Batwoman season 1 episode 17 review: Kate suits up again in “A Narrow Escape”

After taking some time to ponder whether she’s worthy of the Batsuit, Kate jumps into action once again in “A Narrow Escape.”

After a few weeks off courtesy of production halts, Batwoman returned last night on The CW, revealing that Kate Kane had also taken a week off from her vigilante duties — and that choice had some negative consequences for Gotham.

Kate’s seriously considering throwing in the towel when “A Narrow Escape” opens, feeling like she’s unworthy of the Batsuit and Bruce Wayne’s legacy after killing August Cartwright in “Off With Her Head.” But in Kate’s absence, an old villain returns to Gotham: the Detonator.

The Detonator is interested in the same questions Kate is, wondering whether his victims are “true heroes” or not. To test them, he straps bombs to their chests and places another bomb somewhere in the city. If the victim chooses to die themselves, the bomb placed elsewhere won’t go off. However, they can also make the choice to live and press a button that will kill countless others. It all feels very remniscent of Saw or The Dark Knight, but the main question being posed by the Detonator balances Kate’s struggle with being a “worthy” hero rather nicely.

Unfortunately, the first of the Detonator’s victims — a GCPD officer — almost immediately chooses his own life over the lives of his fellow Gotham denizens. The second person to find themselves in the hot seat, however, allows the Crows to help. They evacuate the area where the second bomb is, enabling the man to live as well — but, unfortunately, the Crows don’t take into consideration the underground medical clinic that’s secretly operating beneath the building they’re evacuating.

That’s right, Mary and her patients wind up right in the middle of the situation, forcing Kate to run to the scene to save her stepsister. Although Mary evacuates most of her patients on her own, she stays behind with those who can’t physically leave. Unfortunately, this just leaves sisters caught in the explosion — but it does result in some important revelations on Kate’s part.

Wake-Up Call

Arguably one of the best moments in “A Narrow Escape” happens when Kate arrives at Mary’s clinic to save her. Luckily, both of them make it out of the explosion unharmed, but a copycat Batwoman doesn’t fare as well — and seeing the body, in part, is what spurs Kate back into action.

Of course, Mary needs some credit for Kate’s return as well. Fans have been waiting for Mary to reveal that she knows the truth about Kate’s secret identity for most of the season, and that long-awaited moment finally came to fruition this week. It was a heartfelt scene between the two of them, during which Mary emphasized how much sense it made that the sister she’s looked up to her whole life — the same one who protected her while they grew up — turned out to be Batwoman.

Mary tells Kate that Gotham needs her as much as Mary does, and it seems her sentiment has the intended effect: After a short conversation with Julia Pennyworth, who echoes Mary’s sentiment about Kate needing to move past this, Kate dons the suit once more.

Luke’s Choices

Kate isn’t the only person forced to ask difficult questions during “A Narrow Escape.” Still reeling from the events of “Through the Looking-Glass,” Luke isn’t coping well with the truths surrounding his father’s murder — or the questions those truths have raised. And when the Detonator targets Jacob Kane, another discovery makes its way to Kate and Luke: This villain is the Crow responsible for Lucius’ death and its subsequent cover-up.

Batwoman tracks the former Crow down and drags him back to Wayne Tower, where Luke forces a confession out of him. As it turns out, Lucius’ death was accidental — though the circumstances around it aren’t any less vile. The Detonator was attempting to get information from Luke’s father on behalf of a man named Tommy Elliot — someone who’s likely to become another big villain somewhere down the line. Lucius was never meant to die in the process, but an altercation between the two resulted in his death.

With the Detonator trapped inside Wayne tower with his own bomb, Luke considers letting the man die. And this time, it’s Kate who convinces him to take the high road by admitting what transpired between her and August Cartwright. Luke makes the right decision, but it’s not without some well-acted distress. After all, he wants his father’s killer to pay for what he’s done. And it seems he could set his sights on Elliot going forward.

Trouble Brewing At Arkham

Speaking of Elliot, he’s currently at Arkham Asylum — the same place Alice and Mouse are now imprisoned. This week’s episode shows them butting heads with the man, but it’s all part of Alice’s plan to take over Arkham and escape. And Mouse killing their doctor at the end of the episode suggests that plan may go swimmingly — meaning we’re not done with these two just yet.

As always, Rachel Skarsken plays Alice to perfection, capturing her grief at her sister’s betrayal at the beginning of the episode and playing up her determination to see herself freed once more. There’s also mention of other villains from the Batman universe being in the asylum. Could we see a team-up in the future? It seems possible.

Batwoman airs on The CW on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET. Check back here on Culturess for more updates about the show!