Batwoman Review: Rule #1 (Season 2 Episode 9)

Ryan comes face to False Face with new big bad Black Mask on Batwoman Season 2 Episode 9, “Rule #1.”

Following the big revelations of the last two episodes, Batwoman settles back into a routine in Gotham City. Everyone mourns Kate in their own way, while Ryan’s relationship issues complicate her hero work.

This is the page turning, new chapter episode where the next storyline is set up. Sometimes these episodes have elements of filler in them, which Batwoman falls victim to where Alice is concerned.

Anytime a series delivers multiple game-changing moments two episodes in a row, then wraps everything up with a bang, the next set up episode is going to suffer from a letdown.

It’s like acing multiple tests and assignments, then running into the midterm that brings you crashing back down to B-/C+ territory. We know Batwoman will bounce back, though we’re not confident Black Mask is the way to do it.

Now that we know who Ryan is and what she stands for, we can say with absolute certainty that she has outgrown Angelique.

We’re not discounting their long history or shared childhood challenges, however, like everyone else, they’ve matured into different people. Specifically, in their case, women on opposite sides of the law.

Ryan is smart enough to recognize that she’s “moving forward.” Unfortunately, she’s still too attached to everything they’ve been through to see that Angelique will never be who she needs her to be.

In the end, Angelique confesses to killing the commissioner to protect Ryan from Black Mask. Yes, she redeems herself, though, it feels like she’s not really gone. She’ll always have a hold on Ryan.

This brings us to Roman Sionis/Black Mask. Most portrayals have leaned heavily on his violent psychopathic tendencies. It appears Batwoman is going the dual identity route with Roman as a generous businessman who just wants to help the city, and Black Mask as a full-on crazy killer.

During his introduction, he gives the usual villain monologue where he says the Crows arrested his daughter and the original Batwoman killed her, so he’s changing the city from the inside.

It’s true we only get a few scenes with him, but we’ve been watching these shows long enough to trust our first impressions. Our initial take on Black Mask is that he’s just another “sadistic drug dealer.” He’s also the one holding Kate captive, and he clearly has plans to make her forget who she is.

Malcolm Merlyn, Damien Darhk, Alice, Captain Cold, Slade Wilson, Victor Zsasz. These are all Arrowverse villains that captivated us from the moment we met them. We can honestly say we have no such feelings about Black Mask.

Peter Outerbridge obviously wants to make the character more than a cartoon bad guy. Unfortunately for him, the presentation and dialogue aren’t doing much to make that possible.

Ryan’s full confidence in her role as Batwoman gives us hope for what the show has in store for the future. We like where she and the rest of the team are going. We’re less sure about where Sionis headed, so call us cautiously optimistic.

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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