Whenever I’ve mentioned Batwoman in the past, I’m usually met with a sigh, eye roll, or a comment on how bad the show is. To be honest, I got it. The show was never at a level where it would be considered in a conversation when you’re recommending superhero shows to people.
I will give the show somewhat credit during season 2 despite how poor it was. Ruby Rose made a shock exit shortly after season 1 finished and also went on to make some horrific claims about the show itself. If you’re unfamiliar with the story you can read it here.
Understandably, as season 2 was already greenlit at this stage, it made it incredibly difficult for the showrunners to create a solid foundation. Fans also asked if Kate would be recast (which looking back Wallis Day could have easily done the job as proven in the later stages of season 2), if there would be a new Batwoman or if the season would be canceled.
The showrunners decided to make a monumental risk. They created a never seen before character in comic book history with Ryan Wilder.
I do believe this is what resulted in a huge drop in viewership. If anything it didn’t make sense. Jacivia Leslie was cast and the show just seemed to be collapsing on itself. And oh boy, it did.
Season 2 was hot trash. Literally. I get it from a storytelling perspective that the writers wanted to continue the story and universe they already established during season 1. This meant introducing Ryan Wilder as our new main star within a story we’ve been watching.
For me, season 2 fell apart because of 3 reasons;
1. Kate Kane focus
All the way through the season the story still centered around Kate Kane, so much so to the point they needed to bring in Wallis Day to fill in the void. This was a problem trying to establish Ryan Wilder as our Batwoman because it didn’t allow the audience to truly connect to Ryan. Instead, it made it out as if Kate Kane was the star despite not making an appearance until the later episodes.
2. Terrible action sequences
I still have nightmares about the action sequences. Not in a good way either. The action was atrocious throughout the vast majority of season 2. Ryan’s fight scenes looked clunky with what seemed to be very little choreography. This had a lasting impact as I feel like it took viewers away from what is supposed to be a real fight to look like it was made on an iPhone 5 in a back garden.
3. Awful villain
Compared to the Birds of Prey counterpart, I have no idea how the hell they got Black Mask so wrong. He was a laughably forgettable villain. I won’t go into much further detail about Black Mask, I’d rather not. He was perhaps one of the worst villains in the Arrowverse.
So, imagine my complete excitement when season 3 was closing in. That was sarcasm by the way. I couldn’t have been less excited if I really tried.
Personally, Batwoman’s season 3 was assigned to me to review and I just think I got complained so much that the review was reassigned and I took The Flash instead. This is how it really was.
So then, imagine my surprise, even more, when we got 5 episodes in and I’m actually entertained. I realized how much I was enjoying this season.
Then each episode just got better and better. The fight scenes were realistic, the villains were fantastic, Ryan’s finally the star of the show she deserves to be, and I just couldn’t fathom how the showrunners went from Black Mask to Poison Ivy and the first live-action black Joker. Bravo!
I know some people will be out there that will most likely write this article off and assume the show simply cannot be good, but I assure you that season 3 is like an entirely different show.
Not to mention on the back of all of this the showrunners seemingly aren’t scared to take life on the edge with R-rated aspects. Some of the deaths we’ve seen this season have been quite gruesome and it makes for a much better show, especially a series that’s set in Gotham.
I understand people won’t want to give the show a chance after everything. It’s also difficult to get through 2 seasons’ worth of pain to get to the good stuff, but if you packed in somewhere during season 2 then maybe try and pick it up again.
Whether or not they keep this up obviously remains to be seen, but so far it’s been one of the better superhero shows on TV. Trust me, I was the last person who would happily admit that especially when we have Superman & Lois, Peacemaker, and The Book of Boba Fett airing too. This is living up to that standard of television.
