Batwoman season 1, episode 14 review: Grinning From Ear to Ear

This week, Batwoman goes from vampires to a serial slasher with ties to a frenemy of her cousin’s disfiguring social media influencers.

Two weeks is a long time to wait between episodes. In Episode 13, Kate tracked a vampire drinking innocent blood to stave off a fatal disease. Her archnemesis Alice stayed in the periphery, content with manipulating her sister and not crossing swords.

Kate also confronted her feelings for Sophie but under the cowl as Batwoman, opening an old can of worms with a new label slapped on it. Sophie has no idea her ex and Gotham’s new Caped Crusader are one and the same so she thinks it’s incredible, in every sense of the term, she and Batwoman have a thing going.

Sophie’s Choice

In an awkward position, Kate wants to be with Sophie but she has to consider that cliche super dilemma. Love interests complicate the job and can be a liability. They can be used against the hero, something Batman knows all too well. It’s why he had few attachments outside the Bat-family and that has its share of tragedies (read Death in the Family).

Ultimately, they conclude they’ll be keeping secrets from each other constantly if they can’t be honest about who they are to themselves and they’re loved ones. They leave it there for now but you know it’s not the end between these two. It never is in these situations.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

Putting a damper on things, Sophie’s Mom (Jeryl Prescott) comes to visit and disapproves of Sophie’s lifestyle — without knowing it yet — and Batwoman. Her mom doesn’t hate vigilantes, she just prefers one who stands for her values. That’s an odd thing to say in reference to Batman, at least one we’re all used to. We’re obviously not dealing with Frank Miller or Zack Snyder’s Dark Knight.

Jeryl Prescott plays the mom and her comic-book bona fides as an actress is beyond dispute at this point. Her performance as Madame Xanadu in DC Universe’s Swamp Thing is one of the most underrated in an unsung show that’s prematurely canceled.

Two-Faced Villain

As our villain of the week, a serial slasher believes herself to be better off scarred and imperfect. She did not consent to facial reconstruction by the surgeon and charlatan August Cartwright (under his assumed identity).

Duela Dent (Caprica and Big Bang Theory’s Alessandra Torresani), the niece of a certain former DA, is her name and she takes bloody aim at social media influencers. Punny-named Duela, wears a surgical mask and cuts grins into people’s faces Joker-style. Her arc is bizarre and has the flavor of her uncle Two-Face in Dark Knight Returns.

It’s also similar to a Japanese urban legend of a vengeful spirit (the “Slit-Mouthed Woman” or “Kuchisake-onna”) who asks passersby on the street if they think she is pretty. Wearing a mask, she removes it to show her mangled face and then asks again. How her victim dies depends on their answer. An episode of Constantine dealt with this.

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Duela’s prime target is played by Bri Neal. Don’t worry if you don’t know who that is. It’s not that crucial. A ballerina and character actor, she just happens to have a considerable DC resume between appearances on Flash and Lucifer. So her face might look familiar.

Jacob’s Ladder

Jacob Kane is out of prison and his subplot concerns a cover-up involving Crows and the murder of Lucius Fox. Money is in someone’s account they have to explain; the guy who took the fall was framed; etc.

This subplot has potential but needs to marinate a bit to become as compelling as it should be. The episode doesn’t really deal with it enough.

Alice, Sweet Alice

Alice discovers her captor, Cartwright, is alive and posing as a surgeon. He also has valuable intel for Sophie that moves the plot along. If that becomes a regular thing I can see it getting out of hand.

Pulling out her dirtiest tricks, even enlisting the “help” of Duela, Alice’s attempt to gain retribution and find Mouse is turned around on her. Cold and cunning as she is, she can’t get the upper hand over Cartwright. The good news: his curveball sets up next week and the next fear-inducing Bat villain reference nicely.

Eyes Without a Face

Episode 14 was a mix of gory horror and the Riverdale/Katy Keene mold of soap-opera camp. It was better when it leaned into the first element. Gotham’s rogues’ gallery of Arkham inmates is interesting and usually steals the show.

To reiterate, Batwoman works best when it is dark and brooding. That’s the brand, after all.

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