Batwoman Season 1 Review: 5 Ups & 2 Downs From ‘Mine Is A Long And A Sad Tale’
Batwoman lets its villain shine in what may be its best episode yet.
Contains spoilers from Batwoman Season 1, Episode 5.
Batwoman may be telling the story of Kate Kane's rise as Gotham's new hero, but it's also telling the equally important story of the Kane family history. Thus, while the returning protagonist has her sights set on the future as the city's Dark Knight, she also has her eyes firmly set on the past as she (and we) attempts to piece together what happened to her twin sister Beth all those years ago to turn her into the threat that is Alice.
That latter narrative has ensured that Alice remains a part of the show even when its preoccupied with having Batwoman take down one of Batman's old foes or learn some new and valuable lessons about being a hero - and that is something that has ultimately allowed the overarching narrative to thrive. Moreover, the strength of that overarching narrative makes up for the shortcomings of the episodic adventures.
After a few weeks of adopting a superhero-in-training approach, Batwoman returned to its roots in 'Mine Is A Long And A Sad Tale', giving the spotlight to its villain and allowing Rachel Skarsten to shine in what may just be its most compelling installment yet. Like the show itself, the result isn't perfect but it's one that kept this writer intrigued the whole way throughout.
First, the negatives...