Batwoman Season 1 Episode 13 Review: Drink Me
Diana Keng
at
.
From what I understand (based on my pretty serviceable Google-Fu powers), Batwoman Season 1 Episode 13 takes a monstrously huge leap away from the comic book canon on the Batwoman-Nocturna relationship.
Instead of an intense and intimate relationship mired in a toxic power dynamic that nearly severs all of Kate's support network, Nocturna appears here as a VotW, with all her mystic abilities explained away with fake fangs and some complex health issues.
Too be fair, vampire slaying and nightclubbing was, to paraphrase Luke, a bit of fun after all the dark they'd been dealing with lately.
What was also fun was watching Kate tease Luke with the sexier side of her life whether it be her knowledge of non-traditional clubs on Gotham's nightscene or the details of her encounter with Nocturna.
Despite the gravitas of Sophie's situation with Jacob and the multiple confrontations between Kate and Alice and, oh yeah, Mary nearly being drained of all her blood, it was really quite a light-hearted romp if you think about it.
Kate's reluctance to investigate Elle while she was hitting on Sophie was entertainingly awkward.
Sophie's own discomfort of getting gussied up to stake out Kate's bar actually made me feel some empathy for her for possibly the first time.
And I love how Mary always looks most at home with a martini glass in own hand while taking a selfie with the other.
Getting Luke of the Bat Cave was a novel move. I can't imagine that whatever tech set-up they have going at The Hold Up is anything compared to the gear in the Bat Cave.
What bringing him into the club did was allow him to step in when Mary was having issues disengaging with that one rabid fan as well as give him and Kate some personal collaboration time regarding Alice.
Rather than him being antsy at being in new surroundings, I think Kate found herself uneasy with how easily he slips into her world.
Kate: I'll look like a jealous ex.
Luke: Or a hero who catches a serial killer.
Kate: You go if you're so eager.
Luke: You're Batwoman! I'm wearing a glow-in-the-dark tie.
And speaking of new surroundings, Jacob's return from prison seemed strange to me.
First off, neither Kate nor Mary was there when he was set free. You'd think Kate would want him to know about Beth, even if it's after the fact.
Then he goes to the morgue to look at Beth but doesn't notice the many physical differences between Beth and Alice. Furthermore, I'm really unclear as to whether the morgue employee knows that he is Alice's father.
I get that his first instinct is to throw himself into his work and try to forget Catherine's death but it's extremely odd that he spoke with Mary and Kate more when he was in prison than he does after he is a free man again.
Instead, he lurks Mary's Instagram and sends Sophie to stake out The Hold Up instead of giving Kate a call and letting her know he's sending in an agent.
And suspending Sophie is just bad management. Unless he's only going through the motions because he knows that the Crow that gave him the warehouse footage is never going to keep his mouth shut about it.
Sophie: You're going to get my ass fired so...
Batwoman: So...
Sophie: So, next time I'll have to bring you in. Which means there can't be a next time.
Batwoman: Understood.
Sophie's whole dilemma is such a moot point at this juncture for me. She's still not out despite Jacob knowing that she and Kate were involved at the academy.
If she's still buying into the story she was sold on Batwoman Season 1 Episode 7 that Batwoman is NOT Kate (because Julia Pennyworth somehow fit the costume that one time), I'm not sure what that kiss at the end was about.
Her husband has left her. She's been suspended from the job she loves. She's burned her bridges with Kate. Batwoman's not exactly transitional girlfriend material.
Everyone's favorite line of advice for Sophie is,"Take some time and think about it."
Tyler says it when he leaves.
Jacob says it when he suspends her.
In both cases, the men in her life felt betrayed by her and want her to re-commit to them.
It amazes me that someone who has been hiding her true self from all the people closest to her for so long can be so consistent about her decisions and vision.
Oh wait, she isn't. She's all over the place, all the time.
Kate can do better. And Batwoman, for sure, could do better.
Elle might be a good fit.
There were a lot of lightbulb moments jammed into the final few scenes here.
Alice figuring out that Dr. Campbell is actually August Cartright deflated my hopes of a sudden and dramatic reveal down the line.
I mean, it'll still probably be sudden and dramatic for August since he thinks he shot Alice dead but Alice will be going in with all her ducks in a row.
I have a few questions about the Cartright men that I sincerely hope are answered eventually.
Who and where is Mouse's mother?
What was the cause of the fire that scarred Mouse so badly?
Is the caterpillar trying to convince the world that he is a butterfly? If so, I will follow him to you, my little Mouse, and together, we will pull off his wings.
Alice
What did Mouse and Alice do six years ago?
What the heck sort of plastic surgery technique do they use for the face swaps?
Also, has Cartright, in the guise of Campbell, been stealing skin as well?
The other blinding lightbulb was Mary piecing together Kate's secret.
It would've been nice to have her brought into the club in a more ceremonial manner, with a sense of occasion or something, but I, for one, am glad that she's seeing clearly now.
I'm interested to see how she deals with the knowledge.
Mary manages to surprise me at least once an episode.
And she really doesn't have a filter which potentially makes keeping secrets her kryptonite.
If my twin picked my alien doppelganger's life over mine, I'd be on the verge of going nuclear. No offense.
Mary
As we embark on the back-half of the full season order, what are you looking for as you watch Batwoman online?
Will the hunt for August Cartright be the long arc we follow next?
Will we revert to the VotW format?
How will Team Batwoman make room for Doctor Mary?
And we sure would appreciate a follow of our new Twitter account as we work to rebuild our audience!
@TVFanatic
Diana Keng was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lifelong fan of smart sci-fi and fantasy media, an upstanding citizen of the United Federation of Planets, and a supporter of AFC Richmond 'til she dies. Her guilty pleasures include female-led procedurals, old-school sitcoms, and Bluey. She teaches, knits, and dreams big. Follow her on X.
