TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Batwoman Season 1 Episode 4: Who Are You?

So, if you haven’t heard the news, Batwoman has officially gotten a full season order, and if the ratings hold like they have been, she’s likely to get a second season as well. Which meant that “Who Are You?” needed to keep the momentum rolling as it were. In my opinion? It did, but not without a few bumps.

What I appreciate about Batwoman is the slow buildup to what Kate Kane needs to be for the city. They’re doing a much better job with it than they did with Supergirl (who at this point in the first season had to be saved by Superman), and showing that just because you put on a Batsuit doesn’t mean you have everything figured out.

While I’m still a little hesitant with the “Dear Bruce” letters, it does give some fascinating insight into Kate’s character. Such as how unlike Bruce, she’s lived her whole life telling the truth because she’s not afraid of who she is, but now, as Batwoman, she can’t be that honest because it puts people in danger. That is good character growth and experience. What’s more, her mishaps with a Batarang were another fun reminder that while Kate trained to be a Crowe, not everything translates to be a Caped Crusader. It’s the little things that help sell a storyline.

Speaking of storyline, we got to see Magpie in action for only the second time in live-action history (she appeared in Gotham in the final season), and it went fairly well. She was fairly run-of-the-mill, but she proved to be a fun adversary for Kate, as well as pushing Kate on her own personal mission to save Gotham in the daytime. Something I’m sure Bruce would appreciate.

Meanwhile, Alice continues to play her games, and showing Catherine who was really in charge. Turns out, “283” was the name for Beth Kane’s burial plot, and Catherine was the one who “found” the “skull fragments” and made it seem like Beth and the mom was dead the whole time. That’s quite a twist, though I wish we knew more about Catherine and Jacob’s relationship (likely just a friendship) before that to help add more weight to it. Still, it was impactful to see Jacob want her out because he realized the mistake that he made, and that Alice is indeed Beth.

Sadly, there were other aspects that didn’t jive so well. Key among them was Kate’s new dating life…that lasted all of one episode. I remember hating Arrow Season 1 when it dealt with Oliver Queen’s relationships because he had many “serious” relationships within the course of a few episodes, and they all ended quickly and sometimes very randomly. So for this one to last a single episode just reminded me of that.

In the end, “Who Are You?” continues to build up Batwoman in a strong and positive way. Again, it does need some fine-tuning, but with a whole season at their disposal now, time is on their side to continue to build things up for the better.