Season 2, episode 1: "Whatever happened to Kate Kane?"

So, it was FINALLY time for new episodes after a long wait since May!
I was hyped as hell for this first episode and had big expectations.
Last week I re-watched episodes 1-19 from season 1. (Have seen every episode at least 4 times by now ;-) )
Today I watched episode 20, just right before I watched the NEW episode...
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SPOILERS ahead, watch the episode first!
SPOILERS ahead, watch the episode first!
SPOILERS ahead, watch the episode first!

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My highlights from this episode (without particular order):

1 –  Finally new episodes! That alone is worth to be highlighted here ;-)

2 – Ryan's introduction! I think Ryan was introduced very well, showing her background, her struggles, and her tragic background. I especially liked the scene where Mary reads about Ryan as Ryan reads about Kate. This shows perfectly how different they are in many ways. Ryan isn't a billionaire, her situation is completely different from Kate's. But both have a very troubled past, that they have in common. And as the season progress, I think Ryan will get a similar sense as Kate has that she can make a difference by becoming the hero of Gotham.

3 – A verrrry emotional episode! Not really a surprise as we knew that the episode would deal with Kate's disappearance, even right now most characters have only little hope that she is still alive (I am 100% she is still alive). All have to deal with a terrible tragedy in their own ways, as they more and more think it is one right now.

4 – Alice's idea for Batwoman's/Kate's end! Respect! That was one hell of an evil plan to get her sister killed by her dad! I imagine that scene. That would be the greatest shock for Jacob, finding out that Kate is Batwoman and that he just killed his own daughter! That would devastate him totally. A great way for Alice to get her revenge on both. But it was a great pleasure for Alice making Jacob finallllllly realizing that Kate is Batwoman! A sad and bitter moment for Jacob which will last a long time I think.

5 - the Supergirl references! It was fun to have so many references to Supergirl in the show. The Kryptonite and Kate visiting Kara to ask for her permission to get rid of it. Plus Ryan coming in contact with the Kryptonite. More on that later.

6 - New enemies/perspectives for Alice! With Kate gone (for now) Alice was seriously frustrated, to say at least. But her connection to Safiyah and Ryan will give her new perspectives. Hopefully, she won't find out soon that Ryan is the new Batwoman. I guess she won't remember Ryan at all. But they will meet soon enough in episode 2.
 

Now, some things I didn't like about the episode:

- I don't understand why there is only ONE super suit in the first place. Doesn't Batman and later Batwoman have some in storage? I find that odd.
I can accept that Ryan fits in Kate's suit even she is taller/stronger. But why does Tommy thinks he can fit in Batwoman's suit? It was ok for me that Luke managed to fit Batman's suit to Batwoman in season 1, as he had to make it shorter/tighter. But how do you fit a rather small women's suit to big Tommy Elliot? I think it would have been better if Elliot would try to get one of Batman's old suits (that should have been there).
- I found it a little strange how well Tommy handled the Batmobile on his first drive. Especially with mastering the weapon's system. But ok, not a big issue.
- The way Tommy tried to kill the new Batwoman was quite weird for me. Did he just place the rock in the barrel of the shotgun? And I don't like everyone's obsession with having a bullet that can pierce the suit. Yes, it's a good thing to have...but Batwoman's lower face isn't protected for example. And there are dozens of other ways someone could kill Batwoman without needing a gun, and many aren't that difficult to achieve. But enough of that, I had that issue already in the first season.

Now back to more aspects I LIKED about the episode:

I think the plane crash was a good idea for Kate Kane's "ending" (for now). I read rumors that she would be likely killed in an earthquake as she was rescuing people, but that rumor wasn't true. The plane crash actually leaves a lot of possibilities of how Kate has survived that. Was she really on board? Faked her own death for now? She knew about the plane being shot down/bombed and perhaps had a parachute. Many more options.
Tommy's impersonating Bruce didn't last long, which I think is a good thing. Would be very hard to fool all these folks for much longer. I liked how Julia found out about it as she cleverly builds up a "trap" for the false Bruce. Good job!
Bruce sleeping with 2 hot women fits very well to his playboy image. Even that had a bitter ending for possibly both chicks.....
There were rumors that Scarecrow actually killed Ryan's mother. More rumors that were wrong. It's good that the new Batwoman has although a strong motivation to hunt down Alice!
The Batwoman scenes were mostly good. The fight against Tommy was good as a really angry Batwoman punched the crap out of Tommy.
The first meeting where Ryan meets Mary and Luke was well made. She presented her motivation to wear the suit and they were shocked that someone else was wearing the suit in the first place.
Sophie reading Kate's letter was a strong scene! Damn, that must be a huge shock for Sophie, also she might have had a feeling that Kate is Batwoman....even she was convinced otherwise from the false Batwoman, played by Julia. Will be interesting to see how she will handle all that.
Also, it was an emotional scene as Jacob put on the Bat-signal! The same signal he hated for that long. But seeing his desperation to call his own daughter by that was tough....
The final scene of the episode is puzzling! How will the Kryptonite affect Ryan? I don't have ANY clue right now....but I am thrilled to find out about it!


In total:
3,5 out of 5 – First episodes are always tough, especially with that BIG change!
It was a good start to the season. Some odd aspects, but a lot of strong scenes!