Batwoman Season 1 Review: 9 Ups & 5 Downs

3. A Great Villain

They say every great hero is only truly as great as the villain they defeat. In the past we've seen how a strong antagonist can indeed propel a superhero to greatness. The Arrow had the Dark Archer, The Flash had the Reverse-Flash and, of course, Batman always has his Joker. Whether it be in comic books or on television, overcoming a major threat is what ultimately shapes a legendary hero... and thankfully, Batwoman followed in those footsteps with Alice.

Described by comic book fans as Batwoman's answer to The Joker, Alice is the female Dark Knight's archnemesis in the comics, but there was always the fear that the unhinged woman of wonderland wouldn't translate all that well to television. Well, you can forget about those fears because our TV Alice is the show's strongest attribute.

The long-lost twin sister of Kate Kane, Alice's ties to the Batwoman-to-be make the story a personal one from the get-go, but as we've already discussed the strength of the overarching narrative, let's instead take a moment to look at the woman herself.

A relentless soul so tortured by the trauma of her childhood experiences that she was driven to the point of insanity, Alice is a chilling monstrosity that makes even the most trivial of elements highly unpredictable. And she is brought to life so effortlessly by the magnificent Rachel Skarsten that it's hard to do anything but watch her in awe.

Without a doubt, one of the best villains to ever grace the superhero medium, Batwoman is worth the watch for Alice alone. She's that damn good at being so damn bad.