The reviews are in for the CW’s Batwoman pilot, which had its world premiere at Comic-Con last night, and apparently, the show is both very fun and very gay.
Fans tweeting their live reactions noted that the pilot is basically an origin story with great action scenes, “unapologetically queer” material (which includes acknowledgment of Kate Kane’s privilege within the queer community, according to Polygon’s review), and some breakout performances from Nicole Kang (playing Mary Hamilton) and Rachel Skarsten (playing the villain, Alice). Ruby Rose, of course, got tons of praise for her performance as the titular superhero, and apparently half of the audience members were there just for Batwoman, which premiered before Pennyworth.
#Batwoman is VERY silly
Ruby Rose is fun as hell
Pilot is an origin story
And it is SPECTACULARLY gay! #SDCC— Jacob Oller @ SDCC (@JacobOller) July 18, 2019
Camrus Johnson’s Luke Fox is pitch perfect and Nicole Kang is such a lovely surprise as Mary Hamilton. Both work best with Rose, working off her gruff charisma #Batwoman #SDCC
— Jacob Oller @ SDCC (@JacobOller) July 18, 2019
#Batwoman was everything we hoped for and more. Ruby Rose killed it (yes, you read that right), the action killed it, and we're hooked already! #SDCC #FGxSDCC
— Fangirlish (@fangirlish) July 18, 2019
Just to be clear, #Batwoman was unapologetically queer and we can't wait for October to come around, because we need more of Kate and Sophie!❤️😭🏳️🌈 #SDCC #FGxSDCC
— Fangirlish (@fangirlish) July 18, 2019
#Batwoman's villain (Alice) is perfection! Ever since her appearance on #WynonnaEarp, we've been craving more Rachel Skarsten and we got it! #SDCC #FGxSDCC
— Fangirlish (@fangirlish) July 18, 2019
#Batwoman was really good! An origin of sorts, I cannot wait to watch more! The action was great, the plot was intriguing and the cast were compelling. DO NOT MISS IT! #SDCC @CWBatwoman pic.twitter.com/1CbEP0svKE
— Ben @ SDCC (@TheDCTVshow) July 18, 2019
Just saw the #Batwoman excellent show super excited #WBSDCC #SDCC #SDCC19 #WBTV
— Erin W (@e_wick) July 18, 2019
Wow and like half the ballroom is leaving now that they’ve seen #Batwoman, it was a huge draw
— Batwoman.TV @ SDCC (@batwomantvsite) July 18, 2019
Stepsister Mary is the best character in #Batwoman, and that’s that on that. pic.twitter.com/dB3bYu9aI5
— Tatiana@SDCC (@myrcellasear) July 18, 2019
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Here’s the official synopsis, according to Comic Book:
“Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) never planned to be Gotham’s new vigilante. Three years after Batman mysteriously disappeared, Gotham is a city in despair. Without the Caped Crusader, the Gotham City Police Department was overrun and outgunned by criminal gangs. Enter Jacob Kane (Dougray Scott) and his military-grade Crows Private Security, which now protects the city with omnipresent firepower and militia.
Years before, Jacob’s first wife and daughter were killed in the crossfire of Gotham crime. He sent his only surviving daughter, Kate Kane, away from Gotham for her safety. After a dishonorable discharge from military school and years of brutal survival training, Kate returns home when the Alice in Wonderland gang targets her father and his security firm, by kidnapping his best Crow officer Sophie Moore (Meagan Tandy).
Although remarried to wealthy socialite Catherine Hamilton-Kane (Elizabeth Anweis), who bankrolls the Crows, Jacob is still struggling with the family he lost, while keeping Kate—the daughter he still has—at a distance. But Kate is a woman who’s done asking for permission. In order to help her family and her city, she’ll have to become the one thing her father loathes—a dark knight vigilante. With the help of her compassionate stepsister, Mary (Nicole Kang), and the crafty Luke Fox (Camrus Johnson), the son of Wayne Enterprises’ tech guru Lucius Fox, Kate Kane continues the legacy of her missing cousin, Bruce Wayne, as Batwoman.
Still holding a flame for her ex-girlfriend, Sophie, Kate uses everything in her power to combat the dark machinations of the psychotic Alice (Rachel Skarsten), who’s always somewhere slipping between sane and insane. Armed with a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind, Kate soars through the shadowed streets of Gotham as Batwoman. But don’t call her a hero yet. In a city desperate for a savior, she must first overcome her own demons before embracing the call to be Gotham’s symbol of hope.”
Batwoman will begin airing on the CW on October 6. Did you get a chance to see the pilot? What are your thoughts?