Ruby Rose as Kate Kane, AKA Batwoman

[Trini]

From the show's synopsis:

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Kate Kane never planned to be Gotham’s new vigilante. ...  After a dishonorable discharge from military school and years of brutal survival training, Kate returns home ....

... 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. ... Kate Kane continues the legacy of her missing cousin, Bruce Wayne, as Batwoman.

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.

[thewhiteowl]

Ruby Rose has a great face. She is expressive even though she is doing the typical Bat-stoicism.  However I need something on which to hang my suspension of disbelief and her waifish frame doesn't cut it. Sure, hit the bad guy with that twig you call an arm and watch him fly. Nope. I hope they do something about it because other than that it was watchable and fairly entertaining.

[sd dude]

I think it's funny that Kate Kane wears no make up, but before Batwoman goes out to vanquish evildoers, she takes the time to put on make up, including bright lipstick.  BW is literally a lipstick lesbian.

Also, not sure if the red wig is comic book canon, but it makes no sense at all to include that as part of the uniform, since it just something for her opponents to grab onto in a fight.  She was just wearing a more classic cowl in the premiere, so I would love an in-universe explanation as to why she had Lucas upgrade the suit to include an ugly and obviously fake wig.

[Trini]

59 minutes ago, sd dude said:

Also, not sure if the red wig is comic book canon, but it makes no sense at all to include that as part of the uniform, since it just something for her opponents to grab onto in a fight.  She was just wearing a more classic cowl in the premiere, so I would love an in-universe explanation as to why she had Lucas upgrade the suit to include an ugly and obviously fake wig.

It is comic book canon. And they did give an (indirect) explanation in the show. She didn't want to be mistaken for Batman.

[bettername2come]

I've really liked her on the crossovers the last few days. Maybe it's having her away from the gloom of Gotham. She has great chemistry with Melissa Benoist, who always does well with teaming up with the women from other shows. I think the show could improve by giving Kate more opportunities to be open and honest with Mary or other friends.

[Jenniferbug]

I think she's doing best with the snarky comedic moments she's been given in the crossover, as well as the friendship with Kara. Gotham doesn't really seem like a setting for any type of comedy, but I agree that making her friendlier with Mary would be a good start. 

[Trini]

On 12/11/2019 at 12:50 PM, bettername2come said:

I've really liked her on the crossovers the last few days. Maybe it's having her away from the gloom of Gotham. She has great chemistry with Melissa Benoist, who always does well with teaming up with the women from other shows. I think the show could improve by giving Kate more opportunities to be open and honest with Mary or other friends.

Yeah, just wanted to echo that she seems to be doing better on other shows than her own; I don't know what the exact reason is (though, yes, she definitely plays well off Benoist), I hope some of that energy comes back with her to Batwoman.

[Maverick]

 I think part of it is she doesn't really have any friends on her show.  Her sister is a homicidal villain, she's has a strained relationship with her father, Sophie is angst personified, she seems to tolerate Luke at best and she's actively avoided a substantial relationship with Mary who until recently she saw as an airhead.   The only person she seems comfortable talking to much less confiding in is Bruce and having one sided conversations with him through voice over letters isn't cutting it.   Until she has a relationship with someone she's not mad at, annoyed with or pining for it's not going to get any better.

[BaggythePanther]

23 hours ago, Maverick said:

she seems to tolerate Luke at best

That’s basically what I thought of the Luke/Kate relationship too. So I thought it was interesting in the crossover when Kate described him as her only friend. I wonder if there’s a flaw in the writing/acting and we’re supposed to see that Kate cares more about Luke than she shows?

Edited December 14, 2019 by BaggythePanther

[bettername2come]

22 minutes ago, BaggythePanther said:

That’s basically what I thought of the Luke/Kate relationship too. So I thought it was interesting in the crossover when Kate describe him as her only friend. I wonder if there’s a flaw in the writing/acting and we’re supposed to see that Kate cares more about Luke than she shows?

I mean, based on the way we've seen her interact with people in general, I feel like that's not a huge leap, but we haven't seen that on screen and I feel like that's more a writing/directing issue than an acting issue. Then again, it's probably only a matter of time until Alice kidnaps him and we get to see she cares more than she's been shown to.

[Featherhat]

"Friend" might be over stating it but it's not the biggest WTF writing moment in terms of relationships these shows have ever done. 

I do think Ruby is benefitting from openly interacting with different people and especially MB and the writers are taking care to showcase it because they want it to be the new Barry/Oliver of crossover relationships. 

To make the Arrow comparisons again, Oliver had (slightly) warmer relationships on the surface with his family but it wasn't until Diggle and later Felicity were brought in on the secret that we really saw big cracks in his armour and let SA play someone who wasn't 100% closed off/hiding all the time that things really clicked. 

Luke is ok but reads too much as "just tech support" to be a friendship/partnership of equals right now and I guess the Kate/Mary relationship such as it was will be strained for a while. I do think they need to read Mary in ASAP because even if they're still in a bad place after Elizabeth at least they might be able to deal with it from an honest POV. 

Whatever happens with Sophie it's not going to make Kate less brooding, even if Tyler's is meeting someone else and leaving with no hard feelings, which is why I liked the two minute relationship with Reagan because even though she couldn't be honest, at least we saw a different side of Kate. 

Alice is probably going to keep throwing alternate awful and hopeful curveballs the back half of the season despite Kate realising there's no Beth left in her. 

Julia is probably the closest we've come to open and honest relationship and that wasn't without it's problems. 

[Loandbehold]

6 hours ago, Featherhat said:

I do think they need to read Mary in ASAP because even if they're still in a bad place after Elizabeth at least they might be able to deal with it from an honest POV. 

I think this will happen closer to the end of the season. Kate as BW will get injured in a confrontation w/ Alice and be taken to Mary's clinic. Mary has to remove BW's costume and BAM! Scret revealed. 

As for why Kate said she and Luke were friends, I can see two possible related reasons. First, did the writers of the Crisis event include any of the Batwoman writers? And, in the comics, are Kate and Luke friends or at least closer than they've been so far in the series? If the writers are trying to adhere, at least in spots to the comics, that can explain what is basically a throwaway line. Especially is no Batwoman writer was amongst the Crisis staff. It also presages a closer Luke and Kate relationship on the show. Kate's expressed feelings are now canon. 

[quarks]

On 12/15/2019 at 10:04 AM, Loandbehold said:

As for why Kate said she and Luke were friends, I can see two possible related reasons. First, did the writers of the Crisis event include any of the Batwoman writers? 

The script for the Batwoman episode of Crisis on Infinite Earths is credited to Don Whitehead and Holly Henderson, who are also credited for the script for Batwoman's third episode this season, "Down, Down, Down."

With that said, I suspect that Crisis on Infinite Earths went through a larger number of executive/director notes than usual, so how much of their original script was filmed/broadcast is an open question. 

[Trini]

'Ruby Rose Exits..., DC Series To Recast'

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“I have made the very difficult decision to not return to Batwoman next season,” Rose said in a statement “This was not a decision I made lightly as I have the utmost respect for the cast, crew and everyone involved with the show in both Vancouver and in Los Angeles.”

“I am beyond appreciative to Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Caroline Dries for not only giving me this incredible opportunity, but for welcoming me into the DC universe they have so beautifully created,” she said. “Thank you Peter Roth and Mark Pedowitz and the teams at Warner Bros. and The CW who put so much into the show and always believed in me. Thank you to everyone who made season one a success – I am truly grateful.”

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Soooo... changes to the show... and this thread title?

[Trini]

Saw this brought up elsewhere: it's canon that Kate has many tattoos; and while I don't expect them to recreate Ruby's tattoos, they're probably going to have to add temp tatts to the makeup budget. It's unlikely the next actress has as many as her predecessor.

[rogvortex58]

All those emails she shared on inst of the producers treating her so badly and all the crew injuries they just ignored. Makes me glad they don’t have a show anymore.