Batwoman Recap With Spoilers: Old Villains Return in “A Narrow Escape”

After nearly a month away from our TV screens, Batwoman is finally back with new episodes. The CW series is returning in a wildly different set of circumstances, as nearly every aspect of film and television production is shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With other shows on the network already enduring abridged seasons and wildly different season finales, it will be interesting to see how Batwoman falls into that, especially given the twists and turns within this week’s episode. Here’s what you need to know about the show’s latest installment, “A Narrow Escape”. Obviously, spoilers for the episode lurk below! Only look if you want to know!

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Batwoman stops a criminal from escaping with a bag full of precious jewels, but believes she accidentally killed him in the process. She begins to have a panic attack, remembering what happened with August.

One week later, Officer Wilcox of the GCPD wakes up with a bomb strapped to his chest. He is given a tape recorder with instructions from a modulated voice – from The Detonator, a villain who hasn’t been seen in seven years – telling him that the only way to disarm his bomb is to activate another one somewhere else in Gotham City. He presses the button, blowing up a bank in downtown Gotham. Mary helps a young woman in her clinic, who decided to cosplay as Batwoman to help people from the bomb wreckage, because the real Batwoman has been missing for a week. She asks if Mary knows where Batwoman could be, but Mary says she knows Batwoman wouldn’t trust her.

Julia visits Kate, who has been hiding out in her apartment for a week. Kate worries that she’s going to kill someone again, but Julia tells her to try to get over it, and help people.

The Detonator watches news coverage of Reggie Harris’ attorney, talking about his murder a week before. Julia and Sophie continue to investigate Michael Fisher, the man who seems to be behind the Crows coverup. Julia suggests that The Detonator could be involved.

Kate returns to the Batcave, where Luke is using a punching bag to let out his emotions about what happened with Reggie Harris. Kate decides to get back into operating as Batwoman, and asks Luke what he knows about The Detonator. Luke pulls up Bruce’s research, at the same time as Jacob addresses The Crows about The Detonator’s history. They both determine that The Detonator stamps a “214” on all of his bombs, which Kate realizes matches the number on dishonorable discharge papers. That leads them to a suspect — George Adler, who was also dishonorably discharged. Kate decides to go talk to him, but in her civilian clothes, because the Batwoman suit still gives her PTSD.

Kate visits Adler, who reveals that his dad – George Adler Sr. – was actually the original Detonator, but died seven years ago. Just then, Harris’ attorney wakes up with a bomb strapped to his chest. He calls The Crows for help, and they try to clear the area before the bomb can go off. Luke and Kate find out what’s happening — and realize that Mary’s clinic is within the potential blast radius.

Mary decides not to leave her clinic, and the people within it who are immobile. The Batwoman cosplayer decides to stay with her and tries to help. Kate runs to help Mary, just as the bomb goes off. Kate arrives to help Mary and the other people, but gets triggered by the Batwoman cosplayer’s suit. Mary runs after Kate, admitting to her that she knows she’s Batwoman — and that people need her now, more than ever.

Julia and Sophie tell Luke that The Detonator helped cover the evidence of Lucius’ murder, and they track it to the lead of the Crows’ homicide division, Miguel Robles. Just then, Robles attacks Jacob at the Crows facility and knocks him unconscious. Jacob wakes up with a bomb strapped to his chest.

Kate puts on the Batwoman suit and chases after Robles, who admits to “tying up loose ends” with regards to Lucius’ murder. Kate realizes that the other bomb tied to Jacob’s bomb is in a parking garage underneath Wayne Enterprises. Sophie and Julia come to Jacob’s aid, and Batwoman tells Julia about the bomb being under Wayne. Luke joins Batwoman and Robles in the parking garage, confronting him about his dad’s murder. He also deploys a “lockdown” on Wayne, which only makes the bomb go off in the garage. He gets Robles to admit that why he killed Lucius — because Tommy Elliot told him to, because of a book Lucius apparently had. Luke knocks Robles unconscious, just as Kate begins to have a panic attack. She admits to Luke that she killed Cartwright, and that that’s why she feels like a fraud as Batwoman. Just then, the bomb begins to go off, and they carry Robles to safety.

The next day, Jacob reinstates Sophie on the Crows, as long as she is able to bring Julia along with her to lead a new task force.

Luke thanks Kate for helping convince him not to kill Robles, and admits that the “journal” Tommy wanted was an instruction manual for every piece of Wayne technology. Kate also apologizes for not telling him about Cartwright, and he tells her that Bruce also killed as Batman — including killing The Joker. Mary arrives, congratulating Kate on her return as Batwoman. Luke pretends to still lie that Kate isn’t Batwoman, but they ignore him.

Other tidbits from the episode include:

• In a dream sequence, Kate and Alice have a normal sisterly relationship, and play Mortal Kombat together. Alice begins to doubt if its really happening, and wakes up to being tortured in Arkham.
• Mouse and Alice sit in a group therapy session in Arkham, which Mouse actually chooses to participate in. He argues to Alice that being in Arkham is a “sanctuary”, where they can no longer be hurt or targeted — especially by Safiyah. Tommy Elliot joins the therapy session, and begins ranting about how Bruce Wayne is going to save him. Magpie is also there. Later, Alice and Tommy cross paths in a hallway in Arkham, and she antagonizes him about Bruce Wayne. In the fight that ensues, Alice steals a knife off of Tommy’s shoe, and uses it to stab herself and get herself sent to the doctor. Later, she shows Mouse her stitches — and the knife she stole from Tommy.
• Mouse stabs and kills the doctor at Arkham. Later, the doctor visits Alice — but it’s clearly Mouse, wearing his face. Alice then decides that they should take over Arkham together.

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Batwoman airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.