Batwoman season 1 episode 13 review: The fangs come out

This week’s episode of Batwoman brings a vampire villain to town — but she’s not the only one whose fangs come out during “Drink Me.”

Not only did last week’s episode of Batwoman drop a major reveal regarding Mouse’s father — who could very well wind up being the main villain of the series — but it created a rift between Kate and Alice that might not be mendable. Fans knew Alice wouldn’t take lightly to Kate’s willingness to let her die, and their anger toward one another permeates this week’s episode.

“Drink Me” picks up with Kate mourning the loss of her alternate-world sister, but she doesn’t have much time to wallow in self-pity. There’s a new villain in town, drugging and drinking the blood of her enemies. And while the introduction of Nocturna might seem a tad random halfway through the season, the episodic villain does allow viewers to catch their breath after the suspense of the past few episodes. It’s a much needed reprieve from everything going on.

Even with a distraction from the main plotline, however, “Drink Me” still builds on many of the character-driven storylines that have been unraveling — and its ending suggests things will pick up again from here. The drama between characters was at a high this week, and anger and resentment seemed to fuel most of their actions.

Sisterly Bonds

Nocturna attacks both Kate and Alice during “Drink Me,” and the latter incident forces the two of them together again — leading to an awkward and resentful encounter given how things played out last week. When Kate can’t understand why Alice hasn’t been drained of blood completely, her sister apologizes for the constant “disappointment” of her still being alive. It’s a harsh statement, but probably understandable given how let down Alice is feeling.

Unfortunately, Kate has every reason to be suspicious, as the only reason Nocturna let Alice go is to go after Mary — at Alice’s suggestion, of course. Once Alice tells Nocturna that Mary’s blood has the potential to cure her of whatever skin disease she has, the villain goes after Kate’s step-sister instead. And although Alice and Kate team up to help Mary and capture Nocturna, Kate quickly pieces things together and realizes what Alice has done.

The subsequent confrontation between the two sisters is one of the best yet, as fans have rarely seen Kate so genuinely angry at her sister. There’s also the desparate moment when Alice says that, just maybe, she doesn’t want her sister to give up on her, humanizing her even after everything she’s done. It’s impressive how the series makes fans continue to root for a reconciliation between these two, even when Alice doesn’t deserve it.

Head vs. Heart

While Kate’s relationship with Sophie was a major factor in her returning to Gotham and putting on the batsuit in the first place, the two haven’t done much talking in a while. Batwoman and Sophie, however, have found themselves working together on numerous occasions — and this week’s episode shows Sophie saving Batwoman again, though this time with some negative consequences.

When video footage of Sophie letting Batwoman go surfaces, the newly released Jacob Kane gets ahold of it. Predictably, he isn’t pleased. Not only does Sophie wind up suspended from the Crows, but she finds her questioning her loyalties. In the emotional closing scene between Sophie and Batwoman, Sophie admits that her whole life has revolved around her career — and she’s not sure that’s a positive thing anymore.

Having done this dance before — just without a mask and cape on — Batwoman tells Sophie she’ll keep her distance. But the episode concludes with a long-awaited kiss between the two of them (initiated by Sophie no less!), making their dynamic even more interesting for future episodes.

Revelations

This week’s episode of Batwoman ends with two revelations that are bound to have some major consequences as the series continues. For one, while comparing her blood test after being attacked by Nocturna with Kate’s, Mary realizes they both had the same drug in their system. From there, she connects the dots and finally pieces it all together: Kate is Batwoman!

Given that Mary admires Batwoman, it’s unclear what she’ll do with this new information. Will she offer to help Kate and Luke with their plans to save Gotham, or will she keep quiet about the whole thing until her step-sister decides to confide in her? There are many places this could go, but it’s exciting that Mary is finally in the know — and thus one step closer to being part of Team Batwoman.

Alice has her own big realization as well, learning that Dr. Campbell was the last to visit Mouse before her dear friend went missing. After pulling the doctor’s files and doing a bit of digging, Alice realizes that Dr. Campbell is none other than August Cartwright. While fans already discovered this last episode, Alice’s knowing that her former captor still walks free will be an interesting development. Could she and Kate potentially team up to defeat him? Or is their relationship too broken for that?

Either way, we hope August gets his comeuppance. Alice may not be the best person in the world (far from it, actually), but she deserves justice for what Mouse’s father did to her. And if anyone can make sure she gets it, it’s her.

Do you think Sophie will remain loyal to Batwoman, or will she return to the Crows in the end? And how will Mary and Alice react to their discoveries from this episode? Share your Batwoman theories in the comments below!