A new beginning, with a new Batwoman and a whole different vibe for the series! I was entertained from the first episode to the last and I can’t wait for season three! “Batwoman: The Second Season” is recommended!
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TITLE: Batwoman: The Second Season
TV SERIES AIR DATE: 2020-2021
DURATION: 765 Minutes (18 episodes total)
BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 1:78:1, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish
COMPANY: Warner Bros.
RATED: Not Rated
RELEASE DATE: August 18, 2020
Based on Characters by Bob Kane, Bill Finger
Developed by Caroline Dries
Directed by Holly Dale, Carl Seaton, Michael A. Allowitz, Mairzee Almas, Jeffrey G. Hunt, Norma Bailey, Rob Duncan, Menhaj Huda, Eric Dean Seaton, Marshall Virtue, Glen Winter, Avi Youabian
Written by Caroline Dries, Natalie Abrams, Ebony Gilbert, Jerry Shandy, Daphne Miles, Maya Houston, Chad Fiveash, Nancy Kiu, James Patrick Stoteraux, Holly Henderson, Don Whitehead, Daniel T. Thomsen, Zack Siddiqui
Executive Producer: Greg Berlanti, Caroline Dries, Geoff Johns, Sarah Schechter, Marc Guggenhelm
Co-Executive Producer: Jae Marchant, Chad Fiveash, James Patrick Stoteraux
Produced by Jennifer Lence, Karyn Smith-Forge
Co-Producer: Carol Ogawa, Jon Wallace, Jerry Shandy
Supervising Producer: Holly Dale, Nancy Kiu
Edited by Hilary Bolger, Thomas Wallerstein, Rita K. Sanders, Erin Wolf
Casting by Lyndsey Baldasare, David Rapaport
Production Design by Ian D. Thomas, Lisa Soper
Art Direction by Peter Andringa, Carlos Bolbrugge, Alyssa King
Set Decoration by Darlene Lewis
Costume Design by Maya Mani
Starring:
Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder
Camrus John as Luke Fox
Rachel Skarsten as Alice
Meagan Tandy as Sophie Moore
Nicole Kang as Mary Hamilton
Dougray Scott as Colonel Jacob Kane
Rachel Maddow a Vesper Fairchild
Sam Littlefield as Mouse
Elizabeth Anweis as Catherine-Hamilton Kane
John Emmet Tracy as August Cartwright
Christina Wolfe as Julia Pennyworth
Nathan Owenms as Ocean
Jesse Hutch as Agent Russel Tavaroff
Shibaani Ghai as Safiyah Sohail
Laura Mennell as Evelyn Rhyme
Wallis Day as Kate Kane
t the end of the first season, Crows Commander Kane (Dougray Scott) has declared war on Batwoman, forcing everyone around them to choose sides. Season two kicks off with a major game-changer that alters Gotham City and The Bat Team forever. A new hero emerges from the shadows. Relatable, messy, loyal, and a little goofy, Ryan Wilder (Leslie) couldn’t be more different than the woman who wore the Batsuit before her, billionaire Kate Kane. Living in her van, Ryan has been made to feel trapped and powerless by the system her whole life and believes the Batsuit is the key to breaking out of it. But what she’ll come to discover is that it’s not the suit that makes Ryan Wilder powerful, it’s the woman inside of it who finds her destiny in changing Gotham City for good.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray, which I am reviewing in this blog post.
The opinions I share are my own.
With the end of first season and actress Ruby Rose departing the show, as the main protagonist, Kate Kane, it wasn’t known how the series would continue without their lead actress.
But writers found a way by introducing viewers to Ryan Wilder (portrayed by Javicia Leslie), the character who would become the new Batwoman.
“Batwoman” is set during a time when Batman has been missing from Gotham for several years.
With the second season, we learn that a plane which Kate Kane was riding on has blown up, her body was not found. But a homeless ex-convict, Ryan Wilder, happens to come across the crash site of Kane’s plane and discovers Kate’s Batsuit.
For Ryan, she feels this is a way she can get revenge on Alice, who murdered her foster mother.
Meanwhile, Kate’s father Jacob (portrayed by Dougray Scott), a former military colonel who now heads the private security agency, the Crows, to protect Gotham more effectively than Batman, finds out that his long missing daughter, has become the psychotic Alice, while finding out that Kate was Batwoman and now she may be dead.
But Kate’s stepsister, medical student Mary Hamilton (portrayed by Nicole Kang) and Luke Fox (portrayed by Camrus Johnson), son of Lucius Fox, and is making sure Wayne Tower is secure in Bruce and also Batman’s absence, wants Kate’s Batwoman suit back, just in case Kate returns.
While Ryan dons the Batwoman suit, they realize that Gotham needs hope and a hero, and both decide to work with the new Ryan, the new Batwoman.
Meanwhile, Alice is determined of finding her sister by all means. But where is Kate Kane?
VIDEO/AUDIO:
“Batwoman” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1 aspect ratio). The picture quality for this series is very good. Similar to other “Arrowverse” shows, “Batwoman” features high production value and many outdoor scenes, overall picture quality shows very good detail, especially with closeups.
I didn’t notice any major banding issues or artifacts.
“Batwoman” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The series is crystal clear when it comes to dialogue and action sequences. Subtitles are in English SDH.
SPECIAL FEATURES
“Batwoman: The Second Season” comes with the following special features:
- Villains Analyzed
- Never Alone: Heroes and Allies
- Deleted Scenes
- Gag Reel
EXTRAS:
“Batwoman: The Second Season” comes with a digital code and a slipcase.
As a fan of the “Arrowverse”, I was excited about “Batwoman” being made into a series.
As Batman has not been featured on the “Arrowverse” despite us having the DCU “Teen Titans” and television had “Gotham”, “Batwoman” was probably the closest thing we are going to have of anything Bat-related on television for the “Arrowverse”.
But 2020-2021 would become and end for some of the major characters of the DC Universe. “Arrow”, “Supergirl”, “Black Lightning” were to have their final season, while “The Flash”, “Legends of Tomorrow” would continue, while a new series “Superman & Lois” would begin.
While “Batwoman” debuted with Kate Kane for the first season, “Batwoman” season two feels like a new show with a renewed energy. While the first season was primarily about Kate and Alice, season two would be friends working together to keep Gotham safe with the new Batwoman/Ryan Wilder.
While Luke Fox and Mary Hamilton were more supporting roles in the first season, the second season these characters start to play a significant role. And these three had their own storyline, with the fourth character, Sophie, who played Kate Kane’s ex-girlfriend, now working with the trio to fight crime, but also assisting Alice to find Kate.
And as for Alice, while finding Kate is her priority, the Wonderland Gang was less of a priority and we started to see a more caring/human side of the antagonist who may have found love.
Of course, despite Alice wanting to find Kate, it’s not going to go well as Ryan will never forgive Alice for killing her foster mother and she wants nothing more but to kill Alice and get her revenge.
But I felt that with the second season, the show incorporated elements of what was going on in reality, as we saw something that the characters would have to deal with on the show and that is racist white cops. And we start to see how racism affects Ryan, Luke and Sophie. And this storyline arc was so powerful, I even had to tweet about how I was shocked and actually felt like crying. That’s how powerful that episode was.
AS the first season was strong on lesbian love, the character of Ryan Wilder, is also lesbian and she finds love. But unlike the first season which emphasized love triangles between Kate-Sophie and Julia Pennyworth, the focus is on Batwoman and her friends defeating evil and I liked that.
In some ways, it kind of reminded me of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, via Buffy and her Scooby Gang. In this case, I liked the energy of the show with the addition of Ryan along with Luke and Mary Hamilton. It’s a much cooler vibe, as the portrayal of Kate Kane, was often serious and never happy. The series changed in season two from dark and angsty, to moments of happiness and fun, and episodes that were action-packed, emotional but the main antagonist for this season would be Batman’s rival, Black Mask.
While I enjoyed season two for the most part, especially on how they handled the new Batwoman and finding a storyline to bring in Kate Kane (after plastic surgery) courtesy of actress Wallis Day (who was previously on the show “Krypton”), a character that I found interesting was the father and leader of the Crows, Jacob (portrayed by Dougray Scott). I felt his character deserved better. But it is what it is and season two was about changes.
I felt the writers had a significant challenge before season two, not just Ruby Rose leaving the show, casting another person to play Batwoman, but also to restructure the series towards these characters and less on what fans were used to seeing on the comic book. And I feel that viewers were able to accept Ryan as the new Batwoman for season two, and writers were able to start fresh, while knowing the viewers reception of the first season.
Especially as it seems writers are trying to get away from the “Arrowverse” concept for a lot of their CW shows this year.
I do feel that “Batwoman” season two was entertaining, a much different vibe from the first season and it’s probably a good thing. But I did enjoy the ride for season two and I’m looking forward to what writers have planned for season three.
“Batwoman: The Second Season” is recommended!
Click here to purchase this Blu-ray on Amazon