I’m not entirely sure how producers can right the ship but with a really mediocre first season and downright messy season two; the writing is probably the biggest culprit more so than the production value, which does sometimes look rather cheap.
Batwoman: The Complete Second Season
(2021)
Genre(s): Suspense/Thriller, Drama, Science Fiction
Warner Bros.| NR – 765 min. – $44.98 | September 21, 2021
Date Published: 09/24/2021 | Author: The Movieman
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THE SEASON – 2¼/5 |
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Synopsis: As friends and family hold on to hope that Kate Kane will be found, a homeless 25-year-old named Ryan Wilder (JAVICIA LESLIE) stumbles upon Kate’s Batsuit in the wreckage of a plane crash. No longer a victim, Ryan uses it as armor and goes rogue in Gotham, determined to avenge her foster mother’s death at the hands of Alice (RACHEL SKARSTEN) and her evil Wonderland gang. Back at the Crows’ headquarters, Commander Kane (DOUGRAY SCOTT) and Sophie Moore (MEAGAN TANDY) believe Kate is still alive, forcing unexpected alliances and betrayals. With the city in upheaval, Gotham is desperate for a new hero. Assisted by Kate’s caring stepsister, Mary Hamilton (NICOLE KANG), and the resourceful Luke Fox (CAMRUS JOHNSON), Ryan steps up to the challenge, seeking justice for those in need. Can she bring hope back to Gotham? Quick Hit Review: The first season Batwoman conceptually was interesting. The execution was terrible and acting pretty subpar, not to mention mostly poor story writing and social commentary that instead of being subtle banged you over the head with it. Despite the low ratings, and admittedly to my surprise, the CW and Warner pushed forward with a second season, even with Ruby Rose quitting the series for one reason or another. So now with season two, there’s a new lead played by Javicia Leslie who I suppose shows a bit more personality when compared to Ruby Rose (who I have liked in the past). Unfortunately she’s still saddled with bad writing and how she comes across the batsuit was… laughably lazy. Her Ryan Wilder character is living in a van down by the river when Kane’s plane crashes and amongst the rubble she finds the batsuit (including cowl full of red hair) unscathed and eventually dons the suit to exact vengeance on those who wronged her, and later receives help from both Lucas, excuse me, Luke Fox and Mary. This was the very first episode and it doesn’t get a whole lot better. The supporting cast is more melodramatic except for Dougray Scott who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else other than on this show. One wonders if he looks back and wishes he never did Mission: Impossible II as it cost him playing Wolverine in X-Men. Hugh Jackman is pretty damn rich and can do whatever he wants; meanwhile Scott is encumbered with this material. With his character not really necessary given Kate Kane is gone; no real surprise Scott exited the series after only two seasons. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 3¼/5 |
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The three-disc set comes in a standard HD slim case and inside is a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Deleted Scenes — ‘Whatever Happened to Kate Kane?’, ‘Bat Girl Magic!’, ‘Gore on Canvas’, ‘Rule #1’, ‘Arrive Alive’, ‘I’ll Give You a Clue’, ‘…and Justice for All’, ‘Rebirth’, ‘Power’ Villains Analyzed (15:45) — Takes a look at the season 2 villains from Safiyah to ruthless crime boss Black Mask and the False Face Society to sadistic Victor Zsasz. Never Alone: Heroes and Allies (20:48) — Every superhero has help in the fight for truth and justice. Gag Reel (7:49) |
VIDEO – 4¼/5, AUDIO – 4¼/5 |
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Warner Bros. releases Batwoman: The Complete Second Season onto Blu-ray, presented in the original 2.00 widescreen aspect ratio, as I assume it was originally aired. Like season one, the picture looks fine, a bit dark for both daytime and nighttime scenes but detail is decent and there are some splashes of color here and there, like the reds in the costume. Each episode comes with a reasonably strong, if not inconsistent, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. The pilot episode I thought sounded fantastic but subsequent episodes were on the softer side at times, although the very least dialogue was clear and the depth was modest during the more action-oriented sequences. (copied from season 1 review) |
OVERALL – 4¾/5 |
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I’m not entirely sure how producers can right the ship but with a really mediocre first season and downright messy season two, in conjunction with some poor ratings, it is puzzling how the series can continue on. The writing is probably the biggest culprit more so than the production value, which does sometimes look rather cheap, while the acting wasn’t anything notable. |