice snuck her way back into New Content Alice’s brain and convinced her that she is the disappointment everyone believes her to be. So she heads to the tunnels, runs into Tatyana and kills her, and then crumbles as she finds Ocean’s dead body. Homeboy has hurt Alice enough times for me to not lose sleep over his death, but I’m sad that Alice is sad.”
Get out of my head, Nic! Seriously, really well-said.
* “He finally realizes what his twin daughters went through and also realizes what we’ve all known this whole time: Mary is going to save us all.”
OK, Yes. But damn, the way he phrased it? “I never worried about you before, and I’m not about to start now.” Jacob-Kane-is-The-Worst! [Alright, maybe I did need him locked up.]
* “Found family feelings.” LOL, in that scene/shot, I admit I (once again!) found my “Family” feelings for Ryan. (Dat Ass!) ;-)
* “Safiyah steps in and threatens to tell CirceKate exactly what happened”
But will she? Really? Safiyah’s track record re “every woman should get to choose who they want to be” is, like, ZERO. [Go Ask Alice!]
* “The preview for next week appears to show Ryan relinquishing the cowl to Kate, and I’ll admit, I was a little worried. But in case I didn’t make it clear enough above, Ryan Wilder IS Batwoman, and I’m choosing to believe that the show is going to stand by that decision.”
I’m worried, too . . . but not for the reason you are. I don’t have any doubts at all that Ryan is Staying (Dafuq) Batwoman. But I fear further shoes are going to drop re Kate. How dangerous would a (confirmed Circe-)Kate be, running around in the cowl, w/ Batwoman’s (Batwomen’s!) toys? And Bat Team support (Until. It’s. Too. Late)?
Whose life would be at risk (beginning w/ Kate herself. Did the “Kate won’t die” promise only hold for the plane crash, and thereabouts)? PROBABLY all the regulars are safe (“safe”, as in physically). But if anyone even slightly peripheral shows up (I can think of one in particular), I’m going to fear they’re wearing the proverbial Red Shirt. [I have a terrible track record on predicting things, when I combine “Ryan Staying Batwoman (singular)” w/ “(Circe?)Kate in the Batcave, being given cowl&toys”, I just have a Really Bad Feeling about this.] Whatever shit goes down, maybe this is a job for…
…Batwing?
MediMary calling the paw-rye-et-ul bone of the skull the pear-ee-etal bone made no sense..at first. Then I remembered a professor of mine who called the skeleton the skee-late-tonne so my love/crush of Mary remains in tact! Whew, dodged that kryptonite bullet.
Love your articles Nic and that’s no poor attempt at humor!
I hope Ocean stays dead this time. (No offense to any Ocean fans out there, but the character is just plain flat to me at this point)
Similarly, I hope Bad Dad stays off our screens for a dang minute. I can tell they’re going to bring him back eventually, but I sure wish they would not. Leave us be to enjoy our amazing queer women characters in peace, goddamnit!!! Ideally with storylines in which there is plenty of kissing and no one is traumatized further. (Maybe I will need to turn to fanfic to fulfill this wish, anyone got some good recs?)
Poor Luke. This character arc is reminiscent of Buffy Season 6, except less fantastical and (as you say Nic) much more grounded in the reality of Black experience in this country.
“And for some reason that I still can’t figure out, Alice chooses Ocean over Kate.”
Hum, I’m sorry, if I had to pick between going to rescue my boy/girl friend who is as we are speaking very likely being killed, or going to help my sister who has forgotten who she is and needs me to remember but is currently (to my knowledge) safe with her sister and her love-of-her-life AND about to be joined by Batwoman… I mean it’s more a case of an emergency vs an ASAP than an Ocean vs Kate IMO. I have full confidence Kate was her next step. Now of course with Ocean dead, who knows where that girl will be at…