An Unexpected Relation Returns In A Preview Of Next Week’s Batwoman

In fluke of Multiversal things the Gotham City crew cannot possible understand, Beth Kane (Rachel Skarsten) is back! It is likely a result of Kate’s (Ruby Rose) role in the Crisis, but it means everything is better now, right? Wrong. Alice (also Skartsen) is in a Crows holding cell and Batwoman will have to convince Sophie (Meagan Tandy) to let her go. But will this new Earth-Prime long suffer two Beth Kanes?

Curiously, this week’s episode felt like one of them most confident to date. Mary (Nicole Kang) felt like she experienced some character growth while the two main facets of Kate’s life thus far melded into a strong A-Plot with her chasing down a hacker who doxed the mayor and needs money for an escape. The trail led to a Gotham area prep academy where Kate met Parker Torres (Malia Pyles), a high school student with incredible computer abilities and a set of parents who do not approve of her being gay. The potential for a heart-to-heart is interrupted when Alice arrives on the scene to convince Kate she doesn’t have to be a hero. The three actors were great in their scenes together and the fallout from the entire plot — Batwoman outing herself in Catco Magazine — really resonated. Perhaps this was the emotional beat showrunner and episode writer Caroline Dries has been trying to get to the entire time. In any event, it feels like the show is getting sharper. Maybe it just needs to rid itself of the whole Crows thing to really establish itself.
But then the episode concluded with one of the best cliffhangers of any Arrowverse show. If it means Skarsten gets to do double duty as two characters and it leads to more soul-searching for Kate, we’re here for it. At the same time, we’d love to see Parker stay on as a member of Team Batwoman. She seems like a natural fit with Kate and Luke (Camrus Johnson).
Batwoman airs Sundays on The CW.