I would like to start off by thanking Warner Bros for a copy of this product. The opinions in this review are my own.
Before I dive in, I just want to start off by saying... (hmmm) after the initial Batwoman/Kate Kane (played by Ruby Rose) walked away from the show, I was wondering if they'd be able to bring the show back. This is a review for the second season so... they were able to deliver a second time around, but is it any good or any better? Let's find out.
Season 2 Story: Batwoman: The Complete Second Season started out a little cheesy (not going to lie), but there were parts I appreciated in the season opener. Ryan Wilder (played by Javicia Leslie) didn't just pop up knowing how to be a superhero, she tried to take on some baddies and... fumbled.
I didn't applaud the fumble just to... applaud the fumble, I applauded the fact that they kept it a bit more realistic (in that regard). Honestly, no one is just going to grab a Batsuit and just become a certified superhero knowing all there is to know as soon as they suit up (or sign me up). In the opening fight, the new Batwoman did manage to get the best of the baddies, and... I appreciated the win even more because she was still guessing her way through it. She told a baddie that she didn't know what would happen if she shot something out of one of her gloves, and I just think it's cool to see that starting point on the path of Super Hero badassness.
So, we're in the second season with an all-new Batwoman, and we're already one fight in... but I was wondering how the new Batwoman would be tied in with the existing cast. I have to say that outside of the slight layer of cheese (as mentioned above), the transition to the new actress was well played.
I don't want to spill the beans when it comes to everything that occurred for Ryan to find the Batsuit, but to find the suit laid out all nice and neat, was funny to me. You'll have to see what happened to see what I mean, but I was like... seriously?!
It didn't ruin the show for me though (or even the episode), it was just a slice of cheese thrown in there. I will say that her obtaining the suit could've been a bit more creative though, but they tied part of her story in there... so I let it go.
The part of the show that made
it more interesting for me was how Ryan and Alice were connected to
make it make even more sense. She had no choice but to encounter... The Bat Team, but I was curious as to how Alice would actually matter to Ryan since they aren't related (unlike Kate), but the writers pulled it off.
Their initial interaction occurred when Ryan
Wilder got a new apartment. Ryan's adopted mom was helping her move
into her place and something occurred that changed the hero and her mom's life forever (which
was kinda sorta Alice's fault). So Ryan already had that situation change the course of her family's life, and then she gets her hands on the Batsuit
which gave her this newfound confidence in her ability to... get revenge.
So she basically found the suit and it was on from there, but little did she know, there was someone also looking for Batwoman (or ummm more so the Batsuit). The second season started off with a... bang... Boom... POW and it didn't lose steam... because there were multiple villains featured throughout!
Spoiler alert, that includes the CROWS! Dun Dun Duuuunnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!
Before I move on, I want to talk about Ryan Wilder. Ryan reminds me of a young woman unsure of herself. She did her best in the Batsuit while making noticeable progress through her first season's journey, and was relatable to a degree. Life dealt her a bad hand (along with discrimination), and then she ended up down on her luck looking for jobs to get by. Most of the heroes I know... were usually wealthy or at least had a really nice paying job.
That's not the life for the majority of people, so I feel that a good amount of viewers will be able to relate in some form or fashion. Javicia gets a solid thumbs up because it felt believable, though I was annoyed that I wasn't seeing more variations in martial artist action based on Ryan's background. Writers, come on! There is a lot of fighting, but full-blown fight scenes that showcased martial arts styles, not so much.
I have to point out one thing that I didn't like about Batwoman, which was the whole voice thing. Her voice was being disguised in a different way starting out the season, and then they switched it up and gave her a deeper voice. I would love for them to switch it back because it's just, weird and it fluctuated at times in my opinion.
Anyway, she still gives off that scared young woman vibe during certain times, but she stands strong in other instances. I would say that it's interesting to see her switch up like that, but no one is one way all the time, and you get adjusted to her personality for the most part as she comes into her own. They need to make sure that's steady though, you can't just fight off a bunch of enemies and then you catch L's from others. If you're able to dodge a similar punch from a henchman, then why is a villain able to connect with the same punch? I know it's just a show, but... the little things go a long way. This is just a little something I would like for the writers to consider, if it requires the choreography to be taken up a notch... then so be it.
Let's get back to that part of whether the second season was better than the first or not. Hmmm, I'd have to say that I like the second season better (Kate was stiff in my opinion, and I'm not saying that because of popular opinion... she just was... to me). One thing that I do miss about season one is I really enjoyed those scenes with Alice... a lot better than the ones I see her in now. She had her own visually appealing world.
I don't know why, but even if she's still tough, they've watered her down a tad. I don't want my Gotham Villains changed into tamed badasses. I won't say that it was completely a bad thing, but she wasn't as cold-hearted and cutthroat as she was in season one and lost a bit of her luster. Certain things would happen on a show that requires character development for reoccurring roles, so I try to understand... but it gave me a newfound respect for some of the villains in shorter roles. I won't completely dump on Alice as more of her backstory unlocks to connect the dots (which is still interesting), but I really liked how they delivered the character in season one.
Victor Zsasz made his way into this season of Batwoman, and I'm positive that the majority of you will enjoy the crap out of just how well Alex Morf played the part of Zsasz. Zsasz is badass in a deadly... yet... sarcastic way that works well, and I really wish that he was one of those regulars that popped up from time to time (so he wouldn't get stale) because the actor knocked it out of the park.
If you need a good reason to check out season 2, Zsasz would be it. I do have to give the The Bat Team vs Crows episodes their credit because those were good too and they touched on some serious issues.
Overall, there was a lot going on in season 2, and it kept things feeling... fresh for the most part. I won't get into how they worked things out with Kate Kane, but you can expect a new hero outside of Batwoman and new villains to emerge in season 2. They ended on a note that felt complete... but those new villains definitely gear you up for what season 3 has in store.
Visuals: Visuals consisted of a lot of the eye & hip level shots + ground level and low angle shots used when the time was right. I saw an aerial shot here or there also... like the one where snakebite zombies were snacking on someone they pulled out of a van. Yeah, there was a lot going on in season too, and the shots remained nice and crisp throughout. Last but not least, you had the expected overhead shots which included Batwoman shooting her grappling hook in the air (to grab on to I don't know what at that angle) to scale buildings.
Audio: Audio was clean, and sounds damn good with the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio. There were plenty of explosions, gunfire, thumps, and other enjoyable sounds to enhance your viewing experience... which I won't even say are getting the justice they should on standard TV speakers. Sorry (not sorry) to a certain associate in the IT field, but... that doesn't compare to surround sound... ever.
DTS-HD Master Audio: This is the top dog of DTS audio formats, and can be thought of as DTS’s equivalent to Dolby’s TrueHD. Master Audio provides up to 7.1 channels of uncompressed surround-sound audio. - Home Theater For Dummies, 3rd Edition
Price: Batwoman: The Complete Second Season smashes its way in at $44.98 on Blu-ray & $39.99 on DVD. As always, we provide links so that you can save on new releases (when possible).
Season 2 features:
18 Episodes
9 Deleted Scenes
Specials Features:
- Villains Analyzed - Take a deeper look at the Season 2 villains - from Safiyah to ruthless crime boss Black Mask and the False Face Society to sadistic Victor Zsasz - who intend to shake Gotham to it's core.
- Never Alone: Heroes and Allies - Every Super Heroes has help in the flight for truth and justice. Explore the evolution of their greatest allies, all heroes in their own right.
- Gag Reel
