2021 Arrowverse Roundup - Week 02

Things are rolling on Batwoman now, with lots of factors already in play.

Below is a breakdown of all of the Arrowverse stuff that aired this week. It is part review, part speculation, part analysis, and part rambling. It is organized in the order they aired throughout the week, so feel free to scroll down to whatever ones you watch. If you want to get caught up, you can use my Arrowverse Viewing Order guide to help you navigate!

Batwoman - Episode 2.02 - Prior Criminal History?

A lot of the supporting cast is doing some extraordinary heavy lifting in the absence of Ruby Rose, until Javicia Leslie gets fully ingrained into the story. Episode 2 shows that the supporting cast can absolutely handle that, and the story seems like it was always set to go this way because of the parallels between Kate and Bruce's absence.

 

This episode gave us a little more insight into Ryan's past and her present motivations. She was broken by Alice and saved by Kate. Her path is intertwined with the Bat Family. It is poetic, and not at all farfetched compared to what other things happen in this universe.

 

All of the different character dynamics and relationships have never been more fascinating than they are now. There are complex layers all caused by Kate's demise, and further complicated by Ryan's arrival as Batwoman. While she's not the full fledged thing yet, the episode pretty much got her there by the end.

 

Safiyah seems to be this seasons big bad. I really hope that doesn't mean that Alice is put on the back burner. Nor do I want the show to get confused on which one to focus on. If they can merge the two together, that would be ideal. It is a small hurdle to overcome after what they just went through, and the way they handled the Rose departure gives me faith that they can handle the story that is being told.

 

Episode 2 kept the momentum of the first one, and really kicked things into a different gear. I don't see why we should expect anything different from episode 3.

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