“Batwoman” 2×09 Recap: Black Mask Arrives In Gotham

Batwoman continued on Sunday night with the season’s big bad officially being introduced and he has some pretty horrific plans for a familiar face as well as Gotham.

In case you missed it, here are the biggest moments from episode 2×09, titled “Rule #1”.

Ryan comes into her own

While Ryan Wilder has been in the Batsuit for six episodes, Sunday’s episode officially saw her take the reins and feel completely comfortable as Batwoman following Julia Pennyworth’s reveal that Kate had actually died in the plane crash… or so she thinks.

It was also the first time Luke and Mary finally saw Ryan as their leader inside since the beginning of the season. A month after Kate’s funeral, Ryan and Mary are living as roommates and at the end of the episode, she sets a series of rules for Team Batwoman: support, accountability, and legacy.

Taking the fall

The main plot of the episode revolved around the False Face Society and the commissioner getting murdered. The Crows and the Bat Team get their hands on the camera footage, only to realize it was doctored. There was also a witness to the murder: Jordan Moore, Sophie’s sister. Jordan reveals that she saw a woman driving the getaway car wearing the same bracelet as Angelique.

A scared Angelique eventually agrees to testify in exchange for her protection. When Batwoman shows up to Angelique’s apartment, she finds it trashed and soon realizes The False Face Society’s leader, Black Mask, had gotten to her. Black Mask threatens Angelique to not testify against them or else he’d kill Ryan.

This led Angelique to take the fall for the murder, telling the Crows that she acted alone. This obviously led to Angelique being arrested and taken into custody, much to Ryan’s displeasure.

Black Mask’s plan

After it was revealed the show recast Kane Kane’s character, this week saw Black Mask revealing how Kate ended up in his cell. When her plane crashed, Kate fought Black Mask’s men off but as punishment, he burned her face beyond recognition.

In the final scene of the episode, Black Mask and a woman, Enigma, visit Kate in her cell. Enigma decides to begin the process of brainwashing Kate.

Other Thoughts

• Black Mask explained his hatred for Batwoman comes after his daughter was killed by the prior Batwoman. He went on to say he began forming the False Face Society after Gotham failed him. Dude, therapy is so much better than killing people.
• Elsewhere in the episode, Alice did not handle her grief well after finding out Kate was dead. In a weird sequence, she had a mental breakdown and was haunted by visions of a younger Kate and her dead kitten. By the end of the episode, Alice says she wants to imagine a world where Kate never existed.

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

Batwoman returns with new episodes April 11 at 8/7c on The CW.