We did it, Joe! We made it to the season finale of Batwoman! And what a ride it’s been. I’ll save all of my mushy fee fees until later, so let’s get started!
Previously on Batwoman, we learned that the Joker’s buzzer turned Marquis into a sociopath and maybe another buzz would fix him, Alice’s hallucinations returned, Jada found out Ryan is Batwoman, and Alice gave Marquis the keys to the kingdom/Batcave.
We open on an abandoned carnival and Marquis is heading to the House of Mirrors because of course he is. The music is perfectly haunting and I kept waiting for a Marquis twin to jump out of one of the mirrors a la Us. Eventually, Marquis finds the secret doors hiding some things that are exactly where Joker said they would be, and then he laughs and laughs his creepy Joker laugh. Real quick, is this the same abandoned carnival that Ryan parked her van outside of last season and where Kiki and Joker’s workshop was? Feels like yes because more than one of these locations would be excessive, and a carnival as homebase is Joker’s whole thing, right?
Cut to the halls of Arkham where Mary Hamilton is strutting for her liiiiife, bitch! Mary comes nothing but correct and she slays this entire episode. She notices wires leading to Alice’s cell, where Alice is trying to jolt her own self with a makeshift joy buzzer. Homegirl is hysterical and sobbing and all she wants is to get out of her own head. On a much less intense level, I understand the feeling of wanting to claw your brain out of your body (anxiety and depression hive what upppp), and in this moment my heart absolutely broke for Alice. Mary tells her that she’s been working on helping her and found a sanatorium specializing in childhood trauma. Alice is so tired of cells and institutions though, and pleads with Mary to just get her out of there.
“What part of ‘I don’t want to be locked up’ don’t you get?”
Back at the loft, the rest of the crew is deciding how to handle the buzzer situation and how they can get close enough to Marquis to zap him, when Mary walks in with an alternative solution: give it to Alice. The other three can think of nothing they want less. Even the blocking of this scene has Luke, Sophie, and Ryan on one side of the screen and Mary by herself on the other; at least until Ryan steps forward in the middle as mediator to reason with Mary. It’s genius positioning.
They argue that sure, Joker begat Marquis, but technically he also begat Alice, and round and round they go until Luke reminds Mary that Alice literally killed her mother. Mary might not have forgotten that little fact, but I’m not going to lie, I forget it on the regular. The thing is, Mary remembers every single thing that Alice has done to them (including throwing Sophie off a building), but she believes that Alice can change. After Mary shook off the Poison Mary vines, her friends promised her that she would have a voice on the team and this is her using that voice.
“Damn Mary, you really know how to hit where it hurts, huh?”
Before they can continue arguing, they all get one of those terrifying cell phone alerts because Marquis and his face have somehow commandeered every single cell phone and TV in Gotham. He instructs all of the town to go outside because in 5 hours, he’s going to reveal Batwoman’s true identity. To the 5 people who don’t already know, I guess.
It doesn’t take long for the streets and The Hold Up to fill with Gotham citizens eager to learn the identity of the newest caped crusader. The Bat Team is up in the loft watching absolute icon Dana Dewitt cover the story when Jada struts in like she owns the place. There are two things Wildmoore will never let us forget: that Sophie slept with Renee Montoya, and that Jada Jet has zero concept of knocking. Thankfully, Luke explains that Marquis was able to access all of the cell towers thanks to Wayne tech in the Batcave.
“Are you ever gonna let the whole knocking thing go, little girl?”
Speaking of Wayne tech, Jada reminds Luke and us that she and Lucius Fox were hella tight back in the day. I can’t remember if I said this in a recap or a group text, but I am very much Team Lucius is Ryan’s Father. Luke looks on in shock as Jada jumps into action and contacts her own tech team to help as if she hasn’t been antagonizing the Bat Team all season. She asks where her daughter is, and the team lies VERY badly about her whereabouts.
Turns out, Ryan went to Arkham to see Alice and hear directly from her why she needs the joy buzzer. She makes sure to tell Alice that Mary’s the only reason Ryan is even there talking to her. Alice appeals to Ryan’s need for a family and asks what if they go through all this and the Marquis that comes back doesn’t care about Ryan and leaves her like everyone else? Alice is the safe bet because Ryan doesn’t need her love like she so desperately needs the love of her mother and brother. Whew! I know you’re also desperate Alice, but damn!
“Look, I’m trying here…for Mary, but you’re making this hella hard.”
As this is happening, we cut back to The Hold Up where Jada has fully transformed the bar into a top of the line command center. It’s actually kind of adorable how proud of herself she is and how much she’s enjoying being part of the team.
Ryan starts to get up to leave, but Alice stops her in her tracks and admits that while she doesn’t deserve the buzzer, she does have information to trade. Remember how Joker whispered his evil plan to tiny Marquis that day on the bus? Well, before he could go through with it, Batman threw him in Arkham where Joker ran his mouth about it to any inmate who would listen. As Alice reveals that Joker’s plan was to lure the Gotham citizens into the streets to punish them for worshiping the Bat symbol, we see Marquis next to a bomb attached to several barrels of acid.
The rest of the team manages to ping Marquis’ location, but it’s showing up in a massive area and moving hella slowly. It is at that moment that Luke realizes Marquis must have found coordinates to the secret airstrip where THE BATBLIMP was being held?!?! Because of COURSE a billionaire white man just has a blimp at the ready. For why? In case the Lakehawks are in town for a championship game and need to showcase sponsors? In case someone wants to propose to their partner and the city skywriter is busy? Why, Bruce?! We have questions!!
“I’m sorry…did you say…blimp?”
Back at The Hold Up, Ryan tells the team that Marquis’ plan has nothing to do with her identity and everything to do with Marquis carrying out the plan Joker was never able to. Ryan is in full leadership mode as she insists that no is going to die today. I remember a time when Ryan struggled with the idea of leading this team, so seeing her take charge like this is just another sign of how much our girl has grown (not literally; she’s still a smol).
“You really gonna try to stop me?”
Ryan asks Luke if he can hack the blimp’s navigation system, and while he can’t land it, he can get it close. Which is great, because Ryan wants it near a rooftop for a plan that she refuses to elaborate on, despite Sophie’s insistence. And Sophie knows that the fact that Ryan won’t share means the plan is absolutely batshit (lol), and look at them knowing how the other works, my heart is UNWELL!
“You really gonna keep doing crazy shit?”
Ryan tasks Mary and Sophie with getting everyone to safety without causing a panic, but Sophie isn’t sure how they’re going to do that when she has such a measly social following. I love that Sophie jumped right to assuming her sex appeal was the thing that would convince everyone to listen to her and look, it would work on me, is all I’m saying. This also reminded me that Mary was a whole ass influencer in season 1! Dust off that IG, girl!
Mary suggests they investigate the Bat trophies in case there’s something there that could help. They still need a way to get into the Batcave though. So Ryan goes to talk to her mother, even though Jada is upset with her for claiming to want their family back together yet getting rid of the joy buzzer. Ryan reminds her that the buzzer isn’t going to fix their little acid bomb in a blimp situation, and what she actually needs is her mom’s help and connections to get Wayne back. Jada realizes that while she can’t expose a financial vulnerability like she did to Ryan, there is something that Marquis is hiding. The catch is, it will also implicate Jada. She’s willing to risk that to put the city first.
No notes. Just Robin Givens serving.
Up in the blimp (I still can’t believe this, y’all), Marquis’ CFO calls to fire him, but he just laughs it off and turns on the TV to see what could have prompted that call. See, at this point I should have known something was up, because a reporter other than Dana Dewitt breaks the story that Jada threw her own son under the bus about a family secret surrounding her husband’s death and that the board has reinstated Ryan as CEO of Wayne. Apparently Marquis isn’t familiar with classic blimp lore, because he shoots his gun all willy nilly AS IF HE ISN’T IN A DAMN BLIMP. (I’m aware that this is a tricked out Wayne blimp, but let me have this one.)
Mary and Sophie are able to get back into the Batcave, so they do a strut about it. As Sophie goes to look through the trophies, Luke walks Mary through the computer setup and it’s just like HamilFox times of yore. I don’t know what kind of sorcery these writers are practicing that has me caring about a het couple, but dammit if I’m not on board.
Congrats on your face, Meagan Tandy.
Mary manages to get control of the satellites and Sophie grabs Penguin’s umbrella to hypnotize the citizens. Luke hits Ryan with the “Bat bar to Batwoman” (LOL) to update her as she gets eyes on the blimp. Related to absolutely nothing, shout out to the Gothamites who brought pizza to the blimp watch. Y’all are my kind of people.
The blimp drops suddenly, thanks to Mary’s sweet satellite hacking, so naturally, Marquis kills the pilot for being locked out of the navigation system and shoots the computer. Unfortunately, this means Luke is also locked out of the system, so Ryan ziplines up to the blimp instead of waiting for it to get closer. See, Sophie knew her girl was gonna do something reckless.
“This white man really had a whole ass blimp…smh”
Ryan makes it to the cargo hold and finds the bomb set up and hopes that Sophie learned something about defusing a bomb in between all those makeout sessions at Point Rock. Sophie doesn’t disappoint and is like “lemme see dem wires, girl.”
Good news, Sophie recognizes the wire set up; bad news, if Ryan touches any of the wires, the whole thing could blow prematurely. Meanwhile, Mary sends out the hypnosis to everyone’s phones and it works; they start to clear the streets.
When your girlfriend asks if you can fix something so you say “yes” and immediately Google it.
I would like a compilation of every time Wildmoore is on comms together because my word, they are so cute?! Like, why is it adorable when Sophie says “Batwoman” instead of “Ryan”? She respects the suit and the mantle, but as soon as it seems like her girl is in danger, she switches to the more personal name. Your Honor, I love them!
“That’s my woman, and I love her.”
And speaking of Wildmoore comms, Ryan asks if Sophie happens to also know how to commandeer a blimp because this one is sans pilot. Sadly, Sophie doesn’t have secret blimp knowledge, but she does know that with Marquis’ audience gone, he could detonate the bomb at any moment and she will not lose Ryan. And Ry is almost too stunned to speak because no one has said that to her before. So Sophie says it again with her whole chest; “I’m not losing you.” With every week that passes for us, and every moment that happens for them, Sophie reminds Ryan that her feelings are real and that she’s here to stay. And not only that, she makes sure Ryan knows it’s because of the impact she has on Sophie; that as much as it would kill Ryan for Soph to leave, it would also wreck Sophie if she lost Ryan.
“Am I…feeling?”
They don’t have long to sit in this feeling though, because Marquis confronts Ryan and explains that he wants half the city to be disfigured from the acid and live to see the consequences of what he believes their Bat worship has caused. The siblings fight as Ryan demands Marquis disarms the bomb, and Marquis plays the “Mommy doesn’t love you” card. Ryan tries to punch the sociopath out of Marquis, so he apologizes to her and she falls for his ruse. Both figuratively and literally, because Marquis kicks her through the glass and she falls out of the blimp.
As I watched Ryan and Marquis fight in the blimp, I was struck by how many layers this show has. On the surface, it’s a superhero show, but it’s so much more than that. It’s about love, and family, and hope, and friendship, and struggle, and heart. Is there some totems schmotems in the plot? Sure. But somehow they still manage to put as much emphasis on the action and comic-ness of it all, as they do on the softer more personal aspects, and it’s why I maintain it’s one of the best shows on television right now.
Nothing but respect for my Batwoman.
Ahem, anyway. Marquis’ plan doesn’t work though, because Ryan pulls him out of the blimp and uses him as her parachute. They land on a roof and appear to both be unconscious. Sophie is freaking out over comms because Ryan isn’t responding; the journey her face goes on, y’all…breaks my whole heart. Eventually Ryan comes to and tells Sophie there’s no way she’s dying before she buys her dinner and lawd, even I felt Sophie’s relief the second she heard Ryan’s voice.
This is the face of someone who knows this relationship is going to be a wild(er) ride.
They remember there’s still a bomb though, so Batwing flies up to examine the control panel and realizes they are well and truly fucked. The only thing that could work is using the Batwing AI, which means leaving it behind.
Back on the roof, Marquis and Ryan fight and end up dangling over the edge of the building. And who is there to save them, but Alice! We flash back to earlier at Arkham where Alice continued to plead her case about the buzzer. She needs Alice out of Beth’s head, but she doesn’t think she can do it on her own. Ryan counters that if anyone can survive hard, it’s Alice. Ryan leaves the buzzer, but tells her that they all know she isn’t the one who needs it; that she can become Beth again without it.
Snap back to reality and Ryan pulls the siblings back over the ledge and gives Ryan the buzzer back. She promptly uses it on Marquis and genuinely thanks Alice for her help. These two are so powerful together every time they share the screen and I’m so curious how and if their dynamic will change when Beth returns from …well, I’m getting ahead of myself again.
“Never thought I’d be thanking Alice, but here we are…”
Luke is panicking in the Bat blimp because they’re running out of time, so Sophie gives him coordinates of the city’s most desolate area in case the blimp can’t make it all the way to the ocean. Luke takes a moment to say goodbye to his dad before the blimp explodes. Batwing makes it out alive and lands in an alley where he sees a little boy who got separated from his mom. He promises to help the kid, and introduces himself as Batwing. *cue the tears*
At the clinic, Mary is monitoring Marquis’ vitals as Ryan and Jada look on. Jada promises Ryan that they will build a better future together than the past they’re leaving behind. Ryan went from having no family, to having and losing Mama Cora, to finding her Bat family and now her biological family. She has everything she’s wanted and she DESERVES.
“We are a familyyyy, like a giant tree branching out toward the sky”
Marquis wakes up and greets the women with an innocence that, I’m sorry, I just don’t trust yet. We’ve already seen him fake sincerity multiple times, so I’m going to give it a second before I’m Team Marquis.
While the family gets reacquainted, Mary notices a note pinned to her desk with Alice’s butterfly knife. It’s the brochure for the sanatorium; Alice decided to pack her bags and give herself the chance to find Beth again. Like sure, Alice has done some shit, but I can’t help but root for her and want her to find happiness and contentment.
Back at Wayne Tower, Ryan and Sophie have some alone time after the insanity of the day. Sophie McProcessor over here wants to know what’s next for them. Of course, Ryan thinks she means what’s next in general, but Sophie is all too willing to set her girl straight (well, never straight). The next thing on the list for Wildmoore is a good and proper date night! Sophie pulls Ryan in for the sweetest of kisses before they’re interrupted by Luke and Mary.
BATKISS!
There’s a very quick moment right before the camera cuts away post-kiss where Ryan starts to put her head on Sophie’s chest and I LOST MY ENTIRE MIND! RYAN IS SO SOFT!!! WE LOVE A TOL AND A SMOL IN THIS HOUSE!
HELP THEY ARE TOO CUTE!
Mary is ready to celebrate with some champagne, but Ryan wants to get things back in order. Sophie asks if she ever takes a night off, but listen, this is Gotham, and Ryan STAYS ready. With her team by her side, Ryan ends the season the same way she started: determined to leave the city better than she found it.
Looking ahead to season 4 (please)
At the scene of the blimp explosion, my girl Dana Dewitt is reporting live despite her very own warnings that it’s too dangerous for anyone to be there. Something skeletal attacks the camera person and kills Gotham’s best reporter before slinking away into the distance. Pour one out for Dana Dewitt, y’all. She was a real one.
And that is a wrap on season 3!! You already know how much this show means to me, so I promise I won’t shout too many more feelings at you, but I do need to acknowledge how special this fandom and community is. Y’all have rallied around this show and these characters in the most beautiful way. Batwoman is for everyone, but it especially warms my heart to see so many blerds find a space where they can safely and loudly express their love for this show. We’re here and we’re sure as heck aren’t going anywhere.
As always, thank you to the writers for understanding the importance of showcasing two Black lesbian leads, and treating the Wildmoore relationship with such care. It matters. As much as Sophie doesn’t want to lose Ryan, I don’t want to lose this show, so I’m crossing all of my fingers and toes in hopes that I’ll see you all back here for Season 4!
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I always enjoy your recaps of Batwoman and I will thoroughly miss this. The show will be renewed (speaking it to existence) as this season was written better, the acting was superb, action scenes, the villains and we have two Black lesbian leads which is unheard of in 2022. Representation matters and as a fellow nerd and lover of superheroes I’m so glad to support a Black woman superhero. Here’s to looking forward to Season 4 where we get more Wildmoore content, Ryan’s family dynamic, Hamilfox, the new villain (Dr. Phosphorus or Grundy) and the fallout for the acid explosion where Sophie may feel worse because she gave Luke those coordinates who knows so much to look forward to next season when this show gets renewed.
I hope they don’t leave us hanging, either renew or cancel it.
This was such a great season!!!! Thank you for your recaps and I really really hope there will be a season 4
Hey I love your recaps. I look forward to them after every Batwoman episode. I honestly don’t know what I going to do with myself now that the season is over lol. I really hope this show gets renewed for season 4
Nic you NEVER miss! We definitely need to get the Twitter trends going for #RenewBatwoman or a petition something! I can’t take this uncertainty!
Since CW is up for sale by Warner Media, renewals and cancellations are on hold. Once these shows have a new home we will know. HBO Max, Paramount+ seem like possible options.
they better announce that renewal ASAP.
lmao @ “Sophie McProcessor”. happy to see the team together, happy and healthy for the end of the season! looking forward to see how Alice/Beth comes back into play and still don’t fully trust Jada & Marquis, but we gonna enjoy a happy moment for Ryan. she deserves it! the team was really put through the ringer this season and i had so much fun watching it.
thanks so much for doing these recaps, i think the whole fandom has truly enjoyed them. see u next season 🤞🏼
Thank you so much for these they are pure joy!!! Fingers crossed for season 4!
Good service deserves all the accolades, that’s why I’ll forever applaud the efforts of the most reliable tech guy who helped me spy through my husband’s cellphone within the shortest possible time, phonehacker843 (@) g mail com, is the best when it comes to requiring a tech savvy’s service.
Perfect season, no notes.
All the name dropping of one Dr. Harlene Quinzel means she’s going to be in the next season, right?
Thank you for your perfect recapping this season, Nic! I have chortled, snorted, and full-on belly laughed more times than I can count. I’ll miss Batwoman so much – fully agree that it is the best show on TV right now. Can’t wait for season 4 and even more WILDMOORE!!
Sorry i did not find you sooner, @Nic. i have been watching, rewatching, & revisiting every episode of Batwoman seasons 2 & 3. As a black lesbian i believe it is, so important to keep storylines of substantial black queer female characters present in media. In the past the over sexualization of black female characters have kept us from seeing the true potential of their words and actions. Ryan Wilder & Sophie Moore kick ass unapologetically. Never knew i could ❤️ two characters’ ❤️ like this. @ first, i didn’t see it happening, but after i went back and noticed the lingering looks, the staring, and the quips let #WildMoore rain all over me.
The love and steadfastness of Sophie’s words @ 25:53 is cemented by her fright and concern @ 29:05. Always have to rewatch those parts a few times before continuing the episode. My little gay❤️ was so pleased.
so has gotham city just lost its lgbtq+ bar?
These recaps were amazing! Fingers crossed for season 4! Also… did anyone notice that the name of the treatment center that Mary found for Alice translates from German to English as “White Rabbit”?! This has to be relevant somehow, right? Hopefully something they will follow up in if the show is renewed!
On Wednesday, i picked up the 1st Issue of Earth-Prime: Batwoman 1. It’s DC possibly trying to integrate Batwoman into another DC series, which i hope doesn’t happen. The comic’s storyline does have a new Batman villain coming into play. It is also woven into the Season 3 arc of Mary turning into Poison Ivy seamlessly. The artwork is great even though Ryan’s nose does look a little more narrow than it is in real life.