Review: Batwoman 2×10 – “Time Off for Good Behavior”
[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers!]
Director: Eric Dean Seaton
Writers: Chad Fiveash & James Stoteraux
Starring: Javicia Leslie, Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Nicole Kang, Camrus Johnson, Dougray Scott, Christina Wolfe
Reviewed by: Steven Brown
Summary
A new villain known as Kilovolt makes an appearance in Gotham. Ryan continues to question Angelique about the commissioner’s assassination. Meanwhile, Jacob Kane is now struggling with feelings of loss and regret more than ever–with disastrous consequences.
Positives
Batwoman 2×10Â starts off with a news reporter showing Batwoman on live TV taking out some of Black Mask’s thugs. After taking out the small crew, Batwoman grabs the microphone from the reporter and starts to call out Black Mask. I actually enjoyed that introduction for the show. Ryan seems determined to stop to Black Mask at whatever the cost. This new drug that Black Mask has distributed across Gotham known as snakebite is gripping the entire city. Even Jacob Kane is caught in its grip as he’s ambushed in his car and forced to inject the drug. Later in the episode we find Jacob already slowly succumbing to addiction.
Negatives
While on the search for Black Mask, Ryan outside of the costume has opened a community center in the city. With the help of Mary, Ryan finally has opening night and it seems to be a success. That success however soon turns to disaster when a villain named Kilovolt attacks destroying the center. It seems that community centers around Gotham are being destroyed in different types of ways. The team investigates and determines that its actually the CEO of the prison who is behind the destruction of the community centers in the city. Apparently he didn’t want the centers to interfere with the profit from his prisons. I can’t lie, that was the biggest reach I’ve seen this season so far. I actually laughed at the reveal. I understand that prisons profit off of inmates but this episode made an entire conspiracy out of it that was hard to believe. I really wish they would have focused more on Black Mask this episode instead.
Verdict
Batwoman 2×10Â was an overall decent episode but I felt that Kilovolt was a wasted villain and could have been done a little better. I hate that Jacob Kane seems to be addicted to snakebite and I hope he’s able to overcome it soon. Now that Kilovolt has been stopped, hopefully Ryan can get the community back up and running again. I like the concept that was used here, but it was odd because she hasn’t mentioned any of this at all in previous episodes. But suddenly there’s a grand opening party? I found that pretty funny myself. The episode ends with Angelique being kidnapped by Black Mask’s thugs. She finally took Ryan’s advice and turned on Black Mask, giving up the names of the shooters in Forbes assassination. I think it’s safe to assume that the next episode of Batwoman will be pretty personal for Ryan and the stakes will be raised higher.
