Batwoman S1E16 “Through the Looking Glass,” picks up on last week’s tease of a Kate and Beth buddy cop episode. Meanwhile, Luke gets some troubling news – and Kate’s instincts begin to betray her. Sudz Sutherland directed the episode written by Nancy Kiu.
This is a full recap of Batwoman S1E16: AKA beware of spoilers.
If haven’t already, make sure to read through our backlog of recaps and get caught up!
“By taking out a killer, I became one.”
Alice (Rachel Skarsten), Kate (Ruby Rose) and Jacob (Dougray Scott) are all hanging out, just like old times as Alice reminisces on the circumstances that brought them here. Jacob is digging the Queen of Heart’s grave, while Kate is still messed up about – uh – murdering Cartwright. The conversation moves onto finding Mouse, then, and Alice pulls Jacob’s gun, using it to find an escape route and peace out.
Then, Batwoman is dealing with her emotions in a healthy way. She tosses a thug onto a car windshield and almost chokes him out before seeing what she’s becoming – and has a panic attack.
Later in the Batcave, Kate monologues to Bruce about handling the death. That’s when Luke (Camrus Johnson) arrives with the news that the trial of his father’s killer was moved up for review. Yes, that’d be the same guy who helped Jacob out in prison.
Alice is back in the mannequin factory, where her Wonderland gang is lying totally slaughtered. She finds a note signed “your friend from Coryana.”
Then, Jacob and Sophie (Meagan Tandy) meet up to talk about Jacob’s findings on the Crow’s blackmail. The footage of Fox’s murder is, apparently, missing, so Jacob brings Sophie back onto the payroll to dig up the dirt. Under the table, that is.
Kate, finishing a beer, gets a call from Sophie, wondering what last night’s text was about. Kate doesn’t answer. She’s too busy ruminating about Cartwright’s revelations – until she’s interrupted by Alice that is. She needs help, as it turns out. Alice, still without Mouse, makes a deal with Kate. If she helps find him, she’ll skip town. Why? Well, as we saw, her entire crew bit the dust and Alice is freaked out. In typical superhero/villain teamup fashion, Kate makes Alice promise they do it her way. In atypical super superhero/villain teamup fashion, Alice says if her way means strangling a guy until he chokes on his own blood, she’s in. Ironically, Alice does a lot to keep this show’s tone a half a shade darker than it could be.
Jacob and Kate chat about the hunt for Mouse, the altter pretending the be interested in how the Crows are dealing, but really just fishing for info. Apparently, Mouse is beating up nurses who fear gassed him while he stayed at Arkham. Kate’s trying to get background info – when Alice gets an idea.
They head to a former nurse of Mouse’s, pretending to be undercover Crows. It works! They’re let in and post up with some brownies while they wait for Mouse to come and attempt a murder.
Luke’s got murder on the mind, too. He’s at the trial review, looking a bit sad, but Mary (Nicole Kang) surprises him with a shoulder to lean on (we ship this). The alleged killer is brought out, Luke scowls a bit and we transition to Sophie. She’s found a dead nurse and Alfred’s daughter, Julia, has found her. The two of Kate’s ex’s, apparently, are going to team up.
Alice is eating a brownie off of a switchblade back in the nurse’s house, teasing Kate. Just then, Mouse (Sam Littlefield) shows up, announcing his presence. Alice is confused about the fact that the Crows are here, but let’s be honest. He’s less than stealthy. Jacob decks him and bags him. Turns out they arrived so quickly because this former nurse saw right through the sister act and made the call herself.
They get away, thankfully, and head back to Kate’s bar. Alice refuses to leave Mouse behind. So, she says it’s time to break him out of Crow custody. She estimates Mouse will be kept deep in the bowels of Arkham. She’s right, it seems, as we transition visually to just that. Alice breaks down who has access to the keys that unlock Mouse’s cell. There are two, it turns, out, one for each sister. Kate’s hesitant, naturally, but Alice digs in. She calls her a criminal and a killer. They’re the same, she says. She even goes on to say that this was what she wanted, all part fo her plan. Realizing this, in her Nine Inch Nails shirt, Kate chucks a bottle at her sister and nearly chokes out her second person this episode.
At the trial, it turns out the judge is aware of the Crow’s misconduct. He rules a retrial, freeing the defendant of his own volition. Luke is pissed, clearly, but Mary promises they won’t go down without a fight.
“Battle not with monsters lest you become a monster.”
That passage wasn’t in the one book Alice was allowed to read, she says. Kate admits she’s become exactly that. She’s brooding, bt Alice is still trying to connect. She thanks her sincerely for killing Cartwright, begging her not to feel guilty. But Kate says she doesn’t. And that’s what makes her feel guilty. Alice recognizes she is becoming like her, wondering “would that really be so awful?” It’s a tender scene, punctuated with Kate’s promise to help Alice break Mouse out. No one dies this time. She makes her promise. But time will tell how that goes.
Then the plan is revealed as Alice tosses her sister a Wonderland gang mask.
It’s over to Arkhamfor the episode’s second half. A van pulls up to the gates and an inspection reveals a bomb underneath. While they deal with that, Kate and Alice head through underground. They mask up and kick down the door. It’s not long before they have to knockout a couple guards, but after that, they split up in search of the keys. Kate makes her promise once more not to kill anybody and they head out.
Sophie is cleaning up Julia, who took a bullet earlier on. Mary wanders in and jumps in to help. Julia introduces herself and the conversation moves to where and from who, that bullet came from.
Then, we see how Kate has rubbed off on Luke. He tailed his dad’s alleged killer and confronts him as he’s carrying his mom’s groceries. He tries to plead innocent, even reveals how proud Luke’s dad was of him. Apparently, before he died, he was telling complete strangers about how proud he was. He tells his side of the story. He went to go and get chips and woke up covered in blood. Luke believes him and it looks like he may even forgive him – before the guy is shot in the heart.
Alice is wandering through Arkham when she finds the doctor with a key, alone in his office. She chucks knife his way (just to intimidate) and the monologue begins. She can’t help but want to slice him up after what he’s done to Mouse, but that’s not on the docket today. She asks him for his keys and we move to see Kate doing some dope wall kicks. She finds the security lead, cut to Alice smashing the doc’s head on the table – and Kate is in for a real boss fight.
The music starts in heavy, they tussle and she goes for the choke again! Eh, who cares. It’s a real good scene. She does a jump kick! It’s a real wonder why this show doesn’t have more action like this. Anyway, Kate takes the guards out, Alice meets her and they go to grab Mouse.
Alice goes in and Kate stays out. She shuts the door, trapping them both inside. Jacob walks in, revealing a scheme behind the scheme, and they leave her there, screaming and crying.
Back at Crow HQ, Kate and Jacob celebrate, as much as they can. Jacob thanks her, before telling her that he moved the body, taking Alice’s only leverage away. They embrace, thinking Alice is out of their lives for good.
Luke wanders into Mary’s clinic, blood still on his shirt from Reggie’s murder. Mary tells him then, that the owner of the store where Luke’s father was killed, was shot the same way. It’s obvious to them both, then, that Reggie was set up. And The killer is still on the streets.
Julia and Sophie are catching up on the news themselves in a hotel room. Julia heads out to check on Luke and Sophie gives Jacob a ring. They’re interrupted by shots at Jacob, but he takes care of the situation quickly.
Julia arrives at Wayne Tower – the roof specifically – where she finds Kate, drinking with her feet dangling over the edge. “Im not the hero the city think I am,” she says. She tells Julia everything, the Sparknotes version, but still. Kate confesses she doesn’t know who she is Julia grabs her hand, gives her some comforting words and we fade out as they kiss.
In Arkham, Alice is fuming, quoting Wonderland.
End.
Batwoman S1E16 is a wrap. Kate and Alice’s tenuous relationship is back to where it used to be following another betrayal and, from the looks of things, Luke may be taking a spotlight in the somewhat near future (with Mary???).
