Batwoman Review: Take Your Choice (Season 1 Episode 12)
On Batwoman Season 1 Episode 12, “Take Your Choice,” Sophie and Jake meet with an expert witness on plastic surgery in an attempt to clear Jake’s name. That expert witness, Dr. Campbell, is played by Sebastian Roché.
Look, when Sebastian Roché shows up, you know he isn’t just some random plastic surgeon. He’s far too famous for that.
So, suspicions are up from the second he appears, and they continue to grow when he wants a meeting with Mouse. However, the twist that he is Mouse’s dad, August Cartwright, is shocking and nicely done. Also, the mask pull off gave me Mission Impossible vibes in the best way.
August is a huge part of Alice’s origin story, so it makes sense that we would see him in the present day. And now that he’s here, it makes you wonder how Mouse and Alice escaped in the first place, and what they think happened to August. This calls for a flashback!
It is very weird to be asking for flashbacks in an Arrowverse show, but Batwoman knows how to use them. The flashbacks are used sparingly and to deliver some good character moments. The flashbacks add to the momentum of the hour, not detract from it.
August could be a fantastic big bad — one without any redeeming qualities where there’s no “but we have to save him” element to it. He is just evil, which is exciting.
Mouse: You looked at me, and you saw a monster. She saw the window to the world. I will never, ever betray her.
Batwoman has done the complexities of Alice being alive and evil so well, but they haven’t had a truly evil bad guy around for longer than an episode yet. I’m looking forward to how the show tackles it because there’s this fear that once Alice is gone, Kate taking on run of the mill bad guys for an entire season won’t be as captivating.
Another plus of August’s presence is that his crusade against Alice might cause us to feel for Mouse and Alice a bit more, rooting for their survival instead of capture.
The bottom line is August coming back into the fold hopefully will shake things up in a great way. I’m eager to see how his presence changes Mouse and Alice’s gameplans.
Alice: Why? Because she’s pure, good? You don’t even know me, not the real me.
Kate: I know what you showed me. I couldn’t save you, and all I can hope is that you find peace.
As soon as Kate learns the truth about August/Dr. Campbell (and also that he exists), it wouldn’t be surprising if Kate shifts her focus and tries to protect Alice from him, and considering the fact that Alice and Kate’s dynamic just got even more complicated, this is bound to be exciting.
So, as far as I can tell, Kate has given up on trying to save Alice, and Alice has now lost all sisterly feelings towards Kate. This puts both of them in uncharted territory.
There have to be repercussions for Kate’s decision to save Beth, but I’m not completely sure what they will be. It is doubtful that this means Alice is going to start trying to kill Kate, but perhaps she won’t go out of her way to protect her as much.
We might see an even more unhinged Alice, which could be fun. How do you think Kate’s decision will affect their dynamic?
What did you think of this episode of Batwoman? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Batwoman airs Sunday at 8/7c on The CW.
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Allison Nichols
Allison is in a love affair with television that doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. Slightly damaged fictional characters are her weakness. She loves to spend her free time curled up with a cat and a show to binge-watch. Allison is a Tomatometer-approved critic (Rotten Tomatoes).