In Review: Batwoman season 1 episode 4 “Who Are You?”

The Story:

The fourth episode in the CW’s first season of Batwoman entitled, “Who Are You?” was one of the best episodes to date, in which we see Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) try to come to terms with the high price that being Batwoman will continue to have on her personal life.

While Kate Kane has seemingly found a new love in the beautiful Reagan (Brianne Howey), her double life as Batwoman forces Kate to choose between always having to slip away and lie to Reagan and ultimately letting her know that now is not a good time for her to share her personal life with someone in a meaningful way.

Interestingly, Luke Fox (Camrun Johnson) shares some personal insight into Bruce Wayne’s life as he shares the fact that Kate’s missing super hero cousin likewise struggled with the conflict between having a personal life and Batman’s professional life.

The episode also introduced a new villain into the series as Batwoman must stop Magpie (Rachel Mathews) from stealing Gotham’s most valuable jewels, along with Martha Wayne’s iconic pearl necklace, which also serves as the gatekeeping fixture to Batwoman’s Bat-lair.

Batwoman’s first encounter with Magpie also sees our heroine’s first Bat-malfunction of a bat-a-rang, which causes additional damage in the battle with Magpie, which also causes a public backlash as Vesper Fairchild (Rachel Maddow) calls out Batwoman’s first misstep when facing Magpie.

Alice (Rachel Skarsten) likewise attempts to blackmail Catherine (Elizabeth Anweis) into giving her secret technology, or else she will tell Col. Kane (Dougray Scott) a secret she has kept from Kate’s father for years.

The episode ends with Luke introducing Gotham to Batwoman’s very own Bat-Signal, along with Kate deciding to buy up many of Gotham’s older and beat up buildings in order to become a real estate developer with a heart, so that she can fix them up and rent them out to Gotham resident’s in good condition and at fair prices.

The Acting:

Of particular note in this episode was the down to Earth and compelling feelings of new love and love lost that both Reagan and Kate must deal with as Kate chooses between finding potential love with Regan and being Batwoman for the greater good of Gotham City.

Both Ruby Rose and Brianne Howey’s emotions seemed to come through as honest, conflicted and raw as Kate chooses to fight for Gotham over fighting for love.

Likewise,  Elizabeth Anweis dealt superbly with Catherine’s betrayal of her husband’s long lost daughter, as she admits to her deception through the pain and tears of an old and dark secret coming back to haunt her.

Overall:

“Who Are You?” was entertaining, with a good amount of Bat-Action, and a great deal of personal growth for many of the series characters, amounting to a fun, action packed and enjoyable fourth episode!