In Review: Batwoman “An Un-Birthday Present” Season 1 episode 11

The Story

The eleventh episode of Batwoman’s first season on CW was very short on any actual Batwoman action but very high on character development as this episode’s greatest strength was developing Alice’s (Rachel Skarsten) backstory via the use of flashbacks to Alice/Beth’s time in captivity as an abducted child as played by the very talented Ava Sleeth.

The story also focused on the vengeful and evil antics of the outraged Mouse (Sam Littlefield), Alice’s adopted little brother, as he kidnaps the sons of Gotham’s mayor and police commissioner, in order to secure the release of his evil step-sister being held by Kate Kane’s (Ruby Rose) former lover Sophie (Meagan Tandy).

But perhaps most important of all, the main focus of the episode was Kate getting the ultimate birthday wish from a fully integrated universe, thanks to the aftermath of the recent Arrowverse crossover, Crisis on Infinite Earths, in the form of an alternate Earth and non-homicidal maniac twin sister, Beth Kane.

And while Kate initially attacks the reconstituted Beth thinking her to be the escaped Alice, it is revealed that not only is this version of Kate’s twin sister the real Beth Kane, transported from an alternate Earth; Kate finds out that on Beth’s Earth, Kate actually saved her before the car she was in with her mother plunged off of the bridge into the Gotham River, killing only Kate’s Mom.

And in trying to repay the favor as any loving twin sister would do, Beth insists on saving Kate, who at this point has been captured by Mouse and his murderous gang, by pretending to be the Evil Alice. And in true hero fashion, a non-bat suited Kate manages to save the day and successfully rescue her twin sister from a burning car, making up for her inability to save her sister all those many years ago.

And alas, the episode finally gives us a brief glimpse of Batwoman, as Gotham’s residents march on police headquarters, demanding that they use the Bat-Signal to call upon their new favorite lesbian hero, despite the obvious GLBTQ discrimination inherent in Gotham’s high ranking officials

The Acting

While the series regulars put on a great show, this week’s acting nod must go to the young Beth, Ava Sleeth, for her compelling and emotional portrayal of the young Beth’s maddening journey down into the rabbit hole of her captor’s madness. Through this young actress talented portrayal of a tormented and lost young Beth, we begin to see the many horrors Beth was subjected to as a child, which ultimately lead her to become the twisted Alice now plaguing Gotham’s citizens and our heroic Batwoman.

Overall

Overall the episode was entertaining and informing from a character development perspective, but it lacked the Bat-Action that most fans specifically tune in to see.