Batwoman Review: Bat Girl Magic! (Season 2 Episode 3)

Ryan gets her first taste of Bat mythology when Victor Szasz comes to town on Batwoman Season 2 Episode 3, “Bat Girl Magic!.”

First things first, let’s deal with the major spoilers.

Kate is alive. Well, Safiyah tells Alice that she has her captive, and will return Kate once Safiyah’s grand plan is done. She has Kate’s necklace as proof, but let’s be honest, Safiyah’s not super reliable at this point.

Safiyah and Alice’s relationship is fascinating. It’s reminiscent of Batman and Ra’s al Ghul in Batman Begins. We’re sure that’s not a mistake, as Safiyah’s island and loyal soldiers have a very League of Assassins feel.

Since the end of last season, we’ve heard about the major threat of Safiyah looming over everyone. She was made to sound like an unstoppable force that no one in Gotham can handle on their own.

Shivani Ghai’s portrayal smartly takes her in a different direction. Her interactions with Alice are maternal. She scolds her for stealing the Desert Rose, while simultaneously sympathizing with her grief.

Dealing with someone who sees her potential offers Rachel Skarsten a chance to bring out a vulnerability we haven’t seen in Alice. Safiyah doesn’t treat her like a psychopathic killer, she sees the person behind the crazy mask, so we also get a glimpse of her.

Ghai imbues Safiyah with just enough intimidating energy to let us know not to be fooled by her mother nature, keeper of the island speech. She’s clearly dangerous and has big plans for Gotham.

As much as we love Alice, her family connection to Kate and Jacob has always kept her from being a serious extinction-level Bat villain. With Safiyah, Ryan and the team have someone brilliant, focused, and with the means to enact her plan to battle.

Ghai has already made her captivating enough that we’re invested in where this all goes.

We couldn’t possibly talk about this episode without discussing how fun Victor Szasz is.

Every once in a while, the Arrowverse will introduce a villain who we instantly know will become a part of the show’s mythology. Malcolm Merlyn, Captain Cold, Damien Darhk, and Deathstroke all come to mind.

The charm, insight, and yes, comedy Alex Morf brings to Szasz makes him an instant classic in the pantheon of Arrowverse villains.

The way he takes one look at Ryan as Batwoman, recognizes how uncomfortable she is, and then gives her some Iyanla, Fix My Life hard truths is such a perfect hero/villain meet-cute.

Yes, Batwoman eventually takes down Szasz, but we have no doubt he’ll be back because the show can’t waste a character this good.

Turns out stepping into the cape of an established hero is really hard. As it becomes increasingly clear to Gotham that there’s a new Batwoman, Ryan realizes that she needs to own being a hero.

She’s still using Kate’s suit, which means she’s literally a placeholder, even Ryan says “she’s keeping the suit warm.”

It’s important that we see how difficult this transition is, as it helps us truly accept Javicia Leslie and Ryan as the new lead of the show. If we just jumped in, with everyone forgetting about Kate instantly, it would be unrealistic, which would make some of us turn on Ryan.

The way Batwoman is balancing Ryan’s introduction with Kate’s disappearance has been the right tone to ease us into what is essentially a brand new show.

We enjoyed Batwoman Season 1, but there were times when it felt like Kate was secondary to Batwoman. It seems like the show has learned from its early mistakes and is giving us a more well rounded hero.

Watching Ryan finally own being Batwoman adds to the fantastic way her character is being developed. “Bat Girl Magic!” allows Leslie to show Ryan’s insecurities as she deals with balancing her two lives.

And it’s clear this will be a recurring problem for her. She doesn’t suddenly have it all figured out.

Finally debuting her new suit certainly helps any confidence issues she might be having. Ryan can never truly be the hero Gotham City needs in another woman’s clothes.

It also doesn’t matter if Ryan is the first Black Batwoman, if she looks like everyone else in the suit.

The representation matters when it’s clear the city’s hero is a Black woman. So yes, the hair, the shape, and even the color are all meaningful and important.

Despite the shocking reveal about Kate, we hope the show continues to move Ryan out of Kate’s shadow. If there’s a chance for Ruby Rose to return, the story will be much more emotional if Ryan is completely comfortable as Batwoman.

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

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Batwoman airs Sunday at 8/7c on The CW.

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