Batwoman, season 2, episode 5: “Gore on Canvas”

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[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!]

You can watch it LIVE on the CW (Sundays at 8 PM) or watch it also for FREE on the CW website (link) and on the CW app (if you live in the US)!

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“General”:

My highlights from this episode (without particular order):

1 – Batwoman and the Crows! – Ryan has strong doubts about working with the Crows, but Luke and Mary convinced her that she had to so they could get the painting which seems to be the key in finding Coryana. Ryan has a really bad history with the Crows as she got arrested for a crime she didn’t commit. The Crows do practically what they want and are pretty much out of control. So, the Crows and Batwoman/Ryan are natural enemies. So, that hasn’t changed as Kate in season 1 had many problems with them too, even for other reasons.

2 – Crows and ACAB! Well, normally ACAB stands for “All cops are bastards!”…here it stands for “All Crows are bastards!”. I am not living in the USA and do have a lot of respect for the cops here in my country. But of course, I know about the big problems that were a big topic (especially) last year in the USA. So, the show makes a very clear statement towards police brutality, and that’s totally fine for me. The Crows here in the show are more or less a villainous bunch. Even there are “good” ones like Sophie. And I do like that Sophie is trying to change things, which is of course difficult. That the two Crows got fired for driving over Wolf Spider was another good statement. Maybe there is hope for the Crows to change for the better.

3 – Alice and Ocean! – Another very interesting storyline! As it seems Safiyah has somehow blocked certain memories of both of them. But as they are now in contact they are getting flashbacks of the common backstory. Also, an interesting fact that Ocean is Safiyah’s brother (guess her half-brother?)! Seems like Alice was still Beth at the point they were in love on Coryana, so I wonder what happened there so that she became Alice in the process? Looking forward to learn more about that!

4 – Ryan and Angelique! That renewed connection is very interesting….and I am sure that will become highly problematic with possibly disastrous consequences. Ryan was surprised to see Angelique at that art event. And of course, she wasn’t happy to find out that she was selling drugs there to earn her living. That should become a highly problematic topic between the two. Also, it’s highly possible that Angelique will run into Batwoman in the near future….and then Batwoman has to make a decision on how she deals with her. Perhaps Angelique will find out how Batwoman really is at one point…..and then a real disaster could be on the horizon. Ryan must really have strong feelings for her, as she was in prison for a crime that Angelique committed.

5 – Ryan “infiltrates” the art event! Of course, Batwoman couldn’t just walk in there, so Ryan was the one to get in there to get a view of the painting. It’s good that Ryan gets some thrilling missions here and there. I think it was a little risky that Ryan showed up with a Batarang, even that got her into the event. As much I love to see Batwoman in action, Ryan needs to get some “missions” as well. I am sure that was actually the dress that was already featured in season 1! Javicia Leslie looks just great in that dress and these overknee boots! I think adding her is quite an improvement in comparison to Ruby Rose….in many ways.

6- A lot of Batwoman! — I really love that Batwoman got quite a lot of screentime in this one! Always a big plus point for me! 🙂

 

Aspects I didn’t like in this episode:

>>> The early scene with Batwoman, Jacob, and the informant was a good scene. But it was very weird how the guy from Coryana just shows up and kills the informant. He is a really big guy and shows up from nowhere. And only a few seconds later 2 Crows show up, haven’t they spotted him before?

>>> I didn’t like how Wolf Spider was escaping the Crows in that hangar. Several Crows are shooting at him from a close distance, he jumps a bit around and nobody hits him? That was a little over the top for me. Also, what was his escape plan? He just tries to outrun them on a huge airfield. He was on foot and they had a car. Yeah, sure he was surprised that they were there, but he should have a plan B in the future…

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More interesting aspects for me:

— That was the third episode in a row without Julia? I mean she was promoted to a regular cast member. It seems a little odd that she is benched that long. I really like her and she would have fitted in this episode very well, as she is one a “good” Crows. I wonder if she was on some sort of mission? Perhaps her absence will be explained in the next episode.

— Finally, Ryan decided to see a doctor about her Kryptonite wound! I found it a little odd that Mary wasn’t more concerned about that wound. We haven’t seen the end of that storyline!

— It was a nice aspect that Evan Blake was introduced like that with his connections to Kate and Mary. So, he had a good motivation of trying to help in the search for Kate. I wonder if he will show up in future episodes?

— The scene with Alice in the bar provided a good laugh. The way she blocked the advances of that guy was really funny. Well, no wonder he quickly got away as he heard her crazy/evil Mouse story. 🙂

— Seeing the new Batwoman on the roof next to the Batsignal with Sophie….that brought back some memories for us viewers and for Sophie of course. Yeah, things have changed, but it will be very interesting to see how Sophie and Batwoman will interact with each other. But I think they will rather become allies as they are on the same side, even Batwoman despises the Crows.

— I think they could have added a little more backstory here to Wolf Spider. I mean his alter ego Evan was portrayed and got his backstory. But so far, I don’t really get what motivates Wolf Spider. Perhaps I missed something, but so far it seems like he just fools around a little bit while he is in costume…most of the time. As he was on top of that tower and installed that emoji…that was more or less a prank. He then showed up near the rooftop as Sophie had a chat with Batwoman. What was he doing there? That wasn’t explained later on. It makes sense that he puts on the costume to get that painting. Maybe we will get more info on him if he will have more appearances on the show.

— The scene with Luke and Ryan on the Wayne Tower was really good! I enjoyed how they connected here as both got insights on the other one as they were telling their stories about their problematic past with the Crows. Both have a lot in common there and I liked how she leaned onto his shoulder after he told that the Crows actually killed his dad.

— The fight scene with Batwoman and Wolf Spider was well done! And I like that Batwoman did a good job even she was handicapped with her Kryptonite wound.

— The aspect that Ryan is troubled about how she is compared the whole time with Kate is very interesting as well. And that’s pretty much what big parts of the audience of the show do as well. But it’s just logical that these comparisons come up. Ryan will need to get out of the shadow of Kate, and that’s not an easy job.

— It was really cool how Alice and Ocean worked together to defeat these assassins. I’m heavily looking forward to getting to know more about their common past. Also, where did Ocean get that painting from? And can they actually make use of it? I think they don’t know that there is a map hidden inside the picture. So, I think the Crows and team Batwoman will chase after them to get their hands on the picture…as soon they find out these two have it.

 

Added February 23:

— I love how Luke reacted as he saw Ryan in that stunning outfit. He was just mumbling and tried to keep calm, which totally didn’t work 😆

— Addition to Ryan infiltrating that art event: As soon as Batwoman was discussing with Sophie to go there without her costume, I was pretty much alerted. A very risky move to work with the crows and going there as Ryan. I mean what if the Crows decide to surveillance the hangar even Sophie promised they wouldn’t do that. I think Sophie will keep her word, but what about Jacob? Yeah, Batwoman saved his life…but he might get a little too curious ;-).

 

>>> Rating “General:” <<<

4,5 out of 5 – A very strong episode with a lot of Batwoman! Very interesting, thrilling storylines and some good action scenes!

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“Mask”:

Batwoman screen time: 08:20 (long cut)

“Mask action” (blue colored if yes): – attempted unmasking  – forced unmaskings (incl. a witness) – self unmaskings (without witness) – self unmaskings (with a witness) – unmaskings  – mask damage – “mask talk” (incl. “secret identity talk”) – additional masked women – close calls with opportunities to unmask Batwoman

 Who knows her secret identity by now (Ryan Wilder Batwoman)?:

For sure: 2 – 0 of these are villains

Mary

Luke

Sexy “mask-related” -scenes:

A lot of Batwoman screentime and a little bit peril, as Batwoman was handicapped in the fight with Wolf Spider.

Nothing in regards to her secret identity. Even it wasn’t without risk that Ryan showed up with that Batarang.

>>> Rating “Mask”: <<<

3 out of 5 – A lot of screentime for Batwoman! And a nice fight with Wolf Spider.

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Pictures:

 

(click to enlarge)

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And here are my special Batwoman cuts from this episode:

What are your thoughts on the episode?

Feel welcome to leave a comment below!

2 thoughts on “Batwoman, season 2, episode 5: “Gore on Canvas””

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