[SPOILERS ahead, I recommend that you watch the episode before you continue!]
[SPOILERS ahead, I recommend that you watch the episode before you continue!]
[SPOILERS ahead, I recommend that you watch the episode before you continue!]
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You can watch it LIVE on the CW (Sundays at 9 PM) or watch it also for FREE on the CW website (link) and on the CW app (if you live in the US)!
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“General”:
My highlights from this episode (without particular order):
1 – Black Mask’s master plan! Finally, we could witness what Black Mask is actually up to as he revealed his plan throughout the episode. I liked his speech and how he addressed the people in Gotham. Also, it was a good idea to have an average family in several scenes that reacted to his speech. Also, we see Circe dressing up for battle with a stylish skull mask. Of course, Black Mask only reveals the part of his plan that the people need to hear in order to carry it out. I very much liked the principal idea of having Roman kill “Black Mask” and then being the big savior of Gotham. But he clearly overestimated the people’s wish to overthrow the government 😆 …a speech, a power outage, and some plastic masks…just weren’t enough to motivate the big masses. Seeing all those people using his masks as lanterns that looked like the Batwoman symbol…was really cool.
2 – Another …short-lived… team-up with Ryan and Alice! Ryan knew she would need her help to take down Black Mask and Circe, so she agreed to team-up with Alice. On their way to Black Mask Alice already starts to tease Ryan about how she would live in Kate’s apartment and using her costume and so on. Then she suddenly tries to excuse the murder of Ryan’s foster mom. Not surprisingly Ryan doesn’t accept it. I was quite shocked how Alice then tried to make Ryan responsible for killing her mother at childbirth! Wow, that was a quite deranged attack. Especially as Alice knew that her mother is actually very much alive as we get to know at the very end of the episode! I was quite mad at Alice and her behavior. More on that later as there are some more scenes with both of them.
3 – Luke finds the Batwing suit! They surely need to explore the whole Batcave (-system) better 😆 . As Luke stumbles upon his own child drawings of his own Batman version he also finds technical notes on them. He then finds the Batwing suit that his father designed after Luke’s drawings.
4 – Tavaroff, Mary and the Snakebite solution! Tavaroff is mad enough to let Black Mask pump his body full with that Venom stuff. After Tavaroff seemingly died and was thrown into a dumpster (very fitting!) he lands in Mary’s clinic. Smart Mary discovers the special Snakebite delivery system on him and realizes that it would be a solution to restore Kate’s memories fully. I was surprised by this as I thought that someone would have the password to restore her memories…but it was interesting how bastard Tavaroff now delivered the solution to bring back Kate. He was good for something after all. Black Mask’s animal testing comment was pretty funny 🙂
5 – Mary and her motivation speech! A short one, but very effective! Ryan has big doubts that she can defeat Circe without her Batsuit, but Mary comes up with a key sentence “you don’t need the suit to be Batwoman”. Well, technically she does….but yeah, the message behind that is the important part. The suit doesn’t make the hero.
6 – Black Mask VS Alice! It was a rather….crazy….way to win the fight, but well, it fits to Alice. Using the Joker toy flower to spray acid in Roman’s face….I didn’t see that coming 😆 . And to even top that she forced the skull mask onto his head…which thereby is seemingly now blended(?) onto his face! Wow, that’s a pretty extreme move….even for Alice. Love the introductory comment before she sprays his face: “You know who was a great villain? The Joker!”.
7 – The final battle on the bridge and the aftermath! The dramatic finale of the episode happens right around the midpoint of the episode. There are some aspects I really love about it and some that I don’t like, more on that later on. I really enjoyed the Snakebite visions that Kate and Alice had! Alice said goodbye to Ocean (didn’t think he would “appear” again) who pushed her towards continuing to look for….well basically…the Beth inside her. The other scene was great, as young Kate now finally found Beth in that basement. That basement that separated them for so long. Also, I liked that it was in a way a little reference to episode 2 in season 1 as both sisters were also underwater, even the situation was different. One last time Ryan and Alice worked together as they revived Kate in a dramatic scene. It was a great moment as Kate saw her sister and called her Beth. But as always when something good is happening to Alice/Beth the next low blow isn’t far away….
8 – Kate gives Ryan her blessing to continue as Batwoman! It was pretty awesome to see Mary, Luke, and Kate at the beginning of that scene. They are happy and finally together again after all that drama of this season. But soon the episode drops quite a big shocker….. Kate already told both of them about her plans to leave the City to search for Bruce Wayne which we don’t see in the episode (a deleted scene on the Bluray set?) and they now tell her that they are fine with it. My eyes widened big time as I thought that Kate would stay in the show and be one of the regulars in season 3. But Caroline Dries decided to go another route. I have very mixed feelings about it, more on that later on.
Ryan entered the room and had a one on one chat with Kate. It was great to see both of them finally together. Kate then told Ryan that she would remain in her role as Batwoman, as protector of Gotham as she was sure the suit was in good hands. Thereby Ryan is now officially “fully” Batwoman. Oh, I loved how Luke and Mary told Kate about the story with the Cluemaster incl. Luke meeting Stephanie.
9 – Sophie kissing Kate! Due to Covid restrictions, this was actually the first real lesbian kiss in the whole season. It was so great seeing Sophie finally kissing Kate after all this time! Last season she kissed Batwoman several times not knowing that Kate was under the cowl, but now we finally get a Sophie-Kate kiss scene that isn’t from a flashback. It was quite an emotional scene for the viewers, especially with Sophie now knowing as well that Kate will leave Gotham quickly.
Aspects I didn’t like in this episode:
>>> A Batwoman finale …..without…..Batwoman!!! Yeah, I know…it was part of the story that Ryan wouldn’t need a suit to be a hero, a good point/idea. However, I wanna see Batwoman in action! That means someone wearing the cowl and costume! This was actually the very first episode without any Batwoman scene whatsoever. And that after the previous episode which had around tiny 2 minutes of Batwoman screentime.
>>> Too much content for 42 minutes! Yeah, I know it’s the target length of the Arrowverse episodes. But it would be so great to have a season finale episode that is a little longer. The bridge fight which was the climax of the episode was starting at around the midpoint of the episode. All the time after it was needed to tie up some of the loose ends. How about a 2 part season finale? Or perhaps they could think about making a longer version of such a season finale that would exclusively be released on their streaming site? A version that is 10-20 minutes longer perhaps? There was so much stuff going on…it was a little too much. Will be interesting if there are deleted scenes of this episode on the DVD/Bluray set of the season.
>>> Two aspects of the bridge fight and the following underwater scene were quite weird to me. As we can see the bridge isn’t very high above the water, so I find it quite weird that both were knocked out as they hit the water. And why did Alice end up falling into the water with Kate in the first place? Why didn’t she spray that stuff into Kate’s face and then keep her distance until Kate’s memories are coming back? Ok, maybe it was her weird plan to inhale that stuff herself?
>>> Luke, Ryan, Sophie, Jacob, and Mary had an emotional rollercoaster and worked their asses off to get Kate back after they first thought she was dead and then found that she was very much alive! Now, Kate is finally back, but decides to leave Gotham for good, and what is the reaction? I would have expected Luke, Mary, and Sophie to be MUCH more emotional about it! Ah well, there you go, goodbye. All this drama over a whole season, then Kates immediately decides to leave them and that is their reaction? Quite odd. Yes, in the show the character may think that she may return whenever she has found Bruce …..but that might take quite a long time, after all, he isn’t gone since yesterday.
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More interesting aspects for me:
— Batwoman writes a letter to the people of Gotham! I liked that idea and especially the reaction from the people of Gotham to it. They showed their support for Batwoman and inspired Ryan (alongside Mary) to fight on, even she didn’t have her suit or any gadgets.
— The scene where Mary makes a plan on what they all have to accomplish…while sitting there in candlelight without power, was really funny. The odds were very much against them…but they managed to “win” nonetheless.
— The fight with Ryan, Alice, Black Mask and Circe at their hideout was well made! It was a little weird how Ryan and Alice were seeking cover from Black Mask’s bullets behind a thin table (#not bulletproof). I mean for them it was the logical step as nothing else was available in a short distance. But I didn’t get why Black Mask not simply was shooting at the table. But ok, a small issue. Circe in her skull mask looked really awesome!
— Batwing saves Mary! It was a good first appearance as Batwing saved Mary in her biggest action scene so far. And it was a great moment as they fell to the ground and Mary was laying in top of Batwing 😉 . I just wished the fight with Tavaroff would have been longer, it felt rushed.
— It was a rather short sequence as well but I enjoyed how Ryan in the Batmobile battled Circe on her Batbike! They fired some weapons systems and gadgets at each other and tested their reactions. A fun scene.
— The parole hearing finally ended Ryan’s time as a parolee and was an important milestone for her. It was a classic Ryan move as she answered “No, I haven’t changed” to the parole board. Most certainly not the routine answer they would normally expect and get from a parolee. But Ryan could convince them that she deserved to be paroled.
— Alice in Arkham…again. Well, even with her tragic background Alice deserves to be locked up in Arkham in my opinion. I like the character a lot and I LOVE how Rachel Skarsten plays her…but damn, she is a dangerous person and has killed dozens of people. Ryan was enjoying the moment as she wanted to put her behind bars the second half of the season and it was a payoff moment for her as she got a little justice…. with the woman responsible for her foster mom’s death now finally in prison. Moments before the end we get to know that Ryan’s real mom is actually very much alive! That leads to quite some questions….
— Batman’s trophies in the river! Some of the tools and gadgets that Batman got by locking away the big villains in Gotham are now there for everyone to catch them. The scene where Poison Ivy’s vines started to come to life very a cool reference and mini-cliffhanger.
>>> Some opinions of mine on season 3 and the open questions of season 2 can be found at the bottom of this page (scroll down) <<<
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>>> Rating “General:” <<<
3,5 out of 5 – A good season finale! I am not happy with every aspect (#Kate, #NoBatwoman) and it felt overall a bit rushed. But it also had strong emotional scenes and good action parts!
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“Mask”:
Batwoman screen time: 00:00 ….not one scene with Batwoman
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“Mask action” (blue colored if yes): – attempted unmasking – forced unmaskings (incl. a witness) – self unmaskings (without witness) – self unmaskings (with a witness) – unmaskings – mask damage – “mask talk” (incl. “secret identity talk”) – additional masked women (Circe with skull mask) – close calls with opportunities to unmask Batwoman
Who knows her secret identity by now (Batwoman 2.0)?:
For sure: 8
Mary
Luke
Sophie
Alice
Circe Kate
Safiyah
Roman Sionis/Black Mask
Susan (parole officer)
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Sexy “mask-related” -scenes:
Well…..there was Circe with that cool skull mask in two short scenes. But beyond that….nothing.
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>>> Rating “Mask”: <<<
0,5 out of 5 – No Batwoman at all and only short scenes with masked Circe
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Pictures:
(click to enlarge)
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And here are my special Batwoman cuts from this episode:
Well….. no Batwoman scenes=no videos here 🙁
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What are your thoughts on the episode?
Feel welcome to leave a comment below!
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>>> Open questions on season 2… and a preview for season 3: <<<
— In several interviews with EW some interesting facts were revealed. For example, it was confirmed that Dougray Scott (Jacob) will no longer be a part of the show. Well, I am not surprised and think it makes a lot of sense as his storyline is over. No more Crows = no more Jacob…it works for me. Though it would be nice to see him back for an episode or two. I really hope they address his absence right in the first episode of season 3. Jacob being sent to prison almost felt like a side note…so far.
— Wallis Day on social media and Caroline Dries in an EW interview both …more or less….confirm that Kate’s storyline in the show is seemingly over, even Caroline leaves the backdoor open just a little bit. I have very mixed feelings about this: I would have loved to keep Wallis/Kate on the show, as I think Wallis did a great job in playing her. On the other hand, if she had stayed, there would have been Batwoman 1.0, Batwoman 2.0, and Batwing in the “field”, which would have been a little too much for my taste as I do prefer when a show centers on one hero/heroine or a duo. But in all the Arrowverse shows these teams get bigger and bigger over time…. so, perhaps I would have quickly got used to it. Certainly, many folks would love to see her back in Gotham!
— What about Angelique and Julia? It would have been great if Julia’s absence would have been at least discussed or mentioned in a sentence or two. She is gone and no one really seems to care in the show. Now that the Crows are disbanded…Julia will need a new employer, but that shouldn’t be a problem with her skills. The fate of Angelique is also unclear at the moment. Will she be a love interest for Ryan again? Black Mask is now in prison…so the door for her to return is wide open.
— What will be Alice’s part in season 3? She is now in prison, but that shouldn’t be a real problem for her since she already has a lot of experience to break out of prisons or basements. With Kate gone and Ocean dead…she is once again in a pretty dire situation. Of course, she will get out of that prison, but then what? Getting revenge on Ryan/Batwoman for putting her there might be one goal but besides that?
— Speaking of Alice….what about Safiyah? She is placed somewhere with that Desert Rose dagger still inside her. But does anyone besides Alice knows that? How long can Safiyah…well…. stay like that? Will she be in season 3 at all? Perhaps there could be an ongoing storyline with her and Alice in season 3.
— The situation for Mary isn’t exactly great right now either. She got Kate back who immediately leaves town again for a long time and her dad is in prison, and not just for the weekend. Perhaps things between Luke and Mary will finally get going? That was supposed to happen in this season…but Ruby Rose’s departure changed that as well as Caroline Dries mentioned in an interview. With Luke getting more into direct action in season 3 as Batwing I would say that Mary spends even more time in the Batcave. But perhaps she will get help, I could imagine that tech girl from Parker Torres (S1, ep10) coming back.
— What about Sophie? She will need to get a new day job. Perhaps she will help to reform the GCPD, that would be an option. Will be interesting to see how exactly her role will be in team Batwoman! How often will she help out in the field? Will she get a costume at some point? Now that Kate is gone will she maybe focus on Ryan as her girlfriend?
— Ryan’s time as a parolee is now over and she is confirmed in her role as Batwoman. Will be interesting to see how the whole aspect with her real mother, who is still alive, will work out! Guess she will do anything to find her and wants to know why the mother had left her in such a dramatic fashion. Was her mother perhaps forced to give Ryan up and why did this cover story was invented? Also, it’s time that Ryan gets a real love interest….due to Covid she didn’t even have one kiss scene with anyone in season 2 (unless you count a kiss on the forehead 😉 ! And right now there are at least three candidates: Sophie, Angelique, and Imani + eventually new characters that will be introduced next season. I would like to learn a lot more about her backstory. So far we didn’t know that much about her history before she became Batwoman…..
— From what I read Luke will have to overcome quite some challenges in order to get into his new role as Batwing. Looking forward to see him grow into this new role! Also, it will be interesting to see how Batwing will work together with Batwoman in the field. Can’t wait to see them together in action.
— I hope that Stephanie Brown aka Spoiler does show up again in season 3! The chemistry with Luke was great and maybe she could help out here and there.
— After the ending of the last episode I am really hoping that Poison Ivy will show up in season 3! Yeah, I know Uma Thurman is too expensive for the CW, but it would be fun to see her in that role again 😆 . Besides that I wonder how will appear as a villain/villainess in season 3? I wouldn’t mind seeing Victor Zsasz or Magpie again! But as long we have no info on the general story of season 3….it’s a complete guessing game….so I hope for some new info on that rather sooner than later.