The Arrowverse grew last season when the cross over event took the team to Gotham and we got our first glimpse of Batwoman!
Like any superhero-inspired show, there are going to be skeptics and people who are going to trash the show before watching. All I have to say to that is DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM!! CW most definitely did their homework with this show. Is it clear cut like her origin in the comics, not 100% but it does work in the realm of the Arrowverse.
First, let us talk about the setting. This is a Gotham that has had an absent Batman for three years. So it is dark, trashed, and somewhat broken down in places. Wayne Tower still stands in but not functioning as the hub of the city when Batman was there. There are mentions of Arkham, GCPD, and Burnside (comic heads know the significance of that part of Gotham). Little details were peppered in for the hardcore comic fan to notice and for the non-comic fan, the cityscape looks magnificent!
The cast is pretty solid as well. Ruby Rose nailed her portrayal in the cross over episode and solidified her position even more in this pilot episode. Rachel Skarsten plays the villain Alice very well, not over the top as we saw the villains in the Gotham tv show. Dougray Scott plays Colonel Jacob Kane pretty well, he is not as hardcore as he is written in the comics but again this is only the first episode. Camrus Johnson plays a kind of timid version of Luke Fox, but as you will see will be the Sisco or Felicity supporting cast in the show.
The episode starts with an opening monologue (like most of the Arrowverse shows do). Kate Kane is seen diving into some ice-capped water while her feet are cuffed. We figure out that she is being trained by someone. We then flash to Gotham where we see a gala that is being protected by the new law in town the Crows. Gotham is split in two, you have the believers that Batman is coming back and the non-believers that think he abandoned the city. The gathering was to permanently turn off the Bat-signal. Alice comes in to show Gotham that there is no substitute for Batman, and kidnaps Agent Sophie Moore.
Kate gets a phone call from her stepsister on a satellite phone saying Sophie was kidnapped. After a flashback, we see that Kate has a love interest with Sophie. Kate returns to Gotham to try to help. Colonel Kane is happy to see his daughter but you can tell there is still stuff that the two of them need to hash out. Colonel Kane briefs Kate on the situation and says they are blind since all their feeds went dark during the abduction. Kate knows of a place to go and heads to Wayne Tower. It is boarded up and the only way in is to climb a few stories up and enter through a window. When she enters Bruce’s office Luke comes in as head of security and detains her. Kate goes with it and Luke actually takes her to the surveillance room and she quickly turns the tide and cuffs him to a computer tower. After accessing the computer she gets the info she needs and in an attempt to try to win Colonel Kane over she hands the info to him. Kate realizes that the Colonel is not going to let her help she decides to nomad and do it herself.
She arrives at an old school in Burnside, this is were Alice is hiding out. After Kate infiltrates the building she takes out a few of Alice’s henchmen with ease. Then Kate is blindsided and after she awakens we see our first interaction between Kate and Alice. Alice tells Kate that her father doesn’t want her, he wants Sophie who is his prize pupil. Alice then knocks out Kate and after a brief blackout, Kate awakens in a medical center that is run secretly by her stepsister.
Kate returns to Crow headquarters to get yelled at again by her father, now we are getting more into the comics! She decides that the only place to go and look for more clues is back at Wayne Tower. Luke tried to lead her away but she finds a few items moved and this is a hidden switch to a hidden door. The door has an elevator that takes Kate to the Batcave! Kate realizes that her cousin is the Batman. Luke explains that Bruce did everything he could to help her when she was young. After a few more clues Kate asks Luke to fix the bat-suit to fit her.
In the final few scenes, we see Alice has corrupted one of the Crow Agents and this is how she has been able to infiltrate the agency’s security. Alice tells Colonel Kane that he has two choices, to save the people or save Sophie. While he is talking with Alice we see a henchman get roped up and pulled away. This startles Alice as this happens again. We then see a silhouette of Batman behind a plastic tarp. Kate makes her appearance as Batman and fights Alice. After she saves Sophie and knocks away the detonator, Alice gets away. Kate in her new look stands on the edge of a building and is seen by many witnesses. Batman is back in Gotham! Colonel Kane is not convinced and says there have been pretenders before. Sophie got a good look at the new Batman and knows it’s not a he. We end the episode with Kate writing on one of Bruce’s journals telling her side of why she will take on the mantle and fade to black.
This episode was awesome! I had some doubts but early in the episode, they were quickly shut down as I truly believe that this new series will do well! JQ gives the pilot episode of Batwoman a 9 out of 10!
Newsdesk 
Dan Kleiner