On Batwoman season 1, episode 20, Alice begins her search for kryptonite, the one thing that can penetrate the suit, but Mouse and Hush have other ideas to complicate her life. Meanwhile, Jacob declares war on Batwoman.

Batwoman season 1, episode 20 — the makeshift season finale, which is the first one I’ve watched that actually works — finds Jacob and Batwoman at war, complicating things for Kate as she must ask for his help to stop a criminal going on a revenge rampage around Gotham.

Meanwhile, Alice does, as usual, five things that are all crazy, unexpected, and deliciously dramatic, including a major kill and stealing the face of a character I never expected to see (so soon) on Batwoman.

‘Batwoman’ season 1, episode 20 review

As I said before, Batwoman season 1, episode 20 is the first makeshift finale I feel works as a finale and sets up another season nicely. Hush and Alice are both set up to be formidable foes, so I wasn’t even expecting that Kate would have taken either one down by the end of the season’s planned 22 episodes.

Aside from that, the episode was really enjoyable, too. It was interesting to see Kate have to rely on others to help her stop a villain, but also incredibly nice to see Kate use her compassion for others to stop the foe.

Titan was sick and didn’t realize how much his brain had been altered (because people conspired against him to keep that a secret so he could play sports), which doesn’t excuse his actions but is something that should be sympathized with. I’m happy that Kate saw that side of him and talked him down… but of course, it was ruined.

I really loved the dynamics between the characters on this episode, and I truly cannot wait to see more of Batwoman. But first, let’s dig into the events of this episode!

Kate, Mary, and Jacob

Honestly, as much as Jacob Kane is frustrating me, I’m really enjoying this story. Batwoman season 1, episode 20 brought Mary and Kate even closer, something that is always lovely to watch, and tore Jacob and Kate further apart after he literally tried to kill her.

The way Mary and Kate have bonded recently is beautiful, and I look forward to seeing these sisters really overcome their past — in which Kate was quite dismissive of Mary — and be the sisters that they both really need.

Nicole Kang’s performance on the rooftop as Mary told Jacob off and stood up for Batwoman was incredibly beautiful, and may be my favorite Mary moment of the entire season. Her faith in Kate is so strong, and it takes a lot of bravery to stand up to someone like Jacob Kane, even if he wasn’t her father, and tell him directly that he’s wrong and Gotham doesn’t like the Crows.

However, after Jacob betrayed Batwoman at the stadium and tried to kill her (as he and his men rained down bullets onto her after killing Titan), I am 100% for killing Jacob. He’s nothing more than a pain in the ass, and he’s consistently been such a shitty father since the show began to Kate, Alice, and Mary.

The fact that he’s so blinded to how Batwoman helps the city is a major frustration, especially because it seems to stem from his ego and need for the Crows to be Gotham’s primary source of help. The Crows are basically just city-approved vigilantes, yet they consistently fuck things up for Gotham, much more than Batwoman or Batman ever have.

So I’m not buying his anti-vigilante agenda. Batwoman doesn’t kill — but Jacob knows that Kate killed Cartwright and helped cover it up — so what’s his excuse? It was one thing when Quentin Lance disapproved of the Hood (Oliver Queen) actually killing people, but that’s not the case here.

Again, the issue is Jacob’s ego, not Batwoman being a “vigilante.” Just seems Mr. Fragile Masculinity is tired of Batwoman overshadowing and outperforming the Crows.

I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of this story, but it is necessary, I think, for Jacob’s development. He needs a new perspective on things to even begin to understand all three of his daughters and Sophie.

Additionally, it offers an opportunity for Kate and Mary to get even closer and be the family that they deserve, as relationships with Jacob and Alice are broken right now. I’m always down to watch Kate and Mary’s sisterhood explored.

Alice

Goodbye, annoying ass Mouse. The worst character on the show is gone! I honestly don’t feel bad, at all, that Alice killed Mouse. Alice was incredible on every episode, but Mouse really dragged her down when they were together, as his twisted mind distracted Alice from her goals.

Even so, Rachel Skarsten’s performance as Alice watched Mouse drift away to Wonderland was upsetting and heartbreaking, as Alice losing the person she considered her brother took quite the toll on her.

I figured that Alice would be the one to kill Mouse, inevitably, but this was not at all how I ever expected. Alice being locked away in Arkham chipped away at her soul, leading her down an even darker path. I don’t quite understand her goal, though, aside from revenge.

She killed Mouse, her brother, and wants to kill Kate, her sister. We know she wants to kill Jacob and she’s tried to kill Mary already. So, if she gets her wish and kills everyone, what’s left for her? Is Alice planning to die after her plan for revenge succeeds, to also drift off to Wonderland?

I’m shocked by the final moments, as Alice gave Tommy Elliot the face of Bruce Wayne, in order to trick Kate and get the kryptonite she’s seeking.

First of all, I’m just incredibly shocked that they even gave Bruce Wayne a face. I never really expected him to appear on the show, especially so soon. I figured Batman wasn’t allowed in the Arrow-verse, and while they haven’t technically introduced Bruce, giving him a face in this universe likely means it’s only a matter of time.

As season 2 begins, it will be interesting to see how Tommy Elliot goes about impersonating Bruce, the man he considers to be his best friend and knows better than basically anyone else. Figuring out it isn’t him will likely be quite a task for Kate and company.

Maybe the real Bruce will see himself on the news and come back to figure out who’s impersonating him… If that doesn’t happen, I’d expect that Bruce didn’t just disappear from Gotham but is instead in grave danger, which could be an interesting story to explore down the road.

‘Batwoman’ season 1, episode 20 final thoughts

It’s a little disappointing that there wasn’t more of Sophie on Batwoman season 1, episode 20, since she’s been in the background over the last few episodes; however, the potential of her story next season is enough to be happy about. She’s pursuing this relationship with Julia, with a woman for the first time.

And now, Julia’s brought her in on the secret of who’s trying to hurt her and Sophie’s involved, putting her at risk, too. How will that impact their budding relationship? How will Jacob’s actions impact Sophie’s career with the Crows? There’s a lot of potential there.

All in all, what a season of Batwoman it has been. I did not expect to love this show as much as I do, nor did I ever expect it to be this good. Even with a season cut short, the series managed to go out on a high note and enough potential to bring viewers back for season 2.

I love Batwoman, and I look forward to continuing to write about the show when season 2 premieres!

As of now, Batwoman season 2 is expected to premiere in January 2021, returning to Sundays at 8 p.m. on The CW. Stay tuned for updates!