Spoilers Batwoman season 3

[Commander Troi]

When it was established that Diggle and Jada were old flames, and then Diggle brought up her daughter, I wondered -- do we know who Ryan's father was? Although I checked the wiki, and Diggle would've only been 17 when Ryan was conceived, so it seems unlikely.

Not really unlikely. Do we have any idea how old Jada was when she had Ryan? Still, I don't think they're going there in this case. If we ever find out who Ryan's bio father is, I tend to think it will be something out of left field.

Add the forced, completely unbelievable concern Alice has for Mary

I disagree with you here. I originally thought Alice was using Mary to find Ivy, but the last 2 episodes have made me think her affection is genuine. While she may have reconciled with Jacob and Kate, neither are in the picture right now. Also, I think Alice likes having a sister she can go on a crime spree with *and* being around Mary keeps Alice from having hallucinations.

Oddly, Wikipedia says, "After getting away, Mary drives off with Alice to another location, the pair becoming lovers." Did anyone get that impression? It wouldn't bother me, but that isn't what I saw.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I disagree with you here. I originally thought Alice was using Mary to find Ivy, but the last 2 episodes have made me think her affection is genuine. While she may have reconciled with Jacob and Kate, neither are in the picture right now. Also, I think Alice likes having a sister she can go on a crime spree with *and* being around Mary keeps Alice from having hallucinations.

Kate and Jacob not being around would not make her complain about Kate as a bad sister; to have Alice complian essentially retcons the idea of their reconciling at all (nevermind how many times Kate tried to save or rehabilitate Alice during season one). Her connection to Mary is all so forced.

Oddly, Wikipedia says, "After getting away, Mary drives off with Alice to another location, the pair becoming lovers." Did anyone get that impression? It wouldn't bother me, but that isn't what I saw.

Since Wikipedia is a free for all where anyone can post just about anything to the site, such user abuses, endless agendas posted as fact, etc., is one of the reasons its shunned by most of academia, and should be even where entertainment entries are concerned. That is to say, a Wikipedia entry claiming Alice and Mary are "lovers" sounds like some viewer's wish, rather than fact, as it was not even hinted at in the series.

 

[DarKush]

Caught up last night. I thought this episode was a bit disjointed, with a lot of subplots going at once. However it did have a lot of nice character moments.

If Yahoo hadn't spoiled it I would've been surprised to see Diggle back, though not too surprised. I think a good argument can be made to rename the Arrowverse the Diggleverse because he's become the go-to character to bridge many of the still running series. I did like that hint of a romantic past between Jada and Diggle, but I thought it was unbelievable that both of them would break into Montoya's office, but then I just shrugged about it.

Diggle has an easy chemistry with everyone it seems. I was expecting him to know that Ryan is Batwoman, but perhaps he doesn't, or was just keeping it to himself.

This episode had more comedy than I expected, and the Sophie, Ryan, and Luke scenes in the woods, with the nods/allusions to horror movies, worked more than didn't for me. I was disappointed the confrontation between Batwoman and Poison Ivy didn't happen, it was almost like that storyline was forgotten about and then the episode jumped to Luke standing at Lucius's grave. We don't see or even know if Sophie got her car back, and how.

I did like that Luke had some moments here, and it was almost as if the writers were addressing some of the concerns I've had about the character (like they were reading my mind). I don't know if it will lead to an improvement, but perhaps it will set him on the path to being an even more complicated and intriguing character. I also liked how Ryan and Sophie aired out their frustrations and seemingly are back together.

I was more iffy on the stuff with Mary this week. I did like how her and Alice are growing closer, but it seemed like they were dragging out her meeting Poison Ivy. Also her costume still looks too cheap. The makeup, wig, and even her overcoat look good, so I don't get why they missed with her costume. Even though I didn't get the showdown I wanted, Poison Ivy does feel like the real deal here.

 

[Commander Troi]

Kate and Jacob not being around would not make her complain about Kate as a bad sister; to have Alice complian essentially retcons the idea of their reconciling at all (nevermind how many times Kate tried to save or rehabilitate Alice during season one). Her connection to Mary is all so forced.

OK, I see better where you're coming from now. Thanks for clarifying.

Yeah, I know Wikipedia can be like that, I just hadn't run into it for awhile so it threw me.

This episode had more comedy than I expected, and the Sophie, Ryan, and Luke scenes in the woods, with the nods/allusions to horror movies, worked more than didn't for me. I was disappointed the confrontation between Batwoman and Poison Ivy didn't happen, it was almost like that storyline was forgotten about and then the episode jumped to Luke standing at Lucius's grave. We don't see or even know if Sophie got her car back, and how.

Yeah, the horror movie jokes were the highlight of the ep for me too. And that edit was poorly done.

It was nice to see that they're taking Ivy seriously as a threat. She's powerful and should be shown as such.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Batwoman
Season 3, Episode 10 - "Toxic"

Luke Fox/Batwing: Luke is supposed to be his own man, now that he's severed the psychological bonds of his father, but the way this is accomplished is through the ever-clueless "writers" having Luke talk himself into only hearing his voice, instead of his father's, while having flashbacks to various people kicking his ass. Whatever. In any case, this moment of self-help allows Luke to finally control the Batwing suit with no fail safe (or any other kind) of interference. From this point forward, there should be no reason hes not suited up to fight alongside Wilder.

Alice, Ivy/Mary and Ivy: Ivy has Mary torture a CEO of a healthcare insurer until he dies (SEE NOTES), now convinced that her high-school-esque views of the world warrants murdering someone....because his business practices hurt others...and murder does not? Yeah, rationality and morality...thy name is Mary. That said, she's somehow rattled by Ivy trying to recruit her into aiding her plot to commit mass terrorism/murder. I guess Mary has her limits.
When Mary pulls back from Ivy's terrorism plot, Ivy pulls another leech move on Mary, draining her to the degree that she collapses to the ground--blood running from her nose and ears. Eventually, Mary is located--being transported to the hospital, but its up to Alice to join BW in order to intercept Mary in the Not-Batmobile. Before BW can get too happy with the rescue attempt, Alice informs BW that Mary murdered someone. Alarmed, BW now has to consider what to do next (hint: her job as a crimefighter? Ehh...not on this show).

Mary comes to, and instead of bring grateful, she squeals on and on about everyone not caring about her, insulting Alice ("...the Arkham inmate still pretending she's stuck in children's fairy tales"), BW ("...a grown woman dressed like a flying rodent"), Luke ("...daddy's little Robocop") and Sophie ("...the queen of unemployment"), and leaves to resume her "relationship" with Ivy...who is busy murdering people at the dam.

Mary arrives, discovers Ivy's body count, and allows the killer to get another "boost", only she's absorbed a chemical designed to weaken her (as part of the Bat-team's plan). BW arrives, fights Ivy while Luke dons the Batwing suit again (SEE HIS ENTRY) to deactivate Ivy's contraption. BW defeats Ivy, with Luke picking up Mary...to take her not to a hospital, but to the medically sound....apartment.

Later, for no apparent reason, everyone apologizes to Mary, who says she's free of the Ivy influence--but not of the guilt of being a murderer. Well, she's refusing to even look at a news report of the hunter she killed, so one might guess her suppressing guilt will be the next Mary plot for the remainder of the season. Yikes.

Wilder/BW: Some might say being the victim of Montoya and Jada's blackmail schemes weighed heavily on Wilder's mind, but BW--supposedly the "leader" of this Bat-team--failed at entrusting the others with the task of making sure all loose ends are tied...like that delivering Marquis back to Jada business. In fact, its Alice who informs Wilder that she missed the deadline--a bit of payback after Wilder refused to seek a pardon for Alice, informing her that she's on her own.

Jada Jet / Marquis the Discount Joker: So, Jada decided to take the theories of so-called doctors regarding subjecting Marquis to another round of whatever altered him (the Joy Buzzer, which killed his lack of empathy...and being an interesting villain) just on their unsubstantiated word? With her resources, why would she steer clear of having him committed, where she could have him properly treated over time? Oh, wait, on this show, the use of common sense is forbidden and no one ever seeks the most sensible, straight path to the best solution. Oh, well, Jada gives BW the joy buzzer in exchange for Marquis, or something like that, but threatens to raise Hell in BW's life if Marquis is not delivered to her by midnight.

As noted in the Wilder entry, Marquis is not delivered at all, leading Jada to hold a press conference to blame BW for all of the villain weapons (and those who used the items) on the streets of Gotham. What? Why would anyone--the media or the citizen on the street believe a word Jada said? She is just some rich woman suddenly spouting off about matters she is not connected to (officially), blaming BW without a shred of evidence, yet the public is buying her story? Egad!

Poison Ivy / Montoya: If anyone ever needed proof that Caroline Dries is the most single-minded showrunner in TV history, this episode would be all they needed to see. As observed about this series selective handling of crime and punishment, the corrupt Montoya--the accessory to murder--is allowed to escape with a mass murderer all for her crush---and oh, Dries was just getting started, because Ivy and Montoya are headed to...Coryana, where you can just bet the other obsessed psychopath--Safiyah--will have a meeting of the minds with the newcomers and seek revenge against he Bat-team and Alice. Yawn in advance.

NOTES:

I theorized that Montoya will fall in with Ivy and Safiyah, but in the event she comes to her senses and betrays Ivy, it would be a fruitless act from a creative standpoint, since this version of Montoya was not even a shell of the comic book source--there's no hint of the interesting, strong-minded character from the printed page to return to. Dries--ever fueled by a one-track mind--played rinse and repeat with the Montoya/Ivy plot, which was all too similar to the Safiyah story. It is no wonder the "writers" had Montoya and Ivy head to Coryana, since all related characters are just one blur of sameness, over and over again. This has to be the worst adapted version of Montoya to date, but that should not come as a shock, since its not the first time this series has butchered comic characters.

Having Mary torture and murder the health insurance CEO was childish AF; typical of Limousine (white) Liberals in entertainment, they love exercising their violent, sociopolitical fantasies against systems either they do not understand, or have any personal connection to (e.g., the Black American experience at the top of the list, healthcare struggles, you name it) and as always, their characters never face the legal consequences of their crimes. That too is not only the result of their wish-fulfillment stories, but a longstanding case of being out of touch with the realities of crime & punishment.

Next week, the conveniently revived Marquis somehow stages what appears to be a jail break from Arkham, and like his mother, manages to convince anyone within earshot that BW is the city's problem.

Ohhh, how this series really, really misses the Ruby Rose era.

GRADE: D-.

 

[The Habs Fan]

I liked the call back to Coryana. However, as a whole this episode was a mess. Everything with Poison Ivy and Poison Mary got wrapped up way too quickly. And Renee turning on Poison Ivy so quickly didn’t make any sense. Marquis is also back already for the last few episodes. Feels like they have too many plot lines to tie up for a shorter than normal season.

 

[Christopher]

Great location work on the dam, and I still think Bridget Regan is a fabulous Poison Ivy. Still, her plan didn't make sense even by her own fanatical logic. Flooding the city would create a far worse ecological disaster than the one she thought she was preventing. However many toxins or pollutants the factories were putting into the environment, flooding a city would unleash far more toxins.

https://www.ecowatch.com/toxic-stormwater-flooding-2655034250.html

When it rains, stormwater runs over land and lawn, sidewalks and streets, pavements and parking lots collecting whatever is in its way. The water gathers fertilizers, pesticides, phosphates, gasoline, heavy metals, litter, plastic and more... The overflow could contain anything from gasoline to pollutants from industrial facilities to untreated sewage. Untreated sewage, in turn, might lead to bacteria in the water...
Other common pollutants carried in stormwater include fertilizers, heavy metals, nitrates, PCBs, pesticides, phosphates and plastic particles — whatever chemicals the water flows over. Unlike water that goes down the drain at home, stormwater that goes down a drain on a street corner is untreated. Carrying its accumulated pollutants with it, it dispels them into waterways, creating not only an environmental hazard but also a health risk...
Flooding can destroy a home and its electrical systems. It can create problems for the foundation and lead to structural issues. Mold is a big risk resulting from flooding, which can create health problems... The repairs can lead to exposure to asbestos, lead and other toxins found in homes. Of course, many products used to clean up also contain chemicals.

If Pam were really the ecologically responsible person she claims to be, she'd know destroying the dam would do more harm than good. So she wasn't coming from a sane place here. She was only acting out of blind vengeance. I wish someone had pointed that out. That would've made a more effective climax that just having her fall on her back and somehow have that be the end of it. It was a pretty good fight scene (aside from the perennial problem of too many quick cuts making it hard to follow the action), but it ended weakly.

How does Jada Jet have access to the Batsignal? And why was the compositing on the CGI night sky so bad?

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I liked Batwoman's gliding and the dam scene was nicely realized given the limitations that this is still a low-rated CW show. Cheesy and sometimes just bad as this show is I like that there's a good amount of fun comic book stuff going on all the time. The downside is this season's plot device makes it feel like the villains are dispatched before they get a chance to get interesting.

I've lost track, where is Marquis? Is he desiccated in the batcave?

My problems:

Do those ambulance drivers think Batwoman absconded with their charge? That driver seemed pretty dedicated, I would think he would definitely report it. I wonder if she'll return their stretcher when she's through.

How did the Batteam let both Montoya and Ivy out of their watch?

I am always bugged by the scenes where Batwoman says something like "Luke, you don't have to do this." when something like that dam is the consequence. Could Luke live with letting half the city get killed because he wasn't up to trying? I think it's meant to be sympathetic but it's not very heroic.

 

[Christopher]

I've lost track, where is Marquis? Is he desiccated in the batcave?

Looked like he was in Mary's clinic, which had a keep-out sign on the door.

How did the Batteam let both Montoya and Ivy out of their watch?

At the end, you mean? My impression was that they made a deal with Renee to take Ivy to Coryana.

 

[David cgc]

Okay, as much as I hated this arc, it was kind of worth it for Sophie pulling a Lenny during Mary's impromptu roast.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I liked Batwoman's gliding and the dam scene was nicely realized given the limitations that this is still a low-rated CW show. Cheesy and sometimes just bad as this show is I like that there's a good amount of fun comic book stuff going on all the time. The downside is this season's plot device makes it feel like the villains are dispatched before they get a chance to get interesting.

Do not be shocked if Ivy teams up with the groan-inducing Safiyah sometime before the season ends.

I've lost track, where is Marquis? Is he desiccated in the batcave?

He was in the clinic with Plot Convenient water flooded into the ceiling, allowing a single drop to fall on him, and like Ivy--is restored to life.

Do those ambulance drivers think Batwoman absconded with their charge? That driver seemed pretty dedicated, I would think he would definitely report it.

Come on, EMTs actually reporting being hijacked and the kidnapping of a patient falls into that aforementioned, common-sense path that is never taken on this series.

How did the Batteam let both Montoya and Ivy out of their watch?

By wilder stupidly making a deal to send a mass murderer out into the winds in exchange for Montoya dropping her blackmail scheme. Yeah....Wilder was as thick as a brick when she held all of the cards on a blackmailing cop who was an accessory to murder, yet said accessory was allowed to skip town. We will see if any upcoming episodes have the GCPD even question what happened to Montoya.

I am always bugged by the scenes where Batwoman says something like "Luke, you don't have to do this." when something like that dam is the consequence. Could Luke live with letting half the city get killed because he wasn't up to trying? I think it's meant to be sympathetic but it's not very heroic.

Its a false dilemma designed to con the audience into wondering if Luke will--for the umpteenth time--doubt himself (in and out of the suit) when the previous episode already settled that business during his graveside chat with his father.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

He was in the clinic with Plot Convenient water flooded into the ceiling, allowing a single drop to fall on him, and like Ivy--is restored to life.

By wilder stupidly making a deal to send a mass murderer out into the winds in exchange for Montoya dropping her blackmail scheme. Yeah....Wilder was as thick as a brick when she held all of the cards on a blackmailing cop who was an accessory to murder, yet said accessory was allowed to skip town. We will see if any upcoming episodes have the GCPD even question what happened to Montoya.

Thanks, I must have been more tired than I thought watching this. I went back and caught the Marquis scene at the end and there's a line by Montoya in the plane. There wasn't anything mentioned when Montoya actually was offering them the antidote was there? Even so, letting them go to Coryana no less doesn't seem right.

 

[David cgc]

It's the dictator retirement program. Get run out of the country on a rail and spend the rest of your days luxuriating in non-extradition bliss. They should probably give it a shot with more supervillains.

 

[Christopher]

It's the dictator retirement program. Get run out of the country on a rail and spend the rest of your days luxuriating in non-extradition bliss. They should probably give it a shot with more supervillains.

Well, let's face it, Poison Ivy is very hard to contain. The best option is to send her somewhere she doesn't want to leave, like an island paradise that needs her help restoring its damaged ecosystem after the events of season 2.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

I hope we see more poison Ivy. I really liked Bridget Regan as Poison Ivy.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Batwoman
Season 3, Episode 11 - "Broken Toys"

Luke Fox/Batwing: Luke argues that they should be looking for evidence to use against Marquis (you mean...they're just arriving at that conclusion now?). Luke's determined to retrieve his father's A.I. from Marquis' office in Wayne Tower; initially, he wanted Sophie to stay out of a potentially dangerous mission, but she reminds him that shes the only member of the Bat-gang with training in special weapons. So, in what should have been a personal mission for Luke turns into giving Sophie something to do, which has been a problem for two seasons.

Ultimately, Luke speaks to his father's A.I., settled with the idea that he is a hero and ready to wear the Batwing costume.

Alice / Mary: Mary finally admits she's the center of all of the Bat-gang's recent troubles. Despite Wilder trying to blame it all on the Ivy infection, Mary remains unconvinced, and eager to help the team, volunteers to find Kiki Roulette, the Joker's former weapons-maker (believing she--as a doctor--would be best suited to repairing the buzzer to treat Discount Joker), but YAWN--Wilder asks Alice to go with her.

Finding Roulette, Mary and Alice guilt her into returning to the Joker's workshop to fins the tools that can repair the joy buzzer. Alice largely has no place in this sub-plot, other than whispering in Mary's ear about tossing guilt out of the window and burying her feelings.

At the end of it all, Mary decides to go the memorial service of the hunter she murdered (gee...not a word about the medical insurance executive she also murdered), and packs a bag filled with money and clothes...so Alice (still a wanted fugitive) can leave Gotham. Alice refuses the offer, instead asking Mary to steal the joy buzzer so she can use its jolt feature as a form of shock therapy on her (Alice), believing it will end her psychotic personality once and for all. Mary reminds Alice that they need the buzzer as the last chance to cure Marquis, but Alice will not take no for an answer, bending to Alice's will, so once again, Mary is proving how weak she is.

Wilder/BW: Wilder's BW is the most ineffectual, easily manipulated "superhero" of all; instead of realizing that she has no true obligation to anyone (IOW, no one can demand much from a vigilante), and did not even have much of an informal relationship with Sophie (while she was a Crow) or Montoya (pure blackmail), so how is she so quick to break from random threats?

Jada Jet / Marquis the Discount Joker:
Marquis holds a press conference, promising to straighten out the loons in Arkham, such as Victor Zsasz as the first step toward cleaning up the city, which includes "treating" BW (yeah, its an asinine "plot," but its a Beranti production, so you have to just roll with the senselessness of it all).

Wilder visits Jada, begging her to use videos of Marquis' crimes against him (SEE NOTES), while prodding about a video that shows the identity of the person who killed Marquis' father. Before Jada can posture for another 5 minutes, Zsasz walks into the office, threatening to shoot Jada...and calling Wilder out by name. Acting on Marquis' orders, Victor demands the destruction of all evidence which would incriminate Marquis.

While Jada and Wilder wait for the end, Jada starts blubbering about how she did not really abandon Wilder as a baby and intended for the 2 million dollars to be used to raise her...yyeahhh...but nevermind the fact she never checked on baby Wilder 'cause...reasons. As Victor prepares to kill the women, Wilder attacks and subdues him, leading Jada to believe Wilder is BW. Based on what? This paper-thin plot development only works if the following elements all existed:

1. Batwoman has such a distinctive fighting style that it sets her apart from anyone else (she does not).
2. Jada is VERY familiar with said fighting style of a fairly shadowy vigilante she's had limited contact with (so she simply lacks the visual evidence of BW's skills).
3.There's no other black female martial artists in Gotham, and so if Wilder uses it to subdue a criminal, then golly be, she must be...Batwoman.

Clearly, all three elements did not exist, so Jada should not assume Wilder is BW. No sale. The structurally unsound Batwoman story saga continues.

Instead of Wilder focusing on finding a way to stop Marquis, she engages in yet another blubber/guilt session with Jada about mommy/baby moments never lived.

Anyway, Luke hacks into Marquis' laptop, discovering his current working relationship with Roulette (SEE ALICE/MARY ENTRY).

Marquis (and a few loons from Arkham) catch Luke and Sophie in the Wayne office, calls Roulette (revealed to be an active partner to Marquis), who in turn, chats with BW about revealing her secret to the public. BW makes a counter threat to info dump on Marquis if he spills her identity , but this just leads to Luke & Sophie attacking Marquis and his goons, while BW, Alice and Mary (well, 95% of the attack was BW) does the same to Roulette's thugs.

NOTES:
So Wilder asks Jada to use video evidence against Marquis, but at no time during every face-to-face conflict between any of the Bat-gang and Marquis did the former think to either record their own evidence, (remember the party where Marquis was killing "contestants" / job applicants? Yeah, Luke, Wilder and Sophie were all there, and no one thought to record the events...).

Nick Creegan (Marquis) can bear his teeth and attempt some sort of maniacal behavior as much as he's directed to, but he is weak actor in the role of a clearly slapped together attempt at making him a legitimate Joker replacement. It is not working. He comes off as a juvenile punk who is more image than substance...more cosplayer than calculating villain.

Two season three episodes left to air, beginning 2/23.

GRADE: D-.

 

[Christopher]

Victor Zsasz was a highlight of this one. I loved his dialogue.

As soon as it was established that the buzzer had only one charge left, I guessed that Alice was going to grab it and use it on herself. I was close, but it's still up in the air. Still, I suspect that she will end up getting the de-psychopathing jolt. It lets them keep Rachel Skarsten as a regular (something that's been getting increasingly hard to justify as long as Alice is still Alice), and it takes away the easy solution to the Marquis storyline, which is more dramatic.

It took me a moment catch on, but in the Joker's lair... he framed the crowbar. Implying that Jason Todd did exist in the Arrowverse -- until he didn't.

 

[The Habs Fan]

You could be right about Alice, but I think the writers will have her go through her redemption the old fashioned route rather than the buzzer route.

This was a good episode and was nice to see Zsasz return. I wonder what they have planned for Mary.

 

[Commander Troi]

Nick Creegan (Marquis) can bear his teeth and attempt some sort of maniacal behavior as much as he's directed to, but he is weak actor in the role of a clearly slapped together attempt at making him a legitimate Joker replacement. It is not working. He comes off as a juvenile punk who is more image than substance...more cosplayer than calculating villain.

This we totally agree on.

Hubby and I discussed today how bad the writing has been this season. And yet, there are still bits that work for me. Mary and Alice in the car was lovely - not only is Alice honest that Mary damn well did kill that guy, she shares what (IMO) is what's been keeping her going. The guy playing Zsasz is great. I loved Ryan not letting Jada off the hook and still being pissed (when Jada compared Ryan and Maquis, I was all, "yes, you ARE a shit mom!")

A real highlight for me was seeing the awesome Judy Reyes (Carla from Scrubs), who totally had me buying her redemption act. It was nice to be surprised in the midst of the mess this plot has become.

Obvs Kiki also fooled Alice - Rachel's face is always worth watching, and I could see the wheels turning with just the possibility of redemption. Of course, that kind of work *is* hard, so why not use the macguffin? Being Alice, she's far more (self-)interested in freeing herself of her guilty conscience than in fixing Discount Joker.

It took me a moment catch on, but in the Joker's lair... he framed the crowbar. Implying that Jason Todd did exist in the Arrowverse -- until he didn't.

Ooh, I didn't spot that! Ouch!

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Batwoman
Season 3, Episode 12 - "We're All Mad Here"

Luke Fox/Batwing: Qualifications (SEE NOTES).

Alice / Mary: Alice steals and uses the Joker buzzer, renders herself unconscious and has to be rescued. Later she claims she feels like Beth again. Time jump to Beth in court, where a defense attorney spews some BS about Alice's empathy being restored by an electrical shock, and since she's no longer insane, all charges against "Alice" have been dropped. On the courtroom steps, Wilder drops by to give Beth a harsh talking-to, blaming her for using the buzzer's last charge, and accusing her of never being able to run away from who she really is.

That will be a recurring point in this episode.

"Beth" visits the grave of her mother, and is met by Ocean, but her joy is short lived, as he tells her she does not deserve a happy ending, then collapses in pain--dying again. Apparently, court, her freedom and Ocean were all hallucinations--along with the buzzer, which was simply a scribbling on paper, leading Alice to scream wildly at her own reflection. Begging Mary for anti-psychotics and the buzzer, she soon realizes Mary is Mary, who whines about Alice not preventing her (you know, the one with superpowers...) from murdering people--using her.

Mary finds the family of the hunter she murdered, and is close to admitting she's the murderer, when the widow says a woman claiming to be Alice called and took responsibility for the murder (SEE NOTES)

Alice continues to hallucinate--imagining she's on the hunt for the buzzer, but seeing Mouse (who also tells her she deserves no happiness). After encountering and knocked out by Marquis, she's kidnapped and taken to a room of bound Black Glove Society members--including Gordon's ex-wife Barbara, the head of Arkham and Jada, where Marquis intends to kill them.

Marquis places a mask on Barbara's face, forcing her to inhale the equivalent of all of the doses Arkham administered to her son. Moving on to Jada, Marquis threatens to freeze her, but is attacked by Alice...only for Marquis to beat her down, and offer her a position as his "Harley" to his "Joker". This segues into a flashback to how the Joker (SEE NOTES) hijacked Marquis' bus--the same bus that caused the accident which killed Kate and Beth's mother (Plot Convenience 101, Part 1). Discount Joker uses this tale to convince Alice that they have a connection born of destiny.

In exchange for her freedom, Alice promises to give Marquis something that would make the Joker want to be him (even a dead Joker would not want to be this Dollar Store copy). That something is access to the Batcave (SEE NOTES).

BW arrives, and frees Jada (who says she's not leaving armor-plated, rooftop-jumping BW with Marquis, as if Jada--recently and so easily kidnapped--was going to pose any believable opposition. Plot Convenience 101, Part 2 happens, and BW is nearly killed by Marquis, until Jada returns, declaring Marquis is not her son, firing a gun at him at point blank range, yet she misses. Gee....oh, well, her poor aim was brought to you by Plot Convenience 101, Part 3, which allows Marquis to escape. Jada goes to BW's side, promising she will not abandon her again.

At the cemetery, Sophie confronts Alice to obtain the buzzer; Alice disarms Sophie, but thanks to the timely arrival of Batwing, Alice is disarmed, captured and tossed back into Arkham. Losing her grip, she imagines Ocean and Mouse threatening to remind her of her ill ways forever. She regains her composure long enough to tell Mary she told Marquis about the Batcave...

Mary finds the family of the hunter she murdered, and is close to admitting she's the murderer, when the widow says a woman claiming to be Alice called and took responsibility for the murder (SEE NOTES)

Wilder/BW: Jada Jet / Marquis the Discount Joker: Jada and Sophie argue over who gets to Days of Our Lives-it up with Wilder, and something about Marquis. When Sophie reads some info about Commissioner Gordon's son J.J. being found with human body parts in his closet (leading to Gordon's divorce), Jada becomes paranoid and flees, only for Sophie to confront her--about her association with the Black Glove society. Jada provides no answers and rushes into her car...only its not her car, but an identical vehicle courtesy of her kidnappers. Luke learns the car was purchased by Wayne Enterprises--implicating Marquis. Now, instead of Wilder asking BATWING to join her in the search...you know, the most qualified member of the team--she takes Sophie. Gee, I wonder why, Caroline Dries.

Sigh. The Batwoman Brain Trust has to dream up a plan to stop Marquis...really? The man contributed to a recent crime spike after setting a number of Arkham rubber room jockeys free--which was an act known to the public (IOW, his connection / responsibility cannot be denied). All it would take is the GCPD to interrogate one of the Arkham nutjobs to uncover how and why they were released, and its goodbye Discount Joker. But that's the rational method of solving the problem, so there's no way Dries and her pile of hacks will ever embrace rationality.

NOTES:
Luke is a genius and has a powerful crime-fighting suit (and about the only main character who has not committed some sort of crime), yet a character who--on paper--should be play a larger role remains the most marginalized character on the series....

Egad. Once again, the showrunners are Hell-bent on Mary never facing the consequences of her numerous screw-ups...and yeah, a couple of murders.With Mary's heart a-bleedin' over Alice taking the blame for the murders she committed, do not be shocked if she will do something exceptionally stupid to help Alice, despite the latter's ultimate betrayal.

On that note, there's no way Luke should ever forgive Alice for revealing the location of the Batcave and all of its secrets; his father was an integral part of the Bat-business, and over the course of two seasons, he's witnessed his father's work and legacy ripped out of his hands by others. One, Luke--more than common criminal Wilder (that is her public reputation)--should have been the natural selection to head Wayne. Two, if Luke had been the head of Wayne, there's no Marquis scheme to use against him, as Luke had no skeletons in his closet or a personal connection for Marquis to exploit. Instead, Luke has no control or authority over that which in every ethical sense--belongs to him. Well, its a Caroline Dries series, so he was going to be crapped on repeatedly, and will never utter even a word of protest over the 300-car pile-up that occurred the moment Wilder touched the suit.

Even a stand-in Joker was not handled well at all, and the bright-as-July-4th-fireworks forced connection between Marquis and the Kane family added nothing to Alice, or Marquis for that matter other than a means for Marquis to learn what he was too thick-skulled to uncover for himself.

Next week: the season finale.

GRADE: D-.