BATWOMAN 2.1

 

Recap - BATWOMAN 2.1:  "Whatever Happened to Kate Kane?"

It's been a LOOOOOONG stretch since we've seen ANY of our friends from The Arrowverse...and, quite frankly, it's been long overdue.  Things have ESPECIALLY changed with The Scarlet Crusader in particular, and that's what we're here to discuss this week...the official changing of the guard, as we dive into Season 2 of Batwoman.

This show hit the ground running, as they didn't waste time ensuring that we got NO sighting of Kate Kane the entire episode, as they had a private Waynejet crash in Gotham that was SUPPOSED to be heading to National City.  And it's here in this crash that we meet the homeless Ryan Wilder, who ends up trying to save one of the pilots I believe, before discovering the grand prize aboard the aircraft:  Kate's Batwoman suit.  

Turns out, our new soon-to-be heroine is a homeless woman, who hasn't been able to find work or residency, mostly due to her criminal record, which---as she states to the social worker---she was framed for.  We also learn that Ryan's adoptive mother had been killed along with the landlord of their new apartment by a bunch of hoodlums as they were walking into their new digs.  Meanwhile, Jacob and Sophie search the crash site in the hopes of finding Kate, while Luke and Mary are in the Batcave, seeking answers as to what happened to Kate.  She was supposed to meet Kara in National City about destroying the last of the Kryptonite.  Luke is VERY broken up this episode, as he feels HE is to blame for Kate being on that plane.  Mary...while also distraught, shows us the continued strength from HER own tragedies by being the strong one here.  

Never one to miss an opportunity, Tommy Elliot---now parading around as Bruce Wayne, makes his way into Wayne Enterprises, and meets up with Luke and Mary.  Luke takes him down to the cave, and Tommy plays the part well, selling Luke on his ID, and discussing the Kryptonite and the Batsuit....and Tommy feigning concern over Kate's disappearance.  We later see him living it up at Wayne Manor before Alice---dressed for a funeral---shows up to ruin HIS night.  And FINALLY....we got Alice's master plan:  She was going to give a gun loaded with the Kryptonite to her father, and watch him shoot Batwoman, thus killing Kate as well.  Tommy has a BETTER idea though....get the batsuit and BE Batman.  He then heads to the Crows HQ to talk to Jacob...letting him know where to find Alice.  This is also where Tommy slips up.  He just happens to run into Julia Pennyworth, who's trying to console Sophie, whom she believes STILL has feelings for Kate, but also upset that Kate is gone as well....AND trying to protect Kate's double ID.  Tommy talks to Julia about Alfred, and she told him to contact him, and Tommy says he would.  Turns out, though, Julia fed him wrong intel, and discovered that he was a fake.  Meanwhile, Sophie, dealing with the loss of Kate, searches her apartment, only to have Julia show up later, looking to get into Kate's safe for something.  

Luke and Mary end up tracking down Ryan in the tunnels, after she had beaten down a couple of False Face Society thugs, as they were partially responsible for her mother's death.  It's here that we see that Ryan HAS the ability to fight...just hasn't honed her skills.  When they finally meet up with her (the suit has GPS...go figure), she says that she's not giving up the suit until she's finished what she's set out to do.  We end up getting a montage between Mary & Luke, and Ryan, who end up reading about each other (well, Ryan about Kate), and Ryan realizes that Kate was a hero, and that Ryan herself didn't deserve the suit.  

Alice and Jacob meet up again, and it's here that Alice FINALLY spills the beans to Daddy Dearest:  That Kate was Batwoman.  And she takes delight in rubbing salt in the wound about him hating her, about him wanting to kill her, and so on.  Jacob's shook by this, and doesn't want to believe it.  Alice simply tells him to turn on the Batsignal and see if she comes.  

While the cats were away, The mouse did play, as Tommy got ahold of a gun, and had the Kryptonite shard he got from Luke.  He then managed to find a spot in the wall of the cave that was hollow, and smashed it to expose the hidden Batmobile.  Tommy takes off, intent on getting the Batsuit back, and become Batman.  Luke, Julia, and Mary find out about this a little late, and they look to warn Ryan about him...which they do.  This leads to Tommy chasing Ryan, and trying to kill her, until Luke manages to gain control of the Batmobile and stop it.  Tommy then goes after Ryan, now suited up, and before the fight's on, he blasts Ryan with the gun.  To everyone's surprise, however, Ryan survives the attack, and goes after Tommy.  

Ryan ends up beating Tommy's face off....literally.  He then winds back up in Arkham, and Ryan returns the suit to Luke and Mary.  Mary hugs Ryan in sympathy, for what she's gone through---got a kindered spirit there.  Because...BOTH women suffered a loss at the hands of ONE woman:  Alice.  Turns out, the hoodlums that injured Ryan that night, and killed the landlord and her mom were part of the Wonderland Gang.  THAT is something I HOPE gets brought up between the two more....especially where Alice is involved.

We also got Julia and Sophie to discuss what Julia was looking for in Kate's safe - a letter to Sophie.  Kate pours her heart out in it, admitting she's Batwoman, and that she still loved her.  This has also been a slippery slope, now that Julia and Sophie are targets for Safiyah.  

And speaking of Safyiah, she sent a note down into the sewers, letting Alice know that they are even.  Alice knows a war is coming...and there's not Batwoman to stop it...as she lays by the rotting corpse of her dear "brother" Mouse.  She then looks up to see the Batsignal shining in the sky....as Jacob turned it on....hoping Batwoman would show up. 

Ryan finally sees the Batsignal as well, and says that she will do right by her mother, and find her killer.  However...as we see the wound where Ryan got hit with the gun Tommy had....we see her exposed Kryptonite wound....something to keep an eye on.

So....a few thoughts on this season premiere:

 - I like Ryan already.  I like that we got her background all set up.  Though I DO expect a few more nuggets to arise as the season progresses, I do like that we get the origin stuff out of the way.  We now have the motive for her to BE Batwoman, and we can see she CAN handle herself in a scrap.  With more training from Julia perhaps, she'll get better.  

 - Alice isn't going away...I like that as well.  I was worried that Alice would be lost in the shuffle with Kate gone.  But as it is, she's our resident Joker - all about watching the chaos unfold.  Plus...with members of HER gang responsible for the death of Ryan's mom....it gives us a fresh take on Alice. 

- How will Julia, Sophie, and Jacob fit into this upcoming gang war?  Will Jacob FINALLY come to the realization that---like it or not---these crazies aren't there BECAUSE of Batman....or Batwoman.  They've BEEN there.  The city NEEDS a Bat...and he's going to have to come to terms with that sooner rather than later. 

It seemed a bit herky jerky at first, the episode smoothed itself out, and it kept me engaged.  So, NOW I am ready for Ryan to begin to take up the cowl.  Not a bad first act for the start of the second season.  I also feel Javicia Leslie's presence on screen will get stronger the more she grows into the role, and we'll see her carry this show no problem. 

That's MY thoughts on the season premiere....what're yours?  Subscribe and leave a comment below.

Until next week....the Signal is OFF!