Gotham can be a pretty brutal place, a city that seems to breed conflict and kill hope. It’s even more frustrating when those supposed to protect do anything but protect, especially if you fall into specific demographics. With a member of the Batfamily’s life on the line, time is of the essence not only to save their friend but expose the corruption of who let this happened. So don your cape, grab your magical cure, and join us as we give you five thoughts on season 2, episode 15, “Armed and Dangerous.”
1. The growing threat of Agent Tavaroff
Throughout the second season, Agent Russell Tavaroff has been a growing threat for the Batfamily and Gotham. Tavaroff is pretty one-dimensional, all things considered, a menacing bully who shoots first and doesn’t care about questions. The thing is, even though he’s a one-dimensional caricature, “Armed and Dangerous” presents him as a figure well-liked and respected by the Crows. To the command staff and fellow officers, Tavaroff is almost an aspirational figure, always ready to justify the use of violence. A character who initially appears as a hot-headed bully has become a significant threat.
As “Armed and Dangerous” progresses, it sometimes felt like a “ripped from the headlines” episode. There was a worry that Tavaroff would be written off as a “bad apple” that removing him would salvage the Crows, but the show does a good job of showing how Tavroff can translate his influence into power. Near the end of the episode, Tavaroff attempts a coup of the Crows and almost succeeds until Ryan makes the tough call to save Jacob Kane instead of finding the doctored crime scene footage. While he’s not a complex character, Tavaroff feels sadly like a person who exists in our world today.
2. Help from an old friend to do what’s right (even in not quite legal)
One of the interesting things about Tavaroff’s potential coup is that it puts the Batfamily at a disadvantage. While Kate, Luke, Ryan, and Mary were working outside of the law, at least two family members had a trump card, a close relationship to the Crows commander. Yet, as Tavaroff’s influence grew, it seemed that Mary began to lose her ability to use that to her advantage. In “Armed and Dangerous,” Mary hoped to use the Desert Rose cure-all to save Luke but is denied access by some Crow guards. While they claim to be on her father’s order, it feels like they are part of a growing faction.
In any case, with their advantage taken away, Ryan, Mary, and Sophie call on Wolf Spider, the art thief mowed down by Crow officers, to help administer the cure to Luke. While it was a minor part, it’s nice to see Wolf Spider return and see Sophie using her skills as a tactician to expand the roster of people they can call on to help, the fact that it also continues to add diversity to the team helps as well. Who knows if Wolf Spider will continue to play a part, but in “Armed and Dangerous,” they were a key player in pushing back against the control of the Crows.
3. The Kane family conspiracy
While the central focus of “Armed and Dangerous” is the fallout of Luke’s shooting, Alice continues to search for answers about her recently resurrected sister, Kate. But with any good conspiracy, looking for answers only reveals more questions. It seems that Roman Sionis’ interest in the Kane family extended past simply looking for a replacement for his daughter. Dr. Rhyme was keeping tabs on the entire family, including Mary Hamilton. While it was established earlier in the season that Roman was a client of The Crows, there doesn’t seem to be any substantial reason why Sionis is so obsessed with the Kane family.
While it doesn’t necessarily connect to the rest of the episode, it does continue some interesting threads set up through the season, namely about where Alice’s alliances lie. Again she is tempted by Ocean to leave it behind, to start a new life away from Gotham, but she stays. It’s still up in the air what Alice’s endgame is.
Continued below4. Luke deals with a difficult choice
As Ryan, Sophie, and Mary struggle to save their friend and clear his name, Luke is dealing with his own difficult decision, does he go toward the light or continue to fight another day. Warren Christie returns as Bruce Wayne (who is actually Bruce Wayne this time) to be Luke’s guide. It’s interesting to see how Christie alters his performance in “Armed and Dangerous,” considering his first foray as Gotham’s favorite playboy was a disguised maniac. Christie brings warmth to the character, and it helps to seal the bond between the characters.
The conversations in “Armed and Dangerous” take place in an entirely light-saturated office of Wayne Manor, representing some liminal space between life and death, with Luke’s tempted by the ability to talk to his father again. But it’s more than that. These conversations show that perhaps Luke is starting to lose hope in Gotham and its ability to get any better. Bruce left, power people killed his father for secrets, and he’s lost Kate. Anyone who was part of the fight has left. Add that to the fact he was shot simply for being black, and he, too, has lost the faith. What we’ve given is impactful, and Camrus Johnson does elevate the material. You just wish he got more to do in the episode. In the end, Luke comes back, but it seems like he won’t be the same.
5. Some things are beyond saving
While many stories like “Armed and Dangerous” have a lot to say on subjects like police brutality, it seems like more often than not, they tend to fall back onto a few bad apples or the ability to reform a system from the inside. But as Batwoman’s second season progressed, it seemed like the show was presenting the idea that the Crows were beyond redemption, that something needed to change. At the end of the episode, Jacob Kane disbands the Crows.
It’s intriguing to think about the power dynamic that will result from the Crows’ disbandment. While the show has never been shy about criticizing the paramilitary organization, it’ll be interesting to see how others rise to fill their “peace through terror” approach. Tavaroff is still presumably out there, even though they arrested Tavaroff, that never seems to stick in Gotham. Sionis and the False Face Society are still sewing discord. Taking The Crows off the board is a significant shakeup, and who knows what will happen next.
So there you have it. Jacob Kane is out of a job, Alice is providing new opportunities to keep her family safe, and the Batfamily is a little more broken. What did you think of the episode? Sound off below!
