Author: anthonycanton905

‘Superman and Lois’: Checking In With The Kent Boys

On Superman & Lois, a lot of time is spent on Clark Kent juggling being a hero and learning to become a better father. While all of this is happening, Lois Lane is trying to expose Morgan Edge. While all of that is fascinating in its own right, the Kent children tell quite the story of their own. Jonathan and Jordan Kent couldn’t be more different from each other, which adds quite a bit of tension throughout its run.

Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) is levelheaded, comfortable in his skin, and incredibly confident. In the first three episodes, he stands out as the moral center of the show. Sure, we see him teasing his brother, but what teenager wouldn’t? What we learn about him while watching this show is that Jonathan is also incredibly empathetic and reasonable. He sees things in his brother that their father is missing.

When Jordan (Alex Garfin) joins the football team without Clark knowing, Jonathan tells his brother that their father will be upset, as he tries not to beat him over the head with it. Later, when Clark finds out and scolds Jordan, Jonathan is the one that comes to his defense. He ensures to their father that Jordan can control his abilities. Jonathan should have every reason not to be as understanding as he is. He got upended to a small town and suddenly finds out his father is Superman. We haven’t even tackled the fact that his brother has powers while he doesn’t.

Now the one thing Jonathan excels at is football, but now his brother is upstaging him. With all of that happening, he still tries his best to be a good brother. One wonders if that will continue or how that will evolve, as Jordan is the one that needs the most care. He’s emotionally unstable at times, which is a dangerous combination when one possesses abilities as he does. This fact, of course, concerns his parents.

When Clark takes Jordan to the Fortress of Solitude, Jor-El’s hologram tells Clark that Jordan will never be like him. This revelation leaves his son angry and bitter, which ends up blaming it all on his father. We will look at this as an angst-ridden teenager in any other show, but this is a young man with insane expectations. Imagine being the son of Superman and hearing your grandfather say how you’ll never live up to your father. That’s pretty rough.

On top of all of that, Jordan also has feelings for Lana’s daughter, Sarah Cushing. (Inde Navarette) In the pilot, he kisses her. It leads to a fight with her then-boyfriend, which becomes the catalyst to activate his heat vision. Jordan then spends the next episode not being allowed to go to school. It’s hard to imagine anyone dealing with this well at all. In episode three, both the boys find out that Clark has been eavesdropping on their conversations for a long time. This invasion of privacy is a privilege Superman has through his abilities, but it creates tension with his sons.

Eventually, there’s growth from Jordan once he joins the football team. He’s able to control his new-found strength to some degree. The best part is, he even gets to make some friends. Maybe there’ll be a little bit less angst in the upcoming episodes. Even Clark learns something from prior experience with his Dad that gives him the motivation to let Jordan play. This television show is primarily about Superman, but they confirm his two sons are not just cannon fodder. They’re teaching Clark valuable lessons and growing as young men themselves. Their character development is just as important as the man of steel.

March 14, 2021
‘WandaVision’: Mission Accomplished

Marvel Studios’ first foray into television with WandaVision had very high expectations. You can make the argument that the show exceeded those expectations during the first eight episodes. We hadn’t gotten any content from the MCU due to the pandemic so we have literally been hanging on every scene and moment in this show. Heading into the finale we all had a bunch of questions. Some were answered, and some weren’t, but the show accomplished its most important goal: Wanda Maximoff became the Scarlet Witch, and she’s not to be trifled with.

As with anything these days, we overanalyze down to the minute details. All the devil references, the appearance of Evan Peters, and a mention of an aerospace engineer gave us something to think about every week. We obsessed over glances, lines, and so much more. While we did all of that there was something missing in that analysis. It was the entertainment that we were getting. WandaVision was operating at an extremely high level in giving us storytelling that MCU/comic book critics longed for. They made characters that aren’t as well known to the casual fan matter in a way that had to be rewarding for the people involved. For the diehards it was a chance to see Wanda as we’ve always wanted to see her; one of the most powerful beings in comic book lore.

The finale of the show wasn’t perfect, nor did it need to be. It’s not HaywardVision, MonicaVision, DarcyVision, or JimmyVision. It’s WandaVision. In professional wrestling terms, this show was designed to “put Wanda over.” They succeeded in that with her gaining a definitive victory over Agatha Harkness. Maybe there should’ve been a Dr. Strange cameo. Perhaps the Visions could’ve fought more physically instead of talking about the ship of Theseus. Would you have liked to see Jimmy Woo not escape so easily? Did you want Ralph to be more than what he was? Sure, all of those things could’ve happened. Then what? There would be a complaint about Darcy getting very little screen time or White Vision fleeing the coup so quickly. You can always find something wrong if you really look.

Seeing Wanda as The Scarlet Witch is a moment in MCU history we’re never going to forget. After not understanding what was happening in the first three episodes, the show then took us on an incredible emotional journey. Even if it was for a short time, we got to see Wanda and Vision as a family and that was cool. Billy and Tommy may be gone now but based on the post credits scene we probably haven’t seen the last of them. We got to sit with Wanda and her grief, and all of the complications that come with that. Did you want Wanda to pay for her actions in some type of way like getting arrested? A reality-bending witch? Right. She’s paying for her actions having to live with loss, hurt, and ultimately being alone once more.

You can say that a character like Monica Rambeau got shafted in the finale with a brief appearance. We can also say that Teyonah Parris became a star here, and Monica got the introduction she deserved. She was already a hero before she got thrown through the Hex a few times. Her story is just beginning. The courageous moments she was given in this show are a perfect springboard for her in the future. The chemistry between Monica, Darcy, and Jimmy Woo made the middle episodes so delightful. There can always be more payoff, and there can always be more story for these characters to be apart of down the line.

We also cannot talk about the critiques of this show without discussing the Quicksliver stuff. Kevin Feige said we were years off from getting X-Men related content. This is the first piece of material from Phase Four in the MCU. That’s on you if you expected anything along those lines. No Mephisto or Nightmare? Maybe we’ll see something in Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness.

Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany deserve their flowers, and the writers and creators too. Imagine what stuff they wanted to put in that they couldn’t, or didn’t have time for? It’s not something we ever consider. Not everyone may have preferred how the show concluded, but this is what they gave us. When it comes to WandaVision ultimately they may have not accomplished your mission, but they accomplished theirs.

March 7, 2021
‘WandaVision’ Episode 8 Recap: This Is Your Life

The story of WandaVision when it’s all said and done is about the tragedy of Wanda Maximoff. She lost her parents, her brother, and the one person, and yes Vision counts as one, who connected with her. If you add up all of those things with her powers, you get what we saw in the eighth episodes. It was a “This is your life” moment forcing her to revisit the worst moments of her memories. Let’s talk about it!

Agatha Harkness is that Witch!

We go back to the late 1600s and see Agatha about to be destroyed at the stake by her coven. Apparently, she’s been practicing too much dark magic. The witches blast her with their magic, which at first makes it seem like Agatha’s in huge trouble. Instead, it seems as if she has learned how to absorb the power and she does, killing all of the witches.

Wanda Reliving it All

We get a little insight there that Agatha’s goal might be to harness Wanda’s powers for herself. She reads Wanda for creating a reality so powerful that she’s basically on autopilot throughout. Wanda remains confused about this. For Agatha to find out the truth, she decides that Wanda must relive the most traumatic moments of her life.

The first trip down memory lane is to Wanda’s childhood in Sokovia. We see her parents and Pietro, as there’s a war going on outside. Her father brings in DVDs of old sitcoms, which clearly inspired the reality she’s created in Westview. Clearly, this family bonded through this which makes the explosion that comes next a definitive moment in Wanda’s life. As her parents are killed, we’re taken back to the explanation in Avengers: Age of Ultron that Wanda and Pietro waited two days for a Stark drone to detonate. It never did, as we find out that Wanda was always a witch and the Mind Stone just amplified her powers. Speaking of the Mind Stone, our next pitstop is a revisit with HYDRA.

We revisit when Wanda volunteered for the HYDRA experiments with Loki’s scepter. No one prior had survived the experiments, which is funny to say. Didn’t Pietro survive too? So what did that mean for him? Once Wanda gets close to the scepter, the Mind Stone reveals itself. It shows a vision to Wanda and not the scientists, as she’s engulfed in its energy. As she looks into the light. In it, there’s Wanda in her Scarlet Witch costume. Is this her future? We don’t know yet but Agatha needs more answers.

The next thing we see is Wanda at the Avengers compound. She’s watching Malcolm in the Middle, still grieving the loss of Pietro. Vision phases through the wall in a nice call back to Captain America: Civil War. Wanda then unloads her sadness and grief onto Vision. He acknowledges that he’s never experienced the type of loss that Wanda has as he’s always been alone. He then says the seminal line of the series.

But what is grief, if not love persevering?

The bond between him and Wanda is formed there and there’s the context for everything to come after. Paul Bettany again delivers in spades in this scene. Agatha still doesn’t have her answers yet so we need one more look back.

We take one more trip to S.W.O.R.D. after the events of Avengers: Endgame and Wanda want to bury Vision’s body. There’s a lot of “I need to see your manager” energy here before she meets with Director Hayward. You can feel her desperation to see Vision. Hayward acquiesces and we see the same scene from the fifth episode, as Vision is being taken apart by the scientists. He states to Wanda that he can’t allow her to walk out with three billion dollars worth of vibranium. Wanda horrified by this zooms down to get a look for herself, which Hayward strangely allows. She can’t feel Vision anymore as their connection is gone. This is a call back to Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame with Wanda and Vision stating their connection. Overcome with grief, Wanda leaves the facility.

We see Wanda driving into Westview, and we get a look at a lot of the characters from the previous episodes in their normal setting. Wanda pulls up to a vacant property. She opens up an envelope and reveals a property deed. It reads: “To grow old in,” with a signed V. Reading this, Wanda’s emotions overcome her and her powers manifest completely. The house is created, Westview, as we know it now, is created, and she creates a new Vision. She retreats to the same sitcom worlds she finds comfort in. Agatha cuts the trip down memory lane and we see her magically choking Billy and Tommy. Wanda gets ready to fight for her kids, and Agatha states the line we’ve been waiting for. Wanda is the Scarlet Witch. Roll Credits!

Hayward Has A Vision

We luckily got another mid-credit sequence this week. We cut to Hayward’s big launch. Right outside of the hex, we see at the facility that he has successfully rebuilt Vision after multiple attempts. Using the Stark drone that we thought was sent after Wanda, the CMBR was absorbed and powers the new Vision, who is white. The White Vision, which in comics lore we know from West Coast Avengers issues 42-45 is born. It’s also clear now that Tyler lied to Monica about Wanda stealing Vision’s body. What a clever diabolical plan. What else Tyler has in store? One more episode remains, and this was a good one for contextual purposes for Wanda’s backstory. Could we have learned a little more about Agnes? Sure, but there’s one more installment of WandaVision remaining. You can appreciate the writers allowing us to sit with Wanda and absorb her tragedy, Elizabeth Olsen stands out again in her performance.

Instead of the theory board this week, let’s ask some questions that need to be answered in the finale.

1. Who is Pietro, or Fietro, like Agatha, called him this week, really?. Is it the Fox X-Men’s version of Quicksilver? Is it someone close to Agatha? Or is it something we’re not expecting? It’ll be fascinating to see how it unfolds.

2. Will we see Monica’s power set on display? Monica Rambeau showed us that the hero within her is out now. Are we going to get a light show? Or will she be more of the moral center of the show that’s she’s been so far? I reckon we’re due for the former.

3. Does Hayward have any more tricks up his sleeve after project Cataract? Is there someone that he answers to? Has S.W.O.R.D been infiltrated by him? Or is he just incredibly ambitious? After the appearance of White Vision, we can’t make any assumptions.

4. What about the children? We know that Young Avengers is something that the MCU wants to set up. Will Tommy and Billy survive the finale? Are they energy to be absorbed? Are they real? Will we get another age up? They might be a huge key.

5. What happened to Dottie? Agatha called her the key to everything in town during episode 2. Is Agatha trying to reconstitute the coven she destroyed? Is Dottie a hero in disguise? Remember there was no information on her on Jimmy Woo’s board.

6. There’s an assumption that White Vision and Vision are going to lock horns. Who’s more powerful? Will Westview’s Vision make the ultimate sacrifice? Explosive things are ahead.

7. That’s a lot of questions and we still also need to answer if Agatha’s the only big bad. We’re expecting a Dr. Strange cameo in the finale, but to what nature? Is he fighting, or cleaning up a mess? The image of Wanda in her Scarlet Witch costume could be a harbinger of things to come?

8. I have a prediction, as I think the Westview version of Vision will die protecting his family from Cataract Vision. This show filled with tragedy probably won’t end without another tragic moment.

WandaVision has been quite the roller coaster through the last eight episodes, particularly emotionally. The finale will be no different. Kevin Feige & Co. have taken a mighty swing at something different, and let’s see if the conclusion is as ambitious as the series itself.

February 27, 2021
Review: ‘Superman & Lois’ Episode 1

The CW has been no stranger to the superhero family story. From Arrow’s team and family drama to Black Lightning’s father/daughters with powers dynamic, the form and the format have been well established. Enter Superman & Lois which premiered this past Tuesday and gave a look at Clark Kent in a different light.

The show wastes no time with the often told Superman origin story and uses the first ten minutes as a refresher. One immediate observation is that this show appears to have a higher budget than its sister shows. It feels cinematic, and time isn’t wasted in showing Supes in action with physical combat and feats of strength. This takes place years after the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, as Lois and Clark’s sons are teenagers. Jonathan (Jordan Elsass)is the cocky athlete and Jordan (Alex Garfin) is the angst ridden adolescent.

Tyler Hoechlin feels more comfortable and confident in the role of Superman than previous Arrowverse iterations. There’s a regal presence, an empathetic grace to his character that’s apparent early. Bitsie Tulloch’s Lois maintains the strong personality and inquisitive nature that is necessary for the character to succeed.

The show tackles the question of how can Superman be the hero the world needs and be a good father. Contextually you can make the argument that it’s different than other heroes as Superman is the world’s champion, not just a city or town. There are legitimate complications, particularly when Clark had never told his sons about his origins or their heritage. The classic sins of the father effect, except you can understand why Clark didn’t want to burden his sons with his own fears. As Lois and Clark disagree, he states, “It’s too dangerous for them to know.” Lois replies, “It’s more dangerous if they don’t.” All of this is magnified when Martha Kent dies due to a stroke which forces Clark to return to Smallville.

Later an incident takes place which forces Clark to reveal his origins to his sons which understandably upsets them. This is where the show gets interesting as there’s legitimate friction in trying to deal with the lies that Clark has told. Jordan Kent (who has powers) is someone to watch as moody and temperamental as he is, and Jonathan (who doesn’t at this point) is more self-assured. Their story arc is fascinating and potentially more compelling than anything else.

The other character who makes an impact immediately is Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh) who wants Superman available at all times and Lois realizes that Clark needs to be around more often. Just imagine Superman as a stay-at-home dad, funny right? As Lane states in the pilot, “You may have fallen in love with Clark Kent, but you married Superman. And Superman doesn’t get to have a normal life, no matter how much you want one for him.”

Going forward, the show’s main challenge as always is to sell the audience on not only the emotional aspect but the physical. We want to see Superman fight monsters, aliens, and all types of obstacles as action provides the discourse. We get that at the end of the pilot as Superman fights and loses to a Captain Luthor in a super suit. Is he from the future perhaps? It was a good cliffhanger to end the pilot on.

The man of tomorrow has a lot more on his plate than kryptonite and saving the world. As it turns out, both Clark and Lois have quite the challenge on their hands. Superman & Lois airs at 8pm every Tuesday on the CW.

February 25, 2021
Helmut Zemo: The Story So Far

As we continue with our previews for The Falcon And The Winter Soldier characters, one of the most compelling returns is that of Helmut Zemo. Daniel Brühl‘s Zemo only appeared in one film, though you can easily make an argument that he had a substantial impact on the MCU. This guy broke up the Avengers without laying a hand on any of them. Zemo is one of the few villains who successfully reached his end goal in a film. There’s something intrigue about his return, so let’s take a look at how Zemo got here.

Captain America: Civil War introduces us to Helmut Zemo. He is a former Colonel of the Sokovian Armed Forces and the leader of EKO Scorpion. After the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron left Sokovia in crumbles, Zemo sought revenge for his family’s death. Knowing that he couldn’t fight the Avengers head-on, he focused on destroying the team with other means. To achieve his goal, he started hunting down a mission report on December 16th, 1991. Zemo found a book that contains the phrases to control Bucky, which he took after interrogating a former HYDRA goon.

He was the mastermind that coordinated the bombing of the UN in Vienna, which led to King T’Chaka’s death. It was around the same time the Sokovia Accords were signed, so tensions were high. His plan involved framing Bucky behind the explosion, which would start an internal struggle between Iron Man and Captain America. It led to the eventual arrest of the former Winter Soldier and Steve Rogers by the CIA.

It becomes the perfect opportunity for Zemo to use the book on Bucky, who goes on a rampage. He then plants the seed of him heading out to activate other HYDRA super-soldiers, which is why the Avengers fight at the Berlin airport. He waits his time at the base until Rogers, Stark, and Bucky arrive. There, he reveals that his plan was never about the soldiers. He killed them long before they showed up. The file he was looking for was to show Stark the night his parents die.

Now that he managed to destroy the Avengers from the inside, as Iron Man, Captain America, and Bucky duke it out, he sits in the snow. T’Challa, who learned there is no point in taking revenge, confronts the former Sokovian soldier on his action as he plays with a gun. The moment he tried to end his life, T’Challa jumped in to make sure he can’t go through with it. The last we saw of him, he was in the same cell that Bucky was imprisoned in. We will see how he escaped and decided to don his mask once the show airs on March 19th on Disney+.

February 22, 2021
‘WandaVision’ Episode 7 Recap: The Woman Behind It All
If Episode 7 was any indication, we are arriving at the heights and very best of what WandaVision has to offer. The chess pieces have moved and the stakes are high. Monica Rambeau does what heroes do, Vision sorts through his feelings while Wanda loses it, and Agnes is exactly who we thought she was. Let’s examine where we are.

Vision gets caught up on everything.

Vision wakes up after the hex expands to being right in the middle of the circus. He recognizes Darcy from the previous night in the confrontation with S.W.O.R.D. and Hayward. Inside the hex, Darcy has become an escape artist who thinks Vision is a creep. Kat Dennings continues to be really awesome in all of her appearances and this is no exception.

Vision catches up to bring her mind back to reality. Darcy then catches Vision up on everything that’s happened prior to Westview, AKA Infinity War. He’s frustrated with Wanda but Darcy assures him that Wanda and Vision belong together. They later find out that Wanda is keeping Vision from getting back home, or perhaps someone else is? The seeds of doubt have been sewn so it will be interesting to see how these two reconcile.

Monica Rambeau at her very best.

Monica and Jimmy Woo are driving towards the hex so Monica can get back in there. We still don’t know the identity of the aerospace engineer but I’m sure when we find out it will be quite the surprise. Jimmy receives the info Darcy hacked from Hayward’s firewall. The intel shows that Vision is the focus of their operation, as they plan to bring him back online as their own sentient weapon. More on this later. As they arrive Monica meets with her contact, Major Goodner who brings a small unit to Westview with the vehicle Monica requested.

Outside of the Hex, Monica suits up to cross over the CMBR-filled static on the rescue mission. As she drives the vehicle in the barrier turns out to be too powerful and transforms the vehicle halfway into a truck. As Monica gets out, that hero factor or whatever motivated her to keep going kicks in. She forces her way through the barrier and while struggling through we see four different versions of her split. As she holds it together we hear dialogue from Captain Marvel including Carol Danvers and Nick Fury. As she breaks through the barrier we see her eye color change to purple and a new hero is born. Is it Spectrum, Pulsar, or Photon? We have plenty of time to find out but this show has done an exemplary job of giving us Monica Rambeau’s back story the necessary treatment. Even before the series ends, we know who Monica is, her motivations and what she’s capable of without her powers. With the powers? One can only wonder.

Monica then confronts Wanda at her house and Wanda immediately becomes very angry. The prior interferences from Hayward are referenced and she can’t trust anyone. Wanda then yeets Monica outside again but this isn’t the same Monica that got thrown like a rag doll in episode 3. She gathers herself and lands in a pose that only a superhero can pull off. Monica pleads with Wanda to not make herself the villain of the story. They argue and Wanda threatens to end Monica and when Monica replies, “Do it then.” you felt the tension go up another notch. Monica attempts to calm Wanda down and it feels like she’s getting somewhere until Agnes shows up and whisks Wanda away. That Agnes is something else.

Wanda is losing her mind, and she might be losing more.

Wanda starts her day waking up in bed confused about what happened the night before. We get a replay of the hex as she narrates in a Modern Family-style as she seems a bit overwhelmed. Billy and Tommy then come up as they complain that their games are changing form. Their controllers turn into older models, and finally Uno Cards. Billy hears voices in his head but Wanda is having none of it. She wants to be left alone. As the kids are arguing about the video games, Wanda comes downstairs and her powers are on the fritz. Before she gets cereal she seems content with Vision being out of the house for now, and calls Pietro an impostor. It was a nice touch for the cereal to be Sugar Snaps, referring to Thanos’ snap at the end of Infinity War.

Eventually, Agnes shows up and insists on taking the kids off of Wanda’s hands for a bit. Wanda is more than happy to and as she thinks she’s going to have a simple time watching tv her powers go out of whack again. Everything around the house switches time periods and she continues to be confused. A voice offscreen then asks, “Do you think maybe this is what you deserve?” Wanda is losing it.

We cut to a commercial advertising Nexus, an anti-depressant that’s “a unique anti-depressant that works to anchor you back to your reality or the reality of your choice.” That’s another big easter egg. In Marvel Lore the Nexus is a cross-dimensional gateway which provides a pathway to any and all possible realities, this also includes realities between realities. The Multiverse! Wanda Maximoff in the comics is a nexus being, one that is always a constant in all universes.

We get to Agnes’ house which looks really nice on the inside by the way! Billy notices that Agnes is “quiet on the inside.” which is a heck of a red herring for what’s to come. After Wanda’s confrontation with Monica, Agnes brings her into her home presumably to see the kids. As Wanda sits she senses something eerie. She goes to the basement where Agnes says to check for the children. As she goes down a very dark hallway she reaches a room with a cabinet full of bones and a glowing book. Once she reaches this room Agnes shows up and locks the door. We then learn that Agnes is actually Agatha Harkness, the witch from Marvel comics Lore. As Wanda seemingly is under Agnes’ control the episode closes with a brilliant montage with the song “Agatha All Along”. We see how Agatha has been influencing Wanda and Vision the entire time concluding with us finding out that Agatha killed Sparky. Roll credits! Man, that was a lot. Let’s take a look at the theory board with some questions.

Theory Board
1. We only see Hayward briefly at the beginning of the episode talking about a launch of something as he’s outside the hex. A secret operation to retrieve Vision? Who’s he working for and who is he actually? Is he a Kree taking part in trying to get a weapon online for a war against earth? Is he Hydra or Aim? We will find out soon enough.
2. With the mention of the Nexus and that glowing book and that really funky, dark room in Agatha’s basement, is this the door to the Nexus Of All Realities? What is the nature of that book? That holds the key to everything, including potentially who Agatha is working for. There’s no way that she’s doing this on her own. Did she use the Wundagore Everbloom flowers and that’s why she killed Sparky? The Everbloom flowers allow a person to have visions to the future by lying a petal of an Everbloom on their tongue. This requires the person to consume the flower twice, once after hunger and second after murder. This may have allowed Agatha to be one step ahead this entire time.
3. We’re left with our first mid-credits scene! Monica arrives at Agatha’s house and as she heads to the basement, Pietro makes his first appearance of the episode with, “Snoopers are gonna snoop.” and we fade to black. We saw that Agatha influenced Pietro showing up, but is that Fox’s Pietro, or is that our villain of the story? We’re getting tantalizingly close to the answers to that.
4. Are Billy and Tommy ok? We don’t see them as Wanda is taken back under Agatha’s control. They are crucial to the story going forward especially the type of power that Billy has as a telepath.
5. Mephisto, or Nightmare? The devil references have been rampant throughout the series to this point, but has that been a throw-off to the rumored villain in the upcoming Dr. Strange film? Will we find out who Ralph is? Sounds like with Ralph our answers will be found.
WandaVision has been a delight through seven episodes, and the weekly releases has allowed us to digest this differently than if we were binging. With two left we have so many questions still to be answered, and it’s shaping up to be a wild ride down the stretch.
February 20, 2021
A New Batwoman, A New Story

“Black, male, foster kid, juvie. In case you’re wondering why GCPD isn’t looking for him, those five words.”

Those are Ryan Wilder’s words to Mary Hamilton in the fourth episode of Batwoman’s second season on the CW. Batwoman, still early in its inception, already has had to deal with a major transition. Javicia Leslie, who plays the caped superheroine replaced Ruby Rose’s Kate Kane after Season 1. There’s always a challenge when it comes to changing the lead specifically so early in television. It also requires a redirect in story. Season 1 focused primarily on Kate’s rivalry with the show’s villain, her sister Alice. Season 2 feels like an entirely different show, and it’s been for the better.

Often, representation for black people on network television has been about getting the faces seen but not heard. A pleasant surprise on this season of Batwoman has been the nature of the stories being told. They represent the real-life issues that not only black people face, but mainly black women as Ryan’s character is a homeless ex-con. Nothing quite articulates the experience like an exchange in episode 1 between Ryan and her parole officer. Officer Stevens tells Ryan, “They are your choices, Ryan. You have the power to turn this around.” Ryan responds in kind, “You want to know why I haven’t paid my fines? Because I can’t find a job. Because I don’t have a home. Because no landlord wants to rent to an ex-con who’s post-release. You see how this works? No one cares that the dope wasn’t mine or that the Crows were dirty or that I’m actually a decent human. I am a file in your cabinet. That is not having power. That is the very definition of powerless.”

Lines like those are so important in storytelling. We are reminded every day in society that it’s all about the bottom line. Your circumstances don’t matter to the powers that be, nor does context. This is Ryan’s reality in trying to find a job. Leslie and the writers deserve a lot of credit for the nuance in their storytelling. Ryan Wilder is not only trying to make sense of her life after prison but also trying to fill the shoes of Gotham’s missing hero.

“That suit. It’s bigger than me. It’s one thing to put it on and it’s another thing to wear it.” That line is symbolism for not only what Ryan carries but exemplifies the constant juggling act of expectations versus reality that is the life of a black woman.

In Batwoman’s latest installment nothing hits home more as she finds the boy she was looking for. Jacob Kane asks, “How did you know he was here?” Batwoman replies, “Easy. I looked.” It’s the simplicity of the words and the delivery of them that punctuates the meaning of the story. That meaning? It’s not enough to just be seen, people need to be heard.

Batwoman airs every Sunday evening on the CW at 8pm EST

February 18, 2021