You have seen Batwoman at her worst, but have you seen her at her best? This season of Batwoman keeps getting better and better every week. This week’s episode “Freeze” is what every Mr. Freeze story is at its heart, all about Nora. The show is honoring the 80-year history of Batman while adding its spin. A new Bat for a new generation of Batfans!
Batwoman is back this week and still on the hunt for the missing trophies from season 2. This week’s ghost of Batman’s past is Mr. Freeze. The show does a magnificent job at staying faithful to what made Mr. Freeze compelling, his love for his ill wife, Nora. The twist is that Nora has been out of her cryogenic sleep sometime and is aging at a rapid pace. While it’s is not hard to do, the show easily tops what we have seen with the character from 1997’s Batman & Robin and FOX’s Gotham, and Mr. Freeze does not even appear in the episode. Bravo to the writers for honoring the late Peter MacGregor-Scott, who produced Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, and the OnStar Batman commercials.
At its core, this episode is a search and rescue mission for Batwoman and Nora. Some Gotham thugs have gotten their hands on Mr. Freeze’s frozen cocktail and need Nora and her caretaker sister to show them how it works. Here Batwoman goes on an all-out action spectacle. From breaking and entering the GCPD to some fine fight choreography and awesome grapnel action. Another massive step forward for the show. If you want vintage Bat-action inside Ace Chemicals you are in the right place. Batwoman is tying up thugs and dangling them like sausages at your local pork store, and it’s a joy to watch.
This episode does a great job at giving Nora some depth; we never get much out of her as he is just floating in her pod waiting for a cure. To get anything new out of the character, you have to read Peter J. Tomasi’s recent run-in Detective Comics (#1012– #1016). No longer wanting to be saved, no fear left in her, all Nora wants is to experience the life she has left.
There is still the underlying subplot of Ryan’s extended family. In this episode, we learn just how cruel Ryan’s birth mother Jada is and how she is not beloved by the children she did not kick to the curb. The addition of Ryan’s brother doesn’t do much for the show other than creating even more unnecessary tension between Ryan and Jada. This relationship feels more forced than Mary and Luke’s. Speaking of Mary, the sister/sister relationship between Mary and Alice has piqued my interest, so there might be hope for Ryan, Jada, and Marquis. My only other gripe with this episode is that Sophie could not have picked a more inconsiderate time to tell Ryan that she is butthurt about who Ryan chose as her confidant.
Batwoman has finally found its stride. Team Batwoman and Alice are an entertaining dysfunctional family and much more compelling than what we are getting with Ryan’s actual blood relatives. The villain(s) of the week method keeps each episode fresh and engaging while not throwing shame on the history before it. Whether you watch it on Wednesday nights or the next day on The CW app, Batwoman is well worth your time this season.
GRADE: C+
