Batwoman season 1, episode 8 review: A Mad Tea-Party
As Batwoman Season 1 reaches its midseason finale before the epic 5-part Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, Alice and Mouse strike at the heart of Kate’s family with tragic results.
It’s hard to believe that eight episodes have passed in Batwoman Season 1. It’s has been a rollercoaster of revelations, emotions, and heartbreak, as Kate Kane is thrust into the role of Batwoman in order to protect the city of Gotham from her sister and supervillain Alice.
In this episode, Kate will be faced with tragedy and forced to finally realize that Alice/Beth may not be redeemable after all.
The Pre-Party
The episode opens with a standard fight between Kate and one of the Wonderland gang, in which Batwoman is able to get a phone to track down Alice’s location. This leads to a confrontation between the pair.
Later on, Jacob is kidnapped by Alice who confronts him for believing the lies of his wife Catherine who convinced him that Beth was dead. Alice then torments him with the knowledge that she is planning a mad tea party that will end with the death of somebody at the event.
The highlight of the show so far has been the family dynamic between Kate, Jacob, and Alice as there is a lot of emotion there and we can see the real pain that Jacob feels from abandoning his daughter.
A Very Mad Party
We find out that the mad tea party in question that Alice has planned in fact a benefit being held in honor of Catherine. The party has been infiltrated by Alice and the gang, and it’s not long before Catherine who is reading a teleprompter realizes what is happening as the words change to Alice’s.
More from Arrowverse
- The 9 best (and 8 worst) Arrowverse characters
- 27 best fighters in the Arrowverse, ranked
- All 8 Black Canary actresses ranked from worst to best
- 11 things nobody wants to admit about the Arrowverse
- The 7 best (and 6 worst) Arrowverse villains
Alice confronts Catherine and reveals to her she has been poisoned with poison from Hamilton Dynamics of which there is no cure. Alice then gives her a natural tea that has a cure inside it. As she is about to drink it, she sees that her daughter Mary is also showing symptoms of the poison, faced with the choice of drinking it herself and being saved or saving her daughter, Catherine chooses to die and let Mary live.
It’s a tragic moment, that leads to a very sweet heart to heart between Catherine and Mary, but it’s hard to watch and sad as all get out. Catherine has been a complex character from the start, and at once a villain and everyday person, her death will be a major turning point in the narrative.
The After Party
Overall this was a strong Batwoman episode, with a focus on the main narrative and also on the members of this show’s Bat-family. It also changed the dynamic between Kate and Alice as it’s becoming clearer that Beth is dead, and Alice can not be redeemed.
With 14 more episodes to go there is still a lot of ground to cover, as it is not even a sure thing that Alice is the show’s main villain.
While this is a good episode, Batwoman needs to be careful not to overuse the Alice storyline, the plot is fairly simple and there could be a risk of dragging it out too long. Hopefully we get a a few more villain-of-the-week episodes in the future just to space out the emotion and excitement of the Kate vs Alice story, while allowing the former to learn more about her skills as Batwoman.
dark. Next. 25 most heartbreaking Arrowverse deaths of all-time
Did you enjoy Batwoman‘s latest episode? Where can the show go from here? Let us know in the comments below!