Spoilers Batwoman - Season 1

[Agony_Boothb]

We must be watching a different show because Kate's main aim has been to stop Alice from killing and maiming.

And the bad guy/gal not winding up in Arkham/Ironheights/Fort Roz/Wherever is a staple of the comics. They either don't go or they don't say put for very long.

Kate has let Alice go like 3 times because it's her sister basically and Alice has continued to kill people. Surely Kate should be putting other people lives ahead of wanting to redeem her sister, who continually proves that she is either beyond or redemption or doesn't want to be redeemed. There are a lot of people who are dead because of Kate inaction and inability to take care of her sister.

Villains get put into Arkham all the time in the comics and sure they escape, but at least the heroes make repeated attempts to capture and contain them.

 

[JD]

These kind of shows have the hero run into the villain, only to let them go for one reason or another, all the time. I don't really see where Batwoman should be singled out for that.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I binged a month's worth of episodes in the last couple of days. The tighter focus they've taken with the storyline so far seems different from the other CW series. It reminds me more of how we've seen DC programming handled on other outlets. This might be due to the 13-episode count, it will be interesting to see how that changes now that it got a full season order.

Also, the attitude seen in the actual promos plays out much differently in the series proper. Hell, if anything, gentrification has been much more of a theme if a little odd given all the beautiful, expensive looking sets and outfits that abound.

I understand the story reasons for it and that it's true to the comics but I really liked how Ruby Rose looked in the wigless costume personally. It just looked so sleek and reminds me of the more modern Batgirl look (Cassandra Kain?). Batman on screen has always been so bulky I liked the contrast with the lithe look. For various reasons, I didn't actually catch the Elseworlds part with Batwoman so this is my first impression with the character.

I wasn't crazy about Luke Fox at first but he's growing on me. I may be unduly influenced because he reminds me a bit of Chidi from The Good Place, one of my favorite put-upon characters. (Anyone, who has Xfinity should check out the actor's photo in the series info page, I thought he had this big bad-ass afro but he's standing in front of a black circle behind his head lol).

Rachel Skarsten similarly has grown on me, I was not convinced at all when the character was introduced. She also looks way different from her day-to-day look with the bangs and makeup. As Alice, she kind of reminds me of Uma Thurman-cum-Beth Behrs. The way she's tied in with Kate's back story she's kind of Batwoman's Joker, with the crazy person with a warped "you created me" connection.

Whoever was playing young Alice in that last episode really knocked it out of the park and made that story more compelling. I don't really like those extended girls/women victimized by guy deals (The OA about did me in) but she sold it. I'm curious where they will take Mary as she has been ignored with all the Kate/Beth/Family stuff both inside and outside from a meta standpoint. EDIT: I didn't word that right, she hasn't been ignored by the story but I feel she's kind of ignored by the family and all. It seems with all the Kane drama she has been a bit shortchanged in their attention and affections.

 

[Morpheus 02]

I just saw the latest episode as we'll as the first. I don't have time to binge watch...so are there any other "essential" episodes...so if I have time, I will catch up. But in case I don't...

 

[dahj]

Just watched this week's Arrow, and in it...

Spoiler: Arrow 8x04

Deathstroke(Grant Wilson) gets handed over to Gotham PD to be locked up at Blackgate, with people from the future saying he's prone to escapes, so I wonder if this is something that'll get revisited on Batwoman at some point in the future...

 

[DigificWriter]

Just watched this week's Arrow, and in it...

Spoiler: Arrow 8x04

Deathstroke(Grant Wilson) gets handed over to Gotham PD to be locked up at Blackgate, with people from the future saying he's prone to escapes, so I wonder if this is something that'll get revisited on Batwoman at some point in the future...

I doubt it, primarily because Batwoman is currently a year behind Arrow (and the rest of the Arrowverse shows) in-universe, and we have no idea how or if the writers are actually going to get that show 'caught up' to everything else by or before the Crisis hits or what the effects are going to be afterwards.

 

[Teelie]

They will. Eighth episode is Crisis on Infinite Earths: Hour Two on Dec 9th.

 

[DigificWriter]

They will. Ninth episode is Crisis on Infinite Earths: Hour Two on Dec 9th.

Fixed that for you.

I'm starting to get worried about how Kate will end up fitting into the crossover without screwing up her own show because I just don't see a way for the narrative to organically jump forward almost an entire year* in the course of 3 episodes ("1x06 - I'll be Judge, I'll be Jury"; "1x07 - Tell Me the Truth"; and "1x08").

* Batwoman episode 1x05 - Mine is a Long and a Sad Tale - took place on December 24th, 2018

 

[Turtletrekker]

I don't think would be that big of a deal if they don't explain away the year in between events. Suspension of disbelief and all that. If it comes down to it, I'll just imagine that several months took place in between some of the episodes rather than a week. I have to imagine that it wouldn't be the first or even the worst continuity discrepancy that's popped up in the arrowverse.

 

[DigificWriter]

Based on how Batwoman's S1 narrative is currently unfolding, there just isn't an organic way for there to be time jumps of more than a few days to a week each episode between now and December 9th.

 

[dahj]

There's no rule that says it must catch up before the crossover.

When the show returns they could just pick up from 1x08 without referencing Crisis, and then when it eventually does catch up just throw a small nod in somewhere like they did to show where Elseworlds fits in.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

There's no rule that says it must catch up before the crossover.

When the show returns they could just pick up from 1x08 without referencing Crisis, and then when it eventually does catch up just throw a small nod in somewhere like they did to show where Elseworlds fits in.

If they do, maybe they'll do their own version of an 'Editor's Note': "This story takes place before 'Crisis'."

 

[DigificWriter]

Casual viewers would be super-confused if Episode 1x09 - which is the CoIE episode - is completely disconnected from the 21 other episodes of the season, so the show either has to somehow progress an entire year in 3 episodes without losing momentum or somehow 'pluck' Kate 'out of time' for the crossover before sending her back to where and when she's supposed to be.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Casual viewers probably won't even make the connection. It's only the hardcore folks like us that even notice these things.

 

[theenglish]

Is there any reason they have to make a time jump? We've already scene other characters pulled out of time, and there is even a timeship that exists on another series.

 

[Morpheus 02]

Could the time jump simply be a quick montage of "minor" adventures between this "origin" story and the establishment of Batwoman as the new force in Gotham/when we met her in the crossover

 

[Turtletrekker]

Or just a throw away line of dialogue along the lines of, "wow it's been six months since we've seen Alice. I wonder what she's up to?"

 

[DigificWriter]

Could the time jump simply be a quick montage of "minor" adventures between this "origin" story and the establishment of Batwoman as the new force in Gotham/when we met her in the crossover

If you're talking about "Elseworlds", they're already past it, but still a year behind every one of the other series.

 

[DEWLine]

"I'll Be Judge, I'll Be Jury..."
That was quick-paced viewing for the most part.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Batwoman
Season 1 - Episode 6 - "I'll Be Judge, I'll Be Jury."

Kane/BW: "how many times will it take to get Beth back?" That was an asshole line, as Jacob did not have an obligation to chase unsubstantiated ghost stories, and Alice is a murderer. Perspective.

Taking Sophie to Mary's hole-in-the-wall clinic is just plain irresponsible. Her unwillingness to let this part of her past go is yet another less than heroic personality trait of the character. It will be interesting to see how she defends Alice yet again when she uses a weapon designed to penetrate the Bat-suit. That's not a "lost sister" situation, but in no surprise at all, she blames her father for Beth becoming a murderer.

The Executioner--who is not even super-powered--was tossing her around like a rag doll. That should be addressed in the episodes to come.

Luke Fox: Interesting turn--Lucius Fox was murdered. His protective behavior over all things "Bat" and his personal trauma is a whisper that Luke might want to play his hand at the longjohn business.

Alice / Mouse: I take it Mouse questioning Alice not being as eager to kill as in the recent past is supposed to con the audience into thinking she's weakening thanks to the family drama. That said, I doubt he will ever turn on her / go his own way after this latest scheme with the weapon.

Executioner: His motives were quickie/heavy-handed and despite his guilt, turning into a murderer did not make him a tragically heroic figure.

Jacob: There has to come a time when he stops taking Kate's crap / attempt to guilt-trip him. If someone presented evidence about a dead girl, the average person would accept that, and not wander around the countryside on a hunch. He has no real reason to ever think he failed anyone, as facts are facts: he was not the one at the scene of the accident...Batman was.

The argument about his accountability to the public was spot-on.

Sophie: "Do we even know who's behind the mask?" To law enforcement it does not matter. A vigilante is a vigilante.

Of course, the showrunners continue to use the annoying Mary character to push the buttons of a situation she knows nothing about, while not giving a crap about the fact Sophie is married. Its none of her business, but her function on this show seems to be Relationship Counselor instead of whatever she was supposed to be.

NOTES: Joker mentioned.
Kate & Luke's working and personal relationship is--as mentioned before--the winner of this series. Politically and philosophically, they are not always on the same page, but they make a strong pairing.

In other words, more, more, more.

GRADE: B+.