‘Batwoman’ S1E8 recap: “A Mad Tea-Party”

Rachel SkarstenWelcome to the midseason finale of Batwoman! Yes, Crisis on Infinite Earths is next week, but crossovers don’t count as true midseason finales. (Remember, Batwoman airs on Monday, Dec. 9th at 8/7c as part two of the crossover event.)

There’s a lot happening in Gotham as we head into the fall finale. Kate (Ruby Rose) almost tells Sophie (Meagan Tandy) the truth about her secret identity. When she learns her father (Dougray Scott) talked Sophie into denying their relationship back in military school, Kate realizes Sophie will always put her father before her. 

Thanks to an assist from Julia Pennyworth (Christina Wolfe), Kate’s able to convince Sophie she’s not Batwoman. Meanwhile, Kate has to track down a sniper known as the Rifle (Garfield Wilson), who’s killing off those associated with the anti-Batman weapon. Alice (Rachel Skarsten) works with the Rifle, who is working for a woman named Safiyah. 

At the end of the episode, we learn that Mouse (Sam Littlefield) has been posing as Jacob the whole time. The real Jacob was sent out of town to hunt down a fake lead on a cold case. Alice & Mouse are ready to begin their little tea party. Oh boy. 

“We’ve no time to wash things between whiles.” 

Kate reflects on her optimism over being able to reach Alice while she hunts down one of Alice’s henchpersons for his jacket. (“This is vintage, bitch” is not the line you wanna die on, bro.) Kate hands Luke (Camrus Johnson) the jacket with the lackey’s phone. Thanks to tech fu, they’re able to track to Alice’s current location. 

Kate confronts her sister over the Rifle’s actions. Alice, like a cat presenting a dead mouse to her own, gives Kate the coil accelerator that could penetrate the Batsuit. Kate also finds a photo of her and Beth at their respective bat mitzvot. Jacob, arriving back in Gotham, is promptly kidnapped by the Wonderland gang.

Mary (Nicole Kang) brings Kate a suit and an invite to the Gotham Humanitarian Gala, which is honoring Catherine (Elizabeth Anweis). Kate declines, saying Catherine is not her family when Mary pushes the issue. It leads to Mary very calmly calling Kate out on how she treats her versus how she treats Alice. Mary tells Kate that Jacob is coming, who is Not!Jacob. (Is Mouse a meta or something?)

Kate confronts Not!Jacob, who defends Catherine and sends Kate off. Real Jacob wakes up held captive by Alice. He admits he failed her, that he hates himself for doing so. Alice tells Jacob that today is her mad tea party. Alice also straight-up informs Jacob someone is gonna die. Our money is on Catherine – no one has done anything to truly redeem her or anything, after all.

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”

Kate is off her game over Not!Jacob forgiving Catherine. Proving that she’s the smartest cookie in the box, Kate tests Not!Jacob’s knowledge and figures out he’s an imposter. Sophie & Tyler (Greyston Holt) are still in an awkward place over Tyler learning of Sophie’s past with Kate.

Mouse arrives just as Kate texts Sophie with the news of the impersonation. Mouse then knocks both Sophie & Tyler out. Mary, Catherine, and Mouse head to the Humanitarian Gala. We think Mouse spiked the champagne Mary and Catherine are swillin’.

Kate goes to confront Alice, appealing to her inner Beth to reveal where Jacob is. Alice sends Kate to the house of horrors, but Jacob isn’t there when she arrives. We’re with Mary. How many times are you going to let your sister slide, Kate? Yeah there’s the twin bond, but, girl, seriously. 

“It’s no use going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then.”

Good news! The champagne was not meant to knock out Catherine and Mary. Sophie & Tyler wake up in Jacob’s office, where Sophie reveals to Tyler that Kate is still in love with her. (Why do you keep telling Kate’s business to other people, Sophie?!) 

As Catherine delivers her speech, Alice hijacks the teleprompter and forces Catherine to read it. She sees Alice in the audience, where no recognizes her. Catherine opines that the true villains of Gotham are right in front of them, before bleeding from the nose and passing out. So there was something in the champagne.

“It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.” 

Mouse takes Catherine backstage while Mary calls 9-1-1. He leaves them with the guard. As everyone at the Gala tries to leave, the Wonderland Crows hold them hostage. You’d think by now the cognoscenti of Gotham would know not to attend any more gala events. Meanwhile Batwoman fights her way inside. 

Sophie & Tyler try to wriggle out of their bindings by using Sophie’s engagement ring. Tyler wants to know more about Sophie’s relationship with Kate. She tells Tyler her relationship with Kate was the first time she “broke the rules”. Mouse calls the Commissioner and tells him to stand down as the Crows have been infiltrated. 

Alice tells Mary that Catherine has been poisoned with a chemical weapon of her own development – one Catherine never developed an antidote for – but Alice has a cure for Catherine. All she wants is an apology from Catherine, but doesn’t believe her when she gets it. 

Catherine finally apologizes sincerely to Alice. It’s also come out that Mary is similarly poisoned. There’s only enough antidote for either Catherine or Mary. A terrible dilemma!

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense.” 

Alice informs Catherine and Mary that Mouse poisoned them. She leaves the pair to it and warns them to choose wisely. Mary wants to split the tea and see if it buys them enough time. Catherine instructs Mary to drink it, reassuring her that it’s okay. Mary drinks the tea and sobs.

Jacob is knocked out in a van somewhere. Kate meets Alice, demanding to know where Jacob is; Alice reveals Catherine and Mary have been poisoned. Kate snaps and begins to strangle her sister, especially when she insults Mary. Mouse knocks Kate over the balcony and Alice promises Kate will see things her way.

Catherine reveals to Mary that she knows about the clinic. If we had more moments of humanity like this from her, we would probably feel the death more. Still, Anweis and Kang are killing it, especially when Catherine defines Mary as “the one thing she did right”. Of course, Catherine then dies. 

“You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.” 

Jacob wakes up alone in a van totally unaware that Catherine is dead and apparently unharmed. He calls Kate, who confirms his identity and tells him that Alice and Mouse were at the gala. Jacob is surrounded by the GCPD, who demand he get out of the car.

The Commissioner finds the planted poison on Jacob and arrests him for Catherine’s murder. Kate goes to find Mary, who is still in her bloody dress. Mary wonders about all the “bad” people she saved and how she couldn’t save her mother. She tells Kate that Catherine died exactly how Alice wanted it. Mary doesn’t want Kate near her. Kate admits that Alice isn’t worth it, but it’s too little, too late.

Sophie tries to convince the GCPD Jacob isn’t guilty. Tyler wants to know if Sophie is in love with him, but she doesn’t know. He tells Sophie that she needs to figure herself out. If they have the same vision of the future, then maybe they can work it out. Maybe. 

Kate goes to see Jacob, declaring how much she hates Alice. He tells Kate he’s going to put Alice down once and for all.

Crisis tag time! 

Nash Wells (Tom Cavanagh) talks about how he’s been wanting to kill the Monitor. The symbols tell him to “submit and begin his life anew”. The knowledge has been within him this whole time. 

He presses some symbols and is enveloped in a golden light before being sucked into a vortex.