The CW's Batwoman - Episode 1.10 "How Queer Everything Is Today!"
While Gotham busies itself reacting to Batwoman's awkward encounter, Alice celebrates her ultimate act of vengeance with Mouse. A devastated Mary focuses on Jacob Kane's trial, while Sophie seeks advice about her love life from someone unexpected. As they tackle the newest threat to Gotham, Luke prioritizes protecting Batwoman's secret, and Kate must decide what she is willing to do to honor Batwoman's identity... and her own.
In 2019, the television industry aired 532 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of The CW's Batwoman.
"How Queer Everything Is Today!" was written by Caroline Dries and directed by Jeff Hunt
In the midseason finale, Alice killed Catherine and framed Jacob for the murder. As a result, Kate is done trying to revive her sister. She can no longer view Alice as Beth who can one day return to her. She understands that now. As such, she can better be present in her relationship with step-sister Mary. And yet, Mary is understandably upset with Kate because she always hoped that Alice could be redeemed. Kate fought for so long to prove that her sister was still alive. She has been presented with the honest truth now. Alice is a monster and Beth needs honest compassion instead of generic concern for her well-being. Alice also sees the sisters as kindred spirits who were both betrayed by the world in the same way. They aren't. Mouse is the one trying to get Alice to come to terms with the fact that Kate will never join their demented family. She has to give up the hope that Kate will stop being a hero in order to embrace her destiny alongside her. He believes that because he wants this sisterly love all to himself. She is the person who believes in him and loves him completely in a world conditioned to hate. All of this is rich thematic material the season has explored in depth. That's what makes it a big deal when Kate no longer views Alice as her sister. And that's what makes it so shocking when a new version of Beth comes back into the picture at the close of the hour. Now, the sensible reaction is to believe that this is Mouse trying to deceive the world in order to evade capture. Alice is in Crows custody right now being interrogated by Sophie, who is running things now that Jacob is awaiting trial. And yet, that doesn't appear to be the twist here. It genuinely seems as if this is version of reality where Kate never lost Beth at all. That could be the potential repercussion in this series from the events of "Crisis on Infinite Earths." For those who didn't watch the massive crossover event, the various heroes from the DC shows rallied together to save humanity across the multiverse. Kate was labeled the paragon of courage. That motivates her moving forward even though that threat has been dealt with completely. The heroes managed to restore their existence even though it came through the creation of Earth-Prime which brought all of the various shows together on the same planet. Discrepancies were apparent right away. But it's still up to the individual shows to figure out just how big a deal this should be for their respective stories this season. It means that Kate is now in the same universe as Kara Danvers. As such, she can use that friendship in order to make a splash by declaring Batwoman as a lesbian on the cover of CatCo. That is crucial to her. This hour is a little heavy-handed with the extreme need to push Batwoman out of the closet. The world at large is shipping her with a heroic cop who seems to be present during a lot of her rescues. Meanwhile, a high school student has hacked and blackmailed the entire city because her parents have rejected her for her sexual orientation. That is horrifying and an incredibly extreme reaction. That's the world this show takes place in. It understands the importance of representation. Kate has dealt with this question before as well. She had to live with a secret for the first time as Batwoman. She has always been incredibly open with her life. She never lived in the closet. And now, she understands the importance that Batwoman doesn't have to either. Sure, it may draw more of a connection to her and her influence in Gotham. But the issue transcends one person. Batwoman is a symbol and this declaration makes her have new relevance for a community that needs it right now. She is the hero of this city. She also happens to love women. That is a powerful statement. The focus might be on the impact of the twist at the end of this hour and the ways in which Earth-Prime is now different for Kate. However, her confidence and courage remain steadfast no matter what. She can share a piece of herself while still maintaining some sense of privacy in a world with near constant threats trying to destroy her. That is incredibly inspiring. But again, she is still confused about this latest twist to her reality and whether or not she can believe it.
