Legends of Tomorrow soars, The Flash flops, and Batwoman drops a major revelation

Batwoman — “A Narrow Escape” — Image Number: BWM117A_0057b — Pictured (L – R): Ruby Rose as Kate Kane and Camrus Johnson as Luke Fox — Photo: Robert Falconer/The CW — © 2020 The CW Network, LLC. All rights reserved.

Batwoman Episode 117: “A Narrow Escape”

Batwoman had me on the edge of my seat this week, and that’s putting it lightly. It’s been a while since we’ve had a solid Batwoman episode, and I’m glad that after a brief hiatus, this is what they got to open with.

The events of the previous episode have completely messed with Kate’s mind, because it marked the first time she murdered someone: August Cartwright. We often forget that not all of these superheroes have actually killed someone, so when it does happen, they have a lot of emotions to contend with.

Having killed the man who ruined her and her family’s life, it feels as if Kate should feel vindicated. But instead, she falls apart and decides to take a hiatus from being Batwoman. One hiatus ends, another begins, huh?

But while Kate is taking a break from being Batwoman, others are trying to make up for her absence by pretending to be her. It doesn’t bode well for the city, but A for effort, I suppose. Of course, the moment Kate decides to take some time off and hide in her feelings, Gotham City is forced to face an old foe: the Detonator.

His M.O.? Drugging his captives so that when they come to, they find bombs strapped to themselves. They’re given two options: 1) Detonate themselves and end their life, or 2) Set off a bomb elsewhere in the city and end someone else’s life.

When Jacob becomes the Detonator’s next victim, Kate has no choice but to come out of the darkness. With some investigating, Luke and Batwoman figure out that the Detonator is none other than C.R.O.W.S. agent Miguel Robles. But that’s not all. He’s also is responsible for the murder of Lucius Fox.

Much like Kate lost her rationality when deciding to kill Cartwright, Luke can’t seem to hold back his rage when Robles is right in front of him. Kate is still trying to work through her trauma but has to snap out of it to prevent Luke from doing what she did. It’s an interesting juxtaposition.

That means she has to confess that she killed Cartwright, and that it’s taken away all sense of belief in herself. Luke snaps out of his rage and they manage to make it out of harm’s way while saving Jacob’s life.

We’ve come to see Kate as a very conflicted woman who hides behind her wounds and her Batwoman persona. There’s always something going on beneath the surface, and seeing her internal struggle this week and last week has been very intriguing.

I’m glad they gave us Luke’s conflict to compare with Kate’s, because it’s ultimately what pulls them both out of the darkness.

Luke casually drops a major Arrowverse reveal while trying to convince Kate that she’s not alone in succumbing to the dark, evil side of things. She looks up to her dear cousin Bruce, aka Batman, in every way, and she doesn’t believe that he’s ever done anything wrong. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, according to Luke.

And then Luke namedrops a huge Batman character that we certainly weren’t expecting. Apparently, Bruce left Gotham because he murdered…THE JOKER. Mind you this is the first time we’ve heard the Joker mentioned by name in any of the Arrowverse shows. This a huge deal, and it’s an even bigger deal that Luke reveals Batman is the one who killed the Joker, who everyone thinks is in Arkham Asylum.

Now, we can look at this reveal in many different ways. Is the Joker really dead? Did Batman really kill him? What does this mean for the Batwoman universe? Will Batman eventually show up in the series? And what comic book arc are they trying to tackle here?

I have so many questions, and I can’t wait to see where the series is going to go from here. I mean, Joker, how incredibly cool is that?

Anyway, this reveal helps Kate realize she isn’t alone in her darkness. Bruce went through the same ordeal, and it took him away from Gotham City, but Kate is still there, and she’s going to continue keeping the city safe even with her demons tagging along with her.

In other news, Kate and Mary finally have the “I know you’re Batwoman” talk, finally bringing Mary onto the team. I’m super hyped about this because I love Mary as a character, and I didn’t like that she was on the outskirts of things that happened this season. It can only mean great things for next season, right?

Meanwhile, Julia Pennyworth and Sophie team up in this week’s episode, leaving us to wonder whether we have a new couple alert on our hands? And how will Kate react to this, especially given Julia is officially on team C.R.O.W.?

Things are about to get interesting, folks!

Grade: B+