Batwoman - Season 1

[Maskripper]

^ (@geekyporncritic) I revisted the "old" Batwoman thread (...."Arrowverse") and found your ... "remarks" about episode 1.
And now your generic, swappable statements about episode 4.
So, why would you still watch the show when you semmingly hate everything about it? (...assuming you even have watched the episodes)
Let me answer that question for you:
You are either
a) a masochist
or
b) a troll
or
c) a masochistic troll

In either way, you should spill your hate elsewhere.
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My review of Episode 4:
Episode 4, "Who are you?"

[SPOILERS ahead, I recommend that you watch the episode before you continue]

"General":
The city now knows now after the last episode that the new BatWOMAN is in town. But she still has to prove to herself and Gotham that she is able to be the protector of the city.
And there our "villain(ess) of the week" comes in handy. Batwoman has to face Magpie, a ruthless jewel thief. And she has to handle her new double-life as Kate and Batwoman.

My highlights from this episode:
1 - The amount of Batwoman screentime! - Batwoman has around 8 minutes of screentime, with added related scenes even 10 minutes! That is quite a LOT for such a superhero show. Nearly twice as the normal screentime. I love that she has scenes throughout the whole episode! Not only at the end like in the first episodes (with a tiny exception in the seond ep.).
2- The Batwoman action scenes! Really great to see her in action, especially while fighting a masked villainess like Magpie! The interactions with Luke were prettty cool, some funny lines :-)
3 - Her new dual life! Well, being Kate during the day and (mostly) Batwoman during the night...that is a job tough to handle! But I guess Kate will learn how to handle the toll that comes with it.
4 - Alice playing Katherine! Pretty cool how Alice forced Katherine to reveal (a part of?) the truth to Jacob. I wonder how he will react to that?
5 - The NEW batsignal - Really cool to see the new version of the Batsignal with the Batwoman logo. Curious when the city will officially call her for the first time...
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I am (still) thrilled about the fact that Sophie still somehow suspects Kate to be Batwoman! I wonder how that will play out in the future. I guess at some she might discover her secret. I wonder how...
The relation between Mary and Batwoman is and will be also very interesting. Mary doesn't seem to suspect anything and unlike Sophie she doesn't seem very motivated to find out more about Batwoman so far.
Magpie could have used a little more screentime, her scenes were pretty short. Ok, it's a typical "villain of the week" problem, that they mostly don't get a deep background. I would have liked to know more about her. But I liked the action scenes between her and Batwoman with exception of the pretty bad CGI explosions. I guess the budget for CGI is rather small. Not a big thing so far, but with the many exploding pearls...it was very noticeable this time.
Magpies leather(/latex?) suit was verrrry sexy!
Kate decision to become a real estate developer to help the city is a good idea in my opinion. She needs a job during the day, a job that can keep the facade of the rich girl up. And so she can help the city in both identities, just like her cousin.

>>> Rating "General:" <<<

(4 out of 5)
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"Mask":
...details on my blog:
https://maskripper.org/batwoman-season- ... tober-27th

>>> Rating "Mask": <<<

(4 out of 5)
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Conclusion:
A very good episode with many Batwoman scenes! Magpie was a good villainess and Kate's dual life was also very interesting.
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Some screenshots (more on my blog):

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Trailer for episode 5:


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[MetaDude2]

like on the level of Candace Patton from Flash

THANK YOU so much for bringing her up. The day Candace plays a female alternate universe version of The Flash is the best day of my life!

[Abductorenmadrid]

I was a little disappointed that KK and Reagan's relationship hit a brickwall so soon, I hope it kind of falls back in to place again some time later, or at least Reagan figures KK out for who she is ...

I also have to say I love Alice's wardrobe and look. They've managed to find something really stylish and have avoided the simple "black" look. I've no idea if there is a comic lead inspiration for the Alice character but I've really liked her so far.

[shevek]

I was a little disappointed that KK and Reagan's relationship hit a brickwall so soon, I hope it kind of falls back in to place again some time later, or at least Reagan figures KK out for who she is ...

I also have to say I love Alice's wardrobe and look. They've managed to find something really stylish and have avoided the simple "black" look. I've no idea if there is a comic lead inspiration for the Alice character but I've really liked her so far.

Abductor: Alice is the main antagonist in the actual Batwoman comics. In the comics, she has a more elaborate costume reminiscent of the Victorian era of Lewis Carroll, crossed with quite a bit of sexy lingerie chic. The costume in the series is much plainer but certainly effective enough.

Maskripper is correct that Magpie's tight leather costume is quite hot - not to the extent of Catwoman but it's up there. In fact, actress Rachel Matthews looks even better in it *without* the mask, near the end of the episode. Matthews is an actress with not much experience - she's mainly just known for her roles in the two Happy Death Day movies. So this Magpie is a breakout role for her. And with her resentment boiling for the rich and privileged Kate Kane, here's hoping Matthews will return to don that costume once again later in the season.

I too hope Reagan comes back to be with Kate and that this doesn't turn out to be another Maggie Sawyer. If Brianne Howey ever slipped into a costume and fought alongside (or even against) Batwoman she would look great! Looks good in bed too.

[GeekyPornCritic]

^ (@geekyporncritic) I revisted the "old" Batwoman thread (...."Arrowverse") and found your ... "remarks" about episode 1.
And now your generic, swappable statements about episode 4.
So, why would you still watch the show when you semmingly hate everything about it? (...assuming you even have watched the episodes)
Let me answer that question for you:
You are either
a) a masochist
or
b) a troll
or
c) a masochistic troll

In either way, you should spill your hate elsewhere.

How am I troll for disliking this show? I have given this show a fair chance on two occasions. I think the show is very boring. The writers do not give a strong reason for me to be invested in the characters. I don't feel any connections with the main protagonist. The story feels rushed, and I think better pacing would help improve the show's quality.

My comments from episode one below are fair. People such as yourself are making people leave this forum. Anyone with a different point of view is considered a troll and people demand the person to leave. It's getting a bit out of hand. Please don't take opinions of this nature personally.

Six Words..............

I am not impressed by Batwoman.

Now I continue,

This is one of the most lackluster and disappointing debuts on television. It does not have the same flare as Supergirl's first episode. Supergirl's first episode answered many simple questions. Who is Supergirl? What takes her so long to become Supergirl? What's her backstory? This episode does not answer many basic questions about Batwoman. I feel like I do not know her besides her desire to be with Sophie, and she thought her sister was dead after an ancient.

Her father's overprotective behavior was poorly written. The narrative suggested that he was not pleased with her being lesbian. Then, we learned he was afraid to lose her in war if she joined the military. The writers did a horrible job of trying to lead us to that point.

This episode feels like the writers crammed too much into one episode. Who the fuck is who? Who is Batwoman's stepsister? They barely introduced us to her. Who is her stepmother?

I feel like I don't know a damn person after the first episode. The first episode should let us get to know basic information about characters and show their personalities. Who the fuck is who besides Beth?

[tallyho]

Its a forum guys everyone is entitled to an opinion as long as its reasonably and politely expressed.
Keep it civil whether you like it or loathe it and keep remarks about the show and not about each other please.

You are all wrong unless you agree with me anyway.

[Maskripper]

How am I troll for disliking this show? I have given this show a fair chance on two occasions. I think the show is very boring. The writers do not give a strong reason for me to be invested in the characters. I don't feel any connections with the main protagonist. The story feels rushed, and I think better pacing would help improve the show's quality.

My comments from episode one below are fair. People such as yourself are making people leave this forum. Anyone with a different point of view is considered a troll and people demand the person to leave. It's getting a bit out of hand. Please don't take opinions of this nature personally.

I mentioned 3 options, only 2 of them included you being a troll.
So, you watched episode 1 and 4? Kind of a strange choice. Hard to connect to the story of a TV show with a continuing storyline if you haven't seen the episodes before (ep.2+3).
My alert signal just goes off if someone "only" rants about a show. (while thinking you have seen all 4 episodes)
If I would write reviews about 100 random movies, I guess only very, very, very few of these would be completely negative (most likely musical dance movies or some weird Indie movies about a hippy woman and her best friend, a flying , undead, pink hamster who farts musical songs...... ok, no, I would actually like such a movie) .

Perhaps my lines were too harsh, and if you will watch the next episode...perhaps you will find something you like in there.
I would feel confirmed for my earlier comments if you would watch a couple of more episodes and every review would be completely negative.
Until that happens, please don't take it personally....i'm just a very passionate fan of this show.

[Abductorenmadrid]

Abductor: Alice is the main antagonist in the actual Batwoman comics. In the comics, she has a more elaborate costume reminiscent of the Victorian era of Lewis Carroll, crossed with quite a bit of sexy lingerie chic. The costume in the series is much plainer but certainly effective enough.

Thanks for the heads-up - have to say they have translated Alice's comic wardrobe (now I've researched more based on your info) to TV quite well. If they had gone overboard keeping to the comic style they would have drifted towards Adam West style Batman which Batwoman isn't even close to. The slightly goth/vampiric clothing choices certainly fit this more modern world better for sure.

I do hope Magpie hasnt had her wings entirely clipped, it would be good to see her again

[Maskripper]

Episode 5, "Mine is a long and sad tale"

[some SPOILERS ahead, watch the episode first]

"General":
This episode was nearly entirely dedicated to shine a big spotlight on Alice's/Beth's past. What has happened to her after she survived the accident at the bridge?
And that is one sad, emotional story for sure!

My highlights from this episode:
1 - ...of course....the flashbacks telling how Beth became Alice! - A very intense atmosphere with tragedy and sadness. I loved the dark atmosphere, the mad father who tried to help his son by committing ...insane....crimes. And seeing Kate and Beth so close together, yet Beth couldn't be rescued from the hellhole.... a big moment of the show.
2 - The showdown at the farm! Kate, Jacob and Sophie VS Mouse and Alice. Loved that! Especially as Jacob was talking to Alice and finally realising/admitting that she was his lost daughter.
3 - Sophie realising that Kate is ....Batwoman! - Well, it wasn't 100% shown, but as Kate lies her finger on Sophie mouth to shut her up....that was pretty much like she did it in episode 1 as Batwoman. Sophie already was suspecting that Kate was under that cowl...but now I do think she is very sure about it. And judging by the trailer for next week...this will be a big plot point in that episode.
4 - Mary and Luke - Some really good and funny lines. Talking about the "skin pirate" and ordering pizza.
And damn, Mary was verrrry sexy in that dress and overknee boots! :-)
The short Batwoman scene had one flaw in my eyes. It is supposed to be dark, so the bad guys can't see Batwoman. But the scene is flooded with "moonlight"..hard to believe that the bad guys doesn't see anything.
I do really like the episode as it was important to show how Beth became Alice, and they did it really good! Of course with nearly the whole episode dedicated to that.... there was only a bare minimum of Batwoman in this episode. Just about one minute of her. That is even less than in the pilot, and a HUGE difference to the last one. It looks like that will change again next week, where Batwoman is already very much present in the tiny trailer.
As Alices past is now explained, I wonder when we will get to see more of Kates past. There should be much to tell too!
Looking forward to see more of Mouse, and I'm sure that he will play a big role ...in combination with his "sister" Alice.
I really have HIGH expectations for the next episode after watching the trailer! Especially with the Sophie and Batwomanpart and also on how Jacob will start to come after Batwoman, as she is an enemy in his eyes.

>>> Rating "General:" <<<

(4 out of 5)
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"Mask":

....more on my blog, incl. over 20 screenshots and my Batwoman cut of the episode:
https://maskripper.org/batwoman-season- ... vember-3rd

Some screenshots:




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The verrrrrrrrry promising trailer for the next episode:



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[Dogfish]

I thought the whole face replacing deal was kind of unintentionally funny. It's like, kids got a slightly weird face, so now this is happening? A gofundme and a half decent surgeon fix that right up in no time.

[Maskripper]

I thought the whole face replacing deal was kind of unintentionally funny. It's like, kids got a slightly weird face, so now this is happening? A gofundme and a half decent surgeon fix that right up in no time.

I think they should have shown more his "bad" side of his face, like in this short scene (mostly it was covered by him placing his hair over it) to show how bad it really is:


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I don't think that can be "fixed" that easy...especially since this plays 15 years in the past. And I don't think you can even fix that even today without major scares and all that.
Of course still you don't have to on the creepy-mad route like this guy did. But I guess we will get more of the background story at some point.
Is the boy his son? Where is his mother? Was she killed by the accident they mentioned? What is the backstory behind the mad man?
Still some questions remain....

[batgirl1969]

is lost daughter.
3 - Sophie realising that Kate is ....Batwoman! - Well, it wasn't 100% shown, but as Kate lies her finger on Sophie mouth to shut her up....that was pretty much like she did it in episode 1 as Batwoman. 


my favorite move to use when I am hitting on a girl, or when we are about to do the deed and she asks if i am sure she will like it.....I AM BATWOMAN!!! the girl has become a woman now!!!

[Dogfish]

I thought the whole face replacing deal was kind of unintentionally funny. It's like, kids got a slightly weird face, so now this is happening? A gofundme and a half decent surgeon fix that right up in no time.

I think they should have shown more his "bad" side of his face, like in this short scene (mostly it was covered by him placing his hair over it) to show how bad it really is:


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I don't think that can be "fixed" that easy...especially since this plays 15 years in the past. And I don't think you can even fix that even today without major scares and all that.
Of course still you don't have to on the creepy-mad route like this guy did. But I guess we will get more of the background story at some point.
Is the boy his son? Where is his mother? Was she killed by the accident they mentioned? What is the backstory behind the mad man?
Still some questions remain....

If they were shooting it to be comedy he could have had his face fixed with skin from his butt, and have a perfectly fixed face, however he had to retreat to live in creepy seclusion because everybody was calling him Buttface.

[Maskripper]

Episode 6, "Ill be judge, I'll be jury"

[SPOILERS ahead!]

“General”:
After the spotlight on Alice's background in the episode from last week, this episode features a "villain of the week"...the Executioner. We get to see more of Alice and her "brother" Mouse and a little more background on Luke. And we get to see a LOT of Batwoman! :-)
My highlights from this episode:
1 – The amount of Batwoman screentime! Even more of Batwoman as in episode 4 (with Magpie) and she has quite some action scenes and also has a long scene with her father. Actually the first time they have met.
2 – The long scene with Batwoman, the Executioner and Jacob! Wow, that was a fantastic scene in my opinion! First the fight VS the Executioner and than the thrilling meeting with Jacob who points a gun at his own daughter without knowing it. The danger of him getting closer to that cowl of Batwoman, closer to finding out the truth about Batwomans identity....thrilling! And the room filled with gas was a a worthy climax of the episode.
3 – The MASSIVE secret identity stuggle! Sophie is now sure that Kate is Batwoman. She has no real proof of it, but she even wanted to tell Jacob about it (what a snitch move!). Also Mouse found out about Kate being Batwoman and there was the severe danger that Sophie would tell Mary about it. And
4 – The Executioner! I like the background story behind him. Even it would have been good to include more dialogues with him...his reasons to get on a killing spree were solid. But...of course...."a little" drastic ;-) . And his outfit, mask and the massive axe...quite an appearance!
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It's hard for me to figure out where Sophie is heading. First she denies her feelings for Kate, and now as she is convinced that Kate IS Batwoman, she even wants to tell that to her father. Ok, she thinks that her being Batwoman is dangerous...what it is, but betraying her by telling her father? Even after Mary told her not to hurt Batwoman by exposing that secret! I hope Batwoman will try somehow to convince Sophie that it isn't Kate under the mask.
It was interesting (and sad) to hear what happened to Lucius Fox. But finally a little more background for Luke!
The "former Mayor Cobblepot" line was a nice "easter-egg". Also the mentioning of Jack Napier as the Joker.
This new gun will be a real thread for Batwoman in the future! And I wonder what plans Alice actually has for her father and sister (and perhaps even for the whole city?).
No real issues, but two scenes were a little ..."uncool". First Batwoman is too slow to react to the approaching car (ok, she couldn't see it, but it seemed pretty loud)....and then the Executioner TOTALLY ignored her. Ok, she isn't one of his targets but....she is a thread to him. So why not attack her as she lies on the ground, hurt and out of order for now? And perhaps, if he is only a little curious....that would have been a perfect chance to UNMASK the Batwoman. Ok, maybe he was in a hurry to leave.
The second scene with a flaw in my eyes: In the court as the gas floods the room. Why is Batwoman isn't prepared for it? She has many gadgets, and a gas mask/oxygen mask is among them! Ok, she can't have all the gadgets on her belt....but she knew the bad guy wanted to gas the judge, so it would have been a good move to be prepared for that.
It was a pretty dark episode. And that always fits to Gotham and Batwoman. In combination with the exe-wielding Executioner...it provided a good atmopshere.

>>> Rating “General:” <<<

(4 out of 5 - good story with a lot of Batwoman and a good villain - changed my mind...from 3,5 to 4)

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Some screenshots:





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“Mask”:

(4 out of 5)

...details on the mask aspects, screenshots+ my Batwoman cuts of the episode (4 videos!) on my blog:
https://maskripper.org/batwoman-season- ... ember-10th

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The trailer for next week:


WOW! Looks like Batwoman is in massive danger of being captured!
+ a new hot woman in costume

[DrDominator9]

I agree with you Maskripper about Batwoman not being prepared with some sort of gas mask or rebreather appliance. Of course that wouldn't have done her dad any good so the flammable solution probably worked best as long as they could hold their breath long enough. Seemed a bit improbable that cyanide gas wouldn't be much more fatal sooner than what they showed, but overall it was a good peril scene. Also liked how they got the truck license off the impression of her from her batsuit. That was cool!

[Visitor]

Batwoman had a rebreather that she used in rescuing Alice from the river a few episodes ago. I don't remember if she left it with Alice as the reason she didn't use it here other than to make it more dramatic.

[Abductorenmadrid]

Yeah, okay, I generally liked the story line but in the moment that the Cyanide gas was in play Batwoman should have been reaching for a source of emergency oxygen asap. And the solution, torching the gas was just horrible.

"Yeah, let's just burn off the last of the oxygen ... that'll help. And once the fire is out ...we will still be trapped in the room... with no air..."

[DrDominator9]

And the solution, torching the gas was just horrible.
"Yeah, let's just burn off the last of the oxygen ... that'll help. And once the fire is out ...we will still be trapped in the room... with no air..."

That's so like you, AEM, to be calculating the logic down to its base foundation. That's what makes your stories so fantastic and believable. And what makes you such a buzz-kill. It's comic books. Have to allow for things like loopholes, you know.

[Visitor]

And the solution, torching the gas was just horrible.
"Yeah, let's just burn off the last of the oxygen ... that'll help. And once the fire is out ...we will still be trapped in the room... with no air..."

That's so like you, AEM, to be calculating the logic down to its base foundation. That's what makes your stories so fantastic and believable. And what makes you such a buzz-kill. It's comic books. Have to allow for things like loopholes, you know.

Now that I think about, modern fire safety codes would have the fire suppression system go on automatically and put out the fire before it could finish the job. At least there's a good chance it's water or foam and not gas so they can't breath. We had that discussion in college on whether we wanted it to protect the people or the more valuable equipment that couldn't flee the room.

[Maskripper]

So, what do you folks think of the new Julia Pennyworth from next episode?



(^also in the trailer in my post above^)
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What do you think will be her role? Will she maybe be a sidekick to Batwoman in future episodes (as she already wears a sort of costume in the trailer)?
And what is her connection to Kate/Batwoman?

I remember her vaguely from the comics, but in them she is rather black. And maybe her role is different here as well.

[Abductorenmadrid]

And the solution, torching the gas was just horrible.
"Yeah, let's just burn off the last of the oxygen ... that'll help. And once the fire is out ...we will still be trapped in the room... with no air..."

That's so like you, AEM, to be calculating the logic down to its base foundation. That's what makes your stories so fantastic and believable. And what makes you such a buzz-kill. It's comic books. Have to allow for things like loopholes, you know.

Yeah I know ... I need to like loosen up when it comes to detail and reality. But its the sort of stuff I like to watch or try to craft myself. Maybe one day I will be able to write something more relaxed and direct, I just have to learn to let go a little! But still ... no amount of brain deactivation could get me to cope with the "burn the hydrogen" plan ...

[Maskripper]

Episode 7, "Tell me the truth"
Spoilers ahead, if you haven't seen the episode....

“General”:
This episode was mainly about the relationsship between Sophie and Kate and the big danger that Batwoman's secret identity would be revealed to Jacob and the other crows.
My highlights from this episode:
1 – Julia Pennyworth enters the show! I think she made a really good debut in the show. Would be very interesting if she would become a regular or would have some more guest appearances at least. With her shared past with Kate and her willing to risk a LOT to save Batwoman in this one....that could become a strong bond between them. Even Kate wasn't very happy at first
2 – The whole "will Sophie tell Jacob?" aspect! That was quite a rollercoaster ride. The outcome was quite unclear for most of the time which made it pretty thrilling to me.
3 – Plan C! As soon Kate mentioned the "plan C" I immediately thought about this "swap-move" with Julia. And Julia as Batwoman to pull Sophie of Kate's tail, was a really awesome scene for me.
Relieved that Sophie's intentions were finally thrown off track.....for now at least ;-)
4 – Luke's "dialog" with Kate! That was a really funny moment how he answered the questions he asked himself as Kate :-)
5- The flashbacks with Sophie and Kate! Glad to know more about their past at the academy. Especially as I understand Sophie a little better know. Still pretty unsure about what to think of her....
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The whole Sophie/Kate relationship is puzzling to me. Sophie seem to want to get back to Kate, but as that doesn't worked....she immediately grabbed her husband. Pretty pragmatic.
I would advise Kate to keep that distance to Sophie that she builded at the end of the episode. So far Sophie has betrayed her twice already. That snitch move of telling Jacob that Kate is Batwoman was very uncool for me. Yes, she is afraid that Batwoman would get killed, but still...she could have warned Batwoman instead.
I am very happy that Sophie now thinks that Kate isn't Batwoman, one danger less for Batwoman/Kate. Putting Julia in that costume was a classic movie to save a secret identity. :-)
I think it was a bit...odd that Julia immediately realised who Batwoman is, just because of that move. But well, it was important for the story so she could save BW later.
The Kate/Sophie scene in the restaurant and the Kate/Mary scene at the end were also cool and showed that Kate actually stands up for her convictions (unlike a certain other person).
The "Mary sees Luke, Kate and Julia at the secret entrance" scene was a little strange for me. The security of the Batcave must get much better in the future! And Mary forgot about that door pretty much, why wasn't she more persistent about it? I would be very interested if these three would stand near a secret door...
Sophie's scene with the "wrong" Batwoman and Kate was intense! Loved it. Julia did a good job there.
The next episode has to deliver a LOT more about Alices plan, so far it's BIG question mark! And judging from the trailer...it seems that the episode will deliver exactly that. Looking forward to it!

>>> Rating “General:” <<<

(3,5 out of 5 - a lot more about Kate and Sophies relationsship, good scenes with newcomer Julia Pennyworth, a little too less Alice)

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My Mask rating, more screenshots, and my Batwoman cuts from this episode are available now on my blog:
https://maskripper.org/batwoman-season- ... -the-truth

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Some screenshots:





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And here is the trailer for the last episode before the big crossover:


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Who has seen the episode already?
What do you guys thought about the episode?
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[Dogfish]

I liked it well enough. I feel like some characters need to die, or get resolved and piss off already. Like Batwoman's whole family mostly. I get that every hero show is basically Buffy now, so there has to be a cast of supporting characters with their own drama, but they are properly cramping the hero's style, and not even metaphorically, she's literally having to take time out to deal with drama bombs going off left and right instead of doing hero stuff. I don't think the show benefits from it.

I think the Sophie storyline as the set up to the vast scale of Kate's trust issues worked surprisingly well though. Kate's dad conspiring with the then love of Kate's life to betray her for a job in the army (of all things) is just brutal. Batman comes out of his origin story with these pristine parental figures, who can never fuck up because they're dead, Batwoman comes out of her origin story thinking that family ties and love are borderline worthless.

It's not Shakespeare of course, the limitations of the writing and so on aren't particularly well hidden, but it's doing a good job with a limited range.

Must confess though, the main villain pairing isn't really doing it for me. The whole 'we need a supermagic science weapon to kill Batwoman' plot device would ring a lot more true if she didn't literally have half her face visible. You're fucking criminals, you can't go to the range? You can't saw off a shotgun? It's the Robocop thing all over again.

[Maskripper]

I liked it well enough. I feel like some characters need to die, or get resolved and piss off already. Like Batwoman's whole family mostly. I get that every hero show is basically Buffy now, so there has to be a cast of supporting characters with their own drama, but they are properly cramping the hero's style, and not even metaphorically, she's literally having to take time out to deal with drama bombs going off left and right instead of doing hero stuff. I don't think the show benefits from it.

I think the Sophie storyline as the set up to the vast scale of Kate's trust issues worked surprisingly well though. Kate's dad conspiring with the then love of Kate's life to betray her for a job in the army (of all things) is just brutal. Batman comes out of his origin story with these pristine parental figures, who can never fuck up because they're dead, Batwoman comes out of her origin story thinking that family ties and love are borderline worthless.

It's not Shakespeare of course, the limitations of the writing and so on aren't particularly well hidden, but it's doing a good job with a limited range.

Must confess though, the main villain pairing isn't really doing it for me. The whole 'we need a supermagic science weapon to kill Batwoman' plot device would ring a lot more true if she didn't literally have half her face visible. You're fucking criminals, you can't go to the range? You can't saw off a shotgun? It's the Robocop thing all over again.

Regarding her family: I really like Mary! She is kind of funny and her night job at her own clinic makes her very likeable for me. And these overknee boots from episode 5....damn! .
Catherine is hard to understand, partly the classic step-mother and more like a villainess. And Jacob.... not sure about him too, but I love the situation he is in. He loves Kate and hates Batwoman....just a great scenario for me! That should provide a lot of thrill in the future.
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I love Alice as the villainess, BUT her plans are so unclear for now. Judging from the trailer for the next episode....we should know a lot more about her plans in 2 weeks (damn break!).
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And yeah, I agree on the weapon. I think it is good to have it, but I'm pretty sure that Alice won't use it on her sister/Batwoman in the end (as seen in this episode). She may want to have it as kind of insurance, but is she really willing to pull the trigger when it comes to it? I somehow doubt it.....for now at least.
BUT in the hands of Mouse.....it will get VERY dangerous, since he doesn't want to share Alice and wants to get rid of Batwoman/Kate.
Also, as you mentioned half of Batwomans face is unprotected, and there would be hundreds of other methods to kill Batwoman even with her suit and mask in place!
After all Batwoman is a just a well trained human without superpowers.
They could:
gass her
drown her
suffocate her
let a piano fall on her
....and and and....

or they could get more "possibilties" by:
- tearing that protective suit off! Or just unzip it...... after all there is a way that Kate gets into it. (as it is some magic suit that pops out of nowhere like Supergirk's newest suit)
- and/or ripping that mask off to "unpack" the whole head (....not that I would think of such options )

A rocket launcher or minigun may be "already" dangerous to that suit as well. Hard to know how far the protection goes.

[Visitor]

As Kate told Luke about getting shot in the suit, "It stings." So bullets may not penetrate, but momentum will still get transferred. Enough of them, like from an automatic rifle, will injure enough to make it easier to shoot her face.

Let's have another CW dysfunctional family because the Dynasty reboot isn't enough.

Catherine is a workaholic mom that has a daughter going to medical school to be a doctor. She's not an evil step mother so much as trying to get her ideal family. Getting her second husband to forget about his old family. Making a weapon to kill her husband's obsession that he blames for ruining his family, Batman. Killing off his crazy daughter, Alice/Beth.

Mary had to go into a profession that shows she is achieving something besides the social life as an social media influencer. But mostly it keeps her from having to follow mom into the family business. Now with the looming divorce she is loosing the only family member she likes, Kate, because mom and step dad are wrapped up with work.

Kate spent years training to make her dad proud and go into the family business only to be rejected.

Alice/Beth who wants revenge on dad and Catherine for not finding her after coming so close. She wants to recreate her own version of a family with her twin sister, Kate.

[Dogfish]

Soooo I'm not sure what's going to happen next week because there's the crisis thingy, but the Alice story has really grown on me.

What I like is that 99/100 the hero has faith that good will prevail, and Kate's stubborn insistence that she could save her twin sister should, ordinarily, have been paid off by her actually saving her sister. But in this instance that faith has manifested in a sort of Hamlet-esque failure to take decisive action while the body count increases, and that has lead to disaster. There's three ways that it could play out from here, either she still saves her sister in spite of everything because, y'know, love conquers all and stuff, or she flattens her, or (and this is my pet theory) she flattens her and then whoever it was Alice stiffed for the anti-Batman weapon announces themselves as a future big bad by killing Alice, and maybe there's a deathbed confession or maybe not, either way Batwoman gets the sort of emotional cauterisation that Bat-type heroes need.

Still, should be a hoot.

[Visitor]

Kate's not bringing in Alice to stop her plan mirrors Batman not killing anyone, but instead just bringing them in to revolving door Arkham Asylum. All the deaths that could have been prevented by just killing an irredeemable madman like the Joker instead of hoping that there would be a change.

Part of Kate's problem is that she thinks Beth will take over Alice and end the crime spree because Alice doesn't hurt her twin sister. Alice wants to bring Kate over to her side and has that as her one good deed. So in the first part of "Mad Tea Party," you have Alice not killing those that Kate likes even if it is easier. However the rest are going down.

So now you have Kate deciding that there has to be an end. You can't save everyone.

[Maskripper]

Episode 8, "A mad tea party"

[SPOILERS ahead, I recommend that you watch the episode before you continue!]
[SPOILERS ahead, I recommend that you watch the episode before you continue!]
[SPOILERS ahead, I recommend that you watch the episode before you continue!]

–
“General”:
The midseason finale of Batwoman delivers tragedy and drama and thereby is a BIG game changer for many characters!
My highlights from this episode:
1 – Alice evil plan with Mary, Catherine and Jacob! Alice picks her most hated enemies, the stepmother who "stole" her father and sister and the stepsister who kind of replaced her in her opinion. And Alice plan works pretty well for her! The scenes with them were really tragic and it was a sinister drama! I like the really dark atmosphere of the episode.
And the twist to frame Jacob for Catherine's death was a good one too!
2 – Batwoman fights the crows! These much need action scenes were done very well. The hand to hand combat scenes were done very well in my opinion.
3 – Kate realises that her actions lead into disaster and tragedy! The scenes with Kate and Mary + Kate and Jacob were intense. And it's pretty unusual that in such a show the heroes action lead to such a disaster:
Catherine is dead. Mary is utterly devastated and more or less hates Kate now for siding on Alice/Beth. Jacob is locked away.
And Kate realises that her actions lead into this tragedy.
All that could have been avoided if Kate or Batwoman would have taken more decisive action against Alice.
The hope to turn Alice into Beth.....was a false one. That should haunt Kate for a long time.
4 – Catherine's speech! Wow, that was a nicccce twist as Alice forced her to reveal her dirty secrets in public!
-
The little side drama with Sophie and Tyler was more or less necessary, but it wasn't well placed. One minute Batwoman battles the crow, a good, intense fight scne and then CUT ....to Sophie and Tyler who work out their relationsship problems. That was a hard break.... Glad that it seems now that it is finally over with their marriage, as it was already doomed from episode 1. No need for much more of that in my eyes.
The scenes between Jacob and Alice were intense and interesting, even Jacob gets a little to weepy for my taste. Ok, I guess he did that on purpose to get through to his daughter...but I hope Jacob "outburts" gets fewer in the second part of the season. If the crow commander weeps in every second episode....it does make him look a little too soft in my opinion.
There was little Batwoman and action (fight) scenes in the episode for my taste. More of that and a little less with Sophie and Tyler would have been cool. But the scene with Alice and Batwoman was really something as Kate's anger was showing.
I loved the twists and turns the episode took. Especially with Catherine, Mary and Jacob. I suspected that someone would die in the episode, but Catherine wasn't my first bet for sure! But in the end it makes total sence as she is the main "villain" for Alice.
The little end scene was a nice teaser for the upcoming CRISIS on infinite earths crossover. That will be VERY interesting! Especially to see how it changes the Arrowverse and how it afflicts every character.
Since there isn't a trailer or any info at all yet for the Batwoman episode after the Crisis crossover...I don't know at all how this storyline will evolve from now on. Kate should now finally have realised that her plan to get her sister back have failed miserably. She is already responsible for some deaths that Alice committed, because she tried to get through to her sister. A noble plan, but....it didn't work and ended in tragedy. It's now time that Batwoman hunts down Alice at all costs. Even that includes taking some more risks. As Alice and other crew members know that Kate is Batwoman....that is a very dangerous situation. I don't know yet how Batwoman can get Alice and her gang into Arkham without compromising her secret identity. Alice could threaten to tell everyone about it which would be the end her crime fighting career.
So curious how that all will develop in 2020 after the crisis episodes.
-
>>> Rating “General:” <<<

(4 out of 5 - A very dramatic episode that changes so much for so many characters! Would have loved to see more Batwoman and more action (fights) in it. But in the end, this was a worthy midseason finale with some really surprising twists!)
----------
“Mask”:


(1.5 out of 5 - good fight scenes but only little Batwoman screentime and no secret identity issues at all)
---------
Conclusion:
This episode changes SO much and delivers a lot of drama and tragedy! A story driven episode with some really good twists which sets up the stage for the 2nd part of the season.

—-
Some screenshots:





-
More details on the Mask rating, screenshots and my Batwoman cut of the episode can be found on my BLOG:
https://maskripper.org/batwoman-season- ... -tea-party

-
Next up: The CRISIS CROSSOVER!

[tallyho]

We got a SPOILER BUTTON GODDAMMIT, JUST USE IT!
DONT MAKE ME COME UP THERE!!!

[tallyho]

Its the EYE with a line thru to the right of the Screenplay button in full editor mode

Spoiler

hit itcand type your spoiler message between the brackets that appear[/spoiler

[shevek]

2 – Batwoman fights the crows! These much need action scenes were done very well. The hand to hand combat scenes were done very well in my opinion.

"Much needed" is an understatement. One big problem with this Batwoman show is that she's in a costume built for intense combat, and she has trained for such intense combat, but she never really gets to actually participate in intense combat since her enemies are psychological: Alice plays with knives and poison and schemes, and Mouse plays with disguises. You can't fight mental enemies in a physical costume. Well, you can if you're Batman, the world's greatest detective, but Kate Kane is far from that.

So instead, you get these "throwaway" fight scenes that are virtually meaningless and don't even really make any sense. If three of those Crows were to attack her at the same time, punching her and shooting her, she'd be done for, because (as Ya Boi Zack has pointed out) in reality, the character is another one of those '110-pound woman kicks everyone's ass' characters that's popping up all over media. She doesn't have powers, so the whole thing's not especially believable, even though it is still fun to watch.

Batwoman is not currently a particularly effective heroine of almost any sort. Her efforts mostly either backfire or come to naught. Is the series going to turn her fortunes around? It had better, or people are going to start despising the character of Kate Kane for being so inept and ineffectual.

OK, so all of that aside, there was an interesting Easter Egg taken from the actual Batwoman comics - specifically Batwoman: Rebirth #1 where Marguerite Benett and James Tynion IV invent a new imaginary country "80 miles off the coast of Malta." It's called Coryana, and it's run by a beautiful middle-aged Turkish woman named Safiyah who is affiliated with a terrorist organization called The Many Arms of Death and whose lover is a gorgeous female assassin named Tahani (the Knife). This is interesting because unlike in the TV show, the origin of Alice actually has to do with her kidnapping by the Many Arms of Death and subsequent separation from the Kane family. So there's an allusion to that. Also the "desert rose" antidote in the episode is a reference to the Desert Rose bar on Coryana where the assassins hung out (kind of like the bounty hunter bar in Star Wars).

None of that comic book storyline seems like it'll appear in the TV show, but it was notable that they did some namedropping from it.

[Maskripper]

We got a SPOILER BUTTON GODDAMMIT, JUST USE IT!
DONT MAKE ME COME UP THERE!!!

Easy, easy. I know that there is the function.
But I don't think using it on every second sentence is very efficient as I write reviews for the folks who have already seen the episode.
Of course I could use it on the complete main text if you prefer, but in my opionion, the three big, red lines should do the job too.

---------------

"Much needed" is an understatement. One big problem with this Batwoman show is that she's in a costume built for intense combat, and she has trained for such intense combat, but she never really gets to actually participate in intense combat since her enemies are psychological: Alice plays with knives and poison and schemes, and Mouse plays with disguises. You can't fight mental enemies in a physical costume. Well, you can if you're Batman, the world's greatest detective, but Kate Kane is far from that.

So instead, you get these "throwaway" fight scenes that are virtually meaningless and don't even really make any sense. If three of those Crows were to attack her at the same time, punching her and shooting her, she'd be done for, because (as Ya Boi Zack has pointed out) in reality, the character is another one of those '110-pound woman kicks everyone's ass' characters that's popping up all over media. She doesn't have powers, so the whole thing's not especially believable, even though it is still fun to watch.

Batwoman is not currently a particularly effective heroine of almost any sort. Her efforts mostly either backfire or come to naught. Is the series going to turn her fortunes around? It had better, or people are going to start despising the character of Kate Kane for being so inept and ineffectual.

....

Well, yes, the big villains aren't physical fighter (except the Executioner in ep6) so she has to beat up henchmen and crows.
But I think that a well trained women like her, with such a suit and with such weapons and gadgets.... can fight these goons in a more or less realistic fashion. She doesn't need to look like Gina Carano if she has such gear.
And about the fight scenes with the crows: She did fight with several crows simultanesly. And I'm pretty sure that the crows don't wanna kill her, they wanna capture her. So they don't fight as effective as they could. Especially since in this episode it is unclear

Spoiler

how many of the crows are real crows to begin with. Some of them were Alice's men.

And yeah, she isn't an effective heroine so far and her plans with Beth/Alice failed big time. For me that is a highly unusual plot that is pretty unused in the genre so far.
It's time for Batwoman to bury her hopes for Beth and hunt down Alice at all costs. I'm sure there will be a big change to her "style" in the 2nd part of the season.
The show was already darker than the average arrowverse show....and this will intensify I guess/hope.

[Maskripper]

GREAT news!




https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live- ... cw-1267596

I already celebrated with a good whisky!
Kind of a surprise for me that ALL CW superhero shows got renewed. Even LoT was renewed for season 6....before their season 5 even started!
You can like the CW or not, but it is really a good partner for these superhero shows, not ONE...not ONE of these superhero shows... got cancelled ....ever!!!!
(Arrow only ended because of Stephen Amell had enough after 8 seasons)

[batgirl1969]

Awesome News!!! Thanks for sharing! here is to hoping we get more Kate with hot blondes....I LOVE BW & CW

[theScribbler]

...



...

Yep, CW's never cancelled one of their superhero shows. Was a given that Batwoman would not be cancelled.

It's cancelled by me tho, I won't be watching it. After the crossover, I thought I'd check it out again to see if anything's improved. Missed the first 14 minutes cause I forgot it was on, but watched from minute 14, tried to give it a chance, turned it off at 44 minutes into the hour, cause to me, the story is crap, can't get into it, does nothing for me. Onwards then. Will try Supergirl next.

[Maskripper]

It's cancelled by me tho, I won't be watching it. After the crossover, I thought I'd check it out again to see if anything's improved. Missed the first 14 minutes cause I forgot it was on, but watched from minute 14, tried to give it a chance, turned it off at 44 minutes into the hour, cause to me, the story is crap, can't get into it, does nothing for me. Onwards then. Will try Supergirl next.

You missed the first 14 minutes and watched it anyhow from then?
Sorry, but that is really .....odd. That's like ignoring the first x pages of a book and read from then on.
Why oh why would you do that?
The TV/movie junky in me would never ....ever....do that.
The whole thing or nothing at all!

(If it would be a REwatch it would be ok of course)
-
My review of the episode will pop up in the next hours.

[Visitor]

The last show you could miss the beginning of and still enjoy was "Simon and Simon" back in the 1980s.

[tallyho]

Damn, you are OLD

[Dogfish]

I thought the last episode was pretty weak in so many ways, I guess with these shows you've just got to accept that Batwoman doesn't have an answer to being confronted by Alice holding a power saw, or that the whole plot of the show could have been solved had Batwoman won their brawl in the school corridor. It's very ropey and you can see the limitations on the budget.

The train rescue thing at the start was kind of nuts too, like, the Bat rope thing could be the strongest material in the world for all I know, you're not going to be able to stop a train by shooting a hook into the back of a train, because quite obviously the panels on the back of the train would break long before the train stops.

The hacking stuff all being done by a random kid felt convenient but not a huge stretch. Huge amounts of government and corporate infrastructure is monstrously insecure. Gotham is pretty much The Worst, so it stands to reason their IT security is as flimsy as everything else. Still kind of a wonky story but whatever. I think if they'd been able to give it maybe two minutes more work, more clearly establish that the train hack was done by somebody on the train, and that the mass leaking of information was a bluff built on that track and police hack, then it would have held up better.

So with all that in mind, I'm treating this show with around the same degree of seriousness that I'd attach to the 1960s Batman or any given animated version. Shit isn't quite real, shit doesn't quite make sense, so let's see what happens within that framework.

And what happened was a pretty interesting story about what happens when a hero like Batwoman has to confront somebody who they identify with so completely that the usual approach of punching them unconscious and calling the cops isn't on the table.

What's been getting to me though with this series, and it's still not really paid off, is that at some point Batwoman just needs to beat the everloving shit out of Alice. I can't think of the last time that a character in a TV show built up the deserving of a beating from another character to this extent. If the final episode of season one is just forty minutes of Batwoman battering Alice, with a pause for five minutes in the middle to have a sammich and a beer before going in again, I'd be all over it. I appreciate they are trying to be better than that, but that's my level and I'm staying here.

[DrDominator9]

I thought the last episode was pretty weak in so many ways, I guess with these shows you've just got to accept that Batwoman doesn't have an answer to being confronted by Alice holding a power saw, or that the whole plot of the show could have been solved had Batwoman won their brawl in the school corridor. It's very ropey and you can see the limitations on the budget.

The train rescue thing at the start was kind of nuts too, like, the Bat rope thing could be the strongest material in the world for all I know, you're not going to be able to stop a train by shooting a hook into the back of a train, because quite obviously the panels on the back of the train would break long before the train stops.

The hacking stuff all being done by a random kid felt convenient but not a huge stretch. Huge amounts of government and corporate infrastructure is monstrously insecure. Gotham is pretty much The Worst, so it stands to reason their IT security is as flimsy as everything else. Still kind of a wonky story but whatever. I think if they'd been able to give it maybe two minutes more work, more clearly establish that the train hack was done by somebody on the train, and that the mass leaking of information was a bluff built on that track and police hack, then it would have held up better.

So with all that in mind, I'm treating this show with around the same degree of seriousness that I'd attach to the 1960s Batman or any given animated version. Shit isn't quite real, shit doesn't quite make sense, so let's see what happens within that framework.

And what happened was a pretty interesting story about what happens when a hero like Batwoman has to confront somebody who they identify with so completely that the usual approach of punching them unconscious and calling the cops isn't on the table.

What's been getting to me though with this series, and it's still not really paid off, is that at some point Batwoman just needs to beat the everloving shit out of Alice. I can't think of the last time that a character in a TV show built up the deserving of a beating from another character to this extent. If the final episode of season one is just forty minutes of Batwoman battering Alice, with a pause for five minutes in the middle to have a sammich and a beer before going in again, I'd be all over it. I appreciate they are trying to be better than that, but that's my level and I'm staying here.

I love all these comments, Dogfish. So true!

[theScribbler]

It's cancelled by me tho, I won't be watching it. After the crossover, I thought I'd check it out again to see if anything's improved. Missed the first 14 minutes cause I forgot it was on, but watched from minute 14, tried to give it a chance, turned it off at 44 minutes into the hour, cause to me, the story is crap, can't get into it, does nothing for me. Onwards then. Will try Supergirl next.

You missed the first 14 minutes and watched it anyhow from then?
Sorry, but that is really .....odd. That's like ignoring the first x pages of a book and read from then on.
Why of why would you do that?
The TV/movie junky in me would never ....ever....do that.
The whole thing or nothing at all!

(If it would be a REwatch it would be ok of course)
-
My review of the episode will pop up in the next hours.

You missed the first 14 minutes and watched it anyhow from then?
Yep
Sorry, but that is really .....odd. That's like ignoring the first x pages of a book and read from then on.
No, tis not really odd. Book analogy is false, I didn't ignore the beginning, I missed it cause of what time it was. That's not a situation that would happen with a book.
Why of why would you do that?
Already said why in my post. How'd you miss that? That's "really .....odd. That's like ignoring the first x" words written in a post "and reading from then on."
The TV/movie junky in me would never ....ever....do that.
The whole thing or nothing at all!
Whatever. I would like to have watched nothing at all of this Batwoman episode. I would like to have not watched all of Batwoman episodes 1 and 2. But I gave it a chance, and paid the waste-of-my-time price for that. Oh well, not that big a deal. And I don't mind knowing something about her for when she shows up in other CW shows I like or sorta like. So not a total loss.

From minute 14 to minute 44, it was again clearly evident what a waste of time this show is to me. The same meh show as episodes 1 and 2. No improvement. No change after the crossover.

But since it was only 14 minutes I missed, I watched those first 14 minutes today on demand when I looked and saw it was available. Those 14 minutes didn't add anything for me, just more 'what a load of crap!' This is a badly written show. I don't dislike Ruby, but her acting's the worst of all the actors on the show, or the actors on all the CW superhero shows. Maybe it's not her fault and she's giving the showrunners the Batwoman they envision and want. She looks fine, but the show as written is boring as hell and she as Kate Kane is boring as hell. To me, anyway.

I leave it now to the fans who like it, and maybe I'll check it out again when, unlikely tho it may be, I get word that in some episode something amazing, not to be missed happens in it. Like she has a fight with a villain who dissolves her costume bit by bit as the fight progresses, and fight ends with Batwoman bound nude (Bat helmet can stay on), in public, suspended about 12 feet high so crowd can see, exposed wide in a variety of humiliating positions, messed with periodically by AI robots, and there's no way to cut her down and rescue her for the remaining 30 minute of the show, as well as the first four long segments in the following episode.

And maybe Alice tries to save her, but she's captured too, bound and stripped, and the sister's are bound together and, unbeknownst to the AI bots, forced into some incest.

And then Supergirl shows up, tries to help, but oh no... the AI bots have kryptonite...they shave Supergirl's hair off...redesign her costume...and stuff...



Wishful thinking.

[Maskripper]

....
But since it was only 14 minutes I missed, I watched those first 14 minutes today on demand when I looked and saw it was available. ....

I leave it now to the fans who like it, and maybe I'll check it out again when, unlikely tho it may be, I get word that in some episode something amazing, not to be missed happens in it. Like she has a fight with a villain who dissolves her costume bit by bit as the fight progresses, and fight ends with Batwoman bound nude (Bat helmet can stay on), exposed wide in some vicarious positions, messed with periodically by AI robots, in public, and there's no way to cut her down and rescue her for the remaining 30 minute of the show, as well as the first four long segments in the following episode.

And maybe Alice tries to save her, but she's captured too, bound and stripped, and the sister's are bound together and, unbeknownst to the AI bots, forced into some incest.

And then Supergirl shows up, tries to help, but oh no... the AI bots have kryptonite...they shave supergirl's hair off...redesign her costume...and stuff...



Wishful thinking.

Well, good that you watched the missing minutes. But if I read your comments right you saw episodes 1, 2, 9 (crossover) and 10 (this one).
As I mentioned in this thread earlier I think it's kind of problematic to watch a TV show like that. I think it normally takes a while to get fully connected to the characters. And if you missed 60% of in the episodes in between (3-8) of the season so far....that can't really happen in my opinion.
Especially as this show needs some time to evolve. The 1st episode is still the worst in my opinion, ep. 2 was better already. But all the really good episodes were aired after that so far.
-
I like your naughty ideas , but yeah, that "probably" won't happen on a TV show.

[Maskripper]

“General”:
The episode after the big Crisis Crossover offers a cliffhanger de luxe and quite some changes to Batwoman's/Kate's world.


My highlights from this episode:

Spoiler

1 – Batwoman is outing herself in the CatCo magazine! Even I would have loved to actually see that interview in some snippets at least... That magazine cover open another questions. More on that later...
2 – Batwoman gets forced to unmask herself in front of Alice and Parker! I loved the tension in that scene! There was so much at stake! Even Batwoman should have at least tried to disarm Alice with one of her gadgets or her martial arts skills. She gave up so easy and didn't care so much about exposing her secret identity to the whole world! That would have ruined her crime fighter career.... Ok, perhaps she trusted that Parker wouldn't expose her secret ID to the world....but that was a risky move for sure! Also I don't like the fact that there are always cuts in the unmaskings. She reaches for her cowl...cut....she yanks the -already out of place cowl- off her head. Ok, I don't know how Ruby can unmask in that kind of cowl....how it would look. And ok², the eye paint and neck protection needs to vanish magically before the unmasking.
3 – Alice has another tea party! Really a nice, and sinister scene to have a tea party with Mouse near Catherine's grave! Really good lines and I liked how Mouse motivated Alice to unmask Batwoman and expose her secret to the public.
4 – The cliffhanger ending! Well, of course that leaves a lot of questions :-) . Well, I guess that she is another Beth version from another planet that now shows up after the events of the Crossover. And I love how Kate grabbed into her face to see if she was wearing a mask!
5- The amount of Batwoman screentime! Batwoman had a LOT of scenes in this one! In the long Batwoman cut of the episode it's over 16 minutes with scenes with Batwoman. A new record for the show! And you folks know how much I love to see as much as possible from her in an episode! ;-)
-
Ok one thing I have to write off my chest here. The trailer before this episode is/was labeled: Batwoman, Season 1, Episode 9 for a time period....now they added "midseason trailer" to that as well. Well, really weird that the CW still haven't corrected that mistake. It is actually episode 10! Episode 9 was the one in the crossover.... Funnily it is labeled correct on other youtube channels. And I started to watch this episode without that "mideason trailer" info. I was really mad that I found out that the trailer is for several episodes...really uncool. Kind of a hoax. They should have labeled that correctly from the start as it fuels expecations!
-
And a second aspect I wanna adress where I am a little disapointed.... The new Batwoman cowl! On a set picture last month you could see Ruby wearing that cowl that is now shown on the cover of that CatCo magazine! Also that cowl type is shown in the trailer mentioned above. Why the new cowl? Why was it changed before that cover shot in the episode? And why was it changed at all? That cowl has no chin strap anymore! It looks much less secure that way! Also it shows more of her face that way. Not a good thing to protect her secret ID. Also the neck protection was removed! I am hoping all that will be explained in the future at least.... On the good side the mask looks somehow "smother" (?) now and it will be much easier to tape the unmasking process if she unmasks herself or gets unmasked by someone else.
Here the comparision between the 4 Batwoman cowls we have seen so far:

-
The train scene was a little.....too much in my eyes. Ok, let's say that cable could stop a fast moving train....which I don't think it could..... how is the cable supposed to hold on the wooden plank? Or on the backdoor of the train with that speed? That couldn't possible hold..... But ok, it is a superhero show. I would have rather like to see Batwoman enter that thing to stop it somehow. In the end not a really big issue for me.
In addition to the highlight number 2 from above: The hallway fight scene with Alice... Ok, she tries to save the hacker but gets beaten so easily by Alice, who has no (own) weapons and no big fighting skills. Batwoman should do better and easily beat the crap out of her in that scene. Also....why didn't have Alice any of her goons with her? That would have made the "let's force her to unmask" scene afterwards also more plausible. .....unless of course, if it was her plan to get captured in the end.
What I really liked is how the Hacker (Parker Torres) was handled. With the cop story it motivated Batwoman to out herself. And also as she learned her secret and is now somehow included in Batwoman's life....she might become a very usefull ally with these skills!
The Mary scenes were interesting as well! I like who she tried to free her dad and the scenes with Kate were pretty emotional. A first step to bring them back together!
The scene with Batwoman and Sophie was very interesting as well. At first it looked like a filler to get Sophie some screentime...but the dialogue between them was important (and funny in parts). It will be very interesting how Sophie will handle things in the next episodes!
What was kind of weird and interesting: Mary spotted the new Beth at that university. Sophie moves into a room where that Beth was heading ...just to find a gamer kid. What was Beth up to? What happened in that room? It seems like she realised she had been following by Mary.
The scene with Luke and the Batwoman cupcake was funny! And their relationship developed quite a bit in this episode as she missed him as the voice in her ears.

-
>>> Rating “General:” <<<

(3.5 out of 5 - interesting episode with some highlights and a big cliffhanger. I don't like how passiv Batwoman was in the big "force her to unmask" scene)

----------

Some screenshots (more on my Blog, link below):





>>> Rating “Mask”: <<<
.... more info can be found on my Blog! But it was a pretty great episode in that direction ;-)
Along with 27 screenshots and 4(!) Batwoman videos from this episode!
https://maskripper.org/batwoman-season- ... hing-today
---------

Conclusion:
A good episode with an interesting storyline! But I do have some issues with the key scene.
I'm verrry thrilled how the cliffhanger will be solved....


Trailer for next week:



---

[batgirl1969]

Awesome!! LOVE the new cowl, much more realistic to me, and her coming out....I just love this character...Ruby plays the role perfect, she has that rough edge, kind of boyish appeal while still being able to pull off being very feminine! She is cute and I give the episode a solid thumbs up

[Dogfish]

I thought the versions of the cowl up to now have been a bit too wide. It's fine with the hair but up close it kind of looks too spherical, so I like the change. I figure once they've got a cowl, and costume in general, that they are happier with they might have more scenes with Batwoman actually in them doing Batwoman stuff.

[Maskripper]

Episode 11:

“General”:

Spoiler

A new Beth, flashbacks from the evil basement and no Batwoman shows up.

My highlights from this episode (without particular order):
1 – The flashbacks from Alice's past! In the flashbacks we learn more about Alice's past as she was trapped in the basement of that madman. We witness the point where she turns from Beth into Alice to survive that time! Very intense and atmospheric scenes. Especially that one with the little cat.
2 – Rachel Skarsten performes big time! The scenes with Sophie are really stunning. She plays this scene in a great fashion, showing brilliantly the madness of Alice. And how she crushes Sophie by attacking her "weak points". Well played and a good script for sure!
3 – Kate saves Beth this time! Even from a trunk! That scene was so intense, espcially with the scene ahead where Kate realised that her other version did save Beth. And I wasn't 100% sure she would get her out that trunk in time. That save will be really good for Kate's mind.
4 – Some really funny lines! And not "only" between Alice and Sophie. I mean some really funny lines were there as well. Like the one where Luke explains to Beth that her dad (this version of him) is imprisoned for murdering his wife. Also to watch drunk Mary explaining her Multiverse theory to Kate....pure gold!
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Kate was really lucky not to get outed as Batwoman. Alice could have told Sophie any time. In the last episode she wanted whole Gotham to know, but here, she didn't tell Sophie. Ok, she doesn't have proof for that, but I guess that would have been another shock for Sophie.
Also Mouse was really close to outing Kate as Batwoman as well. I don't know if these hostages didn't hear his hints... but that was a close call! I love the suspense of these "secret identity aspects".
I am not sure, but it seems that Sophie does suspect Kate to be Batwoman again. Batwoman's outing as being lesbian was a big clue. And how she looked at Kate at the end of the episode as the people demanded from the police to call Batwoman.... I wonder how that aspect will develop in the next episodes!
Hard to tell why the police didn't want Batwoman to get involved in the hostage situation. Don't they fully trust her? And where were they during the episode? They didn't attempt anything to free the hostages. And it was only Mouse and some goons. Or does the police chief have really issues with Batwoman being a lesbian?
The motorcycle scenes were pretty cool. Although Kate should have been much more injured by such an impact. Ok, perhaps the van didn't hit her leg, hard to see. But besides a scratch in the face, there was nothing. It was a little odd that Mouse kicked her KO as she was wearing a full motorcycle helmet. The visor was broken...but I don't think his foot would fit into there. Ok, not really an issue in the end ;-)
Alice had her first real fight scene as she managed to escape and kill two crows. That was a really good action scene! Loved the tension as she pointed that gun at Sophie. Intensssse! A little minus was here for me that the alarm goes off.....and only Sophie shows up to see what's going on! Where were the other crows? It looked that Sophie runs low on staff... ;-)
The scene were Mouse exposed the new Beth by ripping off her wig. Loved that! Practically an unmasking ;-)
I like the whole "Beth from another earth showing up"-aspect! The episode started with the Beth cliffhanger from last week and finished with another Beth cliffhanger. This will be really interesting! Even the next episode is 3 weeks away.... But I wonder if the new Beth and Alice can exist. It doesn't look that way. So I only have 2 possibilities in mind. Alice kills the new Beth ....OR.... they both became one! Both endings would be another tragic outcome.....especially for Kate, Jacob and Mary.
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>>> Rating “General:” <<<

(4 out of 5 - A good storyline which great moments! And a fantastic Alice!)
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“Mask”:
...more on my Blog:
https://maskripper.org/batwoman-season- ... ay-present

Some screenhots (more on my Blog as well):




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Conclusion:
More background for Alice, a new Beth, great play by Rachel Skarsten and a win for Kate. Good episode!


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Trailer for the next episode (in 3 weeks):

[DrDominator9]

Maskripper, I agreed with every point you made in your review of last night's 'un-birthday' episode. The writing here seems so much better than on the SG show. I'm jealous.

[batgirl1969]

Did anyone catch the Kate in Bed with the blonde preview??? I can't help but love Kate, she is like a cute hero boy but a girl!! and she pulls off this new masculine feminin style perfectly!! could it be that I could have a crush on a short haired brunette somewhat masculine tomboy lesbian??????

[clyde11]

How could anyone who is a fan of Batwoman, or superheroine action adventure or action peril, be able to like this show in any way.
Each week it gets worst and worst and ridiculously repetitive.
Lets get one thing straight. I was looking forward to this show, as both a fan of superheroine action and peril and well as a fan of the Batwoman comic. Regardless of the pre-criticisms from the "Get woke go broke" crowd.
Because it is a CW show I expected a bunch half ass melo-drama but I figured I would still get some good action and peril from time to time, like Supergirl.
But, GODDAMN, this show is just complete and utter crap! Every week with the fucking flashbacks, "You let me down...you betrayed me!" BLAH...BLAH...BLAH! EVEY FUCKING WEEK! And barely any Batwoman stuff at all. This week, no Batwoman until the end.
And that is this show in a nutshell.
Brooding lesbians can't forget get over their rocky pasts.
Flashbacks of little kids being held captive and abused. (That's entertainment).
Then more of the same for 45 - 50 minutes and then a walk-on from Batwoman.
Whenever Batwoman is on screen she doesn't do shit. Stands there, poses, takes her mask off.
Is there anyone left in Gotham that doesn't know she is Batwoman?
It's the worst kept secret since the ending of the Crying Game.
There is one villain on the show and her crap is getting old and boring really fast.
They should call the show the adventures Alice and Mouse: featuring selected appearances by Batwoman.
If Ruby Rose can't do fight scenes then why the fuck did they cast her?
Is this a "Johnny Bravo" thing? She fit the suit. Who's cares about the rest.
This is similar to my complaints about Supergirl, but last season and this season they have been delivering on my appetite for
Supergirl scenes.
But getting back to this shit show, they need more Batwoman. (IN ACTION)
I mean...it's a superhero show...where's the fucking superhero.
The need new villains. Maybe we'll get Bruno Mannheim in the second season.
They need Renee Montoya as The Question. Someone who can fight with Batwoman, love interest, and rescue Batwoman from peril.
Like the comic.
But at this point I'm not holding my breath.
I guess their just trying to win Emmys. At the peril of losing their audience.
Like some you have all ready said. I'm done.
What a massive disappointment.
I think on Sunday nights at 7:00 pm central, I'm just gonna watch Kendra James Batwoman videos instead.
Hey KJ! If you happen to read this, here's an idea. How about a whole video dedicated to one of Batwoman's
nemesis having childhood flashbacks and then, at the end, you walk by the camera as Batwoman and wave?

[Maskripper]

How could anyone who is a fan of Batwoman, or superheroine action adventure or action peril, be able to like this show in any way.
Each week it gets worst and worst and ridiculously repetitive.
Lets get one thing straight. I was looking forward to this show, as both a fan of superheroine action and peril and well as a fan of the Batwoman comic. Regardless of the pre-criticisms from the "Get woke go broke" crowd.
Because it is a CW show I expected a bunch half ass melo-drama but I figured I would still get some good action and peril from time to time, like Supergirl.
But, GODDAMN, this show is just complete and utter crap! Every week with the fucking flashbacks, "You let me down...you betrayed me!" BLAH...BLAH...BLAH! EVEY FUCKING WEEK! And barely any Batwoman stuff at all. This week, no Batwoman until the end.
And that is this show in a nutshell.
Brooding lesbians can't forget get over their rocky pasts.
Flashbacks of little kids being held captive and abused. (That's entertainment).
Then more of the same for 45 - 50 minutes and then a walk-on from Batwoman.
Whenever Batwoman is on screen she doesn't do shit. Stands there, poses, takes her mask off.
Is there anyone left in Gotham that doesn't know she is Batwoman?
It's the worst kept secret since the ending of the Crying Game.
There is one villain on the show and her crap is getting old and boring really fast.
They should call the show the adventures Alice and Mouse: featuring selected appearances by Batwoman.
If Ruby Rose can't do fight scenes then why the fuck did they cast her?
Is this a "Johnny Bravo" thing? She fit the suit. Who's cares about the rest.
This is similar to my complaints about Supergirl, but last season and this season they have been delivering on my appetite for
Supergirl scenes.
But getting back to this shit show, they need more Batwoman. (IN ACTION)
I mean...it's a superhero show...where's the fucking superhero.
The need new villains. Maybe we'll get Bruno Mannheim in the second season.
They need Renee Montoya as The Question. Someone who can fight with Batwoman, love interest, and rescue Batwoman from peril.
Like the comic.
But at this point I'm not holding my breath.
I guess their just trying to win Emmys. At the peril of losing their audience.
Like some you have all ready said. I'm done.
What a massive disappointment.
I think on Sunday nights at 7:00 pm central, I'm just gonna watch Kendra James Batwoman videos instead.
Hey KJ! If you happen to read this, here's an idea. How about a whole video dedicated to one of Batwoman's
nemesis having childhood flashbacks and then, at the end, you walk by the camera as Batwoman and wave?

Of course such a "lovely" post triggers me.
WoW! Sooo much wrong stuff in one post.... I was speechless as I read that rant-fest. My god! So much frustration in there.
I didn't want to reply at first, but I can't stand these wrong issues.

"How could anyone who is a fan of Batwoman, or superheroine action adventure or action peril, be able to like this show in any way."
Well, actually there are enough folks who enjoy the show. But it seems like you think your opinion is the ultimate wisdom.

"Every week with the fucking flashbacks"
Wrong! In two episodes we got many flashbacks. In episode 5 and 11 (the new one). Many episodes doesn't have any flashbacks at all!

"And barely any Batwoman stuff at all. "
Yes, in this weeks episode. But in the one last weeks for example there was over 15(!) minutes of Batwoman. And that is really really much for a 40 minute show!

"Whenever Batwoman is on screen she doesn't do shit. Stands there, poses, takes her mask off. "
?????? What? Have you seen the episodes? There are fight scenes with her in 90% of the episodes. She never "poses" and takes her mask off. Last week she was forced to unmask. In the crisis episode she unmasked in front of the other heroes to reveal herself to them. That's it.

"Is there anyone left in Gotham that doesn't know she is Batwoman?"
Yes, NOBODY knows she is Batwoman except 6 people: Luke, Alice, Mouse, Chuck, Julia (she doesn't live in gotham), Parker.
3 of these are allies or friends of Batwoman.
The other 3 all from Alice's crew, incl. herself.
And there are some more folks living in Gotham......

"There is one villain on the show and her crap is getting old and boring really fast. "
WRONG again. Have you seen more than 2 or 3 episodes? Alice is the main villain, yeah. But there were Tommy Elliiot, Magpie, the Executioner, the Sniper-guy. Many shows just have a villain of the week in each week. I like that this is different and has only some villains of the week. But there are some more than Alice in here.

"I guess their just trying to win Emmys. At the peril of losing their audience. "
Certainlyyyyy. With a superhero TV show.

" Maybe we'll get Bruno Mannheim in the second season. They need Renee Montoya as The Question. Someone who can fight with Batwoman, love interest, and rescue Batwoman from peril."
Interesting that you care about the 2nd season after that rant.
But for once I think you are right, it would be cool to see such iconic characters from the comics on the show. Will be interesting to see who will be the main villain next season. There are quite a few interesting characters who need to be put into this how in the future.

And another point where I agree with you:
I would like to see more peril scenes as well! I guess we all do. But in the end it is a TV show, not a SHIP video. I guess you need to lower your expectations in regards of peril
As a mask-fetishist, seeing a live Batwoman in such a costume with such a rubber cowl/mask....is already SO GREAT. Because that is where 99% of the SHIP videos with masked women fail....to have a sexy, quality mask and costume.