This week on Batwoman, Ryan presents a new case to Mary, one that hits very close to home for her, and Ryan confronts her past in more ways than one. Meanwhile, Sophie and Alice continue to search for answers about Kate, as does Commander Kane. Read on for our recap of episode 4, “Fair Skin, Blue Eyes.”
We open in a small lab where the Snake Bite drug is being produced by a group called the False Face Society, transitioning to a guy in an alley (Gotham really has quite its fair share of sketchy alleys) who’s taken Snake Bite. Just as it hits, Batwoman drops in. She asks him who sold it to him, eventually coercing information. Shortly after, in the Batmobile, she chases another man down the street, and when she catches him, she again asks who the boss is. When she’s done with him, the alarm of a nearby building goes off. She goes to see what’s causing it when a young boy approaches her, telling her about his missing brother, Kevin, and asking if she cares enough to help find him.
Commander Kane holds a press conference regarding Kate, stating that anyone who comes up with viable info will receive a $1 million reward. Luke and Mary watch. Mary says she’s still skeptical of Kate really being alive because she doesn’t trust the sources — you know, the very credible Safiyah and Alice. Luke, however, still refuses to give up and leaves to continue investigating. As he does, Ryan comes in and tells Mary about Kevin, and Mary wonders why no one’s looking for him.
“Black, male, foster kid, juvie”
GCPD probably wrote Kevin off as a runaway. As the two research, Ryan realizes she used to live in the same neighborhood as Kevin, in a not-so-homey group home. Ryan flashes back to when she was 12, an outcast in a hostile setting. She turned to comic books to keep her company, finding solace in Ghost Kid (about a superhero who could turn invisible), and soon meeting another girl who finally saw Ryan. Mary regains Ryan’s attention, asking if she knows the area. They soon decide to go through Kevin’s route, using Ryan’s van/route as transportation. Ryan stops when she sees a small comic shop and spots a copy of Ghost Kid, throwing her into another flashback. This time around, she’s at that same, outdoor comic shop and an overly sweet woman, Candice Long aka the Candy Lady, approaches Ryan, the door to her minivan wide open (STRANGER DANGER). She tries to bait Ryan into the van with candy and also mentions a bunch of old comics she’s donating. Ryan isn’t so easily swayed, but once she sees the crate of comic books, she changes her mind, going to the van and is ultimately kidnapped. When Ryan snaps out of the flashback, she tells Mary what happened to Kevin, because it’s the same thing that happened to her.
Meanwhile, Sophie is at her condo, getting ready to leave, when she sees that Alice has managed to make her way inside. She pulls her gun on Alice, not trusting her. Alice, however, reminds Sophie about what happened with Safiyah, psychoanalyzing Sophie to manipulate her into helping. Sophie, reluctantly, gives in, and Alice tells her they need to find a guy named Ocean. A little later, Sophie attempts to track him down, but with no luck. Soon, though, Luke shows up. Alice answers the door and holds Sophie’s gun to his head.
Ryan and Mary discuss the mission. Ryan mentions that the clerk at the comic shop saw a minivan lurking in the area, which means the Candy Lady is still at it. Mary is in some disbelief until Ryan tells her that the Candy Lady preys on kids who are vulnerable, invisible, and don’t matter. We see another flashback, this time with young Ryan in the Candy Lady’s house. She is an unsettlingly sweet woman, stating Ryan can leave as soon as someone claims her, but she wants to help Ryan find a family who appreciates her (yeah, right). She places a jar of jellybeans on a desk, eating one a day. Once they’re all gone, Ryan’s time is up. A search party arrives at the house, giving Ryan renewed hope that someone noticed her absence. But they weren’t looking for her; they were looking for a 13-year-old white girl, with blue eyes, last seen wearing a red stone necklace. Back in the present, Mary realizes she knows how to find the Candy Lady, because the girl Ryan described was Beth.
In the apartment above The Hold Up, Ryan and Mary comb through search logs that were created when Beth went missing. In a blink-and-you-miss-it moment, Ryan is bothered by her Kryptonite bullet wound, but she shakes it off, eventually finding a box with possessions Mary is embarrassed Ryan found. They change the subject, and Mary reveals she’s been living in the apartment. Ryan says she gets why Mary wouldn’t want to let go of any of Kate’s things. Mary then has a brilliant idea: Ryan should move in with her (name a better roommate duo, I’ll wait), and Ryan vehemently agrees. As they find what they’re looking for, Mary remembers how Kate never gave up searching for Beth, and Ryan is reminded of her ex-girlfriend (the same girl from earlier), who got herself kidnapped to save Ryan. Mary suggests Ryan reach out to her, revealing the ex is Angelique (who was mentioned in the previous episode). Ryan gives in and texts her, but allegedly has the wrong number. When they dig up Kate’s map where she marked off searched locations for Beth, Ryan points out a potential location, deciding to go confront the Candy Lady alone, as Ryan, not Batwoman.
Sophie, Alice, and Luke are all inside now, Luke still being held at gunpoint by Alice. Sophie tells her to put down the gun, saying Luke can help (much to Luke’s surprise). Alice fills him in about the deal with Safiyah, dropping a little tidbit she conveniently forgot to mention earlier: when she kills Ocean, then she gets Kate back. Before Sophie can argue too much, Commander Kane calls her and informs her about a legitimate tip regarding Wayside, which happens to be the same area where Ryan is heading. When she hangs up, she grabs her gun back from Alice and tells Luke they could use his help. A little bit later, Luke tracks down an address, only he leaves the message on the screen for Sophie and says out loud that he hit a dead end.
Ryan arrives at the Candy Lady’s house, and when she walks outside, Ryan claims Kevin, only … Kevin isn’t there. Instead, Ryan gets tased as the Candy Lady sprays something in Ryan’s face that renders her unconscious. When she wakes up, she finds herself tied up in the same room she was held in during her childhood. She spots the empty jellybean jar and remembers when she and Angelique fought their way out of the house. When young Ryan is hit with the spray, Angelique begs her to wake up, using Ghost Kid to prompt her. This in turn rouses present-day Ryan, who frees herself and attacks the Candy Lady when she comes into the room. Ryan finds out that Kevin was handed over to the False Face Society.
Commander Kane heads to a warehouse to meet up with a man named Rudy, who claims to have information about the painting Kate had a photo of on her phone and the shady circumstances regarding Kate’s plane crash. While the two talk, someone tases Kane from behind … and it’s none other than Kevin.
Sophie arrives at the lab where Ocean may be, Luke revealing he had help from Julia. Sophie isn’t alone, though, as a woman attacks her. Sophie pauses for a beat, faint recognition passing over her face as she asks the woman if they know each other. The moment ends quickly, Alice showing up and the woman running off. Alice is annoyed Sophie and Luke didn’t tell her about the lab; she wants to find Kate, too. The only difference? When they find Kate, Alice plans to kill her. Later, Alice is alone in the lab. She notices a hotel key card on the floor and finds a note Ocean left behind. She has an intense flashback to her time on Coryana, where she sees Ocean, coming out of it confused.
Back at the warehouse, Rudy tells Kevin it’s time he earns his mask, but in order to do so, he has to kill Commander Kane, who’s tied up on a chair. In the nick of time, Batwoman swoops in. Kane manages to escape while Batwoman fights off some of the False Face members, Kane soon joining her in an epic team up (and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to see them team up more often). The fight comes to a head when Kevin holds a gun on Kane. Batwoman tries to talk him down, but Kevin says he can’t, because he wants a family, and the False Face gang provides that. Kane begins reaching for something to stop Kevin, and Batwoman stops Kane. She turns her attention back to Kevin and connects with him. He asks her how she knows so much about him.
“Because you matter. I see you.”
Kevin finally drops the gun, and Batwoman leaves Kevin in Kane’s protection. Back at Crows Security, Kane watches a news story about the Candy Lady and the children, including Kevin. Sophie walks in and Kane admits that he probably wouldn’t be alive if Batwoman hadn’t arrived when she did. He asks Sophie what happened with her. She tells him they need to find Kate, and it’s absolutely imperative that they find her first.
Ryan, now back at her new home, examines her Kryptonite wound in the mirror, and it’s… not looking great. She quickly hides it as Mary enters wearing one of Ryan’s jackets, only confirming that her and Ryan as roommates was an excellent idea. Mary then grows serious, again bringing up how Kate never gave up on Beth but saying that Mary continuing to search for Kate won’t bring her any closure. She’s conflicted on whether she should stop searching or keep up hope that Kate is alive. After reassuring her, Ryan gets a text and leaves, heading downstairs to the bar. A woman walks in, the same one from the lab, and she’s revealed to be Angelique. She asks Ryan why she’s there, and Ryan tells her about the Candy Lady. But she could’ve sent that in a text, so why is Angelique really there? Ryan admits that she misses the girl who was always there for her. Ryan extends her pinky, like when they were kids, and the two come to a truce.
Batwoman airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on The CW, available the next day on The CW app and cwtv.com. Find our previous recaps and the rest of our coverage here.
