Batwoman: Season 1 Finale - "O, Mouse!" Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out Warning: this review contains full spoilers for Batwoman, Season 1, Episode 20! [poilib element="accentDivider"] Like The Flash before it, Batwoman is forced to end its current season sooner than expected due to the COVID-19 shutdown. But whereas The Flash's Season 6 finale can only do so much to tie up the show's various loose ends, Batwoman has no problem gliding to a graceful finish. In fact, if one were to absorb this season in a vacuum they might not even realize the show was wrapping up two episodes early. "O, Mouse!" is a strong finish to Season 1 that leaves plenty of room for an even better Season 2. The truth is Batwoman could have ended its season on any number of recent episodes without missing a beat. Compared to most Arrowverse shows, Batwoman's plot isn't quite as serialized and open-ended, and many episodes tend to end on a more conclusive note. That may be a consequence of Season 1 not being picked up for a full 22 episodes until October 2019. Perhaps the writers have been playing things a little more conservatively because the show's long-term future was in flux for so long. Whatever the case, that approach pays off here in an episode that wraps up one major character's story while also setting a number of wheels in motion for Season 2. [widget path="global/article/imagegallery" parameters="albumSlug=batwoman-o-mouse-photos&captions=true"] Fittingly, this episode brings the long, sad saga of Mouse to an end. Assuming you could even describe Johnny Cartwright as a villain (and that would be a stretch), he's easily been the most well-realized and sympathetic of the bunch to emerge in Season 1. The finale caps off Mouse's season-long arc on a satisfying note. When finally forced to choose between his loyalty to Alice and his desire to achieve some semblance of peace and freedom, he opts for the latter. But rather than fuel a happy ending, that choice simply dooms Mouse to become the latest in a long line of victims of Alice's hate. There's a clear central theme driving "O, Mouse!" Both Alice and her father are painted as obsessive, Ahab-like figures who wind up driving away a beloved family member because they can't let go of their obsessive crusade. It's a smart storytelling swerve for Jacob to cast him as such a direct antagonist to Kate. The character had started to languish over the course of the season (particularly during that weird prison subplot), but this episode finally helps get him back on track while simultaneously adding an extra level of danger and urgency to Kate's costumed antics. As for Alice, this episode successfully caps off the season and cements her as the show's most improved character. Recent episodes have shown a much greater ability to highlight the real, genuine person beneath all the forced bluster and theatricality. Watching her break down as she murders her adoptive brother definitely hits hard. It also highlights how much both Kane sisters have lost by hating each other and how pointless this ongoing feud truly is. The sheer unpredictability of Alice' arc hasn't hurt, either. Every time it seems like she's about to reform or she's been taken off the board, the show swerves in a completely different direction. Speaking of improved villains, what a weird and intriguing turn the Hush subplot has taken. Gabriel Mann's Tommy Elliot didn't leave a strong impression early in the season, but the character is much more compelling as an unlikely ally to Alice. With Mouse gone, Tommy now steps into his role as a villain wearing a false face and hiding in plain sight. It'll be very interesting to see how Season 2 handles the idea of Tommy impersonating Bruce Wayne. If anything, the fact that this twist comes at the end of a season rather than two episodes before the finale may free up the writers to go bigger and more in-depth. And as an added bonus, now that Warren Christie is playing Tommy-as-Bruce, maybe he can play the real Bruce in Season 2, as well. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/05/12/dc-universes-stargirl-series-premiere-review"] There are a handful of questionable choices holding this episode back. Terrence Terrell's "Titan" doesn't quite hit the mark as the final villain of the season. To its credit, this episode does attempt to give the character some depth by emphasizing his football-induced CTE. But at some point this "ripped from the headlines" approach comes off as a bit crass. CTE is a real disorder that ruins lives, but it's not a case of flipping a mental switch and transforming an upstanding citizen into a machete-wielding psychopath. Plus the fact that it's pretty bizarre to watch Batwoman nearly get killed fighting an ex-football player at the same time her arch-enemy is researching the magical rock that can pierce her body armor. Titan clearly wasn't having much trouble. In general, the payoff to last week's kryptonite twist is disappointing. When it was revealed that kryptonite was the key to killing Batman/woman, my hope was that the late Lucius Fox was talking more about a metaphorical death. The series could have done something interesting by building on the Kate/Kara subplot from Crisis and kryptonite being the key to turning Gotham City against its protector. But instead, it turns out Lucius was simply talking about a making a literal bullet. I've never really understood the series' obsession with Batman and Batwoman wearing indestructible body armor when both characters are defined by their skills and willpower. And I still don't.

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