Batwoman season 2, episode 10 review: Time Off for Good Behavior

This episode of Batwoman season 2 introduces an electrifying new villain while furthering the agenda of the two big new ones. Spoilers are incoming!

Batwoman took time off for Easter or Spring Break so, there being some substantial time between episodes, the Arrowverse naturally comes back with a tenth episode titled “Time Off for Good Behavior.”

Things pick up neatly after the last one – “Rule #1” – in which Black Mask, aka Roman Sionis (Peter Outerbridge), shows up on the scene with plans for Gotham and a public appearance to uphold. It’s also made plain he has Kate Kane captive and, not only is he responsible for her disappearance, he is working with a crafty partner in crime, Enigma (Laura Mennell), to keep the former Scarlett Knight under literal wraps.

Sionis doesn’t come in until halfway through this week’s story, but he nefariously and covertly pulls all the strings he can grab.

Knocking a Crow off his perch

Jacob Kane (Dougray Scott), plagued by his failures as a father, becomes addicted to the street drug “Snake Bite” once he sees it can induce compelling fantasy do-overs where he is a good dad and saves the day in the nick of time. Mask is aware of this; it was his False Facers that dosed Jake with the stuff, to begin with. And since he’s cozy with the Crows as Roman, he finds a way to openly deliver the Chief’s next fix personally.

This is an interesting piece of business when the villain can walk right in the front door of the good guy’s HQ, and act like he’s saying hi to an old friend when dropping off poison right under his nose. As an illustration of the lengths that Roman will go to, it’s perfect in its simplicity.

Dougray Scott and Peter Outerbridge also prove yet again they elevate the material with their scene and Scott having more to do with his character’s latest struggle is a good thing.

High Voltage in Batwoman season 2

Amidst that, we’re introduced to the villain of the week, and here is where it gets convoluted. The villain, Kilovolt, is more of a gang with blasters that shoot lightning. Where they get them isn’t adequately explained and they – who aren’t nearly as charismatic as Wolf Spider from a few eps. before – take Ryan on this side mission to find a journalist and expose prison corruption.

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The episode starts with this plot thread and really focuses on it, borrowing a deceptive video trick from Speed in the process. None of it ties to anything else going on — except to the reputation Gotham’s system has for keeping its thumb down on the less fortunate. Black Mask and Kate are nowhere near the heart of it.

Ryan’s main motivation is protecting a community center that is attacked on its first day open. By the end, the center and its programs for troubled youth are back on their feet and there probably won’t be any lasting consequences of the ordeal.

Batwoman is a show that often has more going on than it needs to and that kind of showed this week. In another sudden turn, they found a reason to write Julia Pennyworth out and keep this portion of the season’s main story flowing with fewer players on the field. We’ll see how that affects things, but hopefully, it means they keep the focus on Black Mask from now on.

How did you like this week in the second season of Batwoman? Let us know down below and come back for more of our analysis next time.