The following review of The CW's Batwoman is spoiler-free.
Sunday night, The CW will make superhero history with a show that isn't very good — yet.
The pilot episode of Batwoman signifies two major developments in the world of comic book adaptation. First, star Ruby Rose will become the first openly queer actor to play an openly queer lead superhero in a live-action television series.
Second, the character of Batwoman will make her first live-action appearance anywhere since coming onto the D.C. Comics scene in 2006 (excluding Rose's guest appearance on last year's "Elseworlds" crossover event).
From her baggy Ramones t-shirt to her bitchin' bike, Kane is everything we imagined she might be.
In playing Batwoman, aka Kate Kane, Rose is joining the Arrowverse, a storytelling world dominated by women and people of color at one of broadcast television's most diverse networks.
Kane represents an important change in the way audiences see what's super, and is positioned to be the most prominent LGBTQ hero onscreen in the coming months. (Although The Eternals will showcase Marvel's first openly queer superhero, it won't do so until the end of 2020.)
All that is reason enough to check out Batwoman's premiere episode. It's historic, it's essential, and it's long overdue. Our eyeballs should act accordingly.
Unfortunately, these gains in representation can't make actually watching Batwoman enjoyable.
From the jump, Batwoman struggles to give its broody heroine much to do that we haven't already seen. The series takes place in a world where Bruce Wayne, Kane's cousin, and Batman, Gotham's vigilante protector, have been missing for three years. When a new threat descends upon the city, Kane is forced to take matters into her own hands, and ultimately, assume the Dark Knight's mantle.
Like the Bat Cave she discovers in the depths of Wayne Enterprises, Batwoman has all the equipment she needs to save the day, and this show. From her baggy Ramones t-shirt to her bitchin' bike, Kane is everything we imagined she might be.
Kane vs. Henchman in 'Batwoman.'
Image: Kimberley French/The CW
Dripping with stony sarcasm, Rose pulls off the superhero thing flawlessly. Even amidst the show's soapy drama and strangled dialogue (more a matter of taste than an issue of quality at The CW), Kane is effortlessly cool. She's got great sidekicks in Luke Fox (Camrus Johnson) and Mary Hamilton (Nicole Kang) — notably, both people of color — and maneuvers a grappling hook with startling efficiency. She's badass lighting in a bottle.
Batwoman's story, like her suit, feels borrowed and ill-fitting.
So, it's clear she's got this, but whether we should care? That's murkier.
Starting with Kane's tragic backstory and ending with Batwoman's fight to stop a doomed Gotham gathering, nearly everything in this pilot feels familiar. Even Alice (Rachel Skarsten), a Lewis Carroll-obsessed terrorist brought to life for the first time in Batwoman, seems stale. She's strange, and spectacularly acted, but just a bit too like her villainous predecessors.
Of course, one could complain of sameness in virtually any superhero story — you know, small threat, big threat, save the city, cliffhanger — but it's made more bothersome by the hand-me-down nature of Kane's rise to power.
Batwoman's story, like her suit, feels borrowed and ill-fitting. There's more to Kane than Bruce, and there's more to Rose than Bale/Affleck/Clooney/etc. But Batwoman doesn't feel made for a new hero. It seems more like what was left lying around when Batman up and bailed.
Sophie Moore and Kate Kane in the pilot episode of 'Batwoman.'
Image: Kimberley French/The CW
Still, we're rooting for this caped crusader. Batwoman may need something "else," but there's a good chance its creators have it on hand.
The pilot introduces Kane's ex-girlfriend, Sophie Moore (Meagan Tandy), and explores their relationship in a way that is high-stakes, fun, and compelling. In one flashback scene, Sophie and Kane, still together, have a flirty conversation during a make-out session that highlights Rose's immeasurable charm and hints at the places this show could take its queer characters. Whether it will actually go there is anyone's guess.
All in all, if you're on the fence about tuning in for Batwoman tonight or next week, we say go for it. These two episodes are history in the making, and neither is a bad way to spend 45 minutes.
Beyond that, we can't really say. Only time will tell where The CW is willing to take the Arrowverse's imagining of Gotham City, and what those decisions will mean for Rose's title role. Until then, we're sending up the Bat-Signal, and praying for Batwoman to answer the call.
Batwoman premieres on The CW Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. ET.
