BLACK LIGHTNING 4.2

RECAP - BLACK LIGHTNING 4.2:  "The Book of Reconstruction - Chapter Two:  Unacceptable Losses"  

It's not a good time to be a part of the Pierce Family right now....nor is it a good time to be living in Freeland.  You would've thought that after the Markovian War and the ASA Occupation, that this town would get a breather.  But nope....we get over THOSE humps, just to go right back to dealing with the ORIGINAL threat the town faced:  gang war.  Seems that things have amped up between Lala's group The 100, and Lady Eve's group, the Cobra Cartel...which is actually been run by Eve's lieutenant.  All the while, Tobias returns to town, determined to use his brand new role as philanthropist to work on his OWN machinations.  All the while, we see Jefferson spiraling out of control.  

This week saw the family splinter even more, as Jefferson and Lynn continue couples therapy, where things don't get better, and now they're being seen by the therapist separately.  Jefferson continues to allow Henderson's death dictate his behavior, and his reluctance to suit up as Black Lightning again.  Meanwhile, Jen is overexerting herself again, Lynn is continuing to experiment with everyone's different powers, and go out into the field, even though she is in NO WAY qualified to do such....a point that---at one point in the episode---BOTH her kids call her out on.  Jen's recklessness with her powers, and her determination to play superhero has caused a problem between her and Lynn, as she decides to skip going to college to be a hero full time.  And while Anissa seems to come OFF as the smart one, and the most level-headed....she's also pulling double duty with TRIPLE ID's:  herself, Thunder, and Blackbird.  And, as Blackbird, she's trying to negotiate SOME kind of control over the gang war situation by trying to keep BOTH the 100 AND the Cobra Cartel within a limited working space---something Lala ain't too keen on.  He's also NOT keen on Lady Eve's gang, either.  He already had his boys attack hers, and is also wanting to put Lightning down, as he feels SHE is the most dangerous.  

Jen's recklessness got her injured this week, but also, once again, shows that she's taking her powers for granted TOO much.  Anissa AND Lynn are concerned, and Lynn actually had to save her, but got hurt herself.  With Anissa AND Jen telling Lynn to stay OUT of the field, she feels like she's made to feel worthless.  Jeff, meanwhile, argues with Lynn about the girls, her continued addiction to the power drugs, and his hate for Tobias.  He feels Black Lightning is the reason for everything that went down, and refuses to suit up.  At one point, he just expunges his power outside his house, and passes out, only to have Lynn find him the next day.  He finds out that, because of the gang fight Lightning broke up the night before caused the death of a little boy, that the boy's father---a teacher at Jeff's school---can't stay in Freeland anymore, and quits.  He argues with Gambi, who's been on his OWN secret mission by invading Montevista International to get intel about the new NextGen guns that Chief Lopez had been seeking to help quell the metahuman "menace" in Freeland, and see if he can find a way to get around it, to track the man that killed the boy, only for Gambi to say 'no'.  Jeff has to go it alone, and finds the gangbanger, and uses his powers to beat him, and smash his leg, warning him that if he didn't turn himself in, he'd be back.  

Gambi's not the only one who's trying to get something on the NextGen guns....Lala wants to get some as well....for the sole purpose of killing Thunder and Lightning.  Anissa, meanwhile, had to try and save the boy that died, but couldn't.  Her and the new employee at Lynn's lab were hanging out, after Lynn saw that Grace had gone through another shape change...this time a tiger, and just couldn't deal...so her and this guy have a drink and chat...only to answer the call of gunshots.  They were too late on the scene when they tried to save the boy.  

But we also got one big scene this week, and it was the long-awaited face-to-face between Jefferson and Tobias.  Tobias has somehow been enhanced, as Jefferson tried to blast him, but his powers had no effect on Tobias.  This is going to be a problem for Jeff down the road when he finally gets his act together and suits up again.  Tobias is as powerful as ever, and he's managed to hack into Lynn's lab mainframe, having access to all her research.  

It seems that---through the first two episodes of this season---that guilt, remorse, fear, and anger are the main themes.  Jefferson is experiencing ALL of them....and right now---it make me NOT like him.  He's so self-absorbed in his OWN misery, and his inability to CONTROL everything, that it's made him a huge dick to be around, and it's no wonder WHY his relationship with Lynn is where it's at, and why the girls won't prop him up, either.  They are upset because THEY have to pick up the slack, while their own father wallows in his own self misery.  Lynn is STILL lying to the therapist about her addiction, and has done the 180 from where she was about a year or two ago---when she HATED all this metahuman stuff.  NOW she wants to help and be out in the field...despite her lacking in the skills needed to be a superhero.  The family is NOT fun to be around right now.  And even Gambi's got his own agenda right now, having to suck up to his old co-worker in order to gain access to her company...which is making the weapons to kill metas.  The team is fractured, and everyone is dealing with their own personal crap.  Meanwhile, the gangs are running roughshod over the town, and then there's Tobias....plotting from behind the scenes, while being a public face.  

I did enjoy the episode, and DO tend to trust the writers know what they're doing here...but I also fear that they'll drag Jefferson's depression on TOO long, and it'll drag down this final season.  This has been the MOST solid CW show for every season it's been on the air, and it would behoove the writers to ensure it STAYS that way, by allowing this show one LAST epic season, and go out on a high.  If Jefferson spends the entire first half of this season in the doldrums...I'm gonna be pissed.  At SOME point in the next episode or two, he'll snap out of it.  

What did YOU guys think of this week's installment?  Do you agree with my assessment?  Subscribe and leave a comment below.  

Until next time...the Power is OFF.

 

BATWOMAN 2.4

 

 RECAP - BATWOMAN 2.4:  "Fair Skin, Blue Eyes"  

We're definitely getting into some juicy stuff here on Batwoman.  While we're still trying to figure out just who Safiyah is, how long is her reach, and the way she's interwoven into Julia, Kate, and Alice's lives....we're not sure of her endgame, or what she's really up to, other than sending Alice on a mission that requires her to be free, much to Sophie's dismay, because she'd rather put Alice down for good.  However, without Alice, it seems that they won't get Kate back.  Meanwhile, we learned a few more dark secrets about Ryan Wilder's life growing up, including a criminal from her past that makes a return.  Jacob is now having to deal with the False Face Society and their plan to flood the streets of Gotham with this new deadly addictive drug called Snakebite.  We get the gory details on THIS drug courtesy of our disembodied voice, Vesper Fairchild.  

Ryan is having issues this episode, as she is still fighting the poisonous effects of the the Kryptonite that she was wounded with at the beginning of the season, and it nearly causes her to crash the Batmobile (which, I gotta say, I really dig).  The wound is getting worse, and she's hiding it from both Luke and Mary (and you'd think that she'd trust Mary, what with Mary being a doctor and all, but the LAST thing Ryan wants is to be taken OUT of the field with this injury).  She catches a member of the False Face Society, and sends him packing with a message to his bosses.  She then meets up with a little boy who his looking for his older brother, who has gone missing.  This eventually prompts Mary and Ryan digging through info about the boy once Luke takes off after another disagreement with Mary about Kate (more on that later).  This case then begins to spark Ryan's memories of when she was in foster care.  She met her girlfriend there, and they developed a mutual love of comic books.  Ryan was out looking for comics when she was approached by a middle aged woman, who lured her into her van with comics, sprayed her in the face with some sort of chemical, and then kidnapped her off the street.

We see throughout the episode Ryan's desperate attempt to find the boy, who apparently had been kidnapped by this "Candylady", who used jellybeans to count the days she had the kids locked away, telling them that no one would look for them.  She gave the kids 60 days to have someone come look for them, as she took one jellybean out of the jar.  Ryan recalls her own captivity, and how, at one point, people from her foster home had come looking for a girl, but she had brown hair, and blue eyes, light skin.  She also had a necklace with a red stone in it.  Mary and Ryan figure out that the girl THEY were looking for was Beth/Alice.  Ryan then remembered that her girlfriend ended up coming to her rescue, and she got away from the Candylady.  As her and Mary passed the comic book stand, Ryan remembered what happened to her, and put the pieces together.  She went to confront the Candywoman, but got captured once again.

As it turns out, the Candylady was using the kids as recruits for the False Face Society, and this boy Kevin that she's been looking for has been brainwashed as a new recruit.  She eventually breaks free, and takes down the Candylady, putting an end to her kidnapping spree....but not before she iformed Ryan about Kevin's whereabouts.

Which leads us to Jacob, because while he's still on the hunt for Kate...by having his team look into the location of the Jack Napier painting that was on Kate's phone, he's also dealing with this Snakebite drug.  He had a stoolie who fed him info on the next shipment, only to be stabbed in the back by this guy, and zapped by Kevin.  This guy then told Kevin his initiation into the False Face Society was to kill Jacob Kane.  Batwoman arrived in time to save him, and stop Kevin from making a mistake.  This was the true first meeting between Ryan and Jacob, and he didn't go off on her.  I think Jacob's coming around.  

Alice showed up at Sophie's, and she needed Sophie's help into trying to find a man simply known as Ocean.  Alice proposed an alliance of sorts, and Sophie wasn't sure about the whole idea.  On top of that, Luke decided that he'd work with Sophie on tracking Kate, since he and Mary were still at odds as to whether or not Kate was still alive.  When he arrived, he saw Alice, and then tried to help Sophie from her place as to locate Kate, but no luck.  Luke would then head back to the Batcave to try from his end since they had better equipment.  Sophie took off to go back to Crows HQ and work from there, while Alice hung out at her pad.  It was here that Alice had a memory of when she actually met Ocean, which will now set HER upon the search for this man.  One other thing that came out of this is the fact that Alice confessed as to WHY she wants Kate back to Sophie...to kill her.  This also allows Sophie to confess to Jacob that she met up with Alice, and that they need to find Kate before she does.  

Another bit of info we got this week, was during Luke and Sophie's search for Ocean, Sophie ran into a burglar, and she fought her a bit, but the burglar bailed.  Turns out, that burglar was Ryan's ex-girlfriend, with whom she'd tried to reconnect with, but apparently there's some issues there.  We also now established that Mary left her penthouse for the apartment above Kate's bar, and that she offered Ryan the other room, especially since Ryan works at the bar now.  It also allowed for some bonding between the two, which is helping to establish Ryan more in Mary's eyes...but Luke is the harder sell.  

I really enjoyed this episode, because we're slowly peeling back the layers of Ryan's life, and finding MORE interesting things about her, which is giving her a more well rounded character with depth, and helps establish HER motivation for donning the cowl at night.  The fact that she was abducted by this middle aged woman helped set up the story for this week, and gave her ways on how to defeat the Candylady, who---it turns out---is working with the False Face Society.  Interesting connection there, as we hear more about the gang, but haven't seen Black Mask...as yet.  Ocean is this new character that Safiyah apparently wants Alice to not only find....but kill.  Not sure WHY...but it may have a connection with the Desert Rose, it may not.  But this is the one job that Alice needs to complete to get Kate back.  And with Alice revealing her motivations to Sophie, it's now a race against time for Sophie and Jacob to find Kate before Alice does.  So we have a few plates spinning in the air, and it's making for some interesting television.

I can see Mary really attaching herself to Ryan, not just because Ryan has potential as Batwoman, but because she's looking to fill that void where Kate left.  She wants to have a sister, and Ryan seems to be the stand in.  Not sure if this idea will come to light in a "true confessions" moment between the two, but safe to say, the bond between them will grow.  Also helps that Mary is giving Ryan a chance to get back her life.  Luke is still iffy on Ryan, because he's the more cautious one.  He's also seeing Ryan as nothing more than a stand-in until Kate is found.  So, Ryan has to work overtime to impress him.  Julia was absent from this episode, and not sure how many she will be in, since her and Sophie are done.  

One of the other elements I've noticed is just how interwoven that Alice and Ryan seem to be---mostly by pure happenstance.  It was Alice's Wonderland Gang of thugs that killed Ryan's foster mother, but it was also during one of Ryan's memories of her captivity by the Candylady that the foster kids were looking for a light skinned, blue eyed girl with a red necklace....Beth.  So I'm very curious as to why the writers have given Alice and Ryan so much commonality.  I wonder if this will make THEIR final confrontation have some higher stakes.  And what of Ryan's ex?  Where does SHE fit into everything?  

We got more questions, but I'm liking the journey so far this season.  Interested in seeing where it goes.  What did YOU guys think?  Subscribe and leave a comment below.  Would LOVE to hear from you!

Until next time....The Signal is OFF!

BLACK LIGHTNING 4.1

 

RECAP - BLACK LIGHTNING 4.1:  "The Book of Reconstruction - Chapter One:  Collateral Damage"

Oooooh, it is good to be BACK in Freeland!  It is often said that art imitates life, and with the Season 4 premiere of Black Lightning, we got a good heavy dose of that, as this story picks up a year AFTER the events of the battle with Markovia, the ASA Invasion, AND Crisis on Infinite Earths.  It's a time of healing in the beleaguered town, but tensions are still high, it still mourns the loss of Chief William Henderson, and there's still the threat of gang violence.  Plus...Gravedigger is STILL out there, somewhere...always posing a threat.  Plus...we'll get to Tobias Whale in a minute.  But safe to say...things have been calmer...but not by much.  And the Pierce Family...hit hard with the fallout.

The person who took the BIGGEST hit during this fallout was Jefferson himself.  This episode sees a man at the end of his rope, taking his old friend's death the hardest, and ends up having an imaginary conversation with his late father about handling loss...and the fact that the city STILL needs Black Lightning.  But all Jefferson can think about the entire episode is how his alter ego has been nothing more than a curse and a burden on the town, and that if Black Lightning had NEVER returned, Henderson would still be alive.  He's also NOT thrilled that both Anissa AND Jennifer are still out suiting up at night, and hitting the bad guys.  Lynn has even done a 180 degree turn on defending Freeland by helping out the girls, much to Jefferson's dismay.  On top of that, we still also see the marital discord between the two very much alive, as they STILL cannot get on the same page.

Jefferson's journey through this episode is sad...as he handles EVERYTHING poorly.  First of all--and his BIGGEST mistake of the entire episode--is something that's ripped right out of the actual headlines of the last year.  With Freeland having to deal with what happened during the ASA/Markovian invasion, metahumans are seen as something of a menace in the town, and the new Chief of Police, Chief Lopez, is intent on tagging all metas in town, and monitoring them.  This coming on the heels of Jefferson's speech in honor of Henderson.  Jeff is driving home when he spots two white police officers going after a black kid walking.  He seems innocent, and Jefferson feels the oppression within him, and seeing it happen to this kid.  So, he goes to confront the cops, who tell him to back off, but he ends up zapping them, telling the kid to take off.  He then zaps their minds so that they'd forget the incident.  

Now...in later talking to Gambi, who's been concerned about Jefferson, tells him that security cameras caught him in the act, and that while he took care of it, it's possible they got a partial match on his license plate.  This later comes back upon Jefferson as he is interviewed by Chief Lopez and her new member of her team.  A man who's name we apparently do not get, but he's got connections to Henderson, and actually called out Black Lightning about his commitment to Freeland.  And informed him about the gangs till taking up residence in Freeland.  Either way, Jefferson played dumb as much as possible, but they know he's lying.  I have a feeling things are going to get WORSE for Jefferson before it gets better.

Speaking of Gambi real quick...he's approached by a former colleague who offers him a job doing high tech security for her, but he politely declines...but she gives him her card in case he changes his mind.  There also seems to be SOME kind of personal connection to them as well, so I'm curious to see as to what happens between THESE two down the road.

The drama of the Pierce Family is at an all time high....though it seems as though Lynn has the girls' ear now, and not Jefferson.  While Jefferson is wallowing...and blaming Lynn for their disconnect, and she doing the same to him, Lynn is still lying about her Green Light addiction, and still using to help the girls fight crime by adapting Gravedigger's powers.  She ends up halting a potential kidnapping of a girl for a child slavering ring, but she feels she can get the effects to last even longer, though she admits this is hard, and really needs Jeff back out in the field.  Thunder & Lightning have been tag-teaming to ensure the criminal element is held at bay in town, as they continue to battle The 100 and Lala's men, as they bust up his weapons shipment.  But in their later battle, Lightning is hurt, and ends up getting laid up.  Anissa has taken charge, and she knows that they need their dad out there, but he refuses.  

On top of this, Anissa is still dealing with Grace's condition.  In the year since the Markovian battle, she's still been comatose, and hasn't come out of it.  Jen suggests she give up on her, but Anissa is insulted by that.  Lynn, however, offers SOME hope with a new serum she HOPES will adapt to Grace's shape-changing abilities, and possibly bring her out.  We know Painkiller is out there on his own, Brandon is MIA, as well as the other members of the Outsiders, who have been silent since the fight.  Jennifer is out flying around testing her powers, but she seems to be having trouble at the end of the episode as her powers begin to peter out, and she falls.  

Jefferson's OTHER issue is that of Tobias, who seems to have reinvented himself as a legit businessman.  He's using his funds to help "rebuild" Freeland, and come off as a philanthropist.  This upsets him, and it also unnerves the rest of the family.  Lynn and Anissa are in agreement that Tobias must die...but Jefferson is NOT okay with them taking that line of thinking.  They've already taken a life...but that still doesn't sit right with Jefferson knowing they're willing to take that route again.  And he all but forbids them from going after Tobias---that's his white whale and his white whale alone.  Tobias further makes his presence known by donating his money to Lynn's research facility...pouring salt into the wound, and putting his long term plan into motion to get back at the Pierce family.  

All in all, a solid episode to open up the final season...even if it WAS kind of a bummer.  But we now have a tone set for the show, and we know that Tobias will be the main villain of this season.  We know Lala and the 100 are a pre-eminent threat as well, and he'll have his say in regards to this war between Black Lightning and Tobias....he's got a mad-on for both of them.  I wonder about what will happen when Lynn hits rock bottom with her addiction....what will be---as the title of THIS story says--the collateral damage to the family?  Will Anissa have to shoulder the load of the family until her dad gets with it, and will she have her happy ending with Grace?  And what of Jennifer?  It seems as if HER powers are in a state of flux, or she's on the verge of a power outage.  I am at a loss as to what the problem is, but I have a feeling we'll find out in short order.  

The HUGE question will be this:  How long into this season will it be before Jefferson bottoms out?  OR gets arrested for what he did to those two cops?  I honestly don't want to see half a season go by, and Black Lightning is on the sidelines because he's bummed out.  It's totally uncharacteristic, and would totally be detrimental to the character.  THIS is why I would've LOVED to have seen some team-up between he and Barry.  Barry could provide just the right kind of pep talk to snap Jefferson out of his funk, and get him back into the hero game.  

What Episode 2 brings, we shall see next week.  Until then, let me know what YOU thought of this episode by subscribing and leaving a comment below.  

Until next time...the Power is OFF.

BATWOMAN 2.3

 

RECAP - BATWOMAN 2.3:  "Bat Girl Magic!"

I can honestly say that THIS season of Batwoman has given us some serious intrigue.  Now, we all know that trying to figure out HOW to write Kate Kane off the show (and thus, not have to use Ruby Rose, because they were NOT going to get her back), was going to be a task....but they did it in the only logical way possible.  And I have to admit...they had wrapped a decent mystery around it...for about two episodes.  But even THEN...with the mysterious Safiyah now making her appearance on the show this week, we got more answers....and yet, more questions.  Meanwhile, Ryan is now trying to adjust to the role as the new Batwoman, while also still having to report to her Parole Officer (which I DO like logic like that being written into the show), and needing Mary's help to get a job.  And on top of ALL of this....we got an old Bats villain running around Gotham killing people:  Victor Zsasz.  

We're introduced pretty quickly to Zsasz, as he is right in the middle of a job:  killing a rich man and his mistress in their hotel room for his vengeful wife.  Once he lays them out on the bed, holding hands, he proceeds to undress...and carve into his skin with a knife.  You see....Vic here keeps track of EVERYONE he has killed by cutting into his skin, and leaving a mark...and his body is FULL of them.  He then gets a call for another job.  It's here that he then slaughters scientists at Hamilton Dynamics for some reason, and it's up to Team Batwoman to find out what it is.  That's where Mary comes in, as she goes to ask around to find out what it was he was after. Turns out, HE was hired to find out who got ahold of the Desert Rose - the rare plant that Alice used for the antidote to Mary's poison...of which there was STILL traces of it in the blood that Alice gave Mary to save the people of Gotham from the poisoned bats SHE herself unleashed.  Mary's blood was used as a vaccine, and that exposure was what drew the assassin to Mary's doorstep.  Which, in turn, drew Batwoman to him.  Ryan had met him as Batwoman before, and he commented that she didn't feel comfortable in the suit, as she is still trying to adjust being a superhero.  

The next time they meet, the team tries a different approach, as Ryan meets him as herself, and he recognizes her.  She tries to offer him a job, but he turns it down.  But we soon find out that the money had a device to copy his phone, and Luke discovers WHO his mysterious benefactor is:  Safiyah.  

We finally get to meet this mysterious crimelord Safiyah, as she had Alice and Sophie captured back in Gotham.  Tatiyana, her hired killer, keeps an eye on Sophie on the beach, while Alice and Safiyah have a chat.  Safiyah is the keeper of the Desert Rose, and did NOT want it exposed to the outside world.  She has kept it on the island for years, but Alice's little play in Gotham turned that around.  She is disappointed in Alice, as it turns out these two are familiar with each other.  When Alice finally got away from Mouse's dad, she ended up a stowaway on a boat, and was rescued by Safiyah.  Safiyah, in turn, then trained Alice on how to kill, but is sad to learn that all Alice did with her gifts, is turn them into revenge against her family.  Alice is ticked off that Safiyah had Kate killed, and Safiyah said she hasn't thought about Kate in years....until she showed up on Gotham as Batwoman.  Alice and Safiyah mix it up a little, with Safiyah getting the best of her...and then tells Alice that if she wanted Kate dead, she would've done it...but why would she have her necklace...which Alice recognizes.

While Sophie shows some grit and fight against Tatiyana, it turns out that there is more for Safiyah to plan.  She has Kate, and won't return her until Alice is off the island.  So, both women are drugged, and sent back to Gotham.  Sophie has every intention of arresting Alice, but Alice informs her that if she doesn't stay free...they'll never get Kate back.  Sophie is shocked Kate is alive.

Luke still shares that sentiment with Sophie, and won't give up on Kate's return.  However, he's also giving Ryan a hard time about her role, insisting that it's temporary.  Meanwhile, Mary has started to lose the faith in Kate being alive, and feels that she's dead.  Ryan does what she can to console her, and Ryan also takes over as a bartender at Kate's bar...as she needed a job to satisfy her PO, and kind of dragged Mary into the lie, but Mary's okay with it (and underpaying Ryan in the process).  Ryan ends up saving Mary from Victor Zsasz, as he found out it was HER blood that had the Desert Rose in it (and was tossed under the bus by Alice, of course).  However, Ryan made a few adjustments to the Batsuit, to make it more 'her'.  In the end, she beat Victor rather cheesily, but if was effective...and she didn't kill him.  They don't get much more out of him other than "Villain of the Week", but it gives Ryan her first victory against a bad guy as Batwoman.  Luke even gives props to Ryan, and makes new Batarangs for her...and she promises to work on her skills.  

One other side story that was not really mentioned again except at the beginning was the fact that the Crows know there's a new drug flowing into the streets of Gotham, and they discover that the Head of the False Face Society is Black Mask.  So, we got the OTHER new villain arriving in Gotham, looking to take it over.  Safe to say, Team Batwoman will have its hand's full this season.

I am liking what is happening so far, and VERY interested in seeing how they do Black Mask.  I just hope they find a way to PROPERLY balance this upcoming Gang War stuff between Alice, Black Mask, and whatever the hell Safiyah has planned.  They're doing a good job in helping build up Ryan, by having her struggle, as she becomes more comfortable in her role as Batwoman.  Mary and Luke backing her goes a long way in helping the team solidify.  Especially Mary and Luke, who were at odds this episode in regards to Kate's status as either dead or alive.  Alice, I feel, is now going to be tasked with handling Black Mask quite possibly if he steps on Safiyah's toes, all the while still remaining the proverbial wild card.  Sophie realizes that---like it or not---Alice HAS to be free in order to get Kate back, and that might come back to bite her in the ass later this season if Jacob finds out.  He's still essentially by the book.  And what of Julia?  Will she stick around?  And now that he's gotten into Kate's phone, how will Sophie's information that Kate is possibly alive play out as well as far as he goes.

By the way....niiiiiice little nod to the original Tim Burton Batman movie, with the Jack Napier name drop this week.  Oh...and Vesper Fairchild still at her gossip best.  The episodes are improving, and I'm on Ryan's journey....so, I'm willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt, and hope the writing holds up and is consistent. 

What did YOU guys think of this episode?  Subscribe and leave me a comment below!  

Until next time.....the Batsignal is OFF!

BATWOMAN 2.2

 

RECAP - BATWOMAN 2.2:  "Prior Criminal History"  

Within the first two episodes of Season 2, we're getting more clarity into just WHO Safiyah is, her ties to Julia, Kate, and even Alice.  We get a little bit more info on our new heroine Ryan Wilder, and we see Alice put the city to the test, as she launches an attack on Gotham to get the chaos started, as she doesn't plan to go away quietly, and to show Safiyah that she will NOT go quietly.  Also...whether Jacob or even Luke at this point hate to admit:  Kate or no Kate - Gotham NEEDS a bat.

We find out this episode that Ryan had been attacked about two months ago while wandering the streets homeless when she was attacked.  As it turned out, she was not only rescued by Batwoman, but also helped the Lady Crusader as well.  We also see that she tried to apply for work, but--sadly--due to her prior history in prison, she's not hirable.  We see her trying to also address the pain she's suffering from the Kryptonite wound, only to witness a robbery, and stop it.  However, she's caught by the Crows, and interrogated by Sophie, and we see that they're familiar with each other.  Security cameras prove that she was innocent, and free to go, but not before putting Sophie in her place because they refused to kill Alice when they had the chance.  This is an issue that would face Ryan later on in the episode as she battled Alice herself.  

Alice makes her moves this episode, by first visiting Julia, and offering her a chance to work together to bring down Safiyah, but Julia refuses, and gets shived in the side for her troubles.  Alice also uses the bats she finds in the sewers to send a message to the city, starting with giving the dead corpse of Mouse a message attached within him to get the ball rolling on her fiendish plot.  Mary realizes this as she gets sees the bat fly out of Mouse and escape, only to later discover that Mouse's death was by the same poison that killed her mother.  

At this time, the citizens of Gotham are planning to gather in Gotham Square to get Batwoman back.  Mary realizes that they need a Batwoman presence out there, as she figured out Alice's master plan.  Ryan offers herself to go out and pose as Batwoman, try and get the crowd to disperse.  Luke is against the idea, considering that Ryan had the idea to do what no one else had done:  kill Alice.  Faced with no option, Ryan suits up and heads to the roof to try and get the crowd to leave.  

However, Jacob sees through his binoculars that it's NOT Kate, and orders Sophie to go and get this imposter.  Alice, however, beats her to the punch.  The two women tangle, and Ryan surprisingly holds her own against the more deadly Alice.  She wants to kill her when she's got the advantage, but Luke tries desperately to talk her down.  However, Ryan isn't listening, and shuts off the comlink.  Alice then uses a homing device to draw the bats...now infected with the poison that she gave to Mary, and having them go after the crowd.  Alice takes her leave, and Ryan, with Luke's help, finds the device, and then has an idea about how to draw the bats out of the city.  Ryan manages to wrangle all the bats into a bus she stopped, and then blows it up, thus ending the threat.  Alice, meanwhile, pays a visit to Mary, and gives her the blood she got from Mary, and tells her the antidote to the toxin is in it.  Mary calls out Alice on this, and says that this is Alice grieving for Kate.  Alice takes off...and says she likes the new girl...she's a handful.  Later on, Luke is reluctant....but will allow Ryan to continue on as Batwoman...under the condition:  no killing.  It's also here that Ryan finds Kate's journals that she'd write to Bruce to...and decides to pick up where Kate left off....by writing to Kate.

With the city being inoculated (and Hamilton Dynamics taking credit, of course), Jacob has a talk with Mary, vowing to never give up on finding Kate.  Earlier on in the show, he had dragged Mary and Luke in, asking about whether or not they knew Kate was Batwoman...but they had stonewalled him. In the other developing story, we find out that the reason WHY Sophie ended things with Julia is because Julia lied to her about Kate as Batwoman, and the fact that she didn't divulge information about Safiyah to her....and, well, she's still in love with Kate.  

Things don't go so well for either Sophie OR Alice, as when Sophie finds Alice, and plans on taking her in, only to be knocked out by one of Safiyah's henchwomen, Tatiyana.  Tatiyana gives a warning to Alice, and Alice said that if she's been warned, she'd be talking to Safiyah herself....and thus, Alice is knocked out as well.

The things I dug about this episode:

Ryan & Alice's first battle....one of MANY, no doubt.  But I like that these two WILL cross paths again, and it doesn't take long for Alice to have a grudging respect for Ryan.  

Ryan being able to use her wits to resolve the matter about the toxic bats, with the help of Luke shows that she's a team player...or has the potential to be. This goes a long way in earning the trust of Luke.  Mary and Ryan are already building a relationship, because of their common bond.  I see something of a sisterhood developing between them.  Although, I wonder how long it will be before Mary realizes that Ryan's Kryptonite wound problem is going cost her in the field.  

Mary and Alice - that relationship has taken an interesting turn.  While Alice has felt Mary as nothing more than an interloper, and a "replacement" for her, she somehow manages to keep Mary around...especially in the wake of Kate's disappearance.  Like she said....she's not willing to lose the one sister she has left.  This has become a strange dynamic.  And I'm REAL curious as to where it leads.

I wonder what more of a role Julia will play, as Sophie and her are on the outs, and how much will she be a part of Team Batwoman?  I'm hoping she'll be helping train Ryan to become a more effective hero.  She's got the experience.  Add that to Ryan's inside knowledge of the criminal mind, and she'll have an edge. 

Just HOW deep down does the rabbit hole go between Alice & Safiyah?  They OBVIOUSLY know each other, and how much of it revolves around Kate?  I guess we'll be getting more answers coming up.

Welcome back, Vesper Fairchild!  

So...what did YOU think of the episode?  Subscribe and leave your comments below.  

Until next week....the Batsignal is OFF.

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!

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

 

COMIC BOOK OF THE WEEK

Welcome back!  I know....I've been gone for awhile....writing more than one type of blog, and with several life changes.  But I am now getting ready to gear up for another run, as the Arrowverse shows crank up again, and I also have a review to write of Wonder Woman 84, and the 2nd season of The Mandalorian, so be on the lookout for those.  But for NOW....it's time to finish up a series I had started last year, but didn't get to finish....our final installment of our Green Lantern series, in honor of the 80 years of the Emerald Gladiator's existence.  For our last ring-slinger....we take a look at Kyle Rayner.  This young man would end up becoming one of the most powerful of all Lanterns...and an essential ally to both the JLA as well as the Corps.  

GREEN LANTERN (VOL. 3) #84

COVER ART: Darryl Banks, Romeo Tanghal

WRITER: Ron Marz

ARTIST: Bill Willingham

INKS: Romeo Tanghal, Robert Campanella

LETTERS: Albert DeGuzman

COLORS: Anthony Tollin 

EDITOR: Kevin Dooley, Eddie Berganza

COVER DATE: January 1994

PUBLISHER: DC Comics

TAGLINE:  The Resurrection of Coast City

STORY TITLE:  "Emerald Twilight - Part One:  The Past"

Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #84 brings to us one more new character to the Green Lantern mythos:  Kyle Rayner.  Rayner comes to us courtesy of Ron Marz, Bill Willingham, and Darryl Banks.  He makes his first appearance in this particular issue, as we jump right into the beginnings of the Emerald Twilight storyline, as we witness the fall of Hal Jordan, and into his decent into madness.  Kyle is an artist who lives in Los Angeles, and our first contact with him is when he witnesses a green streak flying upon the sky, which is a raging Hal Jordan, ordered by  the Guardians of the Universe, streaking towards Oa after having been told he violated Oan law, and must return the ring.  Hal, in the middle of a breakdown after watching Coast City get destroyed.  After Hal's fall and attack on the Guardians, destroying the Corps, and taking as many power rings as he can to increase his power, he becomes the being known as Parallax, and thus responsible for the event known as Zero Hour.  Ganthet turns to Rayner as a new hope for the Green Lantern Corps, and thus a new GL is born.  After Hal's subsequent death, Rayner became the main Green Lantern, and took over this series as its main star beginning in issue #51.  Rayner would then secede the title back to Hal after Hal's resurrection and he became the man known as Ion.  He has since become a GL once again.  

THE STORY:  Hal Jordan....having watched the destruction of his hometown of Coast City, tried to resurrect his city, and remembers the past.  About his family, about finding the Abin Sur, and getting the ring.  He starts to reconstruct Coast City, and meets up with a girl named Jennifer he was in love with prior to meeting Carol Ferris.  But eventually, all the images fade, as the ring's power dies out.  Ganthet then speaks to him, and tells him to return to Oa, for he has violated the rules of the Green Lantern Corps - using the ring for personal gain.  Hal tells them it's because of LOSS that the made the constructs.  They order him to Oa, to give up the power ring.  However, Hal streaks towards Oa NOT to give up the ring....but to gain more power so that he can re-create Coast City. As we see Hal streaking across the sky, we notice a couple on the ground making a wish upon Hal, thinking he was a star, and wishing for escape.  

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This issue was the first of a MAJOR storyline that would not only see the downfall and eventual END of the Green Lantern Corps as we'd known it, but of Hal Jordan as well.  The creative team decided that it was time for a NEW Green Lantern, and it fell upon Marz, Willingham, and Banks to come up with Kyle Rayner.  Rayner would soon take the reigns of the series, in much the same way Wally West took over for Barry Allen as The Flash.  It was new heroes for a new generation.  Rayner has gone on to become one of the "Big 4" of the GL Corps along with Hal, John Stewart, and Guy Gardner.  

NEXT WEEK:  Another stellar comic pull from the past....