January 2023

October 6, 2019, Fox premiered its highly anticipated new American sci-fi drama television series Batwoman at 9:00 p.m. starring Ruby Rose, who is the first LGBTQ lead to star in a self-titled/solo TV series. Batwoman is empowering, dark, sad, and a character-driven drama with good action that keeps the viewer engaged. It is so much fun to watch.

The story begins three years after billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne and his iconic vigilante alter-ego Batman mysteriously disappeared from Gotham City. His absence left the city divided and in despair. Some citizens hope he’ll be back, but others believe he’s dead. In response to the crime of Gotham City, Jacob Kane (Dougray Scott) creates the military-grade Crow Security, a private firm that protects the city. On the night Mayor Michael Akins holds an event to permanently turn off the iconic Bat-Signal and announces that the Crow Security will help to keep Gotham City safe, the event is crashed by the Alice Wonderland gang led by Alice (Rachel Skarsten) who kill the police officers that were going to shut down the Bat-Signal and kidnaps Crows agent Sophie Moore (Meagan Tandy).

For the past 15 years, Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) has been living around the world training with some of the best combat and defense specialists in order to join her father’s company, Crow Security, but her training is cut short when she receives the news of the kidnapping of her ex-girlfriend, Sophie Moore, from her stepsister, Mary Hamilton. There is a flashback scene of the old lovers kissing. The two lesbian lovers attended Point Rock Academy, a military school, and quickly fell in love. Unfortunately, when the academy finds out about their relationship, each of them is given an option: sign an affidavit denying any past, present, or future homosexual activity, or expulsion. Kate chooses expulsion. Sophie Moore doesn’t, which devastates Kate.

Upon returning to Gotham City, Kate Kane reunites with her father, Jacob Kane. After a visit to Wayne Enterprises and an encounter with Luke Fox (Camrus Johnson), the son of Wayne Enterprises' tech guru Lucius Fox, Kate heads out to find Sophie after doing detective work and has a brief encounter with members of the Wonderland Gang at the Burnside Orphanage. In that scene, Alice has "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Bat" written on the wall behind her chair. It's the name of a poem recited by Mad Hatter in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Kate informs Jacob Kane that the Wonderland Gang’s vendetta is him. Now, the two share a common enemy: Alice.

 Returning to Wayne Enterprises, Kate discovers the Batcave. There she learns her cousin, Bruce Wayne, is Batman. Kate has a flashback on the day she lost her mother and sister in a car crash. Batman tried to save the car, but quickly dashed away to apprehend the villain. His oversight resulted in the death of Kate’s mother, and the believed death of her sister, Beth Kane. Kate believed Batman betrayed her. She spent her whole life hating him while growing up with her beloved cousin, Bruce. Kate learns that her cousin was the hero she grew to hate, but for all the wrong reasons. When she sees the newspaper clippings about her family’s death still up in the Batcave, Luke Fox explains to her that Batman failed to account for structural issues with the car, and that he never forgave himself. Borrowing some gadgets and revamping the bat costume, Kate becomes Batwoman.

At the Gotham City Movie in the Park event, Jacob Kane gets a call from Alice stating that she has Sophie standing on a balanced plank at a nearby construction site and has planted a bomb in the Crows van. He can either give up the movie or give up Sophie. Batwoman shows up from the shadows of the night where she subdues the Wonderland Gang members and fights Alice. After Alice shoots a water-filled barrel to make Sophie fall, Batwoman rescues her. This is the first time she’s face-to-face with her ex-girlfriend since they were at Point Rock Academy. Batwoman then heads back up to find that Alice got away leaving her knife behind. When a young girl sees Batwoman soaring in the sky she says to her mom, “Mommy! Look, it’s Batman!”  

The next morning, Vesper Fairchild reports on "Batman's Return" and the citizens of Gotham City expresses their excitement. Kate Kane meets Sophie Moore's fiancé, Tyler. The introduction leaves Kate sad as she walks away. While in the Batcave, Kate Kane decides to continue the legacy of her missing cousin, Bruce Wayne, with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind as the new dark knight vigilante. She spends fifteen years searching for a place she fits. She finally found that place in Gotham City. Kate soon figures out that Alice is her presumed dead sister, Beth Kane, whose body Batman was unable to find. At her lair, Alice states to a picture of her younger self and Kate that they will rule Gotham City.

The hype is real, and Batwoman is easily one of the best sci-fi series on FOX. I cannot wait to see more of the show!

Gianni Shamari was born and raised in Harlem, New York. Gianni graduated from City College in 2009, received a Bachelors of Arts degree in English and Science with a minor in Creative Writing. Gianni always had a passion for writing since Elementary School. He had many composition books filled with stories about his favorite superheroes and video games. Gianni enjoys expressing freely on paper and sharing his ideas with the world. Writing is just a big part of Gianni's life. He made his publishing debut with the epic tale, "Another Best Erotic Night Of My Life" in the 2016 The Very Best of Bare Back Magazine anthology. Check out his novellas Monica Hershel: Predator on Top and His Highness, the Philogynist. His latest book Mare & Monica: The Best of Both Worlds was released in May 2019.