‘Batwoman’ 1×15 Recap: Kate Crosses The Big Line

Anyone who knows Batman knows that the caped crusader vowed to never kill. However, in Sunday night’s episode of Batwoman, Kate broke her promise and it may change her going forward.

Alice’s trip down memory lane

The episode kicks off with Batwoman finding a “gift” from Alice, which was a knocked out Cartwright with a note in his mouth that read “Ask about Mommy Dearest”. Kate calls Jacob over and has to explain the whole Alice not being dead thing (you can probably imagine how that conversation went).

Alice is looking for Mouse, who we know is currently hooked up to Scarecrow’s fear toxic thanks to his deranged father. Alice finds Mouse but the toxic messed with his brain and he now fears Alice. He turns the tables on her and now straps her in to see what she fears the most, which is Cartwright’s mother Mabel.

Through flashbacks, we learn that Mabel was a bitter and abusive woman. She abused young Alice by pouring hot tea on her hands as punishment, cutting her hair short against her will, and slapping her. My heart absolutely broke for both young Alice and present-day Alice, who you could see was in tears at just the thought of reliving her version of hell on Earth.

Which Mommy Dearest?

With Cartwright tied up, he informed Kate and Jacob that if Alice isn’t found in time, the fear toxin would overtake her and any sanity she has left would be gone forever. Luckily enough, Jacob finds her in time and injects Alice with the adrenaline used to neutralize the toxin.

As Alice is coming down from her fear high, she tells him that the “Mommy Dearest” on the note she left for Kate was not Mabel. It was in fact her and Kate’s mother, Gabi. You see, Mabel loved Gabi Kane’s earrings, which matched her daughters’ red birthstone. How did she know about the earrings? This leads us to probably the most gruesome flashback yet as a teenage Alice discovers her mother’s severed head inside a locked freezer with the earrings missing. This sends Alice completely over the edge as she uses Mabel’s oxygen tank as a flamethrower to kill her.

Kate breaks her vow

Speaking of killing, the show ends with a moment that will likely change Kate’s journey forever. She gets a call from Luke and Mary, who tells her Cartwright was the one who shot and killed Beth. That combined with Cartwright mentioning that he had her mother’s severed head in his freezer all those years ago sent Kate into a blind rage of anger and she chokes Cartwright to death.

Kate is shaken by what she has just done and when Jacob and Alice join her, Alice gleefully tells Jacob both his daughters are now murderers.

Other Thoughts

• Rachel Skarsten killed it in this episode as she played two different versions of Alice, perfectly conveying the fear and anger her character had in two very different moments of her life. Solid job!
• I really like the show went a different route with Kate, making her kill for the first time. It separates her from Bruce Wayne/Batman and shows that she is her own person that will make mistakes.
• Elsewhere in the hour, Mary was snooping again as she tried to find more proof that Kate is Batwoman but to no avail.

What did you think of the episode? Let me know in the comments below!

Batwoman airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.