Review: Batwoman Episode 1×11: “An Un-Birthday Present”
[ Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers!]
Writer: Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux
Director: Mairzee Almas
Starring: Ruby Rose, Rachael Skarsten, Camrus Johnson, Meagan Tandy, Nicole Kang, Sam Littlefield
Reviewed By: Steven Brown
Summary
On Kate Kane and Alice’s birthday, a day that should be of celebration is instead one of terror. More backstory on Alice is revealed, but it comes at a high cost to the city. Meanwhile Kate is forced to come to terms with more ramifications from the Crisis.
Positives
Picking up from where episode 10 left off, “An Un-Birthday Present” finds Kate at Wayne Tower interrogating her sister Beth. This “Beth” is revealed to actually be a doppelganger from the Infinite Crisis crossover. Apparently the merging of different worlds not only converged the heroes and villains–but everyday people as well. Beth is shocked when she’s confronted so harshly by Kate and abruptly leaves Wayne Tower. Thanks to Lucius, Kate realizes the truth and confronts Beth, who’s completely lost in a new world where no one knows who she is. I enjoyed the bond that’s starting to show between these two, and although it’s their first time actually spending time together, I’m hoping it makes a lasting relationship.
Negatives
Kate was hardly in costume this episode, and I was pretty mad about it at first but I understand why. Basically this episode was used to start a relationship between Kate and Beth and Beth even puts her life on the line to save Kate at one point in the episode. With all of the drama going on between them, Gotham still has Alice to contend with. Although in police custody, she still manages to cause chaos by orchestrating a major kidnapping, placing the police in a frenzy. Even with the protests being made by the public, the police chief refuses to shine the bat signal in the sky to call her, all because she’s a lesbian. I loved how this episode just like the entire season so far, takes on ignorance and bigotry in it’s own subtle way.
Verdict
Overall, Batwoman Episode 1×11 : “An Un-Happy Birthday Present” was a good episode and it leaves on a decent cliffhanger. I’m wondering that now that Beth from the alternate universe is on Earth Prime, will she ever confront her evil counterpart Alice? I’m definitely looking forward to the next episode!
