- Title: Batwoman – Pilot
- wiki: link
First seen in the Elseworlds crossover, Kathy Kane (Ruby Rose) returns in her own show with Batwoman. Ruby Rose is the show’s biggest asset, especially for an episode that doesn’t see Batwoman take flight until the final act. Taking place prior to the events in “Elseworlds Part 2,” the show’s pilot episode introduces us to Kathy before she takes on the mantle of the Bat. We’re given flashbacks to Kate’s family tragedy (the loss of her sister and mother) and the end of her first romance that didn’t fit into her girlfriend’s (Meagan Tandy) military career. Sophie‘s (Tandy) kidnapping by a new super-villain brings Kate back to a Gotham struggling after the disappearance of Batman years before.
The “Pilot” isn’t without it’s awkward moments. I’m fine with Kate’s discovery of the Batcave under Wayne Enterprises, but have an awfully hard time buying that Luke Fox (Camrus Johnson) could adapt the Batsuit on the fly for Kate’s use or that Kate could be so proficient with the suit and various Bat-Gadgets her first time out. The simplification of the Kane family tragedy focusing only on the crash (rather than both girls being kidnapped, and Kate alone making it back, as happened in comics) is an odd choice as it takes away valuable motivation for the character’s military inclinations and later role as a vigilante. And while I understand the choice of Elizabeth Kane (Rachel Skarsten) as the show’s first villain, I think this could have been something built towards (rather than revealing the identity of the demented Alice as Kate’s long lost sister so early). Despite these issues, Ruby Rose’s performance provides a foundation I believe Batwoman can build on over the season.
