Review: Batwoman 2×08 – “Survived Much Worse”
[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers!]
Directed By: Holly Dale
Writer: Natalie Abrams
Starring: Javicia Leslie, Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Dougray Scott, Camrus Johnson, Nicole Kang, Shavaani Ghai
Reviewed By: Steven Brown
Summary
Batwoman finds herself pushed to her limits in pursuit of the desert rose. Meanwhile, Alice makes a startling revelation about Kate’s fate. Jacob and Sophie finally make it to Coryana–but with disastrous results.
Positives
In Batwoman 2×08, things finally come to a head for Batwoman. Still infected due to kryptonite poisoning, Ryan only has hours left before she dies. Her only salvation rests in the desert rose flower on the island of Coryana, which is currently unknown. Thanks to tagging a device on Alice’s boot, Batwoman is able to find the location and literally drop in. However things don’t go according to plan. This episode starting out being enjoyable with it’s twists and surprises but it seems that it soon goes off the rails and tries too much in one episode for shock value. I enjoyed seeing Batwoman land on Coryana and start to take down assassins left and right, however once she’s captured the storytelling goes downhill.
Negatives
Too many twists and turns in one episode. Alice returns to Coryana with Ocean’s lifeless body as payment for Kate’s return from captivity from Safiyah. Safiyah accepts payment and is prepared to return Kate–that is until Batwoman ruins Alice’s secret. The body turns out to be a fake and Ocean is actually alive. That was an interesting twist that I started to enjoy at first. However, it’s later revealed that Safiyah knew this and tracked Ocean down using Alice’s cell phone. Capturing Ocean and bringing him to Coryana, Safiyah offers Alice one last chance to redeem herself. Ocean’s life for Kate’s. Things get even more complicated when Safiyah reveals that she actually doesn’t even have Kate captured at all. Disappointed that Kate is actually dead and that she killed Ocean for nothing, Alice leaves broken but not without burning the desert rose crops. Safiyah looks out in horror as her crops burn, while Batwoman looks out and sees her only hopes turn to ash.
Verdict
This episode seemed like it tries too hard to rush too much into one episode. It starts off great with good intentions but it left me with more questions than I’d like to have. Also with the end showing someone in a sewer wearing Kate’s necklace it’s obvious that she will return, so where does that leave Ryan? Hopefully the next episode answers these questions.
