Batwoman season 2, episode 6 review: Do Not Resuscitate

In this week’s installment of Batwoman season 2, that septic shoulder wound of Ryan’s isn’t getting any better while her love life takes some swift turns. Undeterred, she is driven to prove she is worthy of wearing the Batsuit. Spoilers are imminent so avert your eyes if you’d rather be surprised.

Previously on Batwoman season 2, there was gore on canvas as we learned the joy of painting from Jack Napier and a cosplay Spider-Man, in Wolf Spider, after a blood-soaked “masterpiece” of crime in an Arrowverse double riff of Tim Burton’s Batman and a storyline from Batwoman‘s source material.

Elsewhere, the real villain in all this, Alice, did some soul-searching only to discover the elusive Ocean has a link to her past and the hip new vacation spot, Coryana. She and Ocean, as if by fate, soon became uneasy allies when Alice sees flashbacks of their past life together, and they both find themselves fugitives of Safiyah.

In the new episode titled “Do Not Resuscitate,” doctors try to replicate the miracle cure from a few weeks and several bat bites ago with mixed results, to put things mildly, and Ryan’s condition worsens.

A Job with No Sick Days

She can’t take a day off though, and won’t because Batwoman has no days off – and no limits as Christian Bale once so pithily put it.

Ryan must spring into action to save the day, but before that is faced with a dilemma. Sophie persuades her to tap the phone of her drug-running girlfriend Angelique (Bevin Bru), whom she just reconciled with, to find incriminating evidence of Angelique’s ongoing illicit activities.

This doesn’t go as planned, as you can imagine, and everything falls apart rapidly. Ryan loses the trust of the only person who knows her intimately and has been there for her when the chips were down. The debacle doesn’t bode well for Ryan’s already strained and distrusting relations with the Crows either.

Bad Case of Kryptonite in Batwoman season 2

If that isn’t bad enough, Ryan’s irradiated bullet wound is taking its toll. Her medication failing and the literally green gangrene-looking sepsis starting to glow, the poison now throws off Ryan’s balance and ability to complete the smallest task.

The Kryptonite-infected wound is one of the many recurring plot points this season and it’s pretty confusing. For one thing, the Batsuit never was indestructible or 100% bulletproof. Usually, Bruce had add-ons for that sort of thing.

Aside from that, this subplot is lingering longer than it has to. If Luke or Mary had gotten in touch with Supergirl, Superman, or somebody at STAR Labs with expertise on how the green rock affects humans, it might’ve been sewn up by now.

And not to mention the fact the Kryptonite only hinders Ryan when convenient. She can get out of bed, go about her day, and kick butt no problem. Granted, the problem is chronic and progressive and she’s only in the early stages – one would assume – and she’s requiring more help from others stalling the bad guys, or giving her adrenaline, but it might be best to move on to a new storyline.

Art Imitates Art

From stuff running too long to something else gone in a blink: we learn the Napier painting is a forgery concealing (what else) a map to (where else) Coryana. Moreover, Ocean knew the secret all along, and now the Crows and some bad dudes who conduct dubious medical experiments are locked onto the treasures the map leads to.

Unlike the magic bullet injury, they could’ve let the painting angle cook a little more. Maybe we’d have seen glimpses of The Joker in flashback and how he made the signature piece or a twist that brings more classic rogues to the series.

Beyond that lost opportunity, “Do Not Resuscitate” is a lesson in what to keep and what to put away. We might never see Angelique again and the bullet business is played out, but overall, the episode brought it from beginning to end at a swift pace.

Do you agree or do you have a completely different take on this week’s episode of Batwoman season 2? Politely share your thoughts or critiques in the comments. Stay tuned until March 14th for more of our analysis!