Thread by @shengokai

So, "Bat Girl Magic" opens up with not only an overt nod to blackness in its title, but some shade to critiques of diversity in the voice-over from the local reporter. "Did I miss something, indeed."

Also, I'm here for Ryan's relationship with Kate's sister. #CrusadingInColor

Victor Zsaz asked the question I was going to ask seconds before I could ask it: "what kind of scientist has a gun in his lab." But also, that ended predictably with a degree of violence I was NOT expecting from the CW.

"Wait, you're a multi-billionare. Why am I only making $12.50 at the Holdup?"

Ryan asking the real questions here. Why IS Ryan only making $12.50, hmm?

Okay, so, @JMarieBrowning, @plcphd, @JulianChambliss we should probably take note of the dynamics of Luke's resistance to Ryan's taking up the mantle: "just keeping the suit warm," and his constant reference to her "unsavory" past. #CrusadingInColor

Zsasz's not "seeing the you in Batwoman" is super prescient and might also tie into the dynamic that Luke seems to maintain and Mary seems to push back against: that the role, and the suit by extension, is not really "hers" and she needs to make it so. #CrusadingInColor

I'm getting some real Not!Talia Al'Gul vibes from Safiya, and I'm okay with it. I'd watch the hell out of a show about her.

Oh, it is: Luke is basically treating Ryan as a stand-in for Kate and thus his resistance to Ryan's taking up the mantle and Mary's work to allow Ryan to fit in is grounded in his unwillingness to let Ryan fill what was Kate's role. @Cruz_CritCom @plcphd @JulianChambliss

But also, Mary's counter-point to Luke, that they're supposed to be Ryan's team and that Ryan's filling the suit gives her (and them) hope might be a nice call back to "Bat Girl Magic" insofar as Ryan's magic is how she gives them hope despite being imperfect.

Desert rose out here doing more than most insurance policies to take care of pre-existing conditions.

"What alterations? The suit is perfect!"
"Have you seen the damn wig?"

I'm SO here for this. #CrusadingInColor

The symbolism of getting rid of Kate's old red wig and adopting the new one, especially given the texture of the new wig, should not be lost on ANYONE given the politics of Black women's hair. #CrusadingInColor

Ryan's response to Zsasz "I'm not trying to pass as him either," is a throwaway line that cuts deep and positions Ryan's Batwoman as not trying to live up to either Kate's Batwoman or the legacy of Batman. That's a really nice touch. #CrusadingInColor

So, is Safiyah holding Kate hostage, or...? If so, why? She's definitely shaping up to take on a Ras Al'Gul type role in this series, though I'm curious how she'll interact with Ryan unless it's through Alice by proxy.

Gotham's newspaper's headline, "Bat Girl Magic," is interesting, given the byline and the voice over reporting focuses on her "style." I'm not sure what to make of this given the aforementioned politics of Ryan's hair and how she is accepted by the community of Gotham.

I've always been of the mind that a predominantly white society would lose its shit at a Black person acting a vigilante like Batman or Batwoman and taking the law into their hands, likely out of an anxiety at said vigilante redressing issues of race in policing.

But it's kind of nice (I guess) to see this -not- happening? Also, kudos to Mary acknowledging Kate's Judaism.

Well they just keep tossing Bat-references out like candy, "Jack Napier?" That's a DEEP cut.