BATWOMAN - SEASON 1.12

REVIEW:  BATWOMAN - SEASON 1.12:  "Take Your Choice"


We're back from our little vacay, Bat fans!  And well...things are getting a TAD more intense in Gotham City, as we have Alice still implementing her master plan, but at the same time, we now have her alternate earth doppleganger in Beth.  Problem is....BOTH of them are having issues!  What's going on with them, as well as Jacob's current situation, and where does our Lady Crusader fit in?  We jump back into the fray, as we continue our story....



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Jacob Kane and Sophie are chatting with Dr. Campbell, who Mary had tried to get himto help her dad before, speaking to them about Mouse, and his ability to take the skin of someone, make a mask, and imitate them.  They go on to say that he is the reason Jacob is locked up in prison, because Mouse impersonated Kane in order to kill his wife and step-daughter.  Dr. Campbell still finds this a bit unbelievable.  Taking skin grafts and making other people's faces---says it sounds impossible.  But he would like to meet Mouse.  Sophie says they have him under 24 hour watch at Gotham General, but they'll clear him to see their prisoner.  He says that if he can talk to the man, and find out how he did what he did, he'll be all to glad to testify at Kane's trial on his behalf.  After Campbell leaves, Sophie is upset that she let Alice get away, and hasn't been able to find her.  And if the body count rises, it's on her.  Jacob says then it's time to make the criminals fear you.  Take charge and make them fear you.

We then see Sophie to give out orders, as she is now the acting leader of The Crows, initiating door to door searches, roadblocks, and everything under and order called B-46.  Which also means that if anyone sees Alice---shoot on sight.  

Mary and Luke are doing what they can to get Beth out of town before the Crows find her and arrest her.  She is still suffering from the effects of whatever it is that's bothering her, and it's getting worse.  They get to a Crow checkpoint, and Mary tries to use her status as Jacob Kane's daughter to let them pass.  It almost works, but Beth can't stifle her voice enough from the pain to not cause suspicion.  The guards pull Luke and Mary out, and they begin to search them when Batwoman shows up, and ties up two of the guards with ropes from her bike.  She tells them to make tracks, and Mary and Luke hop in the vehicle, and bolt.  

We hear Vesper the next day make light of her patdown, as they Crows continue to search for Alice, which she hopes they catch eventually.  Speaking of Alice, she's been hiding fromn the Crows, but happens upon one searching for her.  She ends up throwing a knife at him and killing him.  She is also suffering from the same issues as Beth is, and she too is NOT getting better.  

We check in with Beth, Mary, and Luke again, and Mary is running some tests.  Turns out, that Beth's cells are degenerating.  Beth takes a look, as Kate strolls in.  Beth theorizes that since the collapse of the multiverse, her and Alice occupying the same space in the universe is causing problems for both of them.  Hence, they are both using each other's lifeforce to live.  They figure they have about 7 hours to figure out a cure, or something of that sort before one or both of them die.  Beth needs a hospital, but there's the matter of the Crows and their unrelenting search for Alice.  Kate says there are three  brilliant minds in the room,figure it out.  She's going to talk to Sophie to see if she can hold off the search.  Luke comes up to her and asks how she's going to do that.  Tell her about the multiverse, about Crisis...or, perhaps, tell her she's Batwoman?  Kate leaves to go figure it out.

Alice, using the Crows' uniform off the agent she killed, sneaks into the hospital to see Mouse.  He's wary of her at first, thinking she was the imposter.  Alice has no idea what he's talking about.  But he starts quoting the book, and she responds, thus passing his test.  She asks what's up, and he tells her about an imposter woman who looked like her.  This raises Alice's curiosity.  She tells Mouse to sit tight, as she goes to get some answers.  She'll be back for him.

Sophie and her team are conducting their forceful searches for Alice when Batwoman shows up to talk to her, to tell her to call off the dogs.  She says the company is losing face to the public, and clients as well, as their manhunt is coming off like a power trip.  She tries to tell Sophie that innocents can get hurt in all this, is that what she wants?  Batwoman tells her to let her find Alice---her way.  She wants Sophie to trust her...but Sophie refuses.  She goes to answer her agent, but turns around, and Batwoman is gone.

Jacob is in the bathroom when he is attacked by Alice's former main squeeze that USED to work for him.  Dasher, I believe.  He stabs Jacob and slices him open.  

Back at Wayne Enterprises, Beth and Luke are trying to think up ways to save her, including cryogenic freezing.  But, alas, their brainstorming yields nothing (too bad Luke doesn't have STAR Labs on speedial...or do they?).  Beth has begun to realize the truth---that neither her nor Alice can exist on the same Earth.  One will live while the other dies.  Just at that moment, Alice strolls in...staring at her doppleganger.  Alice sizes Beth up, and Beth calmly tries to make conversation with her, letting her know that she understands her story, and where she's coming from.  Luke asks how Alice got in, and she says she got past the desk man, whom they'll find in a storage closet.  Kate finally shows up, trying to protect Beth.  Beth explains how she survived the crash, but her mother did not.  She also went on to say that Kate was the one who rescured her.  That just burns Alice up a little.  But Alice feels there's a way to solve all of this, to ensure she lives:  Beth must die.  So, she pulls out her switchblade, and throws it at Beth, only to have Kate catch it before it gets there.  Beth is amazed that she did that.  Both suddenly have mental attacks, and while Luke and Kate tend to Beth, Alice escapes.  

Dasher continues to work over Jacob, saying the HE is the real criminal...forging evidence, going and killing people they shouldn't have..HE is the corrupt one.  So, he's going to get some payback.  As he's about to finish Jacob off, the big bully prisoner who'd been making life miserable for Jacob, comes in and saves him.  He compromised himself for Jacob, but said that he heard Jacob was getting out--and when he DOES, he wants a favor.  After that, he throws a towel at Jacob and leaves.

Alice makes a surprise visit to Mary at her clinic, and asks for her help.  Mary has no intention of doing so.  Alice then realizes that Mary had been poisoned too when she poisoned Catherine, but Mary took the antidote.  Since it was a rare antidote, Alice believes it could work on her.  So, she intends on getting some from Mary, who tries to fight her off and make a hasty retreat, only to have Alice knock Mary out.  Alice says to her that she's useful.  

Dr. Campbell goes in to see Mouse at Gotham General.  Mouse inquires to who he is, and Dr. Campbell says that he did what he had to in order to keep his secret for all these years.  He removes his face, only to reveal that it is Mouse's father.  He hid for years under this new identity.  He said he's looking for Alice, because she lied to Mouse all these years, and manipulated him, and kept him from his father all these years.  He wants to find her to forgive her.  Mouse says that Alice protected her from his abuser.  Mouse says that Alice protected him and accepted him for who and what he is.  All his father saw in him was a monster.  His dad insists on knowing where Alice is, and Mouse says he would never betray her.  His dad says he'll see about that, and injects Mouse with some kind of drug.

Alice takes a syringe, and extracts some blood from Mary, that still has the antidote coursing through it.  She's going to inject herself with it, thus saving her life.  Before Alice can give her self the injection, Mary manages to wake up, and attack her, knocking the syringe out of Alice's hand.  They tussle for a little, and as Alice is choking Mary, Mary uses a phone to whack her in the head, and stun her just enough to get the handcuffs attatched to the bed on one of Alice's hands.  Alice tries to appeal to her as a sister, but Mary has no interest, and she takes off, saying that no one deserves it less.  After she's gone, Alice manages to pull the phone over to her, and all Crow Security, telling them the location of Beth...whom she says is Alice.  

Beth's time is running out...so Kate is spending as much time with her as possible...having this sisterly bond.  Mary had called her and said she's on her way with a way to help Beth.  The Crows then show up out in front of Wayne Enterprises, and there's a helicopter overhead, looking for Alice.  They're bursting into the building, and Kate feels she needs to act fast before they get Beth and finish her off.  Luke comes in, and says they're about ready to come upstairs, and Kate says grab Beth, they're headed to the Batcave.  After they depart, Sophie bursts into Kate's office, looking for Alice, but they're not there.

Alice is still cuffed to the bed at Mary's clinic, as she begins to hallucinate.  She "sees" Catherine, who is taunting her about losing her life.  Alice snaps back at her, saying that she took her family away from her.  Catherine reminds her that they accepted her, and they loved her.  And she knows Kate and Jacob just as well as she does.  Alice still snipes at her.  Catherine goes onto say that while she DID make mistakes, she at least showed remorse for HER wrongdoings----Alice shows NONE.  Alice says she will get what she wants, and Catherine reminds her that she'll save a nice seat in Hell right alongside her.  With that, Catherine disappears.

Down in the Batcave, Beth now understands Kate more as she sees the Batwoman suit.  Beth says that Kate feels remorse in not being able to save her sister---so she goes out, risks her life, and save everyone else's sister.  Mary contacts Kate, and Kate goes to meet her.  Mary explains about her blood, and how it will help Beth.  But Kate is also thinking about Alice.  Mary says this is a no brainer.  Save Beth...the sweet, kind, intelligent woman....or Alice--who killed her mother, and has made life miserable for both of them.  Mary walks off after giving Kate the syringe, and says the choice is hers.

We see Kate show up at the clinic where Mary said she had cuffed Alice to a bed, and goes to talk to her.  We also see that she is back in the Cave, talking to Beth.  Alice feels she knew Kate enough that she would choose her.  Beth, on the other hand, says that after spending time with Alice...she got to understand her a little more.  Kate says that she did nothing when it came to saving her Beth...she just stood there frozen.  But she says she's not going to do that again.  So, she's giving the blood to Beth.  Beth asks her if this is what she really wants to do, and Kate responds that if you have to ask, you know the choice.  Once she gives Beth the blood, she tells Luke to take the Batbike, and make their way through the tunnels, and get out of town.  Beth and Luke make their escape.

When we next see the good "Dr. Campbell", it's our good friend the Caterpiller, back in his mask, about ready to leave---but not before he bids his son farewell...whom he has taken hostage.  Mouse struggles as he's bound to a chair, his father leaving him for business elsewhere.

Luke manages to find an Inn on the outskirts of Gotham to get Beth out of town, and save her from the Crows.  Meanwhile, Kate has gone to see Alice.  She holds Alice's hands, and hugs her, crying, as she watches her sister die.  We see that Sophie has found Luke and Beth, and has them in her sights.  She's about to pull the trigger, but decides not to.  She ends up calling her squad for backup, wanting them to be arrested instead.  Unfortunately, a shot rings out nonetheless, and Beth is hit.  Luke is holding her, as she lays dying, Sophie shocked by the shot, knowing there's a sniper about.  Turns out the sniper is our friend The Caterpillar.  As Beth dies, Kate is crying, and Alice is revived.  Pissed off with Kate that she let her die, she takes a metal tray and smashes Kate with it as the episode ends.


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This episode was filled with some high drama this week---and it all landed on Kate in the end.  Plus, we got some interesting shockers.  

First of all - Beth/Alice.  I kind of had a feeling that this fallout from Crisis was going to have a bad ending.  It was nice...briefly, anyway...that we had a small morsel of what Beth Kane would've been like had she NOT gotten taken by someone else, and saved in the accident that claimed her and Kate's mother.  The sisterly bond between her and Kate, and the intelligence she displayed, as well as her nobility right to the end.  But...it wasn't meant to be.  I had a feeling last episode that the attacks they were getting were part of the Crisis fallout.  That they couldn't exist on the same Earth.  One had to go---and, sadly, it was Beth.  There is just NO WAY they would kill off Alice.  She's too good a villain....plus, her master plan has yet been revealed.  But in the wake of all this---we just knew that Beth was only here temporarily---sort of a "gift" for Kate.  Here's what your sister COULD'VE been.  As for Alice...meeting her doppleganger face to face...knowing what she was, and what she herself wasn't...she didn't like it, naturally.  She hated the fact that Kate was doting on HER.  Alice still has a jealousy complex when it comes to her sister, and any bonding she does with anyone.  She didn't get that, so why should Kate get to have it?  And, going to Mary, to try and scare her into helping her---she underestimates Mary.  Mary's tougher than she lets on.  And for Mary to fight back against Alice, cuff her up...that's guts.  I like Mary more and more each day.  I like how she referenced Batwoman, and how they're BFF like.  Oh, if Mary only knew...and I look forward to THAT day.  

But to wrap up on these two:  Killing Beth saved Alice.  And Kate...oh, Kate.  Sometimes, you are just SOOOOO boneheaded!  I get that she wanted her old sister Beth back, but when the Caterpillar killed Beth, and Alice revived...now KNOWING that Kate chose her doppleganger over HER---that just set her off in all sorts of mad-crazy.  Now, she isn't so much going to blame dear old Dad for abandoning her...she's now more than likely going to abandon her plan of bringing Kate "into the fold", and instead just outright destroy her.  Whatever sisterly bond they're might've been...it's been obliterated.  And Kate...better toughen up, woman---it's only going to get worse.  

The Caterpillar returns!   You know...I HAD my suspicions about Dr. Campbell from the start.  Maybe it was just that they had talked about him so prominently, that I figured there was something there that wasn't right.  When he was interested in seeing Mouse, that's when I put two and two together.  I was a little surprised, but pleasantly, as I figured out it was Mouse's dad.  Now, we not only are dealing with an unhinged Alice, and her loyal Mouse...but now the Caterpillar is back, and when he offed Beth, he probably thought he was killing Alice for taking Mouse away from him.  I look forward to the eventual confrontation between Alice and the Caterpillar.  Just more villains for Batwoman to deal with.

Jacob taking a beating and nearly dying at the hands of old Dasher there.  Seems like they had to keep HIM around to make Kane's life worse.  But who would've thought the big bully that's been making his life hell the last few weeks, would actually SAVE him?  BUT...we all know there's a price to pay for that in prison.  The big guy put a target on his back, and he's going to want a serious favor once Jacob is acquitted.  

Sophie is getting a lot more harder the last few weeks.  She's belted suspects during interrogations, and she's been on this manhunt of sorts for Alice, and not having much mercy.  This is eventually going to put her and Batwoman at odds...and if she finds out that she was right all along---that Kate IS Batwoman...it's going to make THAT confrontation that much harder.  But we're seeing a more intense Sophie.  

All in all, another quality episode.  We're picking up some steam.  Not a lot of action, more focused on plot this week.  If it's one thing this show needs...it's more Bat action.  They need the fight coordinators from Arrow to do this show.  Both shows have dark motifs, and the fighting style should be intense.  I'd like to see Batwoman have one of those huge scenes, where she is just kicking ass and taking names.  We need to see just how much of a badass she really is.  

Okay folks, that's it from Gotham Central here.  Go ahead and let me know what YOU think of the show so far?  Drop a comment below, and don't forget to subscribe and tell the others about this little place in cyberspace.

Until next time...The Batsignal is OFF!