Batwoman Lesbian Drama
Sometimes you agree to write a recap of an ongoing TV show, sometimes you get distracted by Search Party and you also finally get to the gay part of The X-Files (I am, of course, talking about Scully and Agent Reyes. Prove me wrong).
So this Batwoman article will be a quick recap of what’s happened in the past few weeks, plus me trying to figure out why the show is exponentially better now than it was last year. Yes, Batwoman continues to be a joy to watch. Honestly, if you didn’t get around to season 1, you’re probably fine with skipping it.
Our Batwoman Story So Far
Batwoman Season Episode 2 was very much about establishing how the other characters react to Ryan in the Batsuit, but the real action takes off in episodes 3 and 4. Alice believes that Safiyah is responsible for bringing down Kate’s plane. She concocts a plan to get herself — and Sophie, a two-for-one — kidnapped by the crime queen in order to enact revenge.
Meanwhile, terrifying assassin Victor Zsasz (played with delighted insanity by Alex Morf) seems to be connected to Safiyah. Ryan hopes to use him as a means to get to Safiyah and find Kate — both in her secret identity and as Batwoman. Turns out, as much as Ryan hates the False Face Society, she has no problem getting into bed with criminals: one of her exes is an associate of Zsasz’s.
Back in Coryana, Safiyah reveals that Kate is indeed alive, but Alice and Sophie need to run an errand for her first: Alice needs to kill a former henchman named Ocean, who appears to have leaked the Desert Rose — Coryana’s most precious resource, a drug that can heal any disease — into the world. Safiyah can’t have her supply being passed around without her consent, after all. She knocks Sophia and Alice out and returns them to Gotham.
Most importantly, Luke finally accepts Ryan’s (temporary!) role as Batwoman, and the suit is redesigned to her specifications: including a wig that matches Ryan’s identity. Mary hooks Ryan up with a job bartending at The Hold Up — both as a convenient alibi and to get Ryan’s shitty probation officer off her back.
Batwoman Episode 4, “The Girl That Wouldn’t Break,” is by far the show’s strongest episode so far. We learn more about Ryan’s troubled past: that she was lost in the foster care system, kidnapped from her group home and forced to work for a gang. When a little boy asks her to help find his brother, she realizes that he’s suffered the same fate.
Meanwhile, the False Face Society is pushing a new drug on the street: Snakebot, a combination of Scarecrow’s fear toxin and amphetamines. Put a tab in this one, as this is more or less the final story arc from the Batwoman comics that hasn’t been incorporated into the show. Expect an episode or two down the line where Ryan trips balls on this drug.
Now everyone’s relationships are set into motion for the rest of the season: Alice and Sophie form an odd couple to capture Ocean. Ryan and Mary are roommates (!!!!!) as well as colleagues. Luke knows that Alice and Sophie are working together and is keeping that under his hat. Jacob, rescued by Ryan, realizes the Crows need to ally with Batwoman. Ryan’s ex, Angelique, is the one who rescued her from the kidnapping situation as a child. And maybe they’re not exes anymore. Also, that kryptonite bullet is bothering Ryan.
Four episodes in and it’s weird! But in a good way! Let’s get weirder!
Bat-Thoughts
- Mary is, like, a HUGE fan of Ryan. And to that I say: Mryan RISE
- Turns out Safiyah and Alice have history? An interesting twist on the source material and so I say…Alifah rise? But also maybe Sophalice rise???
- They keep saying “lesbian drama” because “d-ke drama” is censored and…I just feel like they should stop trying to make it happen.
- “And they were ROOMMATES!” (This one’s for my girlfriend. I was completely unaware of this meme. I’m excited for Mary and Ryan’s hijinks.)
- Batwoman is flowing SO MUCH better this season, and while there’s a lot to say for chemistry and writing for a cast that actually wants to be on set, I feel that the show’s attempts to address racial justice issues seem to be landing. While they’re a bit ham-fisted, well, it’s a CW show. But now that the writers can address the concerns of a QTPOC teenager in 2021, the show just has more energy. As I’ve written in the past, last season’s attempts to address homophobia felt very much like the trials of a queer teen in 2011, not those of a kid growing up now. This is where superheroes work the best: tying classic characters to contemporary issues, and if that means replacing Kate Kane with a character like Ryan, who can better fit the times, then that’s exactly what we all need.
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