This week on Batwoman, Ryan, Luke, and Sophie try to track down Alice and Mary. Meanwhile, Jeturian Industries works on a cure, and Marquis becomes, uh… even more unhinged. Read on to find out what happens in the mid-season finale “Pick Your Poison.”
Cold as Ice
The episode kicks off as Ryan and Marquis meet to discuss their family business plan. Soon, a bunch of SUVs arrive. People get out and converge on the siblings, with Ryan restraining Marquis. Jada appears and Marquis realizes he’s been duped. Someone sedates him and they whisk him away. Then, Jada asks what Ryan’s favor is.
Back at Jeturian, the cryostasis process Marquis is about to begin, and we learn Jada’s team is synthesizing a cure for Mary. As the freezing process begins, Jada stands in the room with Marquis. He’s pleading with Jada, wanting to know why she’s doing this. Before it’s too late, Jada bends down to kiss him on the forehead. Marquis uses the moment to break out of his restraints and strangle Jada with tubing, threatening to kill her. Soon enough, he escapes.
Later, Ryan and Sophie find Jada. She tells them what happened, and that Marquis is looking for Ryan. Sophie and Jada go grab the cure. Instead, they find one doctor dead in the freezer.
Seeking a Friend for the End of Her Villain Era
Sophie wakes up in Renee’s bed (sans Renee) and sees a message from Luke. She heads to Wayne, and it turns out he told her that Mary is Poison Ivy. Sophie asks if there’s a cure. Cue Ryan, who tells them Jada’s team is working on one. In the meantime, they head down to the bat cave, and Ryan fills them in on Marquis. They still don’t know where Mary is, either. But not too long after, they get a ping on Alice, who’s outside of her radius. They wonder if Mary and Alice are together.
Batwoman and Sophie go after Mary and Alice. Unfortunately, Luke keeps getting more and more hits. He’s not sure which one is right. So, Batwoman stops one of them. She and Sophie question the driver, then ask him to open the trunk. It’s empty. But when they close it, they. see a message from Alice scribbled in her blood. She’s spreading the nanobots around. Luke says they’re only viable option currently is to wait for the blood to dry and the nanobots to stop working. Sophie then tells Batwoman about an order the mayor gave regarding Poison Ivy. She then reveals why she wasn’t home when Alice left. Batwoman is upset, but she has to move past it quickly. The cure is ready.
Hot on the Trail
Marquis goes to Wayne. He finds Luke, who triggers a silent alarm. Marquis goads him, taking a pen off the desk that Luke’s dad gave him. A security guard arrives, and Marquis stabs and kills him. He and Luke begin to fight, but Marquis gains the upper hand.
Soon, Ryan arrives. She tries to connect with Marquis, who mocks her. He tells her the sibling bonding was simply a ruse. Oh, and he has the cure with him. If Ryan wants it, she needs to sign away Wayne Enterprises. She does, and Marquis gives (well, tosses) the cure to her.
Batwoman drives around, but she’s not sure where to go. Sophie patches Luke up at the clinic (that’s absolutely overrun by plants). Luke tells Batwoman he doesn’t have much of a lead. However, there are only four nanobot trackers left. Sophie finishes up, and Luke admits how he didn’t listen to Mary. Sophie reciprocates by telling him about spending the night at Renee’s. She mentions Renee living above a GC Jitters. This prompts a lightbulb moment for Luke. He remembers Mary’s love of caffeine. He manages to track her Jitters rewards card. This in turn leads him to the pub.
A Bloody Good Time
Alice and Mary continue their road trip, but now they’re in an RV. Mary wakes up confused, and Alice fills her in. Mary worries about being a fugitive, but Alice says she’ll protect Mary. Of course, this isn’t out of the goodness of her heart. She wants Mary to give her a blood transfusion to get rid of the nanobots. Eventually, Mary has everything she needs for the transfusion. Well, everything except the blood.
So, the two head to a nearby pub. They attempt to pick up guys, but they’re a bit creepy about it. The bartender says as much, and she asks Mary and Alice to leave. However, Poison Ivy pops out, and she telepathically compels the bartender to let them stay… and get free shots on the house. And Mary doesn’t even feel bad about it. She continues testing out her new powers and manages to find a guy whose blood she can test. He’s not a match. Alice brings over someone else, who is a match. Before they get started on the transfusion, Mary admits she was ready to be done with Alice, but now she doesn’t want to be. Alice gets it; Mary doesn’t want to be lonely. She promises to stay with Mary.
Just as they finish the transfusion, a cop bangs on the door of the RV. Alice “solves” the situation by hopping behind the wheel and running the guy down. Mary gets out to check on him, saying he needs a hospital. Alice, though, convinces her to leave him. They don’t make it far before running into Batwoman. She shows Mary the cure, saying she just wants to help. Alice reminds Mary how she was treated. Mary uses her mind control to find out what Batwoman would do if the cure doesn’t work (confine her). In response, Mary summons roots from the ground to bind Batwoman. They cause her to break the vial, and Mary and Alice leave.
Gotham Is Under New Management
Ryan heads to the clinic and tells Sophie what happened. Sophie thinks they can try again. However, Ryan tells her she thinks that Mary gave up on them. They fill in Luke, who’s watching a news broadcast. Ryan tells them she couldn’t get into the bat cave. Luke reveals their clearances to Wayne have been revoked. They’re shut out. Now, all they have is the bat suit and the batmobile. Ryan apologizes, but Luke understands. She did it for Mary.
Meanwhile, along with the trio, Jada is also watching the broadcast. In it, Marquis looks mighty comfortable at Wayne. He introduces himself as the new CEO of Wayne Enterprises. He ushers in a new era and makes his (very familiar sounding) motive clear:
“My main mission is to put a smile on everyone’s face.”
Marquis
In their motel room, Alice also has the news on, though she’s rather hungover and not paying it much mind. Mary is in the bathroom, and she’s taking quite a while. After a few moments, she walks out. This isn’t the Mary we’ve known for two and a half seasons. She’s Poison Ivy now. She turns toward the broadcast and Marquis catches her eye. The new Poison Ivy is ready for some fun.
Batwoman returns on Wednesday, January 12 at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT on The CW. Catch up on season 3 on The CW app and cwtv.com. Seasons 1 and 2 are available on HBO Max. Find our previous recaps and the rest of our coverage here.
