***This review contains some spoilers***
Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube
The first season of “Batwoman” suffers plenty of growing pains as it tries to settle into its grove. While it rehashes a lot of the familiar Arrowverse tropes, it also puts a distinctive twist on things. And despite losing the final two episodes do to COVID-19, the season wraps things up surprisingly well.
It’s Batwoman herself that can make or break the show, and overall, Ruby Rose does the job. Her acting is a little weak at times, but for the most part she nails the emotional beats and looks the part of the action hero. As somebody thrust into the role of Gotham’s savior, Batwoman is understandably unsure of herself. This works well the first half of the season, but as it progresses, you want her to accept her destiny more than she actually does. Her first appearance last year during the crossover made her seem like a total badass that knew exactly what she was doing, but it was disappointing that she never quite felt like she was at that level this entire season. Another issue is the costume itself. I was fine with it being bulletproof, because that’s been established in other media, and it gives her a little bit of safety net as she learns the ropes. But we soon find out that this Batsuit is some type of almost indestructible armor that only a few things on earth can damage. Aside from the fact she can get knocked out pretty easy, it makes it hard to worry too much about her safety when she’s in battle.
Considering there’s not really an overall plot to season one, the show must rely heavily on the main villain, and ultimately it works very well. Alice’s theatrics fall flat early on, but the more we see of the real Beth and how her love/hate relationship with her family unfolds, the more invested we are. She’s polarizing, at times you want to see her redeemed, and other times she seems like she’s crossed a line and can’t be saved. And yet she still makes herself sympathetic. The rest of the main characters are a mixed bag. Sophie is so selfish she is unlikable the majority of the time, Luke and Kate butt heads too much to have any real synergy, and Jacob feels kind of all over the place. The MVP turns out to be Mary, who finds herself helping both Kate and Batwoman, and then really hits her stride when she realizes they are the same person.
As far as the Batman lore, there are some cool nods to various previous adaptions, but some of the new status quo is a little too vague at this point. However, Batwoman is a strong enough character that you would like to see her play in this sandbox, and it doesn’t feel like you have to have Batman.
Season one of “Batwoman” is a mostly solid start. The dynamic between Kate and Beth carries the show despite a lot of lackluster villains and a collection of characters that haven’t gelled yet.
**1/2 out of *****