Superman & Lois- Season 3, A Review

New strength awakens.

Superman & Lois Season 1 Review. Season 2 Review.

The third season of Superman & Lois follows the titular couple (Tyler Hoechlin, Palm Springs) and (Elizabeth Tulloch) as they recover from the events of season two, slowly getting back to normal after Ally Allston’s brutal attack. Since then Jordan (Alex Garfin) has been training with his powers, slowly gearing up to save people solo whereas Jonathan (Michael Bishop) is still the town pariah after last year’s drug scandal. Things seem to be going reasonably well for the Kent family and Clark and Lois even begin to consider a third child, only for tragedy to then strike. After a pregnancy scare Lois learns she actually has stage three breast cancer and begins immediate treatment, befriending fellow sufferer Peia (Daya Vaidya) whose own motives are far from clear. Pia is revealed to be married to Bruno Mannheim (Chad L Coleman) who is experimenting on criminals in order to find a cure for his wife’s treatment.

Meanwhile in Smallville, Lana (Emmanuelle Chriqui, The Knight Before Christmas) and Kyle (Erik Valdez) finalise their divorce, with Lana focussing on her mayoral duties and Kyle going on to date Chrissy (Sofia Hasmik), complicating things in such a small town. Sarah (Inde Navarrette, 13 Reasons Why) attempts to remain friendly with Jordan despite their breakup but his new powers complicate things, especially when Kyle begins to suspect someone in the town has powers. John Henry (Wolé Parks) and Nat (Tayler Buck) also continue to settle into small-town life, with Nat bonding with her ‘Grandfather’ Sam (Dylan Walsh) and also dating fellow student Matteo (Spence Moore II), who is then revealed to be Peia and Bruno’s son. With so much going on in their lives and yet another new villain to face, the Kent family will have to pull together more than ever if they want to get through this. But are Bruno and Peia really the villains they seem to be or do they just have very different ways of getting what they want?

I’ve never been the world’s biggest fan of Superman & Lois and have definitely had my issues with the show these past three years but I will definitely say that season three has hit a real high point for me and the show seems to have really found its footing. I think for the first two years I didn’t really get where this show fit in with the rest of the Arrowverse, not to mention how different it was to the other origin stories, but I think once it was established that this version of Clark and Lois are completely separate from any we’ve seen before I finally got what the series was trying to achieve. This isn’t the same Superman that we saw in Supergirl and he isn’t a hero with constant assistance or team-ups, this is a Clark completely on his own with a literal entire planet that constantly needs saving. Unlike Kara or Barry or Oliver, Clark doesn’t really have any other super friends and so I get now why we get such a focus on his family, because to him it’s all he has. Season three I think really stepped up in this regard and we got some great character moments, a really interesting new villain and of course some great Smallville scenery. Season three is for me the best so far and I feel like I’m finally at a place where I can really enjoy and understand the show.

I found it very interesting how Clark and Bruno, although pitted against each other from the start, had the exact same motivations in wanting to save their respective wives. Both Lois and Peia suffered throughout the season from their cancers and both Clark and Bruno fought tooth and nail to also fight the disease, they just both had very different ways of doing so. Whilst Bruno turned to experimenting on criminals to find a cure, Clark tried to remain the ever supportive husband without crossing any moral boundaries and in the end it was Lois who beat the disease and Peia who didn’t. If it were the other way around however I do think we would have seen a very different side to Superman and despite him saying he wouldn’t use Kryptonian tech because it wouldn’t be fair on the rest of the planet, I think if Lois’ circumstances were really as dire as Peia’s we’d be looking at a very different story. Bruno and Clark were just two men with incredible love for their wives and the parallels throughout were really interesting to note, I also think Lois and Pia’s unexpected friendship showcased how similar these situations were and it was a really interesting hero/villain dynamic this season.

I know that I’ve complained in the past about the younger characters on this show but like I said above I feel like season 3 really found its stride and with that finally came a decent storyline for the Kent twins. We really got to see Jordan exploring his powers here, going off and saving people solo and balancing a secret identity with the ego boost of being a hero. I think that we get to see a very realistic depiction of a teenage boy getting superpowers and I like how he’s kind of being a dick about it, purposely going against Clark’s advice and rubbing his new abilities in John and Sarah’s faces. I remember saying in my season one review that Superman & Lois wasn’t an origin show for Clark because he’s been Superman for a long time at this point but we are now getting Jordan’s origin and I’m interested to see how he uses his powers moving forward and what kind of hero he turns into. I also feel like we finally got a decent storyline for Jonathan this season and I really liked him joining the Fire Department, giving him a new sense of purpose in a household surrounded by superheroes.

Season three finally gave us something the show has been sorely lacking for the past three years- Lex Luthor! It was only a matter of time before he make his first appearance and I have to say this version of Lex definitely isn’t what I expected and I’m unsure of what I actually think. Cudlitz’s performance is amazing don’t get me wrong, it’s more the relationship Lex seems to have with Clark and Lois that gives me pause and I’m interested to see how everything will play out moving forward. When we first saw Lex he was in prison, later revealed to be set up by Bruno but then when Lois learns he’s been set up she does everything in her power to get him released, despite multiple warnings to the contrary. Now I’m not the world’s biggest Superman fan but even I know that Lex Luthor is pure evil and Clark’s number one enemy so I really didn’t get why Lois would even consider setting him free? Never mind actually doing it. Another thing, this version of Lex seems to be more Lois’ enemy than Superman’s and even though we’ve only had a few short scenes so far he does see to gravitate more towards her with his threats and violence. Like I said we’ve only had a few short scenes but I do hope season four expands a bit on the history between the trio because at this point I am slightly confused.

Recently it was announced that season four would feature a much smaller cast (and only 10 episodes), which everybody but the Kent family being demoted from series regular and I am curious as to how things are going to work out moving forward. Obviously this is Clark and Lois’ show, they are the titular characters, but I also think Smallville and its residents play such a large role and its hard to imagine them not being around anymore. I know that the characters aren’t being written out completely (at least I don’t think they are?) but even a reduced appearance is going to seem strange because in so many ways this is an ensemble show where every single character plays an essential role. Season four is definitely going to have a very different kind of vibe and honestly I’m kind of nervous, the show won’t seem the same without its beloved Smallville residents.

Overall I really enjoyed this third season of Superman & Lois and for me the show had finally found its stride and is at its very best. We got a really interesting villain this season and I loved the dynamic between the two couples and how the very unexpected friendships along the way complicated things. Lois’ cancer was also an emotional high point for the show and it really allowed her character to shine. Jonathan and Jordan also got some nice storylines this season and I’m loving the development of Jordan’s powers and how it’s effecting him as a person. Moving forward I am pretty nervous for season four because of all the changes but I do think the introduction of Lex is going to be exciting and definitely make for an interesting watch!

Superman & Lois- Season 2, A Review

Small town. Big secrets.

Superman & Lois Season 1 Review.

The second season of Superman & Lois follows the Kent family- Clark (Tyler Hoechlin, Palm Springs), Lois (Elizabeth Tulloch), Jonathan (Jordan Elsass, Little Fires Everywhere) and Jordan (Alex Garfin)– as they continue to live in Smallville, going about their normal lives whilst also concealing Clark’s identity and his responsibilities to the rest of the world. Jordan continues to date Sarah (Inde Navarrette, 13 Reasons Why) however he struggles with keeping his family secret whereas Jonathan struggles with his own lack of powers and finding his place within his superpowered family. Things seem to be going well for the Kent’s, however Clark soon begins experiencing painful visions that begin affecting his powers, meaning the DOD have to step in. Clark’s visions are soon revealed to be caused by a bizarro version of Superman, who everybody assumes is here to cause havoc however the truth is far worse than anybody could’ve expected.

Ally Allston (Rya Kihlstedt), A cult leader from Lois’ past is seemingly having visions of another world where everybody has another self. Ally hopes to join everybody’s two selvss together to make ‘the perfect self’, having already lured Lois’ sister Lucy (Jenna Dewan) into her teachings. Initially not seeing her as a real threat, the bizarro version of himself warns Clark that unless stopped Ali will take over the entire world and destroy the planet. Can superman and his family save the day and time or will Ally cause worldwide havoc by unleashing the bizarro world onto the normal one?

Ally made for an interesting villain and I liked how she wasn’t quite what we expected in regards to a seasonal big bad. Initially it looked like season two’s baddy was going to be a bizarro version of Clark however this was just the first of many appearances from the other world and the chaos it brought. Instead of a super powered villain from another world Ally was simply a very influential woman who was spreading a dangerous message to her followers. The first few episodes made it seem like Ally’s cult was going to be a minor inconvenience at best but as she grew in confidence as did the dangers around her, turning her into a fully fledged villian and force to be reckoned with. I also like how Ally was more of a villain to Lois than Clark, showcasing that both leads are jusf as important as the other in the grand scheme of things and an enemy of Lois can be just as dangerous as an enemy of Clark given the right circumstances.

As I mentioned in my season one review I wasn’t really a fan of the high school drama story lines, or any of the problems surrounding the teenage characters. When compared to a villainous cult leader trying to take over the world, Jonathan and Jordan‘s girlfriend issues just didn’t seem as important and I really wasn’t a fan of the drugs storyline this season, it just felt like a way to shoehorn Jonathan into the series because he didn’t have anything else to do. I do really like Jonathan as a character but I think not giving him powers really limits what he can do in the grand scheme of things meaning he’s either pushed side or given weaker or unnecessary side plots.

I really loved seeing more of John Henry (Wolé Parks) and Natalie (Tayler Buck) this season, they are such great characters and their situation within the show makes for a really compelling storyline. To come from an earth where Superman is the enemy and Lois is their Wife/Mother to then arrive somewhere where this is no longer the case is obviously going to be difficult and I really felt for both characters throughout. Natalie really struggled with adapting to this new earth, especially having to live under the same roof as Lois and Clark and I enjoyed the conversations between the characters and how Natalie’s own emotions were explored towards these changes. Both Natalie and John are really interesting characters and I’d like to see more of their lives before and after in the third season and any more potential change they’ll have to expierience.

I also really like the Cushing family as characters and particularly enjoyed seeing Lana (Emmanuelle Chriqui, The Knight Before Christmas) run for Mayor this season and how her split from Kyle (Erik Valdez) then effected this. We also saw Lana finally learn Clarks identity, something which she did struggle with. Secret identities are pretty much a staple of the superhero genre and it’s always interesting to see how characters react to finding out their friend/love interest/family member/etc is a superhero. With Lana being Clark’s best friend and for the love interest it is somewhat surprisingly she didn’t already know but I also think her reaction was realistic and justified. It’s always difficult to find out you’ve been lied to but I did like how she wasn’t angry at Clark and she did eventually get over her anger at Lois, which was honestly a nice surprise after having Lena so furious at Kara in Supergirl.

The reveal in the last episode that Superman & Lois does not take place on the same Earth as the rest of the Arrowverse has certianly divided fans but at the same time it makes a lot of sense. For so much of season 1 I was frustrated that no other superheroes (especially Supergirl) were getting mentioned and the extreme focus of Superman being the only one around to save the day seemed a little odd. Now though we know for a fact Superman is the only capable of saving the day so his constant flying away makes a lot more sense and I’m glad that this plot hole so to speak has been cleared up. Saying this though I am disappointed this means we won’t be getting any crossovers any time soon, sure we see Diggle (David Ramsey) once in a while but an entire Super-family reunion is looking a lot less likely at this point.

Overall I enjoyed this second season of Superman & Lois, Ally made for an unexpected yet menacing villain and I liked the concept of the two worlds coming together. The characters here continue to be likable and interesting and I like the more low key approach to a superhero show. With so many of the Arrowverse shows having been recently cancelled Superman & Lois is pretty much my last connection to the universe so I eagerly await the third season and would definitely love to see some cameos from former characters moving forward.

Batwoman Season 3, A Review

Out for justice.

Batwoman Season 1 Review. (Top 10 2020). Batwoman Season 2 Review.

The third season of Batwoman follows Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) as she continues to don the bat mantle, working alongside Mary (Nicole Kang, You) and Luke (Camrus Johnson), to fight crime and keep the streets of Gotham safe. After the accidental release of a case of old Batvillain weapons however the trio are forced to work alongside Alice (Rachel Skatsten, Reign) and Detective Renee Montoya (Victoria Cartagena) to retrieve and neutralise each item, especially after Alice tells Renee Ryan’s real identity. Using Alice to get inside the mind of a killer, the group work to find and retrieve each item, running into some new incarnations of iconic villians along the way. Renee however has an ulterior motive, secretly hoping to locate Poison Ivy AKA Pamela Isley (Bridget Regan, Jane the Virgin), who was once the love of her life.

Ryan meanwhile digs deeper into her own past, eventually tracking down her birth Mother Jada Jett (Robin Givens, Riverdale). Jada is the CEO off Jett Industries, and lives a highly successful life, having had a second child Marquis (Nick Creegan). Jada initially wants little to do with Ryan but the two soon begin bonding at Sophie (Meagen Tandy) and Marquis’ request. Ryan’s new family is not as it seems however and soon enough she realises ecactly why she was given up in the first place. Marquis is in fact high unstable, having had an encounter with The Joker when he was younger. Jada is doing everything in her power to keep Marquis grounded but soon enough he can’t resist temptation any longer. With a new Joker character threatening to ruin Gotham, Ryan will certianly have her work cut out for her, only this time it’s her own family she’ll have to stop.

The running arc this season of finding and collecting the Batvillian weapons was a great way to introduce some new characters and connect to the original Batman comics. Having new iterations of these classic villains was fun for fans old and new and thd idea of these weapons getting loose and posessing people was very clever. This plotline was also able to tie into the two big bads of the season (Marquis and Poison Ivy), teasing Pamela’s eventual return through Renee and connecting Marquis and Jada to Ryan’s quest. I always love seeing some classic Bat villians and this felt like a really clever way to bring them in, I’m excited to see what the show is able to do next villian wise.

Now two seasons into the role I feel like Ryan has really found her dynamic in the group and the bat-team feels very fully formed. Ryan, Luke, Mary and Sophie really gel together in a way that feels like they’ve been together longer than two years. The cast here is one of my favourite of the arrowverse and I really love the chemistry and friendship between the four (plus occasionly Alice), it really works.

I loved the development of Sophie and Ryan’s relationship this season, I really do love them as a couple. In all honesty I really didn’t like Sophie back in season 1 or her relationship with Kate but this new dynamic with Ryan has made her a lot more likeable. The pair have excellent chemistry and the slowburn between them has been incredible to watch. Starting off on oppisite ends of the law, the eventual disbanding of the crows and initiation of Sophie into the back team has really brought the pair closer. The flirting and banter between them is great and it’s just made Sophie so much more likeable in my eyes, she’s definitely now one of my favourites.

Alice continues to be my favourite part of the show and I really loved her storyline this season, we might finally be seeing a path of redemption for her. Initially forced by Renee to work alongside Ryan, Alice begins to realise she doesn’t want to be crazy forever and makes attempts to use the joy buzzer on herself, hoping to turn her emotions back on. Her then further bonding with Mary allowed her to have an actual human relationship, with the pair finding the sister they always needed in the other. Alice’s path to redemption is definitely going to be a hard one but it’s also essential for her journey across the show. As much as I love her crazy she can’t stay that way forever or it’ll just get boting, she needs to change and grow or she’ll lose her major appeal which I really don’t want.

Marquis was an interesting villian this season and whilst he wasn’t the big bad I was expecting (see below) I did like what he brought to the show. It was interesting having another sibling hero/villian dynamic and I liked the comparisons to Kate and Alice from season 1. The whole Joker 2.0 thing was an interesting move and I did like Marquis’ backstory and how it connected to Alice. The Gotham universe is filled with so many wacky and interesting villians and Batwoman has already had some of the best in the Arrowverse (in my opinion). Marquis was a great rival for Ryan and I’m interested to see both his and Jada’s potential return next season.

Poison Ivy was such a great addition to the show but her limited storyline really did feel like a waste of time. For most of the season Pam was teased as the main villian, with Mary initially taking on her persona before eventually meeting the real Ivy in the second half. Only two episodes later however Mary was back to normal and Pam and Renee had left, leaving Marquis as the new big bad. Now don’t get me wrong, Marquis was a great villian but Pam had so much wasted potential. Poison Ivy is a completely iconic Batman villian so to have her for only a few epusodes just felt like a let down, I really hope we see her again, Regan did a brilliant job in the role as I’d love to see her as a proper season long villian.

Overall I really enjoyed this third season of Batwoman and feel like it’s definitely the show’s best yet. Now a year into the role Ryan is really finding her groove within the team and show and I’ve really come to love this new dynamic. The Batvillian weapon quest was a great running arc this season and I loved seeing some new version of some old faces, it was very clever. Marquis and Pamela both made great big bads (although I do wish we’d seen more of Poison Ivy) and I’n really excited to see what happens next. Bring on season 4!

Legends of Tomorrow Season 7, A Review

A roaring rewing.

Legends of Tomorrow Season 4 Review Legends of Tomorrow Season 5 Review Legends of Tomorrow Season 6 Review

The seventh season of Legends of Tomorrow sees The Legends trapped in the 1920s after a duplicate waverider appears out of nowhere and destroys their only way home. Now stranded in time the group must learn to survive without modern technology or advances, essentially living off the land they now live in. After Astra (Olivia Swann) accidentally creates a human version of Gideon (Amy Louise Pemberton) however the team have their resident super computer back, now having access to information on time travel and significant events. Gideon instructs the group to find Gwyn Davis (Matt Ryan), the inventor of time travel, in the hope he will be able to help them get home.

Setting off to New York, The Legends realise they have danger on their trail, with a robot version of J Edgar Hoover (Giacomo Baessato) attempting to stop them in their tracks. Realising they are being chased by robots the team must re-strategise and find a way to get back home without being killed. But who are these evil robots really and why is somebody so desperate to keep The Legends from getting home? Somebody is messing with time again, the only question is who?

Season 7 took a big risk in stranding The Legends in one time zone for pretty much the entire season and I have to say it really paid off. For a show all about time travel, having the characters trapped in the 20s was a bold move but I think because of it we really got some amazing character development. The 1920s were obviously a difficult time for the team and not just because of the lack of modern technology, being so far back in the past meant that non-white members of the team really struggled with racism, which I’m glad the show addressed. Legends has always been massively diverse in both race and sexuality (more so than most of the other Arrowverse shows) so I liked seeing the team genuinely struggle with how they were now treated. Through characters like Zari (Tala Ashe), Behrad (Shayan Sobhian) and Astra we got to see some emotional struggles and real hardships and I think this really helped the show move along. Getting to see some genuinely distressing storylines was different from Legends’ usual quirky comedy and season 7 really was stronger than ever.

The introduction of a human Gideon was such a clever move for the show and I loved getting to see Pemberton play the role full time. Even in just voice over Gideon has always been such a character so I really enjoyed getting to see a fully fleshed out version (quite literally). It was interesting having this super computer dealing with actual, human emotions for the first time and now having to deal with the consequences of her actions. Knowing everything about history but nothing sbout emotion made for an interesting combination and Gideon’s arc was brilliant this season. Pemberton did an amazing job.

Gwyn was a nice addition to the team and I continue to love how Legends is able to ‘recycle’ its actors once character arcs are done. It’s always interesting having a character from the past join the team and see how they cope with the idea of the furure and time travel in general. Gwyn was slightly different in this regard as he himself invented time travel and only really travelled a few years ahead but I am still excited to see what awaits him in any future seasons. It’s always great as well to get an LGBT team member and Gwyn’s relationship with Alun (Tom Forbes) was pivotal to the season storyline. Again I’m intetested to see whether Alun will join the team next season and how he himself will deal with it all.

The evil Gideon and robot duplicas of The Legends made for a great big bad this season, with the team having to essentially fight themselves in order to survive, making for a very worthy foe. The robot’s own existential crisis was also interesting and I liked how they thought they were the real ones, it made for an interesting dynamic. Pemberton did a great job at playing the two versions of herself and I liked how this season explored keeping the time line in check and how you have to factor in emotions and occasionly changing things for the better. In order to sucessfully work the Legends need to be a team or else you’d just turn into an emotionless black hole. Human connection is essential.

Now on its seventh season certian characters such as Sara (Caity Lotz) and Nate (Nick Zano) feel like they’ve been around forever, and in a way their storylines are coming to a natural conclusion, with Nate himself separting at the end of the season. At one point I never could have imagined Legends without Sara but now I do actually feel like the show could comtinue without her. The ‘newer generation of Legends’ so to speak such as Astra and Spooner (Lisseth Chavez) could definitely carry the show as two new potential leads and I would actually feel safe if the show was ‘passed onto them’. Obviously I don’t want any character to leave if they don’t have to but I do think that the show coukd safetly continue without Sara, which just goes to show how strong these new characters are. A few seasons back I would have said Sara leaving would have ended the show but now that isn’t the case.

Overall I really enjoyed this seventh season of Legends of Tomorrow. The show remains strong and some of the risks this year made it even stronger. Trapping The Legends in the past was risky but I liked seeing them stranded and having to deal with some genuine 1920s issues such as the racism many of the team faced. The season arc of the evil robot replicas was also interesting and I loved seeing this human version of Gideon. Another amazing season from Legends, I really hope we get to see an eight season.

Supergirl- Season 6, A Review

Better. Stronger. Together.

Supergirl Season 3 Review. Supergirl Season 4 Review. Supergirl Season 5 Review.

The sixth and final season of Supergirl follows Kara (Melissa Benoist) and ‘The Superfriends’ as they face one final foe whilst also maintaining their personal lives and the struggles that comes with the secret identity. After the fallout from the previous season the team defeat Lex (Jon Cryer), resulting in him banishing Kara to the phantom zone. Working hard to get her back, the superfriends must also stop an invasion of evil phantoms, threatening to take over the city and its people. Eventually Kara is rescued but unfortunately she hasn’t made the return trip alone.

Nyxlygsptlnz AKA Nyxly (Peta Sergeant), a 5th Dimension Imp was once a Princess whose own Father also banished her to the phantom zone, pushing her to seek revenge. Looking to gain absolute power, Nyxly hopes to collect a series of totems, which when brought together will grant her darkest desires. Now it’s a race against time for the superfriends to collect and use the totems, all before Nyxly can get her hands on them. But will they succeed?

As much as I did enjoy season 6 of Supergirl, and I did really enjoy it, it just didn’t feel like a final season in any shape or form. Aside from the final two episodes most of this season felt pretty standard, it was good but it felt more like a second or third season, not the last season we were ever going to see. From Kara being absent for a good chunk of the first half to a rushed ending and an enjoyable yet low stakes villian, season 6 of Supergirl was anything but Super. I was pretty disappointed with it actually.

Speaking of Nyxly, whilst she didn’t feel deserving of being the final big bad, I still really liked her as a character and rank her pretty high in my list of Supergirl villians. I’m a fan of the actress from Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and similarly emjoyed her role here. Nyxly was complex and well written, having an end goal in mind but also having a conscious and somewhat sense of right and wrong as well. Having been betrayed and banished by her family, Nyxly was sympathetic and whilst you didn’t exactly root for her you could understand why she was doing what she was doing. Nearer the end of the season esoecially she looked to be turning of a new leaf (sort of) and I would have really liked to see more of her, I only wish she was introduced earlier in the show’s run.

Kelly’s (Azie Tesfai, Jane the Virgin) storylines and arc was definitely one of the better aspects of this final season and the episode that Azie Tesfai wrote was one of the season’s best. I really enjoy Kelly as a character and loved seeing her become the new Guardian. She was able to fight for the unseen groups and really make a difference, making her a brilliant hero. Her and Alex’s (Chyler Leigh) adoption of Esme (Mila Jones) and eventual marriage was also a series hilight, the wedding was definitely a nice way to end the show overall.

William (Staz Nair) and Andrea (Julie Gonzalo) as characters have always felt a bit overlooked and I think this was especially true in the final season. Ever since they were introduced in season 5 they’ve never really felt part of the main group, with niether ever finding out Kara is Supergirl (at least I don’t think Andrea did? Her ending what a bit unclear). This season it really felt like the writers were forcing them into the story, shoehorning them in in any way they could, which was a bit annoying. Now I’ve never been the biggest fan of William, he’s a bit bland to be honest, but I do like Andrea, if anything she’s an added comic relief, but I do wish we’d gotten more from them. I full on forgot Andrea even had super powers, which just goes to show how little they were used, and if I’m being honest I felt very little when William died. I just wish we’d gotten more from them, it was massively wasted potential.

I know that the show is called Supergirl but for me the Luthors have always been the best part and I’m going to miss the three of them so much. Lena (Katie McGrath, Secret Bridesmaid’s Business) is my absolute favourite arrowverse character to date, her growth and development has just been extraordinary. Jon Cryer also made an amazing Lex, he was comical yet powerful and he added something extra to the show, especially in some of its weaker seasons. In the same way Lillian (Brenda Strong, 13RW) has always been a great part of the show and I loved whenever she returned, her relationship with each child was often interesting to see. Kara Danvers may have been the star of the show but I will always be team Luthor, they’ve been amazing throughout.

Supergirl as a whole really has been an enjoyable show over the past six seasons. It’s definitely had its ups and downs (and the first three seasons were definitely superior to the last three) but it remains to be one of my favourite arrowverse shows. The message of hope and humanity has always been so strong throughout, with Kara being such a shining light and optimistic character. Obviously I’m sad that the show is ending but I’m also glad it got to end on its own terms. I’m definitely going to miss these charaxters- especially Lena, and hope we get to see them again (maybe on Superman & Lois?).

Whilst I did enjoy the sixth season of Supergirl it didn’t really feel like a final season, resulting in a pretty lackluster ending. The season arc and big bad were interesting enough but they just didn’t feel high stakes enough for the show’s finale, it almost felt like a second or third season instead. Still, I’ve loved Supergirl and its characters across the six years and will miss watching the show every week. It hasn’t always been perfect but Supergirl remains to be one of my favourite arrowverse shows.

Legends of Tomorrow- Season 6, A Review

Space. Oddity.

Legends of Tomorrow Season 4 Review. Legends of Tomorrow Season 5 Review.

The sixth season of Legends of Tomorrow picks up just were the last ended, with Sara (Caity Lotz) having been kidnapped by an unknown alien species and the rest of the team remaining blissfully unaware. The morning after however they discover Sara gone and eventually realise she has been taken. Working to get her back Behrad (Shayan Sobhian) has the idea to recruit Esperanza “Spooner” Cruz (Lisseth Chavez), a young woman who was reportedly taken by aliens when she was younger and now claims she can communicate with them. After kidnapping Spooner and discovering that Gary (Adam Tsekhman) is also an alien in disguise, the team work to get their captain back, the only problem being they had no idea where to look.

Sara meanwhile escapes her captivity and discovers that she, along with many others, have been taken by a man names Bishop (Raffi Barsoumian). Bishop, who also created the Ava clones, wants to create a new alien/human hybrid race and believes Sara to the perfect test subject. Refusing Bishop’s plans Sara attempts to escape but finds herself stranded on an unknown planet. With time running out can The Legends get to her in time or is Sara about to become the first in a long line of new ‘perfect humans’.

Legends of Tomorrow has always had the craziest of writing teams so I was pretty excited to see how they were going to tackle a subject as big as aliens. Time travel alone allows for pretty exciting storylines but aliens and space travel is on a whole other level, the possibilities are endless. In true Legends style the season went absolutely crazy, with all different kinds of alien species for the team to do battle with, it was brilliant. From rage inducing alien meat to pink furry alien babies, Legends has does it again, truly anything can happen on this show.

Sara being kidnapped was obviously the big cliffhanger from the previous season and I think it was a big risk having her cut off from the rest of the team for a good half of the season. Sara is in many ways the glue that holds the Legends together (both the team and the actual show), so I was curious to see how the dynamic would work with her. In the end I do think the risk paid off, on Sara’s end we got to see her develop that deeper friendship with Gary and have some great scenes with Bishop and on the Legends’ side we got to see the team function without their leader. Having Sara absent from the main team definitely allowed for some great new character dynamics and I liked how it changed the show, I just hope it never happens again, for Ava’s (Jes Macallan) sake especially.

Gary being an alien all along was completely crazy and such a typical Legends twist. I think giving him this expanded storyline has definitely helped him develop as a character and I especially liked his solo scenes with Sara, it was an unexpected but likeable pairing. I think Gary as a character is definitely hit or miss (I personally love him) so I hope that this new direction had made him more likeable in other people’s eyes. And either way it’s nice to know we now have a resident alien expert onboard the Waverider.

Spooner was a great addition to the team and I pretty much fell in love with her character straight away. Her backstory with aliens made her a great asset to the team and I liked how she was able to use her powers to help find Sara. Her snark and trigger happy attitude also remind me a lot of original Zari, who is one of my favourite characters ever. Spooner was a brilliant addition to the team and i’m excited to see what happens with the character next.

Constantine’s (Matt Ryan) arc was very interesting this season, ending on a pretty bittersweet note as we were forced to say goodbye to the character (but not the actor). This season we see John struggle between his love of magic and power and his love for Zari (Tala Ashe), a battle which eventually killed him. Constantine has always been obsessed with his magic so it was interesting to see him lose it and then go to great lengths to get it back. Across the past few seasons Matt Ryan has played Constantine brilliantly But I think this season was his most impressive, getting to see a darker side to the character, probably the darkest we’ve seen so far. What I am sad that the character had to leave the show, I do think that his time had come. Nobody can stay a Legend forever and I’m interested to see what kind of character Ryan will play next.

I loved Astra’s (Olivia Swann) arc this season, seeing her learn how to live properly on Earth and adapt to life without powers. Having this character who once literally used to run Hell now live amongst the humans is fun to watch and I like Astra’s constant snark at the workd around her, she’s very quickly become a favourite of mine. On an extra note I also loved the budding friendship between Spooner and Astra and I definitely ship them, I just hope we get to see an actual relationship between them, and hope the show doesn’t back out at the last minute.

Bishop was an interesting season villian who massively fit with the chaotic vibes of the show. The whole time he was on screen it was like he was on drugs, yet he still made a pretty villianous bad guy. I also thought it was interesting having him be the one who created the AVA clones, it made for a intriuging character dynamic between him, Ava and Sara as well as fitting in nicely with his grand plan.

Overall I enjoyed the sixth season of Legends of Tomorrow. The aliens plot line was interesting and liked how Legends had their fun with it, you never quite know where this show is going to go next. Spooner was a great new addition to the team and I also enjoyed Constantine and Astras storylines this season as well, The Gary reveal was also a nice twist. Bishop was decent enough villain and even though a lot of the episodes this season felt like filler episodes it was still massively entertaining. Legends continues to be my favourite show in the arrowverse and I’m excited to see what happens next.

Superman & Lois, A Review

Saving the world starts at home.

Superman & Lois follows Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin, Palm Springs) AKA Superman and his wife Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch), as they decide to return to Clark’s hometown of Smallville with their teenage sons Jonathan (Jordan Elsass, Little Fires Everywhere) and Jordan (Alex Garfin). After the death of Clark’s Mother Martha (Michele Scarabelli), the family realise they have grown apart in the big city and need Smallville to come together again. Returning home Clark is reunited with former flame Lana Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui, The Knight Before Christmas) and her husband Kyle (Erik Valdez) as well as their daughter Sarah (Inde Navarrette, 13RW) who Jordan strikes up a friendship with. In the time they’ve been gone Smallville has fallen on hard times but Morgan Edge (Adam Rayner), Lois’ former employer, seems to have big plans for the town.

Convinced Edge is up to something Lois joins the local paper where she and reporter Chrissy Beppo (Sofia Hasmik) start up an investigation. Meanwhile Jordan is revealed to also have super powers, something he massively struggles with. Clark attempts to help him through it however he struggles to connect to his son, causing several family rifts. Lois’ investigation into Edge hits off when she discovers several residents have been going missing and later turning up with super powers. On top of this a mysterious stranger (Wolé Parks) shows up in town, seemingly hellbent on revenge. How does he connect to it all? What is Edge really up to? And can the family come together to convince Smallville before it’s too late.

I think its hard to comapre Superman & Lois to the other arrowverse shows because it has a very different kind of vibe. Supergirl, The Flash and Batwoman all see their respective heroes at the very start of their journeys but here we see a Clark who has been Superman for a very long time. There was no discovery of powers or building up of strength because Clark had already done all that. Instead we saw him and Lois relocating to Smallville and starting again, dealing with teenage boys who are discovering their own powers, it was almost like a sequel show? Now I’m not saying this is a bad thing, I did like this change in perspective but at the same time it’s hard to consider this show a part of the arrowverse because of how different it is.

There were a few issues I had with the plot and continuity of Superman & Lois that weren’t massive per say, but they still nagged at me throughout. For one thing I found it hard to believe that nobody outside of Lois and Sam (Dylan Walsh) knew about Superman’s identity, not even his own sons. You’re telling me that these two boys have lived with Clark fof fifteen years and never once saw him do anything super? Maybe it’s just because on the other arrowverse shows everybody seems to know who everybody is but for absolutely no one to know, it was weird.

On top of this I didn’t get why the show kept suggesting Clark had zero time for a social life and for him to be Superman he always had to leave his family behind. On every other superhero show the characters have always had time to balance work and social life but here it seemed like Clark had to be Superman 24/7 or the world would end? It’s not even like he’s the only Kryptonian on Earth, although you wouldn’t know that from watching, I don’t think Supergirl was mentioned once which I found odd considering the two characters are related.

I really liked the character of John Henry Irons and what he brought to the series. It was interesting to have this character from another world, a world were Superman was conpletely evil. Coming to this new Earth and meeting a Superman who stood for all things good must have been conflicting, especially with that fear that Clark could turn at any moment. Irons had such a tragic backstory and I’m interested to see where his storyline goes from here, especially with the arrival of his daughter Natalie (Tayler Buck). I think one of the things I’m looking forward to most in season 2 is how Natalie and John can adapt to this conpletely different Earth, especially with the doppleganger of their Mother/Wife now married to their worst enemy.

I really liked the Morgan Edge storyline this season and thought it was a great way to launch the series and incorporate Smallville into the plot. It was obvious from the start that Edge was up to something but I did not expect that Kryptonian twist and I liked how it paired up with the John Henry storyline. Using the Smallville residents to create his own army was definitely impressive in terms of villianous plans and I liked Clark’s inner conflict at choosing between his two families. The powers working best on Smallville residents also added to the small town charm because it was people’s friends and families that were being targeted, adding a much more personal stake.

I think the one thing that annoyed me the most about Superman & Lois was all of the teen drama surrounding Jonathan and Jordan. Obviously the two were teenagers going through a lot of changes (both super and personal) but if I wanted to watch a teen drama I’d watch a teen drama (eg Sex Education, Never Have I Ever). Superman & Lous is a superhero show and part of the arrowverse and I watch it because I want to see massive battles or evil villians, not two teenagers playing football and talking about girls. Like I said before, I think that Superman & Lois is to different to other DC shows because it’s more family based but I just really wasn’t a fan of the high school drama storylines, they just didn’t interest me.

Overall I did enjoy Superman & Lois but at the same time I feel like I haven’t liked it as much as everybody else has seemed to? The show was different to the CW’s other superhero shows and I think this had its pros and cons, I liked seeing the Clark family at this later stage in their lives but I felt like the show sometimes leaned too much into family and teen drama over actual super stuff. When we got to see Clark fighting the bad guys and facing off against Morgan Edge I loved it but when we were watching yet another football game, I just wasn’t a fan. I’m still going to watch season 2 and look forward to it but at the same time this hasn’t been a major hit for me like it has been fir everyone else.

Batwoman- Season 2, A Review

Find your power.

Batwoman Season 1 Review. (Top 10 2020).

The second season of Batwoman follows Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie), a recently parolled convict who finds Kate’s suit in the wreckage of a plane crash and decides to take on the mantle herself. Having recently lost her Foster Mother Cora (Shakura S’Aida) to Alice’s (Rachel Skarsten, Reign) gang, Ryan wants justice and to put things right in the world again. Soon enough her antics attract the attention of Luke (Camrus Johnson) and Mary (Nicole Kang, You) who, after realising that Kate might not be coming back, decide to train her up as the new Batwoman.

New villians threatening Gotham this season include Safiyah (Shivani Ghai), the owner of a mysterious island with a grudge to bear with Alice, and Roman Sionis AKA Black Mask (Peter Outerbridge), who wants to eradicate Batwoman and take over. Ryan definitely has her work cut out for her, also going up against The Crows, who are beginning to stray away from their more noble roots and work only for the highest bidder. The mystery of Kate’s disappearance also remains, with Alice in particular desperate to get her sister back. Will Kate ever be found? And in the meantime does Ryan have what it takes to be the new hero of Gotham?

Obviously the biggest change to Batwoman this season was an entirely new character taking on the mantle, enter Ryan Wilder. Ryan was just such an instantly likeable character and I hate to say it but I massively prefered her to Kate and I pretty much decided that by her first episode. Despite having such a rough upbringing Ryan was such a light-hearted and sunny character (whereas Kate was all gloomy and broody), and she just connected so well to everybody around her. She was funny but still took her role as the bat seriously and was able to use her street smarts to really help people. Ryan was just instantly amazing and I think that Leslie has done such a brilliant job at taking over, I can’t wait to see where her story goes next.

I think my biggest worry going into season 2 was how Ryan would fit in with the rest of these already established characters. Obviously in the first season the majority of the main cast were all related to or deeply connected to Kate in one way or another- Alice and Mary were her sisters, Jacob (Dougray Scott) was her Father and Sophie (Meagan Tandy) was her ex- so how would Ryan fit into this world? I have to say that the writers definitely did a great job at inserting Ryan in ways that never felt forced or fake. Giving her the connections to Alice amd Sophie and the deep friendship with Mary meant she felt like part of the group almost instantly, and I just instantly clicked with her. I also thought it was interesting giving her the rivalry with Alice, meaning she was willing to kill her, something Kate would never do, massively changing the dynamic of the show.

As well as being a massively likeable character, having a black Batwoman also meant that the show got to explore a lot of important and topical issues, none of which would have worked if Kate were still the lead. Ryan has obviously has such a difficult life and the racism in Gotham really doesn’t help matters on this front, with her wrongfully taking the blame or being arrested on more than one occasion. We also got to see someone topical storylines through Luke and Agent Tavaroff (Jesse Hutch) and the Crows’ brutality. Season 2 of Batwoman really stepped it up on the impactful story telling and there were decinitely some episodes that left me feeling all kinds of different emotions, both good and bad.

One thing this second season of Batwoman did well was make me like Sophie a lot more than I had previously. I have to say that I wasn’t her biggest fan in season 1 and I didn’t like her relationship with Kate either, I know that it’s a popular ship but I just never felt the chemistry. Here though we got to see Sophie finally quit the Crows and forge her own path, it was great to see for her character. I also really liked her relationship with Ryan and definitely ship the two, it’s certianly a more intetesting dynamic than she had with Kate. I just really liked the sort of frenemies bond they formed, with the two repeatadly calling each other out when needed and eventually coming to really trust and rely on each other. I’d love to see more, romantic or platonic, in season 3.

Alice remains to be my favourite character of the series and I’ve really enjoyed following her storyline again this season. I’ve seen a few people jokingly say that Batwoman is the one show where its villian is more interesting than its hero, and honestly where’s the lie? Alice is just such a fascinating character who has been through so much truama and I really loved delving more into her backstory in season 2. Seeing her previous relationships with Ocean (Nathan Owens) and Safiya -who was a great villian as well- gave her a lot more depth and I found it interesting how she’d had the love taken away from her, it certianly explains a lot. The second half of the season also began to hing at an Alice redemption arc, something I am definitely up for. Whilst I don’t want or expect her to turn 100% hero I think it would be nice to see her fighting on the same side as Batwoman for once. We can only hope.

As well as a new Batwoman this season we also got a new Kate Kane, with Wallis Day taking over the role after Kate is disfigured and requires a new face. After Ruby Rose announced her exit from the series I was curious to see how the writers would wrap up Kate’s storyline and the first half of the season led us to believe that she was dead. I really enjoyed Day’s portrayl of Kate and thought it was clever how a Kate with a new face was introduced, meaning we got the character back even though Rose had quit the show. I thought that Day played a great Kate and felt like she slotted into the role straight away. Recently it was announced that she wouldn’t be back for the third season- something which sounds strange considering the effort taken to bring her back- so I do hope we see her again, even if it’s just for a few episodes.

Overall I really enjoyed this second season of Batwoman. Despite some big cast shake ups the season was just as good (if not even better) than the first and I’m excited to see where the show goes next. Ryan was a brilliant addition to the cast and she did a great job at filling Kate’s shoes. Having a black Batwoman also meant the show glt to explore some important new and current issues, resulting in some major moments across the season. Characters like Mary, Luke and Alice were as good as ever and I definitely grew to like Sophie a lot more as well. Batwoman is shaping up to be another arrowverse great and I can’t wait for season 3.

Legends of Tomorrow- Season 5, A Review

Time. Warped.

Legends of Tomorrow Season 4 Review.

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow follows a group of time travelling misfits- team captain Sara Lance (Caity Lotz) and her girlfriend Ava Sharpe (Jes Macallan), shapeshifter Charlie (Maisie Richardson-Sellers), resident Demonologist John Constantine (Matt Ryan), former demon turned fairy godmother Nora (Courtney Ford) and her boyfriend Ray (Brandon Routh) who is able to shrink using his atom suit, historian and meta human Nate (Nick Zano), air totem weilding siblings Zari (Tala Ashe) and Behard (Shayan Sobhian) and former criminal Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell)- as they fly through time, fixing anachronism and defeating bad guys.

Season 5 sees The Legends take on their biggest threat yet- The Fates. After teammate Charlie reveals she is actually one of three fates, the team must rush to find and build the infamous ‘Loom of Fate’ before Charlie’s two sisters- Lachesis (Sarah Strange) and Atropos (Joanna Vanderham)– can get their hands on it and use it to take away choice and chaos across human history.

I just absolutely love how weird and wacky Legends is, some arrowverse fans criticise the show for it’s goofy nature but for me personally it’s my favourite of the bunch. Every single episode just completely defies my expectations and goes above and beyond with the crazy. You never quite know what you’re going to get with Legends and I love the unexpectedness of it all.

I also love how Legends parodies different films and genres in its episodes- whilst still putting their own spin on it. In this season alone we got a mashup of several different horror films, spoofs of popular TV shows such as Friends and Star Trek, a zombie episode and even a documentary on the team- just to name a few. With its time travel and superhero aspects the sky really is the limit with this show and I love how every new episode brings something new and exciting, whilst also being able to make reference to famous popular culture. Legends really is one hell of a show.

Legends has proved once again that its characters all have such amazing chemistry with each other, whatever the combination. The thing I love about the show is that every episode introduces new character relationships that you wouldn’t think work but they just do. Zari and Constantine? Behrad and Astra? Ava and Zari? These are all combinations of relationships or friendships that I wouldn’t have even considered and yet when introduced the characters just click. Each episode sees a new combination of character working with each other, befriending each other or even falling for each other and I just love the endless possibilities of this show.

As much as I love Legends, it’s never had the best seasonal villians, especially compared to the other arrowverse shows. This season however I really loved Astra and then later The Fates as the big bads. The Fates presented a big threat to the team but they still had that comical Legends energy to them. Sarah Strange and Joanna Vanderham both gave great performances as Lachesis and Atropos respectively, Strange was a devious master manipulator and Vanderham was brilliant as the cold and ruthless killer. I always say Legends gets better with each season and this season is particular the same can be said for the villians.

Zari has definitely grown to be my favourite legend since season 3, and so I was initially wary with the whole ‘Zari 2.0’ concept. Zari 2.0 was much more upbeat and perky than were used to, taking on the role of social influencer rather than team hacker- she was more or less the original Zari’s polar oppisite. Despite the massive change in character I soon came to love this new Zari just as much as I’d loved the original. New Zari was hilarious and a suprising asset to the team- using her influencer skills to help the team out of tricky situations. She was so different on the surface but deep down she was still the same character we all know and loved- caring deeply for her friends and managing to save the day multiple times. Whilst I will miss the original Zari, I have grown to love this new iteration and love how we now have two versions of my favourite character.

On another note I really love how Legends manages to create new versions of old characters for the actors to play. First from Amaya to Charlie and now with the two Zaris, I love how instead of simply writing the actor out of the show, Legends comes up with ingenius ways to let them stick around. In terms of the two Zaris, Ashe’s acting as the two really was top notch. She portrayed both with such skill, even the way she walked and talked for each was completely different. Amazing.

The end of season 4 saw Zari’s place on the team being replaced with her now alive brother Behrad. With Zari being my favourite Legend I was wary at how at I would recieve Behrad, but I actually ending up really loving him. The character just fit so effortlessly into the team, making it easy to believe that he’d been there all along. Behrad grew on me so much over the season and so when he did die I was devestated. In only a few episodes I’d grown to love his character and so I was so glad when he was brought back, it may have been at the cost of Zari 1.0 but I think he has well and truly earned his spot on the team.

I really enjoyed Astra (Olivia Swann) as a new addition to the show and later to the team. Originally set as the season’s big bad she eventually realises she is being manipulated by Lachesis and decides to join the Legends. Astra as a character was an already an interesting one- her backstory with John is a complex one- but I think her joining the Legends really did wonders for her character. Legends certianly has a knack for reforming its villians (first Nora and now Astra) and I loved Astra’s development as she realised that she needed to let go of her mother and all of her anger to be happy. She made a great addition to the team and I really hope she sticks around for season 6.

As the show has evolved from its more serious beginnings to the wacky and weird series we know and love today, I think Nate in particular has changed with each passing season. Originally the team’s more serious history expert, Nate has become a lot goofier and more relaxed as the years have gone by. Back in season 2, Nate was never really my favourite character but I love what he has become and how he has changed with the show. Now Nate is a lot funnier (as I think most of the characters are) and a lot more secually fluid (again, as I think most of the characters are). I still wouldn’t say he was my absolute favourite character but I have really enjoyed the progression of his character since his first appearance.

It was announced prior to the season 5 premiere that team captian Sara Lance would obtain some sort of powers this season, something that many fans of the show were excited about. Whilst intriuged, I was somewhat skeptical, one of the best things about Sara has always been how well she can fight without any powers and so I didn’t know how this change in dynamic would effect the show. Sara’s powers ended up being those of clairvoyance, being able to see someone’s future after touching them. I ended up liking Sara’s powers, they were interesting and actually helped improve her fighting skills and it was also nice to see her adjust to suddenly having superpowers. At the same time, now that her powers seem to have gone I’m not too bothered, it was nice her having them for a few episode but she never needed them so I don’t think it’ll be a great loss to the show overall.

I think the one thing most fans can be in agreement with this season is how bad of a decesion Ray and Nora’s exit was- especially since niether actor even wanted to leave! The showrunners stated that both their stories had come to a natural end but I really did not agree with this. The pair had only just started their relationship and Nora was only really a recent addition to the show, and I would of loved to see more of her as a legend. Ray also was one of the original team members and so seeing him go was especially hard. I just think that since niether actor wanted to leave (and honestly the character’s reasons for leaving was a bit flimsy), there was no good reason to make them leave.

Another character we also saw leave the waverider was Mona (Ramona Young). Whilst she didn’t fully exit the show she was no longer a member of the team, staying in her normal time instead. Her leaving was a bit of a shock as we’d heard no news to signify anything, whilst shocking however I wasn’t too upset by her exit. Mona was never exactly my favourite legend and so her leaving didn’t much of an impact on the show overall. I also sort of liked having a semi-regular team member who popped up every few episodes, it meant the team had a contact back home to help out when needed and I also think her less frequent appearances lessened the annoying tendencies of her character.

This year’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover had massive repercussions across the whole of the arrowverse, effecting each show in different ways. Since the entire fifth season of Legends all take place after the crossover, there was no before and after changes like in Supergirl and Batwoman, but the show still managed to used the crisis aftermath as part of the season. Due to the multiverse combining into one earth, the three loom pieces were now all in the same universe, meaning both The Legends and The Fates had access to them. I really liked how Legends managed to incorporate the crisis into their season whilst also not making any major changes to the show’s plot- it really spoke to how clever the writing was overall.

Overall, I absolutely loved the fifth season of Legends of Tomorrow, this show really does just keep getting better and better. Every episode is more crazy than the last and just so fun to watch. With some amazing characters and some great writing, Legends has once again shown why it remains to be my favourite of the current arrowverse shows.

Batwoman, A Review

Her time is now.

First introduced in the 2018 Elseworlds crossover, the first season of Batwoman follows Kate Kane (Ruby Rose), Bruce Wayne’s cousin who returns home to Gotham after a lengthly stay away training in martial arts and combat skills. Whilst she has been away, Batman has fled Gotham and The Crows, a security firm ran by Kate’s Father Jacob (Dougray Scott) has taken over as Gotham’s protector. Gotham’s safety however is threathened by Alice (Rachel Skarsten, Reign) the leader of The Wonderland Gang, who enjoys terrorising Gotham and disturbing order.

Kate’s return to Gotham is brought on after step-sister Mary (Nicole Kang, You) informs her that ex-girlfriend Sophie (Meagan Tandy), who is the Crow’s head of security, has been kidnapped by Alice’s gang. After The Crows prove unhelpful, Kate sets out to save Sophie herself and heads to Wayne Enterprises to check cousin Bruce’s security cameras. Whilst there she meets Luke Fox (Camrus Johnson)- who looks after the company in Bruce’s absence. She also learns that her cousin was in fact Batman but he has since fled Gotham and hasn’t been seen for 3 years. Needing to save Sophie, Kate decides to take on the bat mantle herself, entrusting Luke with costume design and tech support. Now acting as Gotham’s new hero, Kate is tasked with keeping the streets of Gotham safe and defeating a villian who is closer to home than she might have thought. Can Kate step up and be the hero Gotham needs?

It was great to see a new arrowverse show, following the beginning of another hero’s jouney. Now that The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow are all on their sixth and fifth seasons it’s been a while since we saw a new hero suit up. Seeing Kate’s journey from the beginning reminded me of why I love the arrowverse because I think with the exception of Legends of Tomorrow (which keeps gets progressicely better) the earlier seasons of the shows have always been the best. There’s something great about seeing a new hero suit up with new characters and new villians that reminded me of the better, earlier seasons and I really enjoyed watching

It’s something I’ve talked about before, particularly in my Birds of Prey review, but I really enjoy Gotham as a setting. Compared to other arrowverse locations, it is a lot darker and grittier- both visually and metaphorically. Gotham just has a much more dangerous feel to it, meaning the show overall feels darker and more mature. The villians here aren’t super-powered or meta-humans, they are mostly just dangerous people, often with psychotic issues, meaning even though they’re not physically as dangerous they feel somewhat scarier. The Arkham Asylum setting seen towards the end of the season housed many recurring villians such as Hush (Gabriel Mann, Revenge) and Magpie (Rachel Matthews, Happy Death Day)– both of whom I hope we continue to see- with the Asylum setting really amplifing just how mentally disturbed and dangerous these bad guys really were.

Alice was definitely the best part of Batwoman, not only was she was my favourite character but I also think she is one of the best arrowverse villians to date. I remember being so happy when Skarsten was first cast, having loved her performance in Reign, so many people were watching Batwoman for Ruby Rose or the connection to Batman but I was watching purely for her. Her performance as Alice was nothing short of amazing, she managed to portray the unhinged villian so well and each week I was blown away by her performance. Perfection.

Alice as a character was a very interesting one. Going into the show I was aware that Alice was actually Beth, because after Skarsten was first cast I had done some googling on the character. I think revealing the twist so early was a good idea because it meant the show really got to exolore the relationship between the two characters and go more into Alice’s backstory. Alice really is a tragic character with such an interesting origin story and I just love her.

One of the things I really loved about Batwoman was her suit. In so many other superhero shows (The Flash and Supergirl in particular), the characters wear these costumes that barely or in no way cover the wearers identity. In Batwoman however, with the red wig, fully covered face and voice modulator it makes sense that Kate’s friends and family don’t immediately recognise her as Batwoman. It makes a refreshing change when superhero shows expect us to believe that characters don’t recognise each other because they’re wearing their hair differently or have the tiniest of masks on. Kate’s suit was great and it did a very realistic job if covering up her identity.

This made it all the more satisfying when Mary actually figured out Kate was Batwoman. I think aside from Cat Grant, Mary might be one of the only characters to actually work out a superhero’s identity and it just speaks to how great of a character she is. Beneath her party girl facade, she is actually a really smart and caring character, running her underground medical clinic. Mary was a brilliantly layered character who brought some comedy to the show and was easily my second favourite after Alice.

Catherine’s (Elizabeth Anweis) death half way through the season I felt was a somewhat wasted oppurtunity. Whilst Catherine was hardly the most developed character, I always felt like there was something off about her. I just got the feeling her character was hiding something and I half expected her to end up as one of the show’s big bads. I’d seen rumours floating around that she was actually Batman villian Lady Shiva and I think this would have been a brilliant twist. I think the show could have and should have done more with Catherine’s character and I wish she hadn’t have been killed off so early.

I enjoyed the Vespa Fairchild narration throughout each episode, it was different and something we haven’t seen before in the arrowverse. Fairchild’s weekly gossip updates gave context to what was going on in Gotham and how the public were reacting to Kate as Batwoman, also telling of people’s reliance on social media. The narration was snarky and comical and I thought it was a good way to introduce or close each episode. I don’t know much about the Vespa Fairchild character from the gossips so have no idea whether she is likeky to ever make a physical performance but at the moment I enjoy the almost gossip girl like voice and hope we hear more in future seasons.

This year’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover had massive repercussions across the whole of the arrowverse, effecting each show in different ways. Batwoman wasn’t effected too severely, with the only major changes seeming to be Alice’s doppelgänger and making it so kryptonite can cut through Kate’s suit. In terms of the changes I actually liked how both effected the show. Alice’s doppelgänger gave Rachel Skarsten a chance to show off her brilliant acting abilities and the kryptonite change suggested a future Batwoman/Supergirl crossover, both of which reflected well on the show overall.

Literally as I am writing this review I have just seen the news that Ruby Rose will not be returning to season 2 as Kate and I am shocked to say the least. Obviously I’m glad the show is still going ahead with its second season and not just ending all together, but Rose was just perfect as Kate and it’s hard to imagine who could replace her- I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

Overall, I loved the first season of Batwoman. The characters were all great and I loved watching a new hero’s origin story. Gotham was a darker setting with darker villians and I enjoyed the more mature tone of the show. Alice was a fantastic villian and I eagerly await season 2 for more madness and terror.