REVIEW: Batwoman, Season 2 Episode Six 'Do Not Resuscitate'

 REVIEW: Batwoman, Season 2 Episode Six 'Do Not Resuscitate'

It may seem an odd thing to say, but superheroes are at their best when they are at their weakest. It puts them on more of a level playing field with us, which means we can root for them greater, as they have to overcome great odds in order to save the day. Sure, seeing costumed vigilantes fighting crime and looking badass whilst doing it is a lot of fun, but it's nothing without that much-needed reminder that they are just as human as the rest of us.

This is something that episode six of Batwoman's second season, 'Do Not Resuscitate', understands well. Over the course of the season, Ryan Wilder/Batwoman (Javicia Leslie) has been dealing with a Kryptonite infection which has significantly weakened her body. Here, though, she really struggles with her horrific injury, even to the point of barely being able to walk. The odds are firmly stacked against her, and so we find ourselves willing her to win more than ever before. It really helps to make for a hero we can get behind, as we get to see her at her lowest, and discover that she's still very much a hero when she is in a worsened position.

We also get to see more of her romance with drug dealer Angelique Martin (Bevin Bru), who acts as a frequent aide to Ryan through her struggles with the infection. Their relationship helps to ground the character in-between her vigilantism, showing a somewhat normal life for Ryan alongside the perilous life of a superhero. It's interesting too that her love interest is not only the kind of person that Batwoman might fight, being a drug dealer, but also that she's the woman who dealt the drugs that Ryan was wrongly charged for, as it offers a great sense of irony to proceedings. They say that you can't help who you fall for, and Ryan is an extreme example of that very concept. Adding a further dimension to her relationship is Sophie's (Meagan Tandy) coercing of Ryan into gathering intel on the drug operation that Angelique is deeply involved in, in order to track down Ocean (Nathan Owens) and find information on Kate's whereabouts. It tests their relationship considerably, which puts character loyalties firmly on the line, as Ryan is forced to bug Angelique's phone, and the fact that it goes wrong and Angelique discovers that she is being spied on sets up what should be a truly engrossing new dynamic for the pair in weeks to come. You can't help but feel sorry for Ryan. She gets someone special in her life, and then it all falls to pieces because of Kate, the woman who she has spent the past five episodes following within the footsteps of. You can't help but feel Alice (Rachel Skarsten) is one step ahead of everyone else in her quest to find her sister. After all, she's already found Ocean, who she has been tasked to kill by Safiyah (Shivaani Ghai). This is where the similarities to the broader Arrowverse really start to show. Just like Oliver Queen, we discover past memories of Alice's which all took place on a mysterious island, presented via flashbacks, and revolve around a man (Ocean) teaching her how to fight. You could also draw comparisons between Ocean and Shado, seeing as both are old flames for the characters in question. It's probably the weakest aspect of the episode (although Rachel Skarsten is fantastic as ever in the role of Alice), simply because of its lack of originality. We've seen this so many times before already within the Arrowverse.

Elsewhere in the narrative, Jacob (Dougray Scott) and Mary (Nicole Kang) are kidnapped by human medical experiment Aaron Hellzinger (RJ Fetherstonhaugh), who wants the Desert Rose serum, which Mary previously created in her unlicensed medical clinic in the first season. From the car crash to the way the scenes are staged with Aaron holding the pair hostage in Mary's clinic, these scenes are spectacular. Aaron genuinely feels deranged in his desire to obtain the serum, and everything from the lighting to the cinematography creates an involving sense of entrapment. It's so well done, and the show should be proud of the way these parts are executed. Poor Jacob though, finding out that another of his daughters has been holding secrets from him. His reaction to Mary running her illegal clinic is as understandable as Mary's protests that she's doing good, as her relative lack of experience does mean that despite all of the hard work and effort she has put into the place, she is still putting others' lives on the line. The parallels to her mother's own medical experiments on human beings as a result feel deserved, as it does in hindsight feel like a very similar principle. You can't really blame Jacob for wanting to shut her operation down. Overall, 'Do Not Resuscitate' is a brilliant instalment in Batwoman's second season. It offers us a great chance to see Ryan Wilder at her most vulnerable, whilst also delivering some extremely well made sequences involving the kidnapping of Jacob and Mary. It's just a shame that this week's scenes involving Beth feel like a rehash of past works within the Arrowverse, as it suggests a lack of originality at play. Hopefully Rachel Skarsten gets some better material next week, as she deserves something to really sink her teeth into.

What are your thoughts on episode six of Batwoman's second season? Let me know in the comments.