On Batwoman season 2, episode 2, Ryan, Mary, and Luke are tasked with putting a stop to whatever Alice has up her sleeve for Gotham’s citizens (without Kate’s help). Meanwhile, Sophie’s tense history with Ryan is revealed.

Batwoman season 2, episode 2 is yet another fantastic episode, delivering more of Ryan Wilder’s intriguing history, including mention of a former lady love that got Ryan into some trouble, and her journey to becoming Batwoman.

Meanwhile, the episode continues to set up Safiyah and her plan for Alice, Julia, and Gotham. Below are a few teasers and my (mostly) spoiler-free review of what’s to come on this impressive second outing of the season.

‘Batwoman’ season 2, episode 2 screener secrets

Ryan vs. Luke

Being down a Batwoman with the weight of responsibility for helping Gotham does not bode well for Luke and Mary. However, Ryan happens to be with Mary when they get their first indication that Alice has something wicked planned for Gotham, allowing her to make her voice heard and step up as Gotham cries out for and rallies around their lost defender, following her last appearance as the Crows attacked her.

Perhaps it’s the guilt over losing Kate after being the one person consistently helping her since she first donned the Batsuit, but Luke is not down with Ryan filling the role of Batwoman. Mary, on the other hand, is willing to help Ryan step up, at least temporarily, especially with their shared experience of losing their mothers.

When Ryan and Alice come face-to-face, the tension between Ryan and Luke is only exacerbated as they have very different ideas of how to deal with Gotham’s most infamous villain, putting Mary in the middle.

Ryan and Sophie’s history

Sophie is very much one of the antagonists of Ryan’s story as their relationship begins on Batwoman season 2, episode 2 (at least in front of our eyes). I mean, the Crows were responsible for Ryan serving 18 months in jail for a crime she didn’t commit.

When a new incident brings Ryan back into the Crows’ headquarters, it’s made incredibly clear that Sophie has a very poor opinion of Ryan. They’ve clearly had many interactions as Ryan has frequented the Crows building, being brought in repeatedly for things she didn’t do. They’re essentially enemies.

The way Sophie treats Ryan in their first scene together is very, very disappointing. I truly expected more from her. She’s kind of dismissive and it feels like she’s exerting her superiority over Ryan, and it’s off-putting to see Sophie treat someone in this way.

Unfortunately, it feels, so far, like Kate’s disappearance has caused Sophie to revert to the person she was at the beginning of Batwoman season 1, who doesn’t see how the Crows are hurting people like Ryan.

I hope this is explored further in future episodes because, honestly, this was not my favorite Sophie episode, and the Sophie vs. Batwoman story was already tired after one episode last season. That said, there seems to be some hope to be drawn from Sophie and the new Batwoman’s first interaction.

What’s the motive?

Batwoman season 2, episode 2 gives Alice an interesting and unusual role to play. As always, she’s the most delectable villain and she’s attacking Gotham. But may she have ulterior motives behind what she’s doing? That could lead to a riveting debate, depending on how you think about her actions.

Additionally, Alice has one-on-one scenes with several of the other characters in this episode, proving exactly what she stills offers to the show (even without Kate).

‘Batwoman’ season 2, episode 2 review

If I’m being completely truthful, Batwoman season 2, episode 2 feels a little like an episode we’ve already seen before… at least until the gripping cliffhanger. Alice is attacking Gotham, Ryan is going through her own growing pains as Batwoman, Luke and Mary are struggling to help Batwoman, and the Crows are alienating the entire city.

It’s still a wonderful episode, especially the more we learn about Ryan, including her own (brief) experience with Kate Kane. It’s incredibly easy to sympathize with Ryan and see exactly why she wants to be Gotham’s new hero, and the motivation is far more believable than we usually see with heroes. Plus, we get a little taste of how Ryan differs from Kate when stopping a threat.

As much as I miss Kate, I’m so grateful for the opportunity to see this new story with Ryan play out, and Javicia Leslie is killing it so far. The show is able to tackle new stories and show another side of the world with a hero that currently lives in her van, rather than billionaire Kate Kane. For instance, on Batwoman season 2, episode 2, Ryan has a job interview, shining a light on how difficult it is to find work as someone with a criminal history (guilty or not).

After two episodes, I really appreciate the approach that the Batwoman writers are taking with this new opportunity. They’re doing something new, something different, while still embracing the origins of where all of these comic book heroes come from. It’s refreshing to feel the love and attentiveness poured into the story, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing from Batwoman season 2.

Also, Nicole Kang is also a standout again, as we’re seeing how she feels about Alice. Without Kate’s influence, Mary is allowed to fully feel what she wants to for Alice, which is interesting because it’s not something I had even thought of last season. Mary’s love for Kate and Kate’s sympathy for Alice were clearly causing Mary to hold back, refrain from fully delving into her emotions.

But while Mary discovers her full feelings, the complicated relationship between Alice and Mary is certainly set to be explored, as Alice herself has a confrontation with Mary with dialogue that’s very teasing of what’s to come.

Batwoman season 2, episode 2 airs Sunday, January 24 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW! Check back after the episode for our full review!