It’s a new day in Gotham. With a missing Batwoman and her psychopathic sister still threatening the city, Gotham needs a new protector. Kate Kane has left quite the legacy to fill, but maybe the best way to fight crime is to know the system itself. The world needs a hero. Will Ryan rise to the challenge? Don your cape, grab your bat grenade, and join us as we give you five thoughts on season 2, episode 2, “Prior Criminal History.”
1. A product of the system.
Much like the premiere, “Prior Criminal History” fills in some of the blanks of Ryan Wilder, the woman who took the Batsuit for a joyride but ended up being the hero she needed her to be. Ryan had a tough life, serving time in prison for a crime she didn’t commit because the plea was easier than going to trial, struggling to find work because of it, and, on top of it all, struggling to live day-to-day life in Gotham.
In the opening of the episode, Ryan tries to convince a potential employer that not only was she innocent, but her time spent in prison is an asset. By living among criminals, she knows how their minds work and learned how to read body language. (It doesn’t work.) It also seems that Ryan has a nasty habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and even though she attempts to help, she gets in more trouble. After successfully defending a bodega and saving the cashier, the Crows arrest Ryan thinking she’s responsible. The episode continues the theme introduced in the pilot, comparing Kate and Ryan’s realities. Ryan even calls this out, that a black person trying to help gets arrested while Alice, a white person who has committed numerous crimes, gets to walk free. It felt clunky but seeing the show call this out in such a significant way was interesting.
2. Not all stories are blending well into season two.
Batwoman is doing an admirable job attempting to blend elements of the first and second season in a way that is both satisfying to wrap up plot threads from season 1 while simultaneously making these same elements work for season 2. Some works rather well, Ryan and Mary have a significantly more exciting relationship than Kate and Mary. The head butting of Luke and Ryan is charming and has exciting potential. It’ll be interesting to see where that relationship goes from here. Unfortunately, most of the Crows stuff is having difficulty finding its footing into the overall story.
Season 1 ended with Jacob turning on his daughter and declaring war on Batwoman. Sophie and Julia reevaluate their relationship with the revelation that Kate still loves her. The growing threat of corruption in the Crows and how that has impacted Gotham as a whole. The problem is that most all of this has to do with Kate at the center of things. “Prior Criminal History” attempts to bring the Crows into the story, but it ultimately feels clunky. Of all the people it impacts, it ultimately feels the worst for Sophie. I like Maegan Tandy, she seemed to start becoming more comfortable with the role at the end of last season, but now it just seems like her story is going nowhere. Jacob is faring a little better, continuing the search for his daughter, but it just feels like it’s tacked on instead of them trying to reincorporate it differently or interestingly. It will be interesting to see if it gets more cohesion as we move forward, but it’s not looking likely right now.
3. Putting the ideals of the bat to the test.
Much like the premier, “Prior Criminal History” ends with Ryan again wearing the cowl to save Gotham from another Alice attack. Unlike the cat and mouse of season 1, Ryan doesn’t want to rehabilitate Alice. She wants revenge. Her cavalier attitude about killing Alice, of course, shocks Luke but doesn’t seem to concern Mary as much, which is intriguing. Perhaps it’s because she also lost someone to Alice (we are reminded of this a lot,) but it creates an intriguing idea. Neither of these characters necessarily care about the legacy of the icon.
Continued belowWhile she ultimately agrees to it at the end of the episode, Ryan doesn’t have any significant relationship with Kate or Bruce Wayne. While so much of the first season is Kate trying to show herself she can do what Bruce can do, Ryan doesn’t have that burden on her shoulders. At least not yet. While it’s probably unlikely, it would be fun to see the show play with this idea. Not suggesting that she kill anyone, but maybe she’s willing to go further.
4. Becoming the hero others see in you.
“Prior Criminal History” begins with Batwoman saving Ryan the previous Halloween. Much like “What Happened to Kate Kane?” episode two follows similar beats to the first episode, with Ryan questioning her “worthiness” to become a hero. While she agrees to put on the suit long enough to save the people in the square from Alice’s poison bat attack, Ryan again declares this is a temporary thing.
In the climax, Ryan blows up a bus with the poison bats in it and also saves a homeless woman from the explosion. The woman thanks Batwoman and tells Ryan that “you’re Batwoman to me.” This seems to be the push that Ryan needs to want and continue wearing the cape and keep Gotham safe, saving someone in a similar situation. She might not see the hero in herself, but others see it in her, including Kate. Kate remembered saving Ryan on Halloween and wrote about it. As Kate writes to Bruce, “With heroes like her, Gotham will be ok.” Was it cheesy? Very. Did it work on me? Absolutely.
5. Beware Alice’s bearing gifts.
Alice was a total wild card this episode, infecting bats with the poison that killed Mary’s mom then immediately giving Mary the ability to create an antidote. Threatening Julia, getting the information she needed, then stabbing Julia as a reward. Taking her beloved sidekick mouse and turning him into bat food. Every time she was on screen, I was intrigued to see where all of this was going. Characters try and explain why Alice is acting so erratically. Some think that perhaps this is Alice’s misguided attempt to mourn Kate. Maybe her actions show her slowly untethering to what little sanity she had left when she murdered Mouse. Perhaps this is her reaction to a new Batwoman who isn’t afraid to fight. But, Alice being Alice, it’s an entirely different thing. Alice’s attack is a plan to get closer to Safiyah and get answers about her sister.
Here’s hoping this doesn’t remove Alice from the Ryan storyline because the two of them have some pretty intriguing conflict with one another. In any case, it was just fun watching Alice be an agent of chaos. Alice is still consistently the best part of the show, and “Prior Criminal History” shows why.
So there we have it, Ryan is now officially Batwoman, Alice is going on a trip, and Sophie seems to be directionless. What did you think of the episode? Sound off in the comments below!
