Tonight fans were treated to a debut performance of the Batwoman pilot at SDCC! The preview was among several others like Pennyworth and the Prodigal Son. Batwoman certainly felt like it was the most anticipated of the lot! Tons of cheers rung out when the Batwoman logo appeared on the screen! There were claps and cheers when it ended. Most of the ballroom walked out after the show certainly showing that Batwoman had the most draw for the crowd. Lucky for us, this wasn't our first viewing of the pilot (we got to see it a couple of months ago). Here's what stood out to us ... in a spoiler-free way. BE WARNED, while we will do all we can to not give away plot points, there are things here that can be considered spoilers if you want to know NOTHING about the show before watching it:
- Pacing: The pilot takes place before the events in Elseworlds. It also is cut together with several flash backs. Some of which go very far back and others to only a few years ago. With the events being told in a well edited way, we are given a story that introduces characters, their history, and their current relationships through a large amount of time. This allows us to know the characters and their relationships through more time than just meeting them at the beginning.
- One episode isn't enough: So what was rewarding to us, at least in our eyes, was that the pilot doesn't catch us up to current day. There is still a lot of story between the pilot and post-Elseworlds to be told. (Don't expect to see the Red Batwoman suit just yet).
- The Fight Scenes are Brutal: There are some clear cut choices to film the fight scenes in a very brutal real way. For example, when Kate knocks someone out they don't just disappear, their body remains and you see it in the landscape of the continuing fight.
- The Relationships are Complex: In a Batman-missing Gotham, the city feels empty with only a few socialites left to try and fix the city. Kate's relationships with everyone are very complex. It feels like every relationship has a surface level, a deep history, and a surprise element.
- Some of the Burning Questions: There is a Batman/Bruce Wayne element. So far, there wasn't any mention of Kate's religion. Other Gotham villains were mentioned. Camrus Johnson is hilarious! Dougray Scott gives a lovable yet tortured soul performance. Nicole Kang's character is more than meets the eye. Meagan Tandy brought a quiet confidence to her performance, Rachel Skarsten is like The Joker but with motive to her chaos and finally Ruby Rose's Kate Kane was also a tortured soul but she's got a ton of fight in her and a new level of forgiveness ... for some!
Here are a few awesome things we were able to grab from preview night:
If you've been to SDCC and happened to see the pilot, shoot us a message and let us know what you thought. Share your thoughts on this spoiler-free review in the comments below and in our forum!
Comments
And regarding Kate's past and flashbacks: Perhaps they will build in flashbacks in more episodes, just like in Arrow, but perhaps not a complete parallel storylines over whole seasons.