Batwoman season 1 episode 6 review: Judge and jury

This week’s episode of Batwoman showed Kate and her father struggling with forgiveness — all while hunting down the unforgiving Executioner.

With a villain like the Executioner seeking vengeance on those he felt deserved it, it’s interesting that this week’s episode of Batwoman focused mostly on forgiveness. Kate and her father have had a tough time coping with Beth’s reappearance in their lives as Alice — and much of that has to do with their failure to help her when she needed it the most.

At the beginning of this week’s episode, Kate and her father have an argument during which she blames Jacob for giving up on finding her sister all those years ago. But as the episode unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that Kate is just as angry at herself as she is at her dad. After all, Jacob wasn’t the only one that moved on without Beth.

And Jacob is suffering just as much as Kate is. His frustration at the emergence of Batwoman stems from the fact that he blames Batman for what happened to his family. But when he and Kate — disguised as Batwoman — find themselves in a dire and nearly fatal situation, Jacob admits that blaming Batman for what happened is far easier than blaming himself. He’s another one that will need to find a way to let go of his own mistakes before he can truly move forward.

The two do make some strides toward moving on, though, ending the episode with an emotional hug and a vow to get Beth back. Whether that’s possible remains to be seen, but it was nice to see the two of them agreeing about their family for a change.

Of course, getting Beth back isn’t the only obstacle Kate struggles with during this episode. When she and Jacob run into one another while pursuing the Executioner, he accuses Batwoman of being similar to the villain. After all, vigilantes hold themselves above the law just like criminals do — making themselves “judge and jury” as Jacob puts it.

And as much as we love seeing Kate put on the batsuit, it’s hard to disagree with her father during this scene. We know that Kate’s intentions are honorable because we’re getting this story from her perspective, but she could just as easily look like the villain to someone else.

Sophie seems to agree that Kate shouldn’t be donning the mask, and there’s bad news on that count: Kate’s ex admits to knowing who she is when the two pursue the Executioner together. And despite Kate’s efforts to keep Sophie locked up at Mary’s clinic — and Mary’s advice not to betray Batwoman — it seems like Sophie is considering telling Jacob who Gotham’s new caped crusader really is.

That revelation would certainly put further strain on Kate’s relationship with her father, which could work to Alice’s advantage. After dealing with Mouse’s jealousy for the majority of the episode, she admits that she wants Kate to become a part of their team. Given that she also sends Mouse to retrieve a weapon that can penetrate the batsuit, however, one has to wonder just how serious Alice is when she admits that Kate is still her sister.

The episode concludes with Kate facing threats on multiple fronts — from Alice and Mouse and from Sophie revealing her secret. Batwoman is doing a seriously good job of getting viewers invested in these relationships that drive the series and then raising the stakes. We just hope things with both Alice and Sophie go in Kate’s favor in the end.

What did you think of this week’s episode of Batwoman? Let us know in the comments!