This review was written by Aimee Hicks, Donna Cromeans (DJRiter), and Ellys Cartin.
Batwoman delivered a fun action-packed episode with If You Believe in Me, I'll Believe in You . With the return of Reagan (Brianne Howey) to Kate’s (Ruby Rose) life and the growing interest between Julia (Christina Wolfe) and Sophie (Meagan Tandy) this episode added a little spice into the romantic lives of our heroines. We also got to witness Mary’s (Nicole Kang) big introduction to the Bat club. Continue reading below to find out our thoughts on the episode. After reading, please leave your thoughts in the comments.
This episode was full of big returns including the return of Reagan (Brianne Howey) who ended up surprisingly being the sister of Magpie (Rachel Matthews). To protect her sister Reagan sacrificed her strong bond with Kate by stealing the journal from Kate after a night of sexual reconnection. Were you surprised by Reagan’s betrayal? From the looks of the promo these two ladies will encounter each other again. How do you think their next encounter will go? Can Kate treat Reagan like a typical bad guy? Or when she learns the truth about Reagan protecting her sister that her own history with Alice (Rachel Skarsten) will cloud her judgment? Can Kate and Reagan ever have any sort of relationship again after this betrayal?
Aimee: I was surprised by Reagan’s betrayal, but in the best possible way. While I adore Reagan, this twist made her all the more interesting and a character that could be Kate’s version of Kryptonite because it’s hard to deny that those two do have a real connection beyond the deception. It also means that we will see Reagan more as shown in the promo and hopefully they won’t neatly tie up her storyline again leaving the door open for more of in future seasons. Howey and Wolfe are the two best additions to the show this season and both need much more prominent places in the cast going forward. I think the next encounter between Reagan and Kate will be full of angst and betrayal. From the looks of the promo, Reagan will at the very least encounter Kate as Batwoman and I’m not so sure she’s not at least a little bit convinced that Kate is Batwoman. So that should be interesting. I don’t think Kate will be able to rough up Reagan like a normal bad guy, because I don’t think she is inherently evil and I think Kate will see that too. She is a woman who is blinded by loyalty to her sister and that is something Kate can relate to. As much as I love Kate and Reagan together, and Howey and Rose have explosive chemistry, I don’t know that there is any scenario where they could be a couple again. If it does somehow work out for them, I’ll be thrilled, but I just don’t see it happening since this was a massive betrayal and Kate isn’t exactly the forgive and forget type. I do see a scenario where Kate lets Reagan walk and they keep encountering each other periodically and fall back into old habits of ending up in bed together. As for a relationship, that I just don’t see happening, but I so hope the writers somehow prove me wrong. Also, I need Reagan to live. I can see a horrific scenario where Reagan does know Kate is Batwoman and sacrifices herself to save Kate proving her true feelings in a big way. I hope the writers do not go down that path and Reagan can be someone that comes and goes from Kate’s life throughout the series always having a connection with her and always causing Kate to struggle with matters of the heart. So much potential with the character and I hope they keep her around in some capacity.
Donna: The twist of Reagan’s identity did surprise me as I think it’s one of the things the writers got right in this episode. While it may seem like a convenient plot device to some, for me it opens countless reasons for them to keep this interesting character around longer. While they’ve given us several ladies for romantic encounters, this truly seems the one Kate could become the most invested in. I never saw the chemistry and connection between Kate and Sophie like I see with Kate and Reagan. There’s an electricity between Rose and Howey whenever they’re on screen together and I’m glad the writers have recognized that and have found a way to hopefully keep Howey around. That next encounter between Kate and Reagan is going to be fraught with anger, betrayal, and yes even fear. However, in the long run, I think Kate will ultimately believe her and help her. Whether or not the two can develop a long-term relationship remains to be seen, but initially keeping Reagan around is something Kate is willing to risk and fight for.
Ellys: In an episode that I enjoyed; the roughest part was the domino train of events involving Reagan at the end. For Kate to not prioritize the journal, for Reagan to steal the journal in a way that left no doubt she was the thief, and for Reagan and Magpie to be sisters, it was a bit much. Still, Howey and Rose’s fantastic chemistry gives me hope that we could see much more of Reagan. I dare to hope we might see her embark on a shady career of her own. Perhaps she even ends up as the Cat to Kate’s Bat.
Julia also proved to be harboring her own secrets after it was revealed that she parted ways with the SRS over 6 months earlier. It was also revealed that she is working with someone to obtain the journal. Who do you think Julia is working for? Do you think she still has Kate’s best interests at heart or will she go the same route as Reagan and betray Kate as well? Is the fact we now know Julia came back to Gotham with mysterious intentions mean that she wants something from Sophie? Or are Julia’s growing feelings for Sophie genuine?
Aimee: Julia is a Pennyworth and they are known for being blinded by their loyalty to the Bat. I don’t think she is working for any enemy or bad guy. I suspect she is either working for Bruce or in the case of a big plot twist Lucius Fox himself who may have faked his own death. Come on, I can’t be the only one thinking that he could still be alive. Characters in CW DC shows aren’t known for necessarily always staying dead. So, I think at the core of all this Julia does have Kate’s best interests in mind. That won’t make this secret any easier for Kate to take when she finds out that Julia has been working a secret mission right behind her back this entire time. Regarding Julia and Sophie, I think the spy was caught off guard by her feelings for Sophie, and there are feelings in play. That doesn’t mean that she isn’t also using Sophie in some capacity. A lot of people are poised to be hurt by Julia and Reagan’s betrayals of Kate and that’s nothing but great for plot points for the final episodes of the season and entirely bad for Kate.
Donna: Given the Pennyworth family’s devotion to the Wayne’s and Bat-family in general, it wouldn’t surprise me to find that Julia’s return has been orchestrated by dear cousin Bruce, himself. The more Kate becomes Batwoman the more she will be surrounding herself with danger and he could have sent the much-accomplished spy as back-up to his cousin. Protecting and serving the Bat-family will always come first for her, as it always has for the Pennyworth family. While her mission may have been to locate the journal and intercept anything that could harm the reigning Bat, meeting Sophie may be a surprise she wasn’t expecting. Is Julia the true Bond-like "love them and leave them" type spy she purports to be? In this case I don’t think so, I think her feelings for Sophie are genuine and could cause issues for her when it comes to those feelings and using Sophie to accomplish her mission. Much like Rose and Howey, the chemistry between Tandy and Wolfe is palpable and the writers would be remiss in ignoring that going forward.
Ellys: Julia’s flirtation with Sophie came from a natural place of mutual attraction and cheeseburger adoration. Then we have this twist that Julia is working for someone else to retrieve the journal, a secret she keeps by snapping someone’s neck. The last time Julia was in town she was out to seemingly keep Safiyah’s people from obtaining a Batman-killing weapon. Now there’s a Batman-killing journal in the mix and Safiyah’s lurking in the background. There are coincidences, but these facts don’t add up to be a coincidence. Is Julia a double agent or triple agent involved with Safiyah? Is she working with the offscreen Bruce Wayne? Does she know why Bruce left Gotham? How long can she hope to keep her real mission secret?
Mary seems to be one of the few women in Kate’s life at the moment not harboring some big secret that could put her in danger. But Mary still manages to find herself in plenty of dangerous situations. While it took Kate time to come around to the idea of Mary being a part of the team, Mary came through for her in a big major way. Do you think this is the start of Kate really embracing Mary as part of the team? What do you envision her place on the team being going forward? Will she just be the resident doctor or will she be in the field more often like she was in this episode? Also, what were your impressions about her introduction to the Batcave?
Aimee: We saw Kate accept Mary as part of the team by the end of the hour. However, that was before Reagan betrayed Kate. Now I expect every relationship in Kate’s life will be scrutinized and Mary might have to fight an uphill battle again to stay in Kate’s inner circle. As for her place on the team, I think we’ll see her primarily be the team doctor, but I don’t think this was the last time we’ll see her in a field situation. I suspect the team will find themselves needing Mary’s help out there more often than they would like and she will eventually morph into a vigilante heroine in her own right as we have seen happen with so many other CW DC characters. This is the start of great stuff for Mary as a character and I can’t wait to see what Kang does with this newly added element to Mary’s life. I absolutely love the way Kang portrayed Mary’s introduction to the Batcave. It is fun to watch the serious side of Mary work, but equally as fun to watch her social media maven side come out too. Mary is a very layer rich character and I love that they made her reaction to the Batcave be so innocent and fun to counter all the serious stuff we saw from her.
Donna: Kate/Batwoman got a first-hand demonstration of how NOT to underestimate Mary Hamilton. Yes, please, put Mary in the field more often. Her rescue of Batwoman was smart, fun, and classic Mary Hamilton! She gave that part of the episode the fun, superhero energy with which the show has often struggled. I’m sure at some point they’ll need Mary’s skills as a doctor, but the most valuable asset she brings to the table is the ability to think on her feet and improvise. She doesn’t see the world or things in absolutes like Kate and Luke, and that’s a benefit this team needs. She is the connection to the real world and her out-of-the-box ideas and how Luke and Kate deal with them are going to be such fun to watch. Hands-down, watching Mary’s reaction to the Batcave was perhaps one of the best scenes of the episodes. Watching Kang have the still adrenaline-filled Mary go speechless and as wide-eyed as a child first seeing the presents beneath the tree on Christmas morning was such a delight to watch and perfectly embodied everything we love about this character.
Ellys: Kate is going to need to be 100% onboard with accepting Mary’s wisdom, because goodness knows her sister can’t lug in a $2.5 million briefcase to bail out Batwoman every time a mission goes wrong. Mary has shown herself to be significantly more than the resident doc. Her social and strategy games are strong, and she is a good halfway personality between Luke’s more cautious and Kate’s more reckless qualities. Her arc in this episode did make me wonder who oversees Hamilton now that Catherine is dead. I can see that being a significant factor next season.
Luke (Camrus Johnson) had to sit back and watch more people he cares about risk their lives for his father’s journal. We now know that multiple parties have an active interest in obtaining the journal. We saw the lengths Luke was willing to go on his own to try to find out why his father was murdered. Do you think he will branch away from Kate to try to get the journal back on his own? Or will he continue to work with her as a team to get it back? Or do you think he’ll become a hot target by Alice and Mouse (Sam Littlefield) thinking he could crack the code for them? What part do you think Luke will play in the continuing saga of the journal?
Aimee: Luke tried doing things his own way and it almost ended very badly several times. I would like to believe that he has learned his lesson and will continue to work with Kate to get the journal back. However, with that said, he is also a noble kind of guy who seemed genuinely upset that people he cares about were in peril because of something that belongs to his father. So, I’m not ruling out that he could go rogue and try to track it down on his own, but I hope he doesn’t. The last thing Kate needs right now is anyone else in her inner circle going rogue on her. Now, him becoming a target for Alice and Mouse I can definitely see happening. He is the son of the writer of the journal and I suspect that it won’t take the psychopathic duo long to try to get their hands on him to help crack the code. I think Luke will play a big part in the continuing saga of the journal. The story could go several directions regarding just how involved he’ll be and I’m excited to see how the story with the journal plays out and who will have the journal when the season abruptly ends. I suspect we may have to wait until next season to get too much resolution to the journal.
Donna: Luke will wisely recognize that he and Kate share a vested interest in getting the journal back and deciphering it. He will realize that while he has the intellect and drive to get the journal, he will need Kate and Mary’s street smarts and people skills to do just that. It’s only logical that he, being who he is, will be the key to the journal’s code and thus make him a target of anyone who possesses it, Alice and Mouse included.
Ellys: If I were Alice and Mouse, kidnapping Luke to decode the journal would be top of my priority list. If I were Luke, I would be giving Kate way more grief for ranking a booty call over securing something that my father died for.
While Alice was busy making moves to get the journal, she took a meeting with Jacob (Dougray Scott). Father and daughter had a tough conversation. Both at times seemed genuine in their words, but at other times it was clear they were trying to play the other. What parts of their conversation do you think were sincere? Since we know Alice has the ability to leave Arkham whenever she wants, do you think her threats for going after her father were sincere or just talk? Is she actually capable of killing her father or sister? She claims to want the journal in order to figure out how to kill a Bat. But is that Bat she wants to kill her sister or her cousin? Is she capable of overcoming the twin bond to kill her sister or have her killed?
Aimee: I think Alice is a lot like her father in more ways than either of them would like to admit. They have both mastered the art of manipulation. I think Alice is a lot of talk when it comes to killing her father and sister. She could walk out whenever she wants and make good on her declaration to her dad, but she hasn’t. She knows Kate is Batwoman and could also take her out whenever she wants, but hasn’t. I don’t think she intends to use the weapon from the journal to kill Kate, but instead to go after their cousin. I think her initial interest in the weapon was to keep anyone else from getting their hands on it to hurt her sister. Though she has spun the story to Mouse differently. What I think could happen is that Mouse will crack the code or somehow get his hands on the weapon and Alice will have to choose between her blood sister or her pseudo-brother. I think the twin bond is too strong for even Alice’s psychosis to overcome. She won’t be able to kill Kate no matter what she claims, but their father, well, he may be another story. She may just be waiting for the right moment to strike. But I still just don’t think she’ll do it. I’m very curious to see how things will play out as Alice continues to rule over Arkham and plan for her next big grand family reunion.
Donna: Alice cannot stop someone from killing her favorite Bat, namely her sister, unless she knows how someone plans to do it. That’s just the type of twisted logic Alice would use. Despite the betrayal, she still loves her sister and I think blames her father for it. So, if Alice can kill either her father or her sister my money would be on dear old Dad. It is sort of ironic too, in that Alice and Dad are so very much alike in their single-mindedness.
Ellys: With Alice still feeling the sting of betrayal very sharply, it’s cathartic for her to plan another revenge. I can’t see her coming face-to-face with her sister and going through with killing her. Jacob’s line about needing to protect the daughters he had left was an impactful line, though it would have meant more if we saw more Kane family dynamics. Alice thinking about killing Batwoman is just a time filler; a bigger threat is coming, and I’m not just talking about the villains she has unleashed on Gotham.
There were three big returns in this episode, Reagan, Tommy Elliot (Gabriel Mann), and Magpie, they all were part of the same interwoven storyline. Seeing as all three were on the loose by the end of the hour, which do you think poses the biggest threat to Kate and her team?
Aimee: In terms of the biggest physical threat that is clearly Tommy. He started the process of becoming a major comic villain, Hush, so that puts him at the top of the threat list. Magpie is more of an annoyance than a major baddie. Reagan, however, while not being a villain might present the biggest emotional threat to Kate and her team because of the feelings Kate has invested in her. The betrayal will rattle Kate and that could present problems for the team as a whole because it will inevitably make Kate review and challenge every person she thought she could trust. Reagan’s betrayal will send shockwaves through Kate’s world because unlike a big bad like Hush that Kate can fight there is no easy cure to handle and deal with what Reagan did.
Donna: In terms of physical threats, turning the already unstable Elliot into Hush makes him the most dangerous. Yet the emotional upheaval caused by her betrayal makes Reagan a serious psychological threat to Kate. Will trying to clear or help Reagan make Kate/Batwoman even more reckless in her actions than she already is at times? Possibly and that may make Reagan the more serious threat now.
Ellys: Given that Magpie and Reagan are more con artists and thieves than troubled or violent types, I’d say the bigger danger at the moment is Tommy/Hush whose already flimsy sanity can’t have been helped by the loss of his face.
Which performer do you think delivered the most memorable performance in the episode? Why did their performance standout for you? What were their best scenes?
Aimee: This is tough because Ruby Rose, Nicole Kang, Rachel Skarsten, Christina Wolfe, and Brianne Howey were all phenomenal in this episode. The ladies definitely delivered big time. I honestly can’t pick between the five of them. The performances all of them delivered will be memorable for me. Rose, Kang, and Skarsten delivered their usual levels of expected powerhouse acting. Rose’s best scenes were with Howey and Kang. Rose was really on it this episode as both Batwoman and Kate. She really delivered. Kang was just amazing in every scene, but I really loved the scene in the club where she rescued Kate. That and the Batcave reveal were my favorites for her. Skarsten absolutely nailed the scene with Scott at Arkham. There was so much hurt and heartbreak and strife in her performance. Wolfe dominated the action sequences and I loved seeing her portray Julia as a bit caught up in her attraction to Sophie. My favorite scene for her was when she freed herself. There was a glint of trouble in her eyes as Julia eliminated the threat the woman posed to her secret. Then there was Howey who made Reagan such a compelling character prior to this big Magpie reveal and even more so now. I adored all of her scenes with Rose. Those two just have incredible chemistry, a spark that lights every scene they share. She is also, correct me if I’m wrong, the only person Rose has shared an intimate scene with. Rose’s Kate has kissed Wolfe and Tandy’s characters, but I think Howey’s Reagan is the only one Kate has shared an intimate moment with on screen. While all the Kate and Reagan interactions were a great joy to watch, my favorite Howey scene was at the end with the reveal that Magpie is Reagan’s sister. Through Howey’s terrific performance you could see the pain Reagan felt at having to betray Kate. She had to help her sister, but at the same time, she hated doing what she did and that shone through in Howey’s performance.
Donna: Strong performances from virtually all the performers saved a weak script this week. Choosing just one is difficult but think I have made my decision. A delight since the first episode, watching Nicole Kang give us so many different sides to Mary in one episode gives her the edge for me. She starts off with the giddy enthusiasm of a newcomer with her champagne toast was typical Mary, like the kid excited to finally be chosen to play with the cool kids on the playground. Then we had disappointed Mary when Kate tells her it’s too dangerous to go on a mission with them. Then we have fast thinking and super-cool Mary when she, in a killer outfit, confidently sashays into the bad guy’s lair calmly carrying $2.5 million in cash and buying Batwoman. Then there’s the kid sister Mary, proud of herself coming to rescue big-sister Kate and reveling in her attention when Kate apologizes to her and tells her she did good. However, my favorite Mary of this episode was the wide-eyed and speechless Mary with her first visit and good look at the Batcave. This is a character that should be in all future Batwoman iterations either on the page or on-screen.
Ellys: My favorite scenes were Kate and Mary under the umbrella and Kate and Reagan’s banter at the bar. We’ve come quite a distance with these characters since the pilot, and I am finally starting to feel a real connection to them. A scene I absolutely loved was the dual fight sequences at the end with Julia taking down her captors while Batwoman fought off the auction members.
What are your final thoughts regarding this episode?
Aimee: Like is so often with this show I was frustrated with the pace of it. I don’t know if it is the writers or the way the editors pieced together the episode it just didn’t have a steady flow. This show likes to jump around a lot and that often causes the flow issues that plagued this episode. All the performers are firing on all cylinders, but the writers or editors or someone isn’t doing them justice in the final product. I must admit the final act was phenomenal and it alone made me love this episode. There is not a single thing I can fault in the last act. They delivered everything I wanted from this episode and more in those final minutes.
Donna: Inconsistent writing continues to be this show’s weakness. This week it took until the final act for the show to pull everything together to make it a solid outing. That said, I liked the episode very much because it gave us something we’ve seen extraordinarily little of all season. Kate being Batwoman in the Batsuit for most of the episode in her own Bat-show! Give me more of this, this is the Batwoman and the Batwoman show I want to see more of in Season 2!
Ellys: This episode didn’t pack the punch that last weeks did, by my count. It’s a setup episode, which means it primarily focuses on moving pieces around to set up a final arc. With what we’ve seen of Batwoman, pandemic or not, I don’t believe they would have brought Season 1 in for a smooth landing. The positive side is that they do recognize sometimes when things aren’t working (Sophie and Kate) and when something does work in an unexpected way (Reagan and Kate). I think they have learned from this season, and Season 2 could be a real treat.
Please use the comments section to let us know your thoughts on this episode.
