Batwoman Season 2 Episode 1: Whatever Happened to Kate Kane
Even though it was the season two premiere of Batwoman, the episode felt more like a pilot due to the fact we’re being introduced to a new Batwoman, played by Javicia Leslie. The show wasted no time dealing with the Kate Kane’s issue (or so we think) as the episode starts with a plane crash that happens just a few hundred feet away from our homeless protagonist Ryan Wilder (Leslie). Wilder rushes to the wreckage, and after saving a man’s life (with some possible PTSD triggers), she comes across the iconic bat-suit and keeps it for herself.
Mary (Nicole Kang) and Luke (Camrus Johnson) are looking into the plane crash and try to get a hold of Kate to have her look into it. When Luke looks up the flight info, he realizes that Kate was a passenger on the plane that just crashed.
Ryan meets with her parole officer — who obviously doesn’t care about her struggle — and we find out that Ryan has a background in martial arts; having taught at a dojo before going to prison. Wilder said she was framed by dirty Crows and sentenced to eighteen months at Blackgate Prison and is living out of her van because she cannot find housing or employment.
After Luke and Mary hear from Julia Pennyworth (Christina Ulfsparre) that the bat-suit was nowhere to be found in the wreckage, the two of them debate if Kate survived or not. The conversation is brought to a sudden halt upon the surprise arrival of Bruce Wayne (Warren Christie). We the viewers know this is Tommy Elliot wearing a Bruce Wayne mask compliments of Alice, but Fake Bruce/Tommy convince a distracted Luke to let him into the Bat-Cave and he immediately gushes over all the tech and gadgets in the cave and persuades Luke to give him the kryptonite. Fake Bruce then asks where the bat-suit was.
Ryan decides to try on the bat-suit and take it for a test run and activates the tracking on the bat-suit. Luke and Mary are disappointed to see Ryan — not Kate — in the suit. Ryan refuses to give back the suit until she is “done with it.”
Fake Bruce is enjoying the perks of being a Wayne. After having a tryst in the Wayne Manor, he goes downstairs and is confronted by Alice, who is in mourning of her sister — wearing all black. Fake Bruce offers Alice the kryptonite, but she is no longer interested. She then goes into a super-villain monologue (and probably spills the tea on the original season two plot) on why she needed the kryptonite to begin with.
Kryptonite is the only element strong enough to penetrate the bat-suit (comic science). She was going to give the kryptonite to Commander Kane, manipulate a meeting between him and the Kate Kane Batwoman, and see to it that Jacob shoots Kate, killing her in the process. Alice would then reveal to Jacob that he just killed his own daughter (that plan was Joker level good).
Sophie and Julia briefly discuss if the mysterious Safiyah was behind the plane crash (we find out later that this is probably true), and Julia starts to realize more and more that she was just a rebound for Sophie.
Alice gets a sliver of revenge on her father she was hoping for when she told Commander Kane that Kate was Batwoman. She throws it in his face that he gave up on her (Alice) and pushed Kate away. Jacob is so distraught by the revelation, that Alice takes his gun without a fight and walks away.
Fake Bruce finds the Batmobile and chases Ryan in her van through a carnival (what is it with Gotham City and carnivals?) in an attempt to steal the bat-suit. The two end up fighting and Fake Bruce shoots Wilder with the kryptonite, which wounded her (resembling kryptonite poisoning), but didn’t cause fatal damage. Ryan takes down Fake Bruce and punches the Bruce out of him, returning him to Tommy Elliot.
Julia delivers a letter to Sophie and asked her if she still loves Kate. The letter from Kate reveals that she was Batwoman and she pushed Sophie away for her own good — essentially ending her relationship with Julia.
Alice is sauntering through her sewers when she gets an ominous message from Safiyah saying “consider us even,” on a newspaper with the headline “Whatever Happened to Kate Kane?”
What I loved from this week’s episode:
Javicia Leslie as Batwoman
In season one it took a while before the Ruby Rose Batwoman became believable. Javicia knocked it out the park from the beginning. Maybe because the Ryan Wilder character has no comic book ties and the writers had more freedom to do what they want with the character. Being a poor person of color made her relatable for me. The Kate Kane character pushed people away, was broody, cold and philanthropic. Even her father called Kate a female Bruce Wayne, which would make it hard for an audience member to differentiate the two. Wilder is funny, warm, and light-hearted. A quip here and a wise crack there helps to cut the tension on a CW drama. I believe Ryan and Luke will end up having that annoying brother-sister sibling relationship which will be fun to see on screen.
Keeping Alice Relevant
Alice was by far the best character on season one last year. I have to admit, I was worried about how they were going to keep her relevant since so much of her arc was tied into getting revenge on her sister and father. The little backstory about Alice’s gang being involved in Ryan’s foster mother murder was creative. Also, the mysterious Safiyah storyline is intriguing as well.
Alice Revenge on Jacob
Alice revealing to her father that Kate was Batwoman all along was my favorite part of the episode. Commander Jacob Kane had no clue one daughter survived a car accident turned kidnapping, and that his other daughter was a vigilante. He had numerous opportunities to capture Alice, but unable to do so without the help of Kate. Meanwhile, he turned Gotham upside down looking for Batwoman, and eventually shot her — after giving his word that he wouldn’t. Alice couldn’t get the revenge she wanted, but this was a sweet consolation for her.
The Batmobile
I know this version of the Batmobile resembled a modern-day car, but that’s what I liked about it. The pragmatism of it. In the “Dark Knight” films, that Batmobile looked like a tank. How the hell do you drive that through a metropolitan city like Gotham? This version looked like a sports car, with all the bells and whistles from the comics.
What I hated from this week’s episode:
Is Kate Dead or Nah?
The plane Kate was flying on crashed, but they were not able to recover her body. There should be so sort of finality on the existence of Kate Kane. It’s not fair to the new Batwoman if you keep the status of the previous Batwoman in limbo as an insurance plan in case things don’t work out. Also, with the way Ruby Rose left the show, I doubt we’ll get any cameos or guest appearances from her. Make a choice!
Julia and Sophie Relationship Failing
Sophie is trying to process the thought that her first true love might be dead, and Julia ask if Sophie is over Kate. The timing couldn’t be worse. This storyline reeks of CW drama being forced into the show. I honestly don’t care if this couple makes it or not. It was obvious from the start that Julia was just a rebound for Sophie.
Jacob Kane
The guy is a fool. I don’t think this is bad acting, but instead a poorly written character. Commander Kane has no clue about anything that is going on in his city or with his family. One daughter a super villain, the other daughter a superhero, and a stepdaughter that runs an illegal underground clinic. No wonder crime is so high in Gotham.
The Bat-Suit
Here me out on this. Is the bat-suit one size fit all? Ryan slipped into the Kate Kane bat-suit effortlessly. I admit, they are close enough in height and weight to where that could work, but Fake Bruce/Tommy was trying to get the bat-suit from Ryan. What was his plan? He’s about twelve inches taller and one hundred pounds heavier. Does the suit stretch? I know it’s nitpicking, but it was bothering me.
Despite the ratings drop in comparison to season one, I thought this was a strong opening to season two. The show did a really good job weaving in all the characters that were tied into Kate Kane and shifting them to their appropriate places. I’m interested to see where this Safiyah story arc will go and how it will affect Alice and Julia. And who are the False Face Society that Ryan fought when she first suited up as Batwoman? I can’t wait to learn more.
Teacher’s Grade: B+
