‘Batwoman’: The Team Just Got Bigger (And More Fabulous) With a New Brain in the Bat Cave

Batwoman Season 1 Episode 17, titled “A Narrow Escape,” solved a murder mystery, moved the needle on the storyline, and set the stage for what could be an exciting final three episodes. It also gave Batwoman a new team member who just might rub Luke the wrong way in the most entertaining manner imaginable. Here’s the scoop on the newest brain in the Bat Cave.

[Spoiler warning: The following article contains details about Batwoman Season 1 Episode 17, “A Narrow Escape.”]

Batwoman gets a new ally

Previously on Batwoman, Mary realized that her stepsister, Kate, is indeed Gotham’s Caped Crusader. Considering Mary’s exceptional intelligence, Ms. Kane should have realized that it was only a matter of time before the Instagram star put the pieces together.

Mary opened the door for Kate to confide in her, but the brooding Bat dropped the ball. Instead, she let the moment pass, leaving Mary dejected and slightly miffed.

In “A Narrow Escape,” Kate is in a funk from that time she — you know — impulsively strangled the man who held her twin sister captive as a child. Reeling from the incident, she takes a weeklong break from being Batwoman. That serves as an invitation for all kinds of psychos to come out of the woodwork.

Consequently, Mary’s clinic is rocked by a mad bomber, and Kate — minus the cape and wig — rushes to the scene to ensure that her sis is okay. In the heat of the moment, Mary drops all pretenses and admits that she knows Kate’s secret. She is Batwoman. What’s more, Mary challenges Kate to put the uniform back on, saying, “The city needs you as much as I need you.”

This not only gives Kate a necessary kick in the pants, but it also positions Mary as another resource for Batwoman. As brilliant as Luke is, and as cunning as Kate is, Mary’s medical expertise and intuitive nature could be useful to the team in the future.

Luke keeps up the act

“Both you and Bruce stared into the abyss. The question is: How long are you going to let it stare back at you?” Luke’s words about The Dark Knight’s past helped give Kate a much-needed emotional boost. By the conclusion of “A Narrow Escape,” Kate has put the cape back on, caught a killer, and decided to move forward with the support of her Bat crew, which now apparently includes her stepsister.

At the end of the hour, Mary shows up– dressed to the nines as usual — at Wayne Tower and casually lets on in front of Luke that she knows Kate’s secret identity. Luke panics and attempts to cover with a flimsy spiel.

“Kate’s not Batwoman. That would be a major time-suck from real estate development, her actual job.”

“It’s fine. She knows,” admits Kate.

Although Kate has embraced Mary as a trusted confidant, Luke continues the ruse — unconvincingly. It is not shocking that Luke hesitates to let Mary in on the operation. Their prior interactions have been friendly but working in close proximity could cause friction.

Luke and Mary’s opposing personalities have irked each other in the past, such as in episode 15, when Mary gives Luke a lead on a case. Luke disses Mary’s methods, and Mary criticizes Luke’s attitude.

Now that Mary is in the loop, the twosome should give Kate plenty of grief and viewers lots of entertainment. Whatever the case, with Instagram star and fashionista, Mary, as a part of the team, the Bat Cave just got a lot more fabulous.

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