Ryan sarcastically tells Sophie that she’s glad she and Renee found each other, before they head off to Jeturian Industries.

“This is my ‘you can’t hurt me if I’m pissed’ face, is it working?”

The freeze process has begun with Marquis, and he asks why his mother is doing this to him. Jada’s just trying to help before someone gets to him first. As she gets closer to her son, he breaks free and attacks her.

Ryan and Sophie burst into the room and find Jada on the ground, reeling from Marquis’ attack. Apparently Marquis is gone and out looking for his sister.

Well this is cozy.

At Wayne Tower, Marquis shows up looking for Ryan and is instead met by Luke. While Marquis messes with a pen gifted by Lucius Fox, he tells Luke that he actually knew his father and he came by the Jet house often. (My wonderful friend, Jeanna, texted me with a theory last week that Lucius Fox could be Ryan’s father, and after this episode, I’m getting more and more convinced.) Marquis continues to bait Luke until security shows up, and Marquis stabs the guy in the throat. Luke punches him, and the two fight until Marquis eventually knocks him out.

Back at the bar, Mary’s using her new compulsion skills to check blood types. Even while doing evil deeds, Mary still reminds people to donate blood and I love her so much. Alice brings over another guy, and they finally have a winner!

“Men…am I right?”

While Ryan heads to Wayne Tower, Jada and Sophie go get the antidote for Mary’s infection. Jada knows very well that Sophie still doesn’t trust her, but before they can get into it, they find the doctor, murdered by Marquis.

Ryan makes it to Wayne Tower and finds Luke passed out after Marquis’ attack. She tells her brother that he has every right to be mad at her, but Luke didn’t deserve this. Ryan barely holds back tears as she tries to appeal to whatever emotions might be buried deep within Marquis, but her brother just laughs in her face. Nick Creegan, sir. How are you so deliciously creepy?!

Damn, Javicia. Damn.

Marquis has the Poison Ivy cure, but will only give it to Ryan if she resigns as CEO. And Ryan does it. For Mary. Before Marquis leaves, Ryan tells him that she wishes she could have known the real him before the Joker got to him. Marquis doesn’t get why everyone thinks the Joker was such a bad guy since he was the only one who looked like he was having fun.

Ryan’s back in the Batmobile with no idea where to go since there are still multiple trackers on the map. As Sophie bandages Luke, he gives Ryan the “good news” that they’re down to 4 trackers. Luke is frustrated with himself for not listening to Mary until it was too late. He knows she would say something wise and somehow also painful like, “things can’t heal unless you let them.” Luke isn’t alone in his guilt party though, because Sophie feels like it’s her fault Alice got away. She makes sure to let Luke (and us) know that she and Renee aren’t a thing, they just had a thing. When Sophie mentions that Montoya lives above a GC Jitters (CWDCTVLGBT’S greatest franchise), Luke realizes they can track Mary through her Jitters reward card since there’s no way she’d last this long without caffeine.

“Turns out, Ryan DOES care. Can you believe?”

Meanwhile, Mary and Alice are reminiscing over Alice’s last transfusion, ya know, when Alice put herself first and Mary ended up suffering? Alice starts to get nervous as Mary remembers how much she used to want Alice gone, but that feeling doesn’t last long because now, that’s exactly what Mary’s afraid of. They’re the two sisters that no one wanted or paid attention to, and now they have each other. Alice might be a serial killer, but she’s never abandoned or questioned Mary. And that’s all Mary’s wanted.

How are they all so good at holding tears in their eyes, though??

Jada’s having herself a contemplative solo CEO moment when Marquis calls and tells her to make sure to watch literally any channel the next day because he’s going to make her proud.

Back in the RV, Mary starts Alice’s transfusion as they throw some major Kate shade. It’s a hilarious moment of levity in an otherwise tense and serious episode and I loved every second of it. The moment is short-lived though, because a cop knocks on the door, so naturally, Alice hops in the driver’s seat and runs the guy over.

Mary runs out to check on the cop and wants to take him to the hospital. You can almost see Old Mary and New Mary fighting over who will win, but New Mary takes this round. They drive away, but don’t get very far before Batwoman grapples the RV.

“Conceal, don’t feel.”

Ryan presents Mary with the cure for the infection and pleads with her friend to take it; to get back to the Old Mary. But Alice reminds her exactly how they treated that Mary. She uses compulsion to get Ryan to admit that if Mary doesn’t take the cure, they’ll have to lock her up so no one gets hurt. This Mary doesn’t want to be saved; she just wants her friends to listen, and they still refuse to. My favorite kind of villain is the one that makes me say, “well, they’re not WRONG” (cough, Killmonger, cough), so I am LIVING for Poison Mary right now. Before they leave, Mary conjures vines to entangle Batwoman and trap her where she stands.

It’s a bit dark, but I love this shot.

At the clinic, Ryan meets Sophie and tells her that Mary isn’t Mary anymore; it’s not that the Bat Team is giving up on her, it’s that Mary has given up on them.

The sun starts to come up over Gotham, and with it, Mary looks at peace with her inevitable transformation.

The next morning, our girl Dana Dewitt is broadcasting live from Marquis’ press conference at Wayne Tower, while the Bat Team watches from Mary’s clinic. Y’all, am I the only one who finds the rate at which the clinic has become overrun with plants, hysterical? Like, how do they even walk around in there??? Anyway, they’ve been completely locked out of Wayne, but they did manage to lock down the Batcave. All they have is the Batsuit and the Batmobile, and Ryan apologizes for losing everything they’ve worked for. Luke knows she did it all for Mary, and that’s nothing to apologize for.

“We failed our friend.”

Marquis has gone full Joker, complete with orange suit and purple hair, and promises more fun as the new CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Surely, this will be fine.

Meanwhile, Alice is at a motel hungover thanks to the BAC of her blood donor, when Mary saunters out in FULL POISON IVY ATTIRE and NICOLE KANG HOW VERY DARE YOU?!?! Much like our new Joker, Poison Mary is ready to have some fun.

DAYUM.

After the hiatus, we’ll be back with a masquerade party! I can’t wait to see where this show takes these villains and how much longer Wildmoore will continue to attack my angst-ridden heart. Until January, friends!

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