Batwoman season 2: The 5 biggest moments from “Prior Criminal History”

Batwoman season 2 kicked off with an unexpected plane crash, a missing Kate Kane, and a trial run in the Batsuit for Ryan Wilder — and the pacing hasn’t slowed as the series continues into its second episode. This week’s “Prior Criminal History” sees Ryan finally taking up Kate’s mantle (temporarily, for now), while Alice becomes more dangerous in her grief.

As the Crows search for Kate and the people of Gotham demand their hero, there’s also another looming threat to contend with: Safiyah Sohail, who claimed responsibility for Kate’s disappearance, even if it’s not common knowledge just yet.

Although this week’s episode did have a few lulls here and there (do we really need the relationship drama between Sophie and Julia?), there were plenty of exciting moments to ruminate on as “Prior Criminal History” came to a close.

So, let’s dive into the biggest and best moments from this week’s episode.

Attempts to find Kate

Now that Jacob and Sophie know that Kate was Batwoman, the two are doing everything they can to find out what happened to her — including interrogating the people she was close to, like Luke and Mary.

While nothing has been uncovered just yet, this develop does promise that Kate’s character won’t just be dropped and presumed dead in light of Ruby Rose’s departure. However, it also raises questions about how the show plans to handle this storyline going forward — especially without recasting the role at some point.

Unleash the bats

Fans may have been tempted to wonder why, exactly, Alice called upon a bunch of bats to feed on Mouse’s body at the beginning of “Prior Criminal History.” (You know, aside from the fact that she’s Alice and the whole thing was very, very dramatic.)

As the events of “Prior Criminal History” unfolded, however, it became clear that Alice had a plan for those now-poisoned bats: to inject the Desert Rose she gave Mouse into the crowd congregating in support of her sister. Talk about diabolical.

Fortunately, because Alice gives Mary the antidote, the whole incident doesn’t result in too much damage. Still, this scene was equal parts disturbing and entertaining to watch unfold — definitely one of Alice’s more interesting schemes.

Alice visits Mary

Although Mary hates Alice for everything she’s done, there’s no denying the two have an onscreen chemistry that’s absolutely amazing to watch. And Alice’s visit to Mary during the latter half of the episode promises that the interesting dynamic between these two characters will continue into the second season.

Although there wasn’t much in the way of action or plot development during this scene, it stood out as one of the episode’s most compelling — if only because Rachel Skarsten and Nicole Kang absolutely nail their characters’ unwanted connection with one another. (We’d like another helping, please.)

Tatiana shows up

Batwoman has been hinting at the arrival of Safiyah Sohail since its first season, and the promo suggests we’ll finally get to meet this DC Comics character during next week’s episode. At the end of “Prior Criminal History,” just as Sophie is about to arrest Alice at long last, Tatiana — one of Safiyah’s assassins — steps in and knocks both of them unconscious. She makes to take Alice to Safiyah, and from the teaser for next week, it looks like Sophie is also going along for the ride.

This is a big step forward for Batwoman’s plot and new villain, and it promises more badass women during the show’s second season.

Ryan becomes Batwoman

After Ryan’s second run in the Batsuit, she and Mary finally convince Luke to let Ryan become the new Batwoman — at least, until Kate Kane returns, which fans can assume won’t happen. Even with Luke’s insistence that the original Bat is returning, however, this is a big win for the episode and leaves fans — and the people of Gotham City — with hope heading into the rest of season two.

It’s also a huge moment for Ryan’s character for so many reasons. Not only does she finally get to create a legacy for herself and do some good for her city, but Ryan shows growth through her agreement to stick to Kate’s legacy of not killing (even if that may be a hard principle for her to stick to when it comes to Alice).

Special mention: Having Ryan discover Kate’s journal and begin writing to Kate, much in the same way Kate wrote to Bruce, was a smart decision — and one that continues the show’s first season legacy, even while treading new water.

What did you think of this week’s episode of Batwoman? What were some of your favorite moments? Sound off in the comments below.