Season two was transformational for the Bat Team and the entire city of Gotham City with the arrival of Ryan Wilder as Batwoman. In season three, Ryan must now lead the Bat Team in stopping the next wave of villains created by the weapons lost in the Gotham River during the suspenseful season two finale. On top of everything, Ryan will have to battle these villains with Alice by her side! As a new generation of Rogues torments Gotham, Batwoman and Alice must work together to stop them, which is a predicament that threatens to upend the team’s existing dynamics for good.
For previous thoughts on Batwoman: The Complete Second Season, please see my review here.
For thoughts on Batwoman: The Complete Third and Final Season, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Batwoman: The Complete Third and Final Season arrives on Blu-Ray with a fetching AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 2.00:1. The distinct detail this presentation is able to capture is quite striking, as all of the subtle nuances in the costumes and production design are easily identifiable. Black levels are appropriately deep and allow for a nice amount of detail in shadows. The bright whites do not fall victim to any blooming in this presentation thanks to an assured stability. Skin tones appear very natural across the entire cast. The color palette veers on the cooler side of the spectrum to match the shadowy “Bat” setting, but certain characters and locations display some magical instances of vibrant hues popping off the screen. Once again, the discs prove to be a step up from the broadcast and streaming versions of the show, as they provide a more consistent and stable image. There are no unsightly instances of aliasing or compression artifacts detectable here. The Blu-Ray is a looker as it showcases the cinematic nature of the show without fault.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray comes with an engaging DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that creates a fully fleshed-out world. The show’s dialogue always comes through crisp and clear without being trounced on by the score or any sound effects. This score easily sets the tone episode after episode, and it creates a nicely enveloping soundscape that draws you further into this world. Kinetic moments are given the appropriate weight in the mix with a formidable showing in the low end. Ambient sounds are precisely placed in the rear channels, and the track handles panning effects around the room really well so that everything sounds natural to the world. You could not ask for better from this audio presentation.
Special Features
- Deleted Scenes: Four minutes of unused material is provided here including a few brief personal moments with Ryan, Jada and Alice.
- Batwing – A Hero’s Journey: A pretty enjoyable 14-minute featurette which takes a look at one of the standout aspects of the season: Batwing. The cast and creative team discuss Luke’s journey beginning with his stasis in the Batcave, the incident which propelled him forward, Luke’s importance in the Arrowverse, the role of the mentor in his life, the bumps felt along the way and more.
- Gag Reel: A five-minute collection of flubbed lines, laughing fits, joking around, malfunctioning props and more. This is quite a bit of fun, as always.
Final Thoughts
The third and final season of Batwoman finds the show continuing to improve after a lackluster debut season, but unfortunately audiences continued to bail and never returned. This particular season finds individual team members finding more opportunities to add layers to their characters, even if some of the developments can be a bit frustrating. There is more of an effort to lean on Batman mythos, but the series sprinkles in enough to be effective without feeling desperate. It is a bit sad to see the show cut short, but the cliffhanger you are left with is not too frustrating in the long run. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has provided a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and some decent special features. If you have already enjoyed any of the previous seasons, this final one proves to be the strongest and most consistent of the bunch.
Batwoman: The Complete Third and Final Season is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
