Amac Productions

Batwoman!

The hero Gotham needs has arrived on the CW!

Now, I know there’s always been a lot of controversy surrounding this show, particularly around the casting on one Miss Ruby Rose.

Before I begin my review on the pilot episode of Batwoman, I want to be clear that I went into this show with an open mind and like Kate Kane I want to be honest.

Okay?

Alright, here we go.

Let me preface this by saying that I enjoyed the first episode of Batwoman, but it wasn’t perfect.

But guess what? I’m not asking it to be perfect.

It takes risks! It took chances! It didn’t feel like another Arrowverse show. It felt like it’s own thing, which to be fair anything involving Gotham or the Batfamily tends to be in a category by itself.

At one point during the episode I commented that it felt like a Batman movie rather then another Arrowverse show.

As for the character of Kate Kane herself, Ruby Rose definitely needs to settle in. I’ve seen her in other things, such as Orange Is The New Black. I know she has some chops underneath it all, she just needs to settle into the character a bit more. In some places she felt confident and sure of what she was doing.

Especially when wearing the suit. In the suit she was a completely different person.

Outside of that, I also appreciated the stoicism displayed Rose. In some ways, I feel like she’s being critized for the same thing Captain Marvel was when the trailer aired.

“If only she would smile.”

For crying out loud, someone rewatch the pilot and count the emotions displayed by the present day Oliver Queen, because a smile is the rarest thing he does. In one episode he even comment Felicity was someone who made him smile, broke through to him. Note, he doesn’t meet Felicity until episode three.

Drop the act. If this was a male actor no one would complain about her lack of smiles or emotions.

There are times Kate felt like a fish out of water and I think Rose felt the same way. This is her first big job. Leading lady of a big time show. She’s going down in history one way or another for this role.

It’s a lot of pressure and I doubt she wants to mess it up. So I look for to seeing her grow into her role because I don’t think anyone made the wrong choice casting her.

Also, despite the lack of action taking place in this episode I didn’t mind the slower pacing. There’s a lot to set up and establish they didn’t have time for during the crossover last year.

There’s also a potential people didn’t watch that who are checking out the show. So, all in all I didn’t mind taking this episode to catch us up on all the goings on in Gotham.

Batman has been missing for three years. During that time, the villains have run amuck. Kate’s father, Jacob Kane has been trying to wrangle the city back under control with help from his wife, Catherine Hamilton. Unfortunately, for Gotham Alice and her Wonderland Gang have decided to take him down and make him pay. Starting by kidnapping Kate’s ex-girlfriend Sophie Moore who works for Jacob as one of the Crows. She’s kidnapped and Mary – Kate’s step-sister – summons her early return back to Gotham to save her.

The conflict for this episode easily sets everything up. There’s a divide between Jacob and Kate that she’s been trying to bridge but he holds her at arm’s length.

Sophie and Kate are no longer together but there are lingering feelings from Kate’s side. Most likely due to a complete lack of closure as Sophie opted to lie to keep her position at military school when they’re confronted over their LGBTQ status.

A fact Kate does not lie about.

Alice holds a grudge against Jacob Kane for reasons not yet known. She appears to be in all rights Kate’s long since believed to be dead sister.

She and their mother were supposed to have died in a car crash years prior due to an incident with the Joker. A accident that caused Kate to be dislike Batman for many years until discovering he had made a critical error when trying to rescue them.

Kate had no idea Bruce Wayne and Batman were the same person. However, they were apparently very close at one point or another. He was there for her after Beth and her mother died. He never stopped searching for Beth’s body. And she believed that if she called and asked him to return home.

He would.

That’s a lot of faith there. Of which, I would like to make a note. This version of Kate Kane is actually rather filled with hope. Unlike her comic counterpart. It’s a bit of a refreshing change because on Arrow Oliver almost never feels hopeful. So despite it’s darker, broody, and gritty outlook it’s nice to know that the main character can still wish and hope for better things.

I’m also extremely grateful they didn’t just turn Bruce into some kind of jerk. He was there for Kate and it’s nice to know that.

But I’m okay if he never makes an appearance either. This show took notes from Supergirl where in which I spent a chunk of season one wondering if we would ever meet Superman.

Here I’m not as concerned. Sure, I wanna know what happened to him. I’m curious about the narrative they’ve spun with him. But this is her show and it feels like it.

They didn’t use one his villains or storylines they’re using Batwoman’s and while I’m sure they’ll overlap and creep into one another. She won’t be Batman. She’s going to be Batwoman.

One other thing I would like to note is Kate is not stupid. Far too often the main character is supposed to be one thing and then ends up looking like an idiot for not putting together obvious pieces.

(Like my constant annoyance with the Batman of the DCU. He’s supposed to be the world’s greatest detective but at no point are those skills utilized.)

Unlike here Kate Kane’s skills are used effectively. I really liked the idea of her knowing sooner rather then later who Alice really is.

Now, what would a superhero story be without a love interest?

It just wouldn’t work!

Sophie Moore is Kate Kane ex from Military school who is now married! A bomb dropped on Kate after she saved Sophie and met her husband who was a bit cling after almost losing his wife. Who could blame the guy?

He seems like a nice guy if little more then eye candy and an obstacle to overcome. In the five seconds of screentime he’s not given depth or enough personality to indicate more. Though, I am curious to see if he’s fleshed out more.

If he is, I’d say he’s the real deal. A character in his own right, deserving of Sophie.

On the other hand if he’s not given any proper personality he’s the boring obstacle in a love triangle Kate has to overcome.

Spoiler from the comics! Truthfully, given that I know Batwoman’s history a bit I know she has two more love interests following her relationship with Sophie. I’d like to see Kate explore moving on here and finding a new love, one that suits her in some ways. Not to mention I’d love to see the relationship between Kate Kane and Maggie Sawyer actually move forward and get married since they wouldn’t in the comics.

Why does the hero need to be miserable? Can’t they have just one thing for themselves? Especially the Batfam who has suffered enough! Jeez. Let them live, okay?

Anyway, I don’t completely think Sophie is Kate’s endgame and I’m okay with that. I’m even okay if she is. But I’d like to see more then one relationship for Kate. Not to be a player, but she should have a chance to breathe and find out if Sophie is the right match. After all, she did marry someone else.

That doesn’t exactly scream we should be together.

All in all, I enjoyed Batwoman and I’m looking forward to the rest of what it has to offer!

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