Photo: Katie Yu/The CW
As the latest series in the ever-expanding DCTV universe, BATWOMAN may risk getting lost in the shuffle; but as we learned from two of the series’ stars, Meagan Tandy and Rachel Skarsten, there is plenty that sets this one apart. In a conversation with reporters at New York Comic-Con, Tandy and Skarsten highlighted the superhero drama’s focus on fierce, complicated women and how, specifically, each of those descriptions will apply to their characters. From a lesbian superhero and another woman’s unclear sexual preference, to chances for rich backstory and a villain who isn’t quite always what she seems, BATWOMAN has the potential to really stand out.
Women are the heroes here. When asked about the character of Sophie Moore, Meagan Tandy described her background as a member of The Crows and her high-ranking status, as well as her romantic history with the series’ titular character. As we know from the BATWOMAN premiere, Kate returns to Gotham because of her former girlfriend’s kidnapping; and there is a lot of unresolved angst between them.
Why, exactly, did Tandy want this role? “I just love strong, powerful women; and the cool thing with Sophie and Kate [is] they both have the same exact training—they’re very, very strong women. But the thing is—the difference is—Kate’s calling was to be Batwoman, and Sophie’s calling was to be a part of The Crows. So, they’re both helping Gotham and saving Gotham; and I love that.”
For Rachel Skarsten, one of the best parts about playing Alice is that she’s complicated—which makes her more real. “I’ve been really lucky to play all of these complex—and I mean, are we not all complex women? That’s what makes us fantastic, right?” After having played so many rich female characters, “in many different incarnations and many different time periods—many different worlds,” Skarsten considers BATWOMAN’s Alice to be “the most complex because she was very broken as a child, and that now affects who she is today…She has real, genuine moments where you see who she was, but then she has moments where she’s just downright evil.”
Reflecting both sides of Alice’s character, for Skarsten, “is like choreographing a dance with myself.”
Is Sophie Moore bisexual? Tandy teased a “journey of Sophie figuring out what she wants to do” about her relationships, and sexuality will likely play a large role in that decision. Unlike Kate, who Tandy said is “standing in her truth” when we meet her, Sophie “is pretending a little bit.” Will Sophie “do what the world wants and keep her job” or perhaps look toward rekindling an old flame with Kate?
Be prepared for BATWOMAN to spend quality time with Sophie as she tries to figure out where she stands; but don’t expect any answers—even on whether or not we’ll have any answers—to the question of how Sophie identifies. “That one I’m not going to be able to answer,” said Tandy when asked if we’d have any idea of whether Sophie may be one of precious few bisexual characters on television, so “we’ll just have to see.”
With Sophie’s sexuality up in the air, that poses the question of whether or not there is anything genuine about her relationship with her husband. “Was she ever fully on board when they actually got married? Probably not.”
The bisexual plot thickens…
Regardless of how Sophie identifies, even the struggle she faces is a breakthrough for representation; the same could be said for Kate Kane’s appearance as a lesbian superhero. And Meagan Tandy knows it. “It is truly such an honor to be playing Sophie specifically…Sophie represents so many women in this world right now, and I feel—my hope—is that people will watch and look at Sophie; and it will just fully expand their empathy meter, their understanding meter…There might be someone in their life who is going through something like that, and I hope that this will help them to understand why they were like that. But being in this role—honestly—it has magnified my purpose as an artist, and it honestly makes me so emotional. Truly. I’m excited.”
Regarding what BATWOMAN might mean for LGBT representation, “we don’t want this to be such a taboo—that the superhero is a lesbian. We want it to just be normal…and, hopefully, this show will be able to do that.”
BATWOMAN will explore who these characters were before we met them in order to help us understand who they are… Asked how much viewers will learn about Batwoman’s connection to Sophie Moore, Tandy promised “a full backstory of what went down at military school, what the emotional connection is between the two—aside from it just being this relationship in military school. This wasn’t just a fling. They were actually in love together; and we talk about how long they were together and what it meant for the both of them.” This story goes above and beyond the “taste” in the BATWOMAN pilot.
Expect similar development for Alice.
Discussing whether or not viewers might expect to learn anything about how Skarsten’s character lived long enough to become the villain, the actress promised “a lot of the backstory” for her character and all others. “We will definitely, very much understand how Alice got to the point that she is now; and I think that will continue to evolve as the show goes on. For sure.”
…and the fallout of at least one big reveal. (Spoiler alert for those who have not yet viewed the BATWOMAN premiere.) Part of what makes Alice such a complex character is, of course, that she’s the villain; but she also has a very personal connection to our superhero. “It’s a secret that I’ve been keeping for a while—that they’re twins,” said Rachel Skarsten, “obviously, Alice is Beth Kane.” This, for Skarsten, makes the the rivalry all the more interesting. Kate and Beth are “evenly matched in all ways—intellectually, physically…They had the same childhood up until [age] thirteen, and something went terribly wrong.” She also noted that Batwoman and Alice’s paths were “incredibly different and yet, inextricably linked.”
Thanks to their connection, it would be fair to say Kate is Alice’s weakness. “There’s no one else Alice really loves in the same way; and I think, for any evil character, love presents a particular dilemma…That love, albeit twisted, is the underlying thing that drives Alice throughout this entire season and probably has driven her throughout her entire life…It’s definitely her Achilles heel, and I think the same is true for Kate and Batwoman.”
The sisters are “the ultimate foes, and they should want to destroy one another. But they can’t.”
BATWOMAN airs on Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.