Batwoman 1x20 : O, Mouse! review

Be warned there will be *SPOILERS* involved in this review. With that being said let's get into it. 

Batwoman's season finale has come and gone and with it a lot of questioned were answered but there was also a lot more to take in as season 1 ends with no season 2 until early 2021. The episode begins as we see an escaped inmate from Arkham making his way onto the Gotham subway. Wielding two blades he threatens people before he ends up actually killing a man in cold blood. Jacob and Kate Kane soon turn up battling off the giant man whose name is Tim Teslow. Nicknamed Tim ''The Titan'' Teslow we learn that he used to play football for the Gotham Giants but it all ended awfully with him snapping the neck of a referee after he didn't agree with a decision he made. We later learn that his brother testified against him in court which led to him being sent to Arkham. His story doesn't end there as he is out and looking for revenge for not only his brother but all involved in his story which honestly could've easily been avoided but more on that a bit later. At the end of last week's episode we saw Alice and Mouse resort to hiding in the sewers. Well we see them there again as Alice's search for Kryptonite continues. Mouse wants to leave Gotham ASAP and even suggests that he leave on his own. He says he doesn't need Alice to survive and that without her he did survive for many years. Hush then shows up and demands that Alice deliver on her promise of bestowing him with a new face. This leads to Alice setting off from the sewers back into the city as she goes to retrieve the materials needed for Tommy Elliott's new face. 

Back at Wayne Enterprises and Luke talks to Kate about the last remaining piece of Kryptonite that Bruce kept in the bat-cave. It's in Kate's possession and even though she doesn't know Alice want it she and the rest of the team are intent on destroying the rock. As for The Crows (especially Jacob) they are intent on destroying Batwoman and not only her to justice but everyone involved with her. This leads to Kate using Mary as bait to get to Jacob atop the building where the bat-signal is. Mary talks to her dad whom she believes will listen to her. She says that Batwoman isn't the enemy rather she is a symbol of hope within Gotham. Batwoman soon shows up on the rooftop and offers her hand to Jacob stating that they work together and bring down Tim Teslow as on her own Batwoman is no match for Teslow as thanks to his football days he can no longer feel much pain due to the damage done to his brain which the football association attempted to hide. The part of his brain that relays pain to his body had been comprised which in turn makes him almost unstoppable in combat. 

The episode draws to a close with the alliance of Batwoman and The Crows taking shape. They've set up a plan to stop Teslow inside the Gotham Goliath's Stadium where earlier Teslow had killed his own brother. This time however Batwoman is not alone she is backed by The Crows and just as it looks like she has managed to talk The Titan down he gets shot multiple times by Crow members. The lights go up in the middle of the field revealing a circle of Crow members around Batwoman all with their weapons sharply focused on her. She yells at Jacob asking what is he doing but his declaration of war in last week's episode was indeed legit. The Crows open fire on Batwoman with rounds hitting her suit. She hides behind her cape before ultimately grappling away just as Sophie and Julia run into the Stadium. Sophie stands up for Batwoman which like Mary earlier baffles Jacob. More on Alice now and before her and Mouse leave Gotham she has one final tea party in mind. One final..fatal tea party. That's right she ends up poisoning Mouse and killing him. He might have been alone for a lot of his life but he didn't die alone rather he died in the arms of someone who truly loved him even though Alice had just killed him for not wanting to stay in Gotham with her until she kills Batwoman. What an odd relationship thought the Hatter. Back at Wayne Enterprises and Luke who had been working on finding a way to destroy the piece of Kryptonite before it fell into the wrong hands shows up and presents Kate and Mary with the piece of rock that is now mere dust. Mary blows it away stating that nothing can kill Batwoman now but Kate has something that can. She shows both Luke and Mary the piece of Kryptonite that she has. Given to her by Kara incase she ever goes rogue Kate says that she won't do anything about the rock until she can talk to Kara about it. Perhaps in season 2?? the episode ends with one final BIG reveal. With the promise of Alice getting Tommy Elliott a new face she comes through and in a really impressive way. Not only is Tommy Elliott free of his bandages but Alice has given him the face of none other than Gotham's most famous son Bruce Wayne. Holding up a magazine with Bruce on it we're revealed to this shows's version of Bruce albeit in a face stealing way. This has the potential to be absolutely huge in season 2 as Alice tasks Bruce with infiltrating Wayne Enterprises to get the remaining Kryptonite piece which Alice knows is somewhere in the building. The original piece isn't but Kate's piece is still very much intact. Wow what an ending as we finish season 1 and head into season 2 in early 2021. This episode was really great. It may not have been intended as the season finale of season 1 but it certainly felt that way. The stakes were high between Batwoman and The Crows and the reveal of Tommy Elliot now sporting Bruce Wayne's face was indeed a season ending game changer going forward.

And that was Batwoman season 1. Was it good overall? no. Was it good in parts?? definitely. The first number of episodes pre Crisis were rough to say the least with some truly forced scenes featuring Kate's sexuality and how being a woman is better. But once post Crisis On Infinite Earths kicked in Batwoman really put the pedal to the medal. Ruby Rose was a good lead even if her emotions don't really come across that good at times. Alice was easily the best villain on this show and while people like Hush and Magpie were cool to see it was Alice who stole the show on multiple occasions. The story arc of Lucius Fox and his murderer too was good but kind of faded away in the last few episodes into a search for his journal. Luke Fox however was a great backup character to Kate Kane and Mary Hamilton too. Sophie Moore and Julia Pennyworth were ex lovers of Kate and the love triangle they had going on was a tad cringey at times but for the most part it was fine. So yeah all in all Batwoman got off to a rocky start it then leveled out around Crisis before finally hitting it's stride from say episode 12 or so on. Not the greatest of first seasons for any show but it's really not the disaster made out to be. We now gotta wait until 2021 for season 2 but with the Bruce Wayne reveal I'm sure it will be worth the wait. See you in season 2 Batwoman.

★★★★

Season overall : ★★★