BATWOMAN 2.16

 

RECAP - BATWOMAN  2.16:  "Rebirth"  

Gotham is heating up, and it doesn't look like there will be ANY calm for the forseeable future. Even with the Crows now shut down, it won't stop Black Mask from continuing his vendetta against Jacob Kane.  He's gotten his Sionis back...in the form of Kate Kane.  But he plans on killing Kane...and his daughter Mary.  So, thanks to Alice...they've been warned.  Meanwhile, Luke is recovering from his near fatal shooting at the hands of Agent Tavarov.  But he's got much on his mind.  Batwoman continues her quest to take down Black Mask, and Alice is now on a quest to save Kate....and has her father in tow.  

This episode gave us a look at Luke going through some serious deep thinking about his life and his place in the world.  He's not exactly feeling it, being  a part of the Bat Team at this moment.  So much so, that when Batwoman tries to save a man from being killed by the returning Tatiyana to Gotham, he's not around when she needs him to alert the medics to get help for the poor guy who almost got gutted.  He pretty much told Ryan that he wasn't happy that she woke him up.  He didn't WANT to come back.  She and Mary decide to give him space, but he's really not feeling life right now.  This leads us to him meeting up with Tavarov in a bar after he finds out that Tavarov was released on bail.  While he's in the bar, he meets up with Tavarov, and they have words.  Luke is going on no fear in the moment, and decides to get into a poker game with him....all the while, this other man sits at the bar with him...chatting mildly, but keeping some sense of conversation with him.  The man eventually sits with him at the game, and watches Luke beat Tavarov, who was playing the house, and Luke knew the house cheated...so, he cheated back.  This gets him and Tavarov out in the ally, and they start to throw blows, and Tavaorov, being the former Crow and cop, easily handles Luke.  This brings out the other man, who we know is John Diggle.  Diggle breaks it up, and Tavarov threatens "Star City" with some violence, but John easily puts him down, and tells him to beat it.  John sits with Luke, and knows him as Lucius Fox's son.  Luke talks about how he was shot by Tavarov, and that in his subconscious, he saw his dad, and he didn't want to wake up.  He didn't want to be in a world where he was getting shot at, or anyone else for that matter.  Diggle talks about his dad dying overseas when he was serving in the Marines.  John says that Luke needs to take the anger he has and bottle it up, and use it for good.  John is in town to get a nurological scan (apparently, he's had some headaches, and we are wondering why).  But then we see the Bat Signal shining in morse code, asking Luke for help.  Diggle sends him on his way. 

Now, while Batwoman was dealing with Tatiyana, and wondering why SHE was back, Alice and Luke managed to kidnap Sersi Sionis (Kate), from her plush apartment out in Los Angeles, where Black Mask had set her up as some kind of model, and out of Gotham City prying eyes....along with a new PR gimmick to erase ANY of her insane past at Arkham.  Safiyah is in town to clear up some business, and she and Black Mask have been working together a little.  Safiyah asks how he got Sersi's face on Kate, he says that Alice did it.  Safiyah calls him and idiot, because Alice is Beth Kane...much to Roman's surprise. With Kate now with her sister and dad, they begin to try and reconnect her memory.  Kate does begin to show flashes of her past, as she imagines herself in a locked room, with Beth on the other side, letting her know she's there.  Ocean comes in with a box full of objects and things to jog Kate's memory.  He also takes the time to introduce himself to Jacob....he actually wants her dad to like him.  However, Tatiyana and Safiyah's goons crash the party, and while Alice gets Kate to safety, she's captured, along with Jacob.  Jacob is taken by Black Mask, who wants to avenge the death of his daughter.  So, the goons he had capture Jacob are actually cops on the take, who arrest him for aiding and abetting Alice---and Roman plans on ruining Jacob by exposing Alice as his daughter.  Alice herself is taken by Safiyah....who wants her island paradise back, because Alice burned hers to the ground.  

Batwoman and Mary are on the hunt for Tatiyana, and they come across another former victim of Sersi Sionis, due to the fact that Jacob finally told Mary that Kate is alive.  So, the search for Kate begins, as Jacob is now in jail...going to Metropolis in a transfer to keep him out of danger. He makes Mary promise to reunite her sisters.  And that he loves her and is proud of her.  That being said, Batwoman goes to check on the lawyer of Sersi's, only to find him dead, and his eyes gouged out.  Tatiyana is on the scene again, and her and Batwoman fight once more, but Tatiyana says this is not her fight, and bails. 

While trying to find Luke, and get him back to the Cave, because they need his help....Batwoman actually runs into Kate.  She takes her back to Wayne Enterprises, where Mary is overjoyed to see her, but Kate doesn't remember her.  Sophie soon arrives, and Kate remembers her, and they hug.  They try to get Kate to remember, but she's having a hard time.  They need Alice, but she's nowhere to be found.  Turns out, that knowing Tatiyana is in town, Safyiah must have Alice.  So...in order to get Kate back, Ryan decides to bargain with Safiyah for Alice with one thing---the Desert Rose.  Mary protests, but Ryan knows it's the right thing to do. With Alice captured by Safiyah, she sees the news report of her father's arrest, and he admits that she is his daughter, but for the public not to judge her, but look at HIS failures as a father.  So, Batwoman locates Safiyah, and offers her the plant...knowing it will restart her little island empire.  Batwoman says the plant was the only thing to tie her to her adoptive mother, but she's willing to give it to Safiyah in order to spare Alice...so that her friend can have her sister back.  Alice is freed, and she feels she's got it all...but Safiyah tells her she should know better.  Alice understands the ominous tone Safiyah took with her, and when her and Batwoman leave, Alice wants to go find Ocean.  She ditches Batwoman, and heads into the subway tunnel to their subway car to find Ocean.  She runs into Tatiyana, who is there to finally kill her off.  But Alice kills her instead.  She then reaches the subway car, where she finds Ocean...dead for real, this time. Safiyah's ominus warning coming true. 

Kate and Sophie try to connect, but Kate is still fuzzy, and needs a drink.  She tells Sophie where to get it---from her desk in her office.  When Sophie returns, Kate is gone.  Kate has gone back to Roman...stabbing his hand to the chair...wondering WHY that IF she is Sersi Sionis...that she has Kate Kane's memories.  Roman tries to play it off...but she's not buying it. Safiyah shows up, and says that Roman should tell her the truth---let the woman decide. Luke arrives back at the Cave, and Ryan tells him that she doesn't regret that she saved his life.  They hug, and it looks like they're closer now. Mary then let's Luke know that Kate is alive.

Sure, it's a jumbled way to recap what went on this week, but everyone had their story to tell.  First off...GREAT to see Diggle again!  I thought it was cool that he helped out Luke through his situation with being back among the land of the living...but angry about how he was treated, and how Tavarov walks around like he did nothing wrong.  Also thought it was nice that Diggle put Tavarov down without much effort.  Tavarov has ZERO idea just how badly Diggle could mess him up.  But what worries ME...is what in the hell is wrong with Diggle that he's in Gotham to get his head checked out?  What is THIS stemming from?  And is it something that we'll see on another show?  He DOES live in Metropolis now...so, maybe he'll figure it out with Superman?  I'm curious where THIS goes.

Jacob being arrested for Alice is bogus, but this goes to show how deep Roman's pockets run, now that he's practically exposed as Black Mask.  And we see now how close the working relationship betweeen he and Safiyah go.  But LOVE how she had to practically smack him upside the head when she told him that Alice was Beth Kane.  And we KNEW retribution was coming for Alice.  As much as she wanted Kate back, it wasn't coming without a price...and that price was her heart.  Her love for Ocean, as Tatiyana did Safiyah's brother in to prove a point to Alice...and for probably failing to get the Desert Rose back for her.  It took barganing with Batwoman---whom she has no quarrel with---to get a plant back...to start growing again. But Safiyah was going to nake Alice suffer.  And once she finds out that Tatiyana is dead at the hands of Alice...I've no doubt that Safiyah might sink her claws in to Kate...warping her mind MORESO after Roman and Enigma did their job turning her into Sersi Sionis.  

Speaking of Kate, it was pretty interesting how we see her battling the Sersi persona in her head while Alice, Jacob, and Sophie try to reach her.  She is now the trapped girl in the room, and Sersi is the psycho trying to keep her locked away.  So, the last two episodes will be very interesting to see just where Kate goes from here...and whether or not she can be saved.  Jacob confessing about Alice, and admitting his mistakes on the news was his one way of telling Alice he was sorry...and it didn't go unnoticed.  Alice actually took it to heart.  As much anger as she has had at her father....and how miserable she's made him...at the end of the day....that's her dad...and whether she likes it or not...she's still got a soft spot for him.  It was also something to note that while Kate did connect with Alice...she didn't get a chance with her father...and Mary seemed like a complete stranger to her.  But she instantly recognized Sophie.  So, how Kate battles Sersi for control of her mind and sanity will be the crux of everything going on in the next two episodes...aside from bringing Black Mask down. 

As for Luke....glad he was able to work through his issues a little...with Diggle's help.  What this means for him going down the road?  Hard to say...but hopefully, he'll be recommitted to the Bat Team from here on out.  They're going to need him....the big fight for Gotham is just ahead.

So....what did YOU all think of this week's episode?  Did it get you hyped up about the season finale?  Has this season of the Scarlet Knight far surpassed last season?  Subscribe and lemme know what you think!

Until next time...the Signal is OFF!