Batwoman Review: What Happened to Kate Kane? (Season 2 Episode 1)

Changing leads on a TV series typically signals a new direction for the show. That’s exactly what we get on Batwoman Season 2 Episode 1, “What Happened to Kate Kane?”

After nearly a year of speculation about how Kate will be written out, we find out she’s been in a plane crash and is missing, presumed dead. Kate’s disappearance not only devastates her friends and family, it leaves a hero sized hole in Gotham City.

Luckily for everyone, Ryan Wilder finds the batsuit and picks up the mantle.

It’s clear right from the start, Ryan will be a different kind of hero. She’s a regular person who’s suffered a series of bad breaks, and for the first time in a long time, she feels like she has some power back.

One of Batwoman’s major issues in Season 1 is that there were times when Kate wasn’t very likeable. She seemed to have trouble looking past her own problems to support those around her.

Going into Season 2, there were a lot of questions about why the show chose to create a completely new character, instead of having someone familiar take over the cowl.

Now that we’ve had a chance to see Javicia Leslie bring Ryan to life, we’re thrilled with the idea of getting a hero who is genuinely concerned with the problems of everyday people.

Bruce became Batman to clean up the corruption in Gotham. Kate was trying to prove herself to her father. Ryan just wants justice for her mom, but she also recognizes that the world is bigger than her goals.

Leslie is amazing as she breaks down all the numbers that make up Ryan’s life. When she says she’s not a name or a legacy, it’s so powerful. It feels like she’s speaking for all the Black women who are treated like they don’t matter.

If anyone had any questions about Ryan taking over as Batwoman, she answers them all with that one monologue. She’s a hero that we’re already invested in, and who we can’t help rooting for.

We can’t wait to see how the character evolves as her confidence grows.

Perhaps the best reaction to Kate’s possible death comes from Alice. She’s definitely not mourning her sister; she’s upset about her grand plan being disrupted.

For those worried about Alice no longer having a connection to Batwoman, relax. Ryan’s main motivation is getting justice for her mother, who was killed by Alice’s gang.

Fighting someone who has zero interest in protecting Beth, and just wants to see Alice pay for her crimes, should open up new possibilities for Rachel Skarsten’s already great performance. 

Seriously, Skarsten never disappoints as Alice. Is there something beyond scene stealer? Because that’s how good she is.

Sociopath supervillains can easily veer into caricature territory, but Skarsten keeps Alice captivating every second she’s on screen. She’s so fun, she makes killing Tommy’s random one night stand into a comedic moment.

Speaking of Tommy, thank goodness they don’t drag out the fake Bruce Wayne story. Frankly, it is ridiculous it takes as long as it does to figure it out.

Bruce Wayne is notoriously private and secretive. No matter how long Tommy has spent obsessed with Bruce, there’s just no way he would’ve been able to pull off the charade long term.

We’ll never know for sure what the original plan was for Tommy, but honestly we’re just happy we don’t have to spend weeks watching smart people act stupid in service of the face swap.

In other silly storyline news, Jacob Kane finally found out Kate was Batwoman. The bomb gets dropped courtesy of his other daughter, Alice, whom he let walk away after the big reveal.

If there’s one positive to come out of Kate’s disappearance, it will be us moving on from Kane family drama.

Obviously, your presumed dead daughter actually becoming the city’s most notorious killer is traumatic. However, the nonstop blame, tears, and lies among the Kanes overpowered everything else.

We do wonder if Jacob finding out the truth about Kate will affect how he deals with the new Batwoman. Will he still have a problem with vigilantes, or will he try to be more understanding?

We should mention, despite the closure the show clearly wants us to get, Kate’s body is never discovered. And as anyone who’s ever watched soaps can tell you, no body means they’re not really dead.

Apparently, Kate’s disappearance will continue to play out throughout the season, which makes sense. We’d be disappointed if everyone moved on too fast.

We just hope it’s not something that drags on for too long. At some point, Kate’s death needs to be confirmed, so it’s not a shadow looming over everything.

There was a lot of pressure on Leslie and Batwoman heading into this first outing, but everyone exceeded expectations. We hope the show is able to maintain these high standards moving forward.

More than anything, we’re excited to see a Bat story finally explore parts of Gotham that have traditionally been ignored.

What did you think of this episode of Batwoman? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Batwoman airs Sunday at 8 pm on The CW.

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