Weekly TV Reviews: Batwoman s2 ep11

 

The fight against False Face continues along with the search for Angelique who was taken at the end of the last episode. The episode opens with him forcing Angelique to make more Snakebite and Ryan determined to find her ex-girlfriend. Elsewhere, Alice is up to her own tricks when she goes to confront the therapist (and kills one of her patients). She finally gets to ask her request of getting her memories of Kate erased.

1.) Searching for Angelique 

Ryan (as Batwoman) ruins Sophie's chance to make a bust against False Face which continues the conflict between them. Sophie's screw-up leads to severe consequences for her when Jacob decides to take her off the case and puts another Crow in charge. This isn't the news she wants to hear as the new guy in charge will do whatever it takes to take False Face down, even if this means Angelique gets caught in the crossfire. Though Batwoman and Sophie aren't on the same side, this isn't necessarily true for Ryan and Sophie as the former offers to be an undercover asset. As part of their undercover attempt, they borrow Mary's car. The humor is spot-on when Sophie takes Ryan to get a fake ID ... from Luke, which features a humorous and casual attempt at pretending to not know each other. 

Every episode delivers a new notch in Ryan's journey into her full self as Batwoman, but it's also exploring her growing into her own as herself. She's a risk-taker much like Kate was in season one, and she has a big heart. Her reckless nature is a clear indicator of her role as a superhero, as most tend to take risks no matter the potential danger. Sophie takes advantage of the situation to go confront False Face herself in search of Angelique and just before she's killed, Batwoman crashes the action. He has a plan in motion and uses Ryan's ex as leverage to getaway. Ocean's pulled back into the middle when Angelique uses him as a way to keep herself alive. The fight against False Face is just beginning and we're excited to see where this will go.

The end of the episode saw Sophie checking out Mary's car for damage and finding the AI help that Ryan used. The warning from Luke earlier has become even clearer when Sophie overhears Ryan mention missing the Bat Suit. 

2.) Alice's Decision to Erase Kate

Alice is determined to get rid of her memories that involve her sister, though the therapist aka expert mind manipulator argues against this idea. She gives the warning that this will radically change her personality by taking away the person that has been with her since the womb. When all that's said and done, Alice is given a task to confront her feelings before she can get her memories erased. The confrontation of her emotions leads to a literal walk down memory lane with Alice going back in time to the moment in the car with Kate. Alice believes she was born with only the ability to hate though past Kate refuses to believe that's true. 

The character of Alice has always been a complex and dynamic personality on multiple levels with the actor delivering week after week amazing performances. As she's struggling to confront her feelings about Kate, it's her feelings for Ocean that are haunting her which hints at the guilt she possesses. Her memory walk is interrupted when Ocean barges in and interrupts with quite the vendetta against Alice. In a twist, while Alice and Ocean are fighting, the therapist places their memories back. After getting their memories back, there's a softness that falls between them that keeps them from going at each other's throats. We're fascinated at the journey Alice is on as she's confronting her own vulnerability and her own reflection as the monster she's become. 

Quotes:

"Like Fast and Furious Gotham Drift." - Ryan