REVIEW: BATWOMAN - SEASON 1.19: "A Secret Kept From All the Rest"
Here we are, Gothamites! The next to last episode of Batwoman. It's been an a strange journey that got off to a slow start, but managed to pick up some steam towards the end here. Batwoman and team have been trying to find the late Lucius Fox's journal that contains secrets of the Batman, and it seems like there are a few other interested parties that also want that journal: Alice and Mouse, Tommy Elliott, and--of all people--Julia Pennyworth. Arkham has been taken over by the sinister leader of the Wonderland Gang, and she's looking to put a big hurt on her twin sister. Who knows what Tommy Elliott wants, and the Crows are trying to avoid disaster. Things have reached critical mass, so let's see what the fallout is, shall we?
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What can we say? It's been quite a ride for this show, with all its ups and downs, but I feel it's found it's legs somewhat, and we're in for an interesting finish to the season.
This episode focused on the search for the journal by Team Batwoman, and Alice's quest to decipher the code Lucius encrypted the journal with. We also got our first look at Tommy Elliott as Hush, as he made his way onto the scene of Gotham City. All the while, we wonder just what happened to Julia Pennyworth, and why she isn't working for British Intelligence anymore.
We finally get Tommy Elliott as Hush, as he begins hunting down someone who can crack Lucius Fox's code in his journals for Alice. He enters a library and kidnaps a professor of cryptology who taught at the university. Alice ends up torturing him with electrocution to try and get answers out of him, but he's lost, and says he only can decipher numerical codes. He proves to be worthless to Alice, and she kills him. This prompts an argument from Mouse, who seems quite happy that they run Arkham, and isn't so hot on leaving. Hush isn't thrilled to be there, either, and wants to have his new face, but cannot until he completes his mission for Alice. Alice has only ONE thing on her mind: kill Batwoman, and she doesn't care what it takes to get it done. Fox left the code on how to beat him, and she wants the juicy details. So she sends Hush out again, and he then kidnaps an NSA agent named Tony Kim. He is the only other choice, since Alice can't have her first choice: Luke Fox. Mouse warns against that, because it will draw Batwoman out, and bring her upon them.
Meanwhile, Kate is on the hunt for the journal herself, and she manages to discover where Reagan is hiding out. Reagan tries to plead with her that she was sincere about her feelings, but Kate isn't having it. Reagan than informs her that Magpie is her sister, and she got the book for her, so that she can give it to her benefactor as a means to escape Arkham. Kate then relays the info to Luke, and they both end up having an argument with each other in front of Mary, who wants no part of it. Kate and Luke throw accusations at each other, with Luke giving Kate grief about Reagan, and she telling Luke that something's up with Julia, and she's not playing straight. Luke storms off, and Kate and Mary are on their own to find out where the journal is
Sophie and Julia are looking like THEY are getting closer, and they talk a little shop, when they get word about Hush. The Crows are looking for his next target, which is Tony Kim, and they are on the case. At the same time, Mary gets a notice on her phone about a kidnapping, and they find out it's Tony Kim. They find out about Hush, and they have to stop him fast. For either team, it does no good, as Alice has Tony killed anyway, since he can't stand up to the pressure of the electrocution. Mouse is adamant that there is no need to go after Batwoman...they have it good in Arkham. Alice just isn't satisfied. She has the secret to killing her sister, and she wants blood BADLY. So...she remembers about ANOTHER code cracker, and has Hush go after her. She IS losing patience with each failure.
We see Parker Torres, the gal who hacked into everyone's cellphones a few episodes back to get revenge on those who outed her as a lesbian. She made friends with Batwoman, and she is on the phone with her friend, when Hush kidnaps her. Her friend manages to call Kate's office, and she's on the hunt for her. Mary tries to run things from the Cave, but she's clueless when it comes to electronics. Batwoman, however, manages to find them, and rescue Parker, and injure Hush. Hush heads back to Arkham, where Alice is getting more pissed by the minute. She then decides that it's time to do it HER way.
Luke goes to meet Julia, and he says he did a little digging, and found out that Julia got blacklisted from her job. It turns out, she took a job with a private party, and when she was discovered, she got fired. Luke wants to know WHY, because he stuck up for her in front of Kate, and Julia says there's more to Kate than what she's telling. Luke dismisses that, and wants to know. Julia says she can't tell, because it would mean BOTH their deaths. Luke then gets a call from Kate, asking him where he is. He gives his info, but it turns out it was Mouse disguising his voice as Kate's in order for Hush to find him and Julia, and kidnap them.
Mary, Parker, and Kate then do everything they can to try and figure out who killed the professor by tracking his pacemaker. Kate is frustrated that she can't get ahold of Luke, and Mary ends up discovering a pair of glasses in a box of journals, and finds out they can decipher the codes of the books. Parker manages to triangulate the professor's death as having occurred at Arkham, and Kate's on the way.
Alice is providing a little shock therapy to Julia, as she wants Luke to decipher the code. Luke, however, says he's incapable of doing it. Alice gives him time, otherwise, she'll have Julia barbecued. Julia pleads with Luke to break the code, but he says he can't. She informs him that they'll die, and he says he wishes he could be as smart as his father. After much brainstorming, he figures out the Lucius wrote the book in a specific alphabetic code that has a specific numerical sequence. His father used various alphabetic languages, and discovers that his father used Luke's own social security number as the coding sequence. Once he deciphers the code, Julia wants to know what it is, but Luke refuses. He says that his father died to protect Batman, and he'll do the same for Batwoman.
Batwoman arrives at Arkham, only to get discovered by security, who set off the alarms. She takes them out, then uses the electronics in her cowl to locate Luke and Julia. While she's on her way to do that, the Crows get a notice that there's a break-in at Arkham, and Jacob and the team are on their way...and he wants Batwoman personally. Alice discovers that Batwoman is on the premises, and has Hush get their escape van ready. Batwoman makes her way to Alice, and she bargains with her: the glasses for Luke and Julia. Alice is intrigued, but refuses, until Batwoman says they can decipher the code in the book. Luke and Julia, who promised NOT to reveal the secrets of the book once Luke cracked it, beg Batwoman NOT to bargain, because they will kill her. Batwoman's offer stands. Mouse lets Luke and Julia go. Batwoman has them escape through the tunnels, and Alice and Mouse plan THEIR escape as well, but not before Alice releases all the inmates in the asylum out. Mayhem ensues, and Batwoman has to fight them off. Alice and Mouse escape, but not before Mouse grips to Alice yet again that they had it so good, but she says it was just a dream, and they escape. Batwoman gets the guards to safety, and the Crows arrive to try and lock the facility down. However, many inmates escape.
Later on, the Batsignal shines in the sky, and Jacob is on the roof of the GCPD when Batwoman arrives. He blames HER for the mess Gotham is in, and says it's because of her and Batman that the crazies come to town. He tells her to get out, and she refuses, saying she WILL protect the city. He says the next time they cross paths, it's war. While in the tunnels...Mouse is harping on their situation, and Alice says she wants Hush, so she can find a little green rock...Kryptonite!
WELL....that certainly did NOT end well for Batwoman. The battle lines have been drawn between Kate and her father, Alice is still loose, and NOW has the knowhow to beat her sister---and the INTERESTING fact is that...NOW...she is looking for Kryptonite! It appears that we might have Supergirl or even Superman involved before Alice's final game is played. This ups the stakes tremendously, and Batwoman is now going to be in a race against time to stop her. However, she NOW has to deal with the fact that her own father has declared war on her. This is going to make the family dynamic interesting, since Sophie and Julia are pro-Batwoman, Mary is on Kate's side, and that goes against Jacob, who feels HE is the only thing in the city that can stop Alice...and he couldn't be more wrong. How each of those characters on the outside handle Kate and her father squaring off is going to create quite a stir.
To see a major Batman player like Hush is excellent---FINALLY. A Bat villian with SOME substance that isn't just mentioned by name. And he looks EXACTLY how he's supposed to. Very well done. I have a feeling that his alliance with Alice will NOT last long, and he's going to do his own thing at some point. And as for Mouse and Alice? There's cracks in that relationship now. Mouse was very content to stay in Arkham and run the place...but he didn't account for Alice's bloody thirst for revenge against her family. She is determined to kill her father for giving up on her, and now she feels she needs to kill Kate for doing the same thing: betraying her and locking her up. Alice is Joker level crazy, and when the final showdown happens (probably next season), it's going to be huge. And it'll be interesting to see what happens to Jacob in that battle...because I feel he'll be collateral damage. Especially once he learns about Kate being Batwoman---and TRUST ME.---THAT is coming!
It was also VERY cool to get a Parker Torres appearance. Nice to know they didn't forget about her. Her skills came in handy, and loved it that Mary felt left out a little since Parker knew Kate's secret before SHE did. Also had some good humorous interaction between the two.
This was another good episode that moved things along, and has set us up for next week's season finale. What will the fallout be? We got one more hour to see what drops.
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That's it for this week...with one to go. Thanks for dropping by, and while you're here, subscribe, leave a comment about what YOU thought, and pass the good word
Until next time...the Signal is OFF!
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