Batwoman Episode 01/20 - "O, Mouse!"

[Dr.]

Scheduled airdate: May 17, 2020

Synopsis:

SEASON FINALE - When one of Gotham's former heroes returns to his old stomping grounds to settle a score, both Batwoman (Ruby Rose) and Commander Kane (Dougray Scott) find themselves on the defensive. Meanwhile, Alice (Rachel Skarsten) has uncovered what could finally take down Batwoman, but she is losing hold on her henchman Mouse (guest star Sam Littlefield) and Hush (guest star Gabriel Mann), sending her spiraling into her most wicked self. Luke (Camrus Johnson) immediately focuses on finding a way to protect Batwoman from Alice, and Mary (Nicole Kang) has a chance to be the sister Kate has needed all along. New information surfaces, forcing Julia (guest star Christina Wolfe) to warn Sophie (Meagan Tandy) about the person pulling the strings. And in a final standoff, when Commander Kane refuses to retreat from his war on Batwoman, Kate may find herself more than heartbroken by her father's choices. Amanda Tapping directed the episode written by Holly Henderson and Don Whitehead.


(The interruption in production makes episode 20 the season finale. No news yet on what’s to be done with the scripts for the remaining two episodes.)


`O Mouse, do you know the way out of this pool? I am very tired of swimming about here, O Mouse!' (Alice thought this must be the right way of speaking to a mouse: she had never done such a thing before, but she remembered having seen in her brother's Latin Grammar, ‘A Mouse -- of a mouse -- to a mouse -- a mouse -- O mouse!’) The Mouse looked at her rather inquisitively, and seemed to her to wink with one of its little eyes, but it said nothing.
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

 

[Dr.]

Promo:

 

[NotNickFury]

I...can't say I dug this "finale." Honestly, the whole kryptonite subplot feels like it should've been saved for later. It felt like a bit of an afterthought in this episode until Kate pulled out the rock that she had.

Also, gotta say, Hush's Bruce Wayne looks pretty young despite having been around for years. He looks no older than Kate does. Not to mention I have to assume people would question why Bruce doesn't look any older since he vanished from Gotham City.

 

[flickchick85]

IAlso, gotta say, Mouse's Bruce Wayne looks pretty young despite having been around for years. He looks no older than Kate does. Not to mention I have to assume people would question why Bruce doesn't look any older since he vanished from Gotham City.

The actor is 44, lol.

I don't keep up with this show, but I just saw the last scene waiting for SG to start and I must say, I approve of their casting. I remember thinking he'd be a solid Bruce back when I watched him on Alphas. I hope he'll get to play the real Bruce on other Arrowverse shows in the future.

 

[terry78]

That's an interesting twist.

 

[NotNickFury]

Well, that's a good makeup job for 44, especially considering Ruby Rose is 34, yet the two don't look that much older than one another. Hell, if you told me that Warren Christie was Bruce Wayne, having been around for years already and he looks that young, I don't think I'd believe you. No, he doesn't need to like like an Iain Glen or Batfleck for an older Bruce, but come on.

 

[vantheman77]

I really hate it when they introduce someone important like Bruce Wayne with a twist that could take away epic moments from the real thing. They always do this in the Arrowverse.

 

[flickchick85]

Well, that's a good makeup job for 44, especially considering Ruby Rose is 34, yet the two don't look that much older than one another. Hell, if you told me that Warren Christie was Bruce Wayne, having been around for years already and he looks that young, I don't think I'd believe you. No, he doesn't need to like like an Iain Glen or Batfleck for an older Bruce, but come on.

I don't know if it's just the hair or 10 layers of make-up or what, but he's on a show my relatives were watching when I visited them earlier this year and he definitely didn't look that young there.

 

[ArmsHeldOut]

The actor is 44, lol.

I don't keep up with this show, but I just saw the last scene waiting for SG to start and I must say, I approve of their casting. I remember thinking he'd be a solid Bruce back when I watched him on Alphas. I hope he'll get to play the real Bruce on other Arrowverse shows in the future.

I'd all but given up hope that we'd ever see a comics-accurate Bruce Wayne in the Arrowverse or on any DCTV show for that matter, but here we are. Wonders never cease.

Can a World's Finest team-up on Supes and Lois or maybe the next big crossover be far behind? Eh... I suppose I'm getting ahead of myself. lol

Also, I might have to start watching this show now. But not today. Not today.

 

[Dr.]

Well, that's a good makeup job for 44, especially considering Ruby Rose is 34, yet the two don't look that much older than one another. Hell, if you told me that Warren Christie was Bruce Wayne, having been around for years already and he looks that young, I don't think I'd believe you. No, he doesn't need to like like an Iain Glen or Batfleck for an older Bruce, but come on.

Rose is 34; Kate Kane is 30.

Back during the Crisis discussions, some expressed interest in Conroy reprising his role as a (good) Bruce Wayne in the Earth-Prime continuity. However, his age (64) was somewhat problematic. But allowing that he could pass for 55-ish, Conroy - arguably - would have been feasible. At the other end of the spectrum, what’s the youngest Batman could be in the Batwoman continuity? I speculated about that too:

The fateful car accident/attack occurred in 2003, when Kate and Beth were 13. Batman was at the scene; so (obviously) he was already active, recognizable and engaging with the likes of the Joker. Conceivably, he might have been as young as 21-25 at the time. This kinda tracks with Kate describing Bruce as “like an older brother” (i.e., 10 or so years older). So using this assumption, Batman would have been in his late 30s when he mysteriously disappeared in 2015. He’d be in his early 40s now. (BTW, Kate and Beth just celebrated their 30th birthday - January 26.)​

BATWOMAN News & Discussion Thread

So a 44-year-old Bruce Wayne (if Christie is playing his actual age) is at least in the right neighborhood. Whereas, much more hand-waving is required to explain the age difference between Lex and Lillian Luthor.


Also… Luke explains that the Batcave is home to the only shard of kryptonite on the planet - until Kate reveals that she has a second piece. But over at National City, you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting the stuff.

 

[SupermanFan]

Wow, that ending! This is crazy and also so damn exciting. Bruce Wayne! Sure right it’s Tommy Elliott in disguise but this surely means this actor will be playing the real Bruce at some point as well. Is WBs finally letting down that wall with their reluctance to allow Batman on a TV? After all we’ve had a Bruce on Titans and we had Conroy playing an old Bruce Wayne in Crisis. But now we have an actual actor cast here on Batwoman. It’s gonna be exciting to see where this leads too that’s for sure.

Poor Mouse, it’s weird to feel sorry for a deranged psychopath but I do. As soon as he’d decided to leave I knew he was done for but it was still a really emotional moment.

The featured plot with the killer with the machete’s didn’t really do anything for me tbh. The way the crows Judy shot at Batwoman as well, what the hell? Not like she tried to attack them. Really didn’t like that choice.

I do have an issue with this Kryptonite subplot, even if it did give us a cool Superman mention. It’s just why does Alice need it? She knows who Batwoman is so she could just kill Kate? It’s a little clunky.

Also I know Luke doesn’t know about the Kryptonite over on Supergirl but I chuckled when he said this is the only Kryptonite on Earth after we’d just seen a huge chunk of it over on Supergirl haha

 

[Primal Slayer]

Wow, that ending! This is crazy and also so damn exciting. Bruce Wayne! Sure right it’s Tommy Elliott in disguise but this surely means this actor will be playing the real Bruce at some point as well. Is WBs finally letting down that wall with their reluctance to allow Batman on a TV? After all we’ve had a Bruce on Titans and we had Conroy playing an old Bruce Wayne in Crisis. But now we have an actual actor cast here on Batwoman. It’s gonna be exciting to see where this leads too that’s for sure.

They are allowing people to use Bruce Wayne but Batman isn't allowed.

Hopefully if WB is letting them use Bruce Wayne....we end up getting the real Bruce Wayne and it leads into using other characters like Dick, Barb, Gordon, etc...so Gotham can finally start to REALLY feel like Gotham.

 

[SupermanFan]

They are allowing people to use Bruce Wayne but Batman isn't allowed.

Hopefully if WB is letting them use Bruce Wayne....we end up getting the real Bruce Wayne and it leads into using other characters like Dick, Barb, Gordon, etc...so Gotham can finally start to REALLY feel like Gotham.

You never know. The Arrowverse have really pushed the boundaries of the TV embargoes at times so maybe one day.

 

[Primal Slayer]

You never know. The Arrowverse have really pushed the boundaries of the TV embargoes at times so maybe one day.

Of course anything can happen but I dont think they'd let a CW show use Batman before their own streaming service.

 

[SupermanFan]

Of course anything can happen but I dont think they'd let a CW show use Batman before their own streaming service.

Stranger things have happened haha plus we’ve already sort of seen him.

 

[NotNickFury]

Huh. The internet works fast, but completely forgot until someone brought it up that Warren Christie appeared in this universe before on Arrow as Carter Bowen.

Maybe Crisis or Flashpoint changed that.

 

[Primal Slayer]

Huh. The internet works fast, but completely forgot until someone brought it up that Warren Christie appeared in this universe before on Arrow as Carter Bowen.

Maybe Crisis or Flashpoint changed that.

Everyone has a twin....

 

[proserv]

I am pretty sure I am done with this show. An old DC fan, I tried to give Batwoman the ongoing benefit of the doubt but the level of stupid has risen to a level I cannot abide. Some examples:

1. Tiny, injured woman being shot multiple times not being affected by the impact. Body armor is one thing. A magic suit is another.
2. Magic suit only vulnerable to kryptonite.
3. Not in this episode but in most: Tiny women able to almost stroll through multiple large, violent men twice their size but defeated in combat by other tiny women. Waif-fu, at it's worst.
4. Putting removed faces on anyone else changes their entire body to look exactly like someone else.
5. Bruce Wayne. Where did the face come from? Or can Alice now make faces from scratch?
6. Kate/Batwoman having no detective skills at all.
7. Believing that a deputized security force (idiotic as a premise) would let a wanted criminal (Batwoman) go because of an emotional request from another young girl.

There are many more but the show does not merit a full list.

And no, the LQBTQ element of the show is not one of its issues, except for the supposed adults acting like teenagers.

 

[Thome216]

As a truncated finale went, this was good. Yes there are parts that don't hold water, but on the whole, I liked it. Jacob just deciding to start killing people and turning his Crows into an assassination squad is a bad thing and needs to be explored. The same with Kate and Mary realizing their father is capable of doing it, whether or not he knew his daughter was his target.

The best scene was Mouse's death. It shows, as if we needed more, that Alice is off the deep end and will not be redeemed, which I was hoping she would be. But she saw Mouse as her only true family, and to sacrifice him in order to exact revenge against people she could have just walked away from is, well, insane. Still, I was hoping they could have brought her back, but once Kate and Jacob tricked her into Arkham, you could see that possibility disappearing.

The surprise Bruce Wayne, as fake as he is, was pretty cool. Tommy Elliot has had a hard-one for the Bruce for a while, and to be basically turned into him was a nice touch. I too thought the actor looked too young, but from reading above it can be made to fit, esp if he just looks younger than he is. It could also be explained that Elliot is wearing a 'fresh' face rather than one wearing all the age is should have by this point. Still, a little sad they didn't get Kevin Conroy for the part. Would have kept continuity, and just would have been super cool!

Again, the kryptonite plot is weak. You could cut through it with a pare of paper scissors, and just goes to show that the writers have to do more critical thinking before they go ahead with an arc. But I can let it slide as I like most everything else.

To proserc's points, I agree on a few and disagree on others.
Yes, Kate should be covered in bruises from the impacts of the shots. I can accept a hand-wave about a super suit being bullet-proof, but that impact still hits the body. It would have been far more dramatic if we had seen Kate suffering from all the hits as well as seeing her body being beaten from it.
However, point 3, I think you're referring to the Arkham riot fight? I can see it happening though, esp if she surprises her adversaries rather than going one-on-one, as she did in that scene. She wasn't engaging with them one-on-one, she was hitting them while they were distracted with another opponent and then moving on. In fact, her goal in the scene was to get the guards out of danger rather than put down rioters. And if she was using her night sight while the main lighting was out then that gives her another advantage.
There have been many times however, including the finale, where we see her being tossed around like a rag-doll by larger male opponents, so overall I like the depictions of the fight scenes.
For point 6, she's not Bruce Wayne. She doesn't have any detective training, although that can certainly be learned. But the fact that they show no true detective work is not strictly a Batwoman problem. There have been a lot of movies about Batman where true detective work isn't really shown. It would be great to see, but it slows down the action.
As to point 7, they didn't. As said in the first point, Jacob double-crossed her and tried to murder her.

Going forward to season 2, I would love it if we had more of her comic villains showing up. Not a Vampirella with sharpened teeth, but a real vampire. (Just no rapey bits please...) And ghosts and monsters that would set it further apart from Arrow and the other Superverse shows. Bring us Maro and Bloody Mary, the Weeping Woman and Endless Winter!
One of the best things about her rogues gallery was their often supernatural nature.

 

[Dr.]

...Yes, Kate should be covered in bruises from the impacts of the shots. I can accept a hand-wave about a super suit being bullet-proof, but that impact still hits the body. It would have been far more dramatic if we had seen Kate suffering from all the hits as well as seeing her body being beaten from it.

The batsuit is pure sci-fi phlebotium. According to a prior episode, Lucius Fox made the original from a specially designed woven Kevlar enriched with carbon nanotubes. Result: the suit isn’t just bulletproof - it somehow (?) dissipates the energy of bullet impacts.

With the recent introduction of kryptonite, I wondered if the suit was actually Kryptonian tech. (Perhaps Superman had given the “fabric” to Bruce and Lucius years ago; and in turn, the same material was used for Kate’s costume.) But then I remembered that the suit was also vulnerable to the “rail gun” bullets. So I guess kryptonite is dangerous just because it’s exceptionally tough stuff (which isn’t necessarily canon - or even internally consistent with the Arrowverse ).

 

[Holy Slapper]

Nice finale. Great second half to the season.

 

[Thome216]

With the recent introduction of kryptonite, I wondered if the suit was actually Kryptonian tech. (Perhaps Superman had given the “fabric” to Bruce and Lucius years ago; and in turn, the same material was used for Kate’s costume.) But then I remembered that the suit was also vulnerable to the “rail gun” bullets. So I guess kryptonite is dangerous just because it’s exceptionally tough stuff (which isn’t necessarily canon - or even internally consistent with the Arrowverse ).

Well, Alice knows the rail gun works. It might be easier to just get another one of those.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Season finale? No, Rose Finale.

 

[Lencho01]

I thought it was ok an a finale. But, this whole thing about Kryptonite being the only thing to penetrate the Batsuit is still weird to me.

Don't know anything about the actor for Bruce, but I like his look.

I'm kinda happy Mouse is gone. I just didn't care much for the character.