Batwoman 2x1 : What Happened to Kate Kane? review

 

Be warned there will be *SPOILERS* involved in this review. With that being said let's get into it.

Bat-woman returns for it's second season and a lot has changed since the last time this show aired. Ruby Rose is out and Javicia Leslie is in. It's not just a straight swap where the same character is being played rather Javicia is playing an entirely new character called Ryan Wilder. So with such a big change behind the scenes going on can Bat-woman season 2 get off to a good start?? the episode starts as we see a van parked in the middle of nowhere, all of a sudden it begins to rain down parts of a jet as our new hero Ryan is revealed to be the one inside of the van. She awakes suddenly as the impact hits the ground leaving destruction and chaos in it's wake. Skip to the Bat-cave where we see some familiar faces in Luke and Mary. Luke is on the Bat-computer accessing info on what just happened and why it's raining a jet engine. He learns that Kate Kane was on said jet as she was just moments away from landing back in Gotham after a trip to National City to speak with Kara about the Kyrptonite that Luke so badly wants destroyed. Stunned by the news both Luke and Mary are left to cope as Ryan is in the midst of all the madness. She helps a man who somehow survives the crash only to see something off in the distance. It's Kate's bat-suit. The very bat-suit that should've saved her according to Luke. Ryan picks it up and ends up donning the cape and cowl which leads right into the heart of the episode Ryan Wilder herself. Javicia Leslie is quite frankly brilliant in the role. I know it's really quick to judge based on only 1 episode so far but if her performance is anything to go by in this she is easily going to eclipse Ruby Rose as Batwoman who I was a fan of it's just at some points her performance was extremely flawed especially in the emotion department. Ryan Wilder is a strong, fierce character who although spent some time in prison really only wants justice for her adopted moms death.

So Batwoman gets off to a good start with Ryan Wilders introduction and of course explaining why Kate won't be around anymore. Many believe she is dead with The Crows even calling off the search instead deeming it a search and rescue. Jacob Kane isn't giving up and he shares a good moment with Mary later in the episode. The very last moments of season 1 of Batwoman left us with a reveal that Tommy Elliot became Bruce Wayne..literally. With the help of Alice his face was that of Bruce Wayne. So does Alice's grand plan work?? Bruce shows up in Kate's main office inside of Wayne Enterprises much to the shock of Mary and Luke. His time away isn't really discussed much as he seems intent on getting to the bat-cave. Luke brings him down to the bat-cave which is just where he wants to be as the moment the bat-suit's GPS comes online he knows where and how to get it. Bruce is now too carrying Kryptonite thanks to Luke which he gave him in the bat-cave. Bruce even moves back into his old home and is never seen without a drink in his hand. He visits Jacob Kane where he also bumps into Julia Pennyworth whom right away pings that Bruce isn't Bruce. She mentions Alfred and a code name 'The Eagle' which Bruce gave to Alfred. Turns out Bruce hasn't even called Alfred and doesn't even care or notice when Julia says he lives in Glasgow when in reality Alfred lives in an apartment in London which Luke mentions a bit afterwards. Julia takes a DNA sample from the glass left behind by Bruce and results show that it is Tommy Elliot under the mask. Luke flips out as the man who killed his father was right in front of him without him even knowing. But that's the least of everyones worries as the bat-suit's GPS comes back online. Ryan Wilder accidentally turns it on as she puts her background skills of a martial artist to good use as she takes down 2 criminals. One especially looks like Scarecrow, he's wearing a mask with placements on it looking very like Scarecrow. This scene again just shows how much fun Javicia Leslie is already having and honestly it's a lot more refreshing to take in than what Ruby Rose brought to the table. With the GPS of the bat-suit now online Mary and Luke track Ryan down and meet her for the first time. Ryan is unwilling to give the suit back rather she wants to keep it to not only avenge her adopted mom but to also stop injustice in the city. She uses her grapple to get away leaving Mary and Luke with a problem on their hands.

The episode draws to a close with some research. Research that includes Mary looking up info on Ryan Wilder while Ryan looks up Kate Kane and sees that not only was she a hero with the cape and cowl but also one without it. This leads to the episodes biggest revelation in my opinion as we learn that it was Alice and her Wonderland gang who were the cause of Ryan's adopted moms death. This is the entire reasoning behind Ryans journey and motivation in becoming this 'new' Batwoman. With Kate's good deeds now present in her mind Ryan turns back on the bat-suit's GPS and tells Luke and Mary to come get it. What Ryan doesn't know is that Bruce Wayne (Tommy Elliot) is watching on from inside the bat-cave and he now knows where the bat-suit is. He uses a sticky bomb gun to blow up a stone wall inside the cave which houses the bat-mobile. It's actually a really slick and beautiful design. Bruce drives off in a hurry with everyone else just seconds behind him. Luke immediately rushes to the communications and warns Ryan that someone is coming for the bat-suit. She immediately jumps up and a chase ensues as Bruce chases Ryan in a wild and chaotic chase through Gotham. It eventually comes to an end as Luke remotely hacks the bat-mobile and Bruce leaves it behind choosing to instead go on foot. Using the Kryptonite he arms a gun and as Ryan shows up all suited up he shoots her in the upper chest piercing the suit and her. Bruce is ultimately defeated and restored to Tommy Elliot as Ryan beats the living hell out of him leaving his Bruce 'mask' barely clinging to his face. With Tommy now back in Arkham Ryan ends up returning the bat-suit to Luke and Mary sighting that the suit is bigger than her and someone who is worthy should wear it. But there's more to the episode before it ends as we actually find out what or in this case whom was responsible. While in the sewers we see Alice walking only to be interrupted by a paper plane. When she unfolds it she sees a photo of Kate from the newspaper with the name Safiyah on the back. The same Safiyah who we heard about last season from Julia. So it looks like Safiyah Sohail is going to play a big part this season. The episode ends with not only Alice saying that a war is coming to Gotham while talking to a dead corpse of Mouse but it officially ends with Ryan who we see is actually a lot more hurt than she let on earlier. She looks at where the Kryptonite bullet hit her and it's glowing green with veins pulsating around. What could it mean?? we'll have to wait and see. So overall how was this episode?? honestly it was a lot better than I was expecting. It still has some issues here and there but with the inclusion of Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder it holds a lot more promise than it once did. Welcome back Batwoman it's good to have you back!

★★★★