‘Batwoman’ Introduces Ryan Wilder & Reveals What Happened to Kate (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Season 2 premiere of Batwoman, “Where Is Kate Kane?”]
The premiere title says half the story heading into Batwoman Season 2: Kate Kane, who was the former titular hero, is missing (the way the series is handling Ruby Rose‘s exit). The other half of it is the introduction of Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie), who will be the next person to don the suit.
But first, we have to meet Ryan, and there’s the matter of Bruce Wayne (Warren Christie) — Tommy Elliot wearing his face — popping back up. Plus, Alice (Rachel Skarsten) doesn’t react too well as the mystery into Kate’s whereabouts begins and it’s time for a couple people to find out the truth about the woman who wore the cowl.
Below, we take a look at six questions the premiere answered or at least began addressing.
Is Ryan Wilder ready to suit up?
Ryan is an ex-con (she served time for a crime she didn’t commit) living in her van because she can’t get a job to pay for a place without a home address. Her life was going well, and she and her adoptive mother were moving into a new apartment, only for it all to fall apart. Some of Alice’s Wonderland gang were squatting there, and they killed Ryan’s mom and the landlord when they walked in.
And so when she stumbles upon a “game-changer,” the Batsuit (more about that soon), she thinks it’s just what she needs to get revenge against Alice. There are some growing pains (Can you blame her for not knowing how to use it or the tech?) and when she accidentally activates the GPS, Luke Fox (Camrus Johnson) and Mary Hamilton (Nicole Kang) come running, hoping it’s the missing Kate.
Ryan introduces herself but refuses to give up the suit because while she may be “a number” (including the 327th baby of a Black woman who died during childbirth that year and an inmate who served 18 months for a crime she didn’t commit), what matters to her is getting justice for her adoptive mother and killing the person responsible for her death (Alice).
But after facing off against Tommy, when he comes after her for the Batsuit, Ryan returns it to Luke and Mary. “That suit, it’s bigger than me. It’s one thing to put it on, and it’s another thing to wear it,” she explains. “Like you said, Kate was a hero. I’m not.”
(The CW)
What happened to Kate Kane?
The premiere opens with Ryan Wilder witnessing a plane explode in the air, and amidst the wreckage is the Batsuit. Kate had traveled to National City to ask Kara (Supergirl‘s Melissa Benoist) if she could destroy a piece of kryptonite, the only thing that can penetrate the Batsuit.
Even as the search turns from rescue to recovery, however, Kate’s body is nowhere to be found. Mary refuses to give up hope her stepsister is alive (even though she could have only possibly survived if she’d been wearing the suit), while Luke blames himself for being the one who wanted to destroy the kryptonite.
Sophie (Meagan Tandy) suspects Safiyah, who was watching her because of her connection to Julia Pennyworth (Christina Wolfe), may be responsible for what happened to Kate. She’s half-right, as we learn near the end of the episode.
As Alice is walking along, a news article about Kate’s disappearance folded into a paper airplane lands at her feet, with “Consider us even — Safiyah” written on it. Alice is none-too-pleased because…
What was Alice’s plan for the kryptonite?
Alice enlisted Tommy to snatch the piece of kryptonite from Kate and Luke because she wanted to use it to kill her twin. But she didn’t want to be the one to pull the trigger. Instead, she was going to ensure that their father, Jacob (Dougray Scott), found it so he could use it on Batwoman since he hated her.
“Then bang, as she went down, he would pull off her cowl to discover, in sinking horror, he had killed his own daughter,” Alice explains to Tommy.
(The CW)
Who finds out Kate was Batwoman?
Alice does get a bit of sweet revenge on her father, however, by revealing Kate’s secret to him. “Kate Kane is Batwoman,” she yells at Jacob, who refuses to believe it at first. “Use your brain, Commander,” she says. “A lesbian superhero who could’ve killed me a dozen times but didn’t? Wonder who that could be.”
He still refuses to believe her because Kate never told him. “You rejected her, over and over to the world, to her face. You wanted her dead,” Alice reminds him and suggests he turn on the Bat-signal if he doesn’t believe her. He does. No one comes.
Sophie also finds out the truth about her ex-girlfriend, courtesy of a letter Kate left for her in her safe. “If you’re reading this, it means I’m not here to tell you this in person. I’m Batwoman. Though part of me thinks you always knew, even when I did a damn good job of convincing you otherwise,” Kate wrote.
“I’m telling you this because I know you’ll figure it out eventually, and I want you to know lying to you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But I lied because I love you. Because I wanted to protect you. And because I was scared you would push me away,” she continued. “So that’s the truth. I hope you think I did a good job for our city. And I hope you’ll always remember me.”
How long can Tommy pretend to be Bruce Wayne?
It turns out the answer is not long. Sure, Tommy does manage to fool Luke, even sidestepping having to figure out how to access the Batcave by letting the current “man of the castle” do so and claiming he’s been away dealing with his own enemies. Jacob doesn’t pick up on anything either when “Bruce” shows up claiming to be there to find his missing cousin.
(The CW)
But it’s Julia who proves to be his downfall because not only does he not recognize the codename he gave her father, he has no idea where Alfred is living. She runs prints off a glass he leaves behind in Jacob’s office and the jig is up: The Bat Team (without its Batwoman) knows he’s really Tommy. After Ryan stops him, it’s back to Arkham Asylum for the villain.
What happens when Ryan’s shot with kryptonite?
Before Ryan is able to take down Tommy, he does shoot her with the kryptonite, which should have killed her. Instead, refusing to let Mary take a look, she’s left with a wound that looks infected and appears to still have shards of kryptonite in it. What is that going to do to her exactly?
Batwoman, Sundays, 8/7c, The CW
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