Batwoman
Season 2 - Episode 2 - "Prior Criminal History"
Luke Fox: Yes, Luke was not going to tell Sophie the extent of his relationship to Kate and her alter-ego, but it was good to see him fire back at her--and the Crows for their Jacob-led vendetta. While its nice to see him take a temporary vacation from his being reduced to the third wheel of a two-wheeled vehicle by acting like the keeper of the Bat-world (with Mary and Wilder needing his authorization to wear the suit) which should be the hierarchy at all times, I know that will not last. I fear he will end up being a spineless yes-man in his own world.
Wilder/BW2: Javicia Leslie's performance continues to be shaky-to-amateurish. Her would-be ironic "I hate bats!" line was as cringe-worthy as the bad CG bat effects. Once again, out-of-touch writers had Wilder shoot out some racial talking points (accusing the Crows of not killing Alice because she's white) out of nowhere as a means for the showrunners to be topical for no reason that served the story/character. Again, the writers (James Stoteraux & Chad Fiveash) have no true, personal perspective on racial matters of the kind mentioned in this episode, so it would be best for them to stand on another soapbox.
The exchange between Wilder and the homeless woman--
Wilder: "I'm not Batwoman"
Woman: "Well,you are to me"
..was forced beyond belief. But this was going to be an unavoidable problem for a series that tried to quickly find a replacement for a fired/dismissed/bailed/whatever actress. Trying to hammer reasons for Wilder to be seen as "worthy" of the BW suit/legacy is not working--and this is the point where getting her "worthiness" right was crucial.
Alice: For the would-be "Joker" of this series, Alice has become repetitious and petty. Her schemes lack any kind of larger vision, and even if she managed to kill Safiyah and/or her father, then what? What IS her purpose? I'm not a liking the idea of Julia being so unsure of her own skills that she would consider working with a rubber room candidate--which is an option still on the table once Julia realizes Alice and Sophie were both taken prisoner by Whisper, and one can imagine Sophie (after he expected rescue) will not kill Safiyah, so Julia--trying to do anything to get back into Sophie's "good graces" will try to end the threat..with a little help from Alice.
Jacob: He's been placed on the back burner so far; yes, he's hoping Kate is still alive, but if one is to assume there will never be a proper resolution to this sub-plot (other than flat-out having Kate's body discovered), I believe the showrunners might have Jacob be the target of Wilder (as BW), while he (uncharacteristically) tries to give Wilder a chance by the end of the season.
Julia Pennyworth: Sophie had no place to cop an attitude with Julia over not spilling all she knew about Kate--it was none of her business--not her secret to tell, as Julia explained.
Mary: "You willing to bet Kate's Legacy on that?" was a good counter by Luke to Mary's infantile desire for revenge.
Oh, and now the amateur psychiatrist claims Alice 's behavior was her way of grieving Kate's death. Yeah, sure.
NOTES:
Plot convenience 101: First, Wilder has a connection to Alice, now it turns out she was once rescued by Batwoman during an attempted robbery. As if the plot conveniences were not already piled to the ceiling, Wilder just so happened to find one of Kate's journals where she praised that "heroic" woman--Wilder from the robbery flashback--the world needs more of. Come on. This is not how you build a new character or sell any justification for her being a new Batwoman. Everything just falls into place for Wilder. She does not earn a thing.
Oh, and Julia has been wounded by Alice, so she cannot don the Bat-suit again. Sigh.
GRADE: C-.
