TV SHOW REVIEW - Batwoman: Season 1
By The Masked Medic
Last year when there was the announcement of Batwoman appearing in the annual crossover, I assumed that it may just be a one-shot appearance. However, it seemed that Warner Bros and the CW were keen to replace one brooding vigilante, Arrow, with another, in the form of Batwoman. Finally, being given the go-ahead to use Gotham City as a location, the CW was finally branching out into one of DC Comics’ most iconic cities.
Season 1 sees Kate Kane, a former army cadet who was dishonourably discharged, due to her sexual preference, return to her home city which is looking a little more battered and bruised than usual. Under the attack of a psychopathic killer named Alice, Gotham needs a Bat more than ever. Discovering that her cousin, Bruce, was Batman, Kate takes up the mantle and with the help of Lucius Fox’s son, Luke and her former flame, Sophie, Batwoman is ready to finally bring some justice back to her city. But her relationship with her adversary is more complicated than it seems, and Kate will need to decide what she values more.
I have to say that I was sceptical when they announced this show, only because I saw it as a bit of a cheap way to introduce the Bat-family. After all, Warner Bros has always been a little hesitant to let the CW play with the big toys in their sandbox. However, that being said, I personally thought that despite a lacklustre start, the show did hold its own.
The titular character was played by Ruby Rose, a face I’d seen in a few films here and there, but this was definitely her breakout role. She took to the role of Kate Kane really well, and despite some cringe scripting, I was fairly happy with her performance. The supporting cast, including Dougray Scott as Commander Kane, were also integral into this series becoming one that has a lot of potential within the Arrowverse.
As per usual, with the CW, there will always be issues regarding graphics, however, I think that Batwoman’s first season really didn’t suffer from as many of those issues as other series within the shared universe, such as the Flash, etc. I think the city they used as Gotham was fairly apt and gave me vibes of the Dark Knight.
In conclusion, this was a series that had an extremely shaky start, but one that through the power of the annual Arrowverse Crossover, came into its own, and may just be one of the most promising superhero tv shows around. Also, with the cliffhanger at the end surprising everyone, the future is bright for the Arrowverse!
Rating:
Story: ★★★½
Acting: ★★★½
Filmography: ★★★½
Integral vs Filler Episodes: ★★★½
Enjoyability: ★★★