Batwoman Season 2, Episode 9 recap: A new villain rises

Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9, “Rule #1”, aka the mid-season finale of The CW show, opens with Kate Kane’s funeral. The aftermath of this moment is going to be felt by everyone connected to her.

Jacob Kane, Mary, Luke, Sophie Moore, and Julia Pennyworth say their goodbyes at the cemetery. In the Batcave, Ryan says her own goodbye via the diary she’s been keeping for Kate.

One month later, and we learn that Mary and Luke have been relying on Ryan to deal with Kate’s loss. She’s been their support system, as we all knew Ryan would be.

But who will support Ryan? Her soulmate, Angelique, broke up with her when Ryan bugged her phone. Ryan had a reason—she was helping Sophie track Kate’s location. Ryan was also trying to get Angelique out of dealing snakebite.

At the time, Angelique said she didn’t want to get out. Well, it looks like she’s changed her mind about it. Ryan is worth getting out of the life for. We knew we could root for these two!

Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9 – Gotham’s Crime Problem

The police commissioner of Gotham is all too keen to get Batwoman’s help with the snakebite drug flooding the city—he announces as much on the news. He’s probably going to regret that in Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9.

Of course, this is Gotham, so what a person says, and what they do, rarely match. The commissioner wants an end to drugs but the police killing unarmed Black men? That he doesn’t care much about, as he tells a young woman who accosts him about it.

Well, he gets a taste of his own medicine later that night when the False-Face Gang kill him on the steps of City Hall. The only witness? That young woman the commissioner was so dismissive of.

And who steps out to help with the False-Face Gang? Roman Sionis (Peter Outerbridge), who DC Comics fans will recognise as the man behind the Black Mask. Create a problem and then try to solve it—the Gotham villain way.

But wait! That young woman we mentioned earlier? She’s important! Because the footage of the commissioner’s murder has been erased and now the witness is crucial. Mary finds out who the witness is through her graffiti. Yay for a social media-savvy Bat-person!

Who is this witness? Jordan Moore. Wait… Moore? Like Sophie Moore? Yes! She’s Sophie’s sister and she does not trust the Crows. But she needs Sophie’s help to lay low till this mess goes away.

Unfortunately, more False-Face Gang members attack. How could they possibly know where to find people if they aren’t connected to a powerful man like Roman Sionis?

However, they don’t count on Batwoman arriving and kicking their behinds. Can we get another yay for Mary?

Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9 – The Getaway Driver

Having been rescued in Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9, Jordan shares what she saw at City Hall. The gang were wearing masks, but Jordan saw a bracelet on the driver’s wrist. Batwoman recognises the description—it’s the bracelet that Angelique wears. Oh, Angelique. Every time!

When Ryan confronts Angelique about it, she insists it was the price she had to pay for leaving the False-Face Gang. Angelique did not know that the plan was murdering the commissioner.

Ryan says she can make it all go away because she knows Batwoman—nice save, Ryan! But when Ryan tells Luke and Mary about the situation, they don’t react that well.

Luke doesn’t believe Angelique can be trusted—she’s thrown Ryan under the bus before, after all. Mary usually has Ryan’s back but, in this instance, she’s hesitating. Why?

Well, Batwomen tend to stand up for the wrong baddies at times. Kate believed Alice could be saved even after all the bad she did. Ryan has a similar relationship to Angelique.

But if Angelique rats out the gang to the police, Jordan doesn’t have to, and Angelique can finally get out of the life. Is this an option Angelique will even explore?

The situation gets more complicated when Sophie starts asking for Batwoman’s help with the getaway driver. Luke believes Ryan will convince Angelique to do the right thing. He’s right.

Unfortunately, before Batwoman can even speak to Angelique, Black Mask gets her. Leaving is only an option if Angelique wants to do so in a body bag.

Team-Batwoman locate where Angelique has been taken but there are too many thugs. Batwoman ends up chained to a machine—this has happened to a lot of Bat-people over the years.

Black Mask isn’t shy about demonstrating his plans for Batwoman—he sends one of his goons through the machine. Look away, viewers. This is going to get bloody.

But why is Black Mask doing this? Apparently, his daughter was arrested by the Crows and killed by the previous Batwoman. That doesn’t sound right. Of course, none of this is a good enough reason to go around killing people, not that Black Mask cares.

Fortunately for Batwoman, she’s saved by Sophie once again! Last episode and now again in Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9. Together, they find Angelique, who promises to share what she knows about the commissioner’s murder.

Except she doesn’t exactly do that. She takes the fall for the commissioner’s murder. Why would she do that? Because Black Mask threatened to kill Ryan if she didn’t.

This was not how it was supposed to go! Jordan is infuriated—these are the systems they need to take down. That Sophie needs to help Jordan take down from the inside. Sophie is beginning to understand this.

The closer Sophie moves to Team-Batwoman, the more she leaves the way of the Crows behind. This is a good thing because the Crows kinda suck. But I hope that Ryan and Sophie can eventually come to some kind of truce, as well.

Especially because, earlier in the evening, Sophie and Jordan go to relax at the Hold Up, Kate’s bar which Ryan now manages. Ryan wants to hear Jordan wax eloquent about being saved by Batwoman. No chance. Jordan thinks of Batwoman as an extension of the police. Dang.

However, Jordan does try to set Sophie up with Ryan, which is adorable. Sisterly wingmanship for the win! Also, it’s so great to see Jordan accepting Sophie’s sexuality. It didn’t go so well with their mom, so Sophie really needs Jordan’s support.

Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9 – Aftermath

Alice has returned to Gotham and is still processing her sister’s death in Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9. She wanted her sister back and she gets her wish. Kind of. Alice starts hallucinating Kate, young Kate (Gracyn Shinyei), the one on the other side of that door all those years ago.

Young Kate is a figment of Alice’s imagination—she’s here to remind Alice of everything that’s gone bad in her life. Thanks?

Interestingly, young Kate sends Alice to dig up her dead cat. Eww. But in the coffin is a very alive cat. What? This is a full-on psychotic break from the shock of Kate’s death. Alice has never had to deal with grief before, so her mind is just making scenarios up.

What does Alice plan to do now? She’s going to imagine a world where Kate never existed. Not exactly what a doctor would prescribe, but you do you, Alice.

Jacob Kane may have buried yet another daughter, but he isn’t convinced. I mean, Beth did come back, as Alice.

Even though Julia has spent three months verifying Kate’s death, Jacob wants her on the case. As we know, Kate is still alive, and though she avoided Safiyah’s clutches, she’s now in the hands of Black Mask. For once, Jacob’s right.

Julia begins her investigation into Kate’s death but here’s another mystery to solve in Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9. It seems that Julia has already investigated it before. Her contact is very specific about details that only Julia would know. So why doesn’t Julia remember this?

If anybody else is getting Safiyah vibes from this situation, there’s a reason why.

Despite the shock of Angelique’s confession, Team-Batwoman become closer than ever. They’ve learned so much since they came together and it’s time to put it into practice. Jordan is setting up a grassroots shelter in Gotham to help those in need. Team-Batwoman is going to help her!

In the gross dungeon where Kate is lying unconscious, Black Mask introduces a new villain. She asks why Kate’s face is damaged. It’s a result of how hard she fought when Black Mask’s men pulled her from the crash. Kate Kane, always the fighter.

The mysterious woman says it’s a good thing—no facial recall will make a new identity easier for the former Kate Kane. Who is this person? She’s Enigma (Laura Mennell), aka the mind-wiper from Coryana. Poor Kate won’t even know who she is after this.

If Enigma is in Gotham, did she wipe Julia’s memory? Is Black Mask in cahoots with Safiyah? So many questions in this mid-season finale!

Final Thoughts – Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9 is a Heart-Thumping Mid-Season Finale

So much happened in Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9, I could hardly keep up. It’s clear that the second half of this season will be all about Kate’s new identity and Team-Batwoman finding her again.

Angelique’s fate was heart-breaking, and one she probably wouldn’t have been doomed to had Ryan told her she was Batwoman. But who knows how that would have played out? I hope Angelique can be saved and the true villain, Black Mask, is found guilty of his crimes.

I love that Team-Batwoman is going to try and do more on-the-ground work for the people of Gotham. This is what the superhero genre desperately needs, and I can’t wait to find out how they execute it.

The CW may not be making the most profound statements about the issues plaguing the world, but they’re taking some solid steps forward. Here’s hoping they keep that momentum going into the second half of the season.

What did you think of the Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Batwoman Season 2 is airing weekly on The CW.