‘Batwoman’ S1E4 recap: “Who are You?”
Batwoman continues to make a pretty strong showing in its freshman season. Sure, there are some growing pains. We’re still not really sure what’s going on with Catherine Hamilton-Kane (Elizabeth Anweis). Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) remains a compelling lead with Alice/Beth (Rachel Skarsten) one of the best antagonists in the Arrowverse in years.
Just a quick reminder of what went down last week: Kate ran into Bruce’s old best friend Tommy Elliot (Gabriel Mann). Tommy is pretty much every privileged stereotype that you can imagine, combined. He steals a Wayne Tech device that can take down Batman, wanting to kill him for his role in failing to save his parents.
With Kate running around dressed as Batman, Tommy thinks Bruce is back in town. (Apparently the Riddler knows who Batman is!) Kate makes the decision to be a hero for the city on her terms, finally donning her black & red motif. Throughout, Alice takes pleasure in tormenting Jake (Dougray Scott) while Sophie (Meagan Tandy) volunteers to be Mary’s (Nicole Kang) bodyguard to get some info on Kate.
It looks like we’re going for a love triangle of some sort with Sophie & Kate. (It wouldn’t be a CW show without one!) Kate did meet and ask out a delightful bartender named Reagan (Brianne Howey), so she’s not pining away or anything. You go, girl!
Everybody’s running from something
Vesper Fairchild (Rachel Maddow) wants to know where Batwoman was hiding during the latest robbery with Magpie (Rachel Matthews). It turns out Kate was taking the night off to have some time with Reagan. They definitely make a cute couple, but Luke’s (Camrus Jonson) text interrupts it. Kate has to lie to Reagan in order to go, but promises to make it up to her. Dating a superhero, right?
Kate monologues about feeling the unique dual internal struggle of being openly LGBT but having to hide herself as a superhero. Kate meets Luke and a curator for the museum. She’s lending Martha’s necklace for an exhibit.
Catherine has Beth’s grave dug up and finds Alice waiting for her. Apparently, she knows whatever shadiness Catherine is involved with regarding her supposed “death”. She proceeds to blackmail Catherine, wanting a weapon that only she can get.
Kate wears the Batwoman suit and goes to see Mary, asking for her help with Chuck (Brendon Zob), who has a seriously infected leg. Mary isn’t thrilled to be treating the guy who attacked, but isn’t sure if she can totally save him. Poor girl is only a med student; there’s only so much she can do.
Luke contacts Kate during her rooftop brooding and tracks Magpie through bird cameras. Kate is waiting for her and the two duke it out. It ends with Magpie escaping and Kate breaking an exhibit. You gotta work on catching that darn batarang.
Batwoman’s funniest home videos
Kate feels deep shame and embarrassment over what happened last. She heads off for a date while Luke analyzes the grenade that she grabbed off Magpie’s belt. Jake broods in his office while listening to the piece that Alice played, when Sophie heads in. It turns out Hamilton Dynamics had the tech unique enough to ambush Alice’s convey.
Kate & Reagan have nice walk together while discussing how Gotham’s rich screw over the working class. Kate has to ditch Reagan again for Batwoman business, making it up to her by asking her to a museum fundraiser later. Any superhero can tell you the dating life sucks, Kate.
Magpie attacks Luke at Wayne Enterprises, who gets taken out pretty quickly. Poor guy. Turns out Magpie wants the necklace – the one that, apparently, Martha was killed for. Bruce looked for it for years. Way to make Kate feel really bad about having a life, Batwoman.
Bombs away!
Kate goes to report the theft to Sophie and ask for her help. She continues to gently press Kate about Batwoman, who keeps up her public opinion of not liking vigilantes. Sophie tracks down the explosive ink Magpie uses on her bombs. Sophie continues to throw mixed singles at Kate, which is just ultra awkward.
Catherine sends mercenaries after Alice, who decides she needs a message about how she’s not playing games. She then cuts off a guy’s pinky finger to make her point. We know Alice’s past and not death are supposed to be this big mystery. Stop being so shady, Catherine! Alice is a psychopath, but you’re shadier than she!
While Luke and Kate do serious detective work, they also talk about how Sophie suspects Kate is Batwoman, along with Bruce’s relationship woes. We get another piece of the disappearance puzzle as it turns out Bruce spent more time as Batman than Bruce the last few months. We think the whole Jason Todd theory looks more and more likely.
Kate heads into a cold room with files they need in order to figure out Magpie’s whereabouts. Luke tells her the batarang was calibrated for Bruce, who has longer arms than Kate. Nice little touch for the worldbuilding, Batwoman. Kate’s mission goes awry when she sneezes, which triggers a burn-room effect, destroying the computer containing the files she needs.
Morphine is a hell of a drug
Chuck wakes up under some heavy sedation thinking Mary is Alice. Mary uses that in order to get information for Kate. Alice thinks someone cares for her and Chuck keeps talking about a mouse for some reason. Kate is able to rescue enough files for Luke to figure out where the Magpie will strike, which is at the exhibit Reagan invited Kate to.
Catherine meets the guy she sicced on Alice, who shows her his missing finger and tells her to do her own dirty work. Kate switches out of costume and goes to hide her gear before meeting with Reagan. Another awkward moment: Sophie’s at the event as well. Sophie srsly needs to sort herself out.
The curator thanks Kate again for Martha’s necklace – but the necklace was stolen. Still, it’s on display, which has Kate’s danger sense way up. It turns out the necklace is a 3D-printed bomb! Damn, that Magpie sure is crafty. She plans to use the bomb as a distraction to rob the exhibits.
Kate tries to stop Magpie’s robbery but sets off the bombs, casing Kate to head out to protect the civilians. Magpie attempts an escape but Kate uses her grappling gun to pull her off a building and into a fountain! Kate is a badass – when the equipment is correctly calibrated for her arm length.
There are those on a tower
Magpie turns out to be a photographer who wanted to steal from the Gotham elite. She challenges Kate on her privileged life. Reagan catches Kate in a lie when they meet up outside of the museum. The two have a grown-up talk about their wants. Reagan wants honesty, but Kate can’t give that to her right now. So even though they like each other, they part ways.
Catherine goes to Jake, to whom she confesses about the blackmail and the truth about Beth. It turns out she lied to Jake about finding Beth’s skull fragments. Why didn’t she just send them to therapy like a normal person? Jake is rightly pissed at her for making him think his daughter was dead. (Are we supposed to feel bad for Catherine? ‘Cause we don’t.)
Batwoman returns to visit Mary, who tells him about the “mouse” and Alice’s big plans. Kate injects Chuck with a tracking chip so he can lead her to Alice.
Kate tells Luke that she’s starting a real estate firm that focuses on helping middle-class and low-income families. That way she can help Gotham on both ends.
