Welcome back to Gotham! Hope is on the rise after some recent Batsightings as Gotham looks for their returned Dark Knight. But you and I both know this is no Bruce Wayne, it’s Kate Kane and she’s not here to play by the rules as she tries to solve the mystery of her sister. So don your cape, grab your rebreather, and join us as we give you five thoughts on Batwoman season 1 episode 2, “The Rabbit Hole.”
1. An early reveal leads to a more complex story
Honestly, I was a little disappointed at the end of episode one when it was revealed that Alice was Beth. While it obviously gives the story forward momentum (and encourages us to return to the story,) it would have been exciting to see the mystery build over time. Or at least that’s what I thought before the episode began. “The Rabbit Hole” takes advantage of the early reveal and creates an intense cat and mouse game.
Both Ruby Rose and Rachel Skartsen do an excellent job in their confrontation at the waffle stand, a favorite spot of the twins before the accident. Kate extends an olive branch to Alice, assuring her that she never stopped searching for her. Beth has been her driving factor for fifteen years, it’s why she trained to join the Crows. Alice, on the other hand, is all deflection. She will provide a piece of information about her true identity, only to pull away and say that it was information she (maybe) learned online or from a tortured civilian. The big moment comes when Kate reveals that she never once slept a full night since the accident. It convinces Alice to perhaps let Kate test her DNA and learn the truth, but their meeting is abruptly ended by the Crows.
The episode also ends with an escalation of the cat and mouse game. While we still don’t know for certain that Alice is Beth, Alice knows for sure that Kate is Batwoman. Let the real games begin.
2. Family is complicated but makes for some great character development
One of the main focuses in “The Rabbit Hole” is family. Last week, Jacob Kane was all business leading the Crows and keeping Gotham safe. There was certain evidence of a… at the very least performative relationship with his daughter. He supports who she is, tries to keep her safe and even admits that it comes from a place of selfishness, and even offers her a place on the team when she finally proves to her capability in the field. This week, we get a better look at the relationship from the past.
Throughout the flashbacks, Jacob is a loving father. He comforts Kate when she tries to blame herself for the loss of Beth and her mother, he openly cries when he sees the amount of work Kate has put into finding Beth and how his intensity is impacting her childhood. In the present, his duty and devotion to keeping Gotham safe has made him colder and distant. He ignores the idea that Alice is Beth, refusing to believe that he failed his daughter and that his daughter could have become so monstrous. Because of the flashbacks, it adds nuance to a character who could have easily been one-note.
3. A messy relationship creates problems for the caped crusader
Near the end of the pilot, it is revealed that Sophie, the woman Kate had a relationship within the military academy and the reason Kate was kicked out of the school, was married to a man, heightening the hurt Kate felt in their relationship. Kate had potentially sacrificed her future for this woman, came back to Gotham to save her and is now learning that not only is she married, but seemingly denies that she was ever in love with Kate.
Kate confides a lot in Sophie, her theory about Beth, their potential meeting location, her desire to still be with her. In all of these situations, Sophie betrays that trust, leading to the confrontation at the waffle stand. At the end of the episode, Kate asks Sophie to tell her she’s happy, but Sophie is not even able to lie about it. I’m curious to see where this relationship goes but at the moment it seems to be a whole lot of trouble.
Continued below4. A Symbol for ALL of Gotham
So I’m not quite sure how the Crows work. They are a paramilitary group that is hired by the elite of Gotham to keep them safe, but they also answer to the Gotham City Police Department, except when they don’t. This is important, though, because while The Crows seem to be keeping the peace, they also seem to be part of the problem. There is a really good shot early in the episode of a checkpoint with crow security milling about, a sign reading “Nondistrict residents must have guest access.” Alice describes the Crows as “bullies paid for by richer bullies,” the normal citizens of Gotham are still poor and still vulnerable. Kate also describes Gotham as a city that is divided by “walls, money, and bad luck,” but the citizens are rallied around a single thing, Batman.
The episode uses media to show how important Batman is to the citizens of Gotham. After only a handful of outings wearing the costume (which is still the Batman costume for the record,) the citizens are starting to take notice. There are headlines excited about the return of their hero Citizens are listening to Vesper Fairchild on the radio (voiced by Rachel Maddow) as she recounts the events of the Bat. Luke even tells Kate that “they’re clamoring for a hero.”
While Kate isn’t there yet, she seems more interested in using the costume to instill fear in her enemies, it shows the importance of heroes. The Crows protect the elite, but a hero like Batman can protect anyone.
5. Conspiracies within Conspiracies, wheels within wheels
At the end of the confrontation at the waffle stand, Jacob decides to have the Gotham police send her to Arkham. In typical Gotham fashion, though, while transferring Alice there’s an explosion that sends her into the river. This was not arranged by the Wonderland Gang, however, and seems intent on killing Alice. Jacob is quick to blame the GCPD, suggesting a rising tension between the two groups.
Earlier in the episode, Kate reveals that she found Alice’s knife in the hopes of running DNA tests. After an attack by a van full of thugs in the Crows headquarters, Alice reveals that it was not her gang that took the knife back (she instead has to use an inferior butterfly knife to flip around as she evilly monologues… joke of the episode for the record.) This alerts Kate to something potentially bigger happening in Gotham, one that she hadn’t planned for.
At the end of the episode, it’s revealed who the culprit is who stole the knife, none other than Kate’s stepmother. At this point, Kate’s stepmother hadn’t done much outside of looking at media relations for her job, now it is clear that there is something much bigger happening and with her potentially at the core of it all.
So there we have it, another week in the world of Gotham. What did you think? Where do you think this goes in the future? Is Kate’s stepmom the reason Batman left Gotham? Sound off below!
