Warning! Spoilers for Batwoman season 3, episode 9 ahead.

The potential romantic relationship between Ryan (Javicia Leslie) and Sophie (Meagan Tandy) has taken center stage in Batwoman season 3, which risks repeating Arrow’s Olicity mistake. Batwoman has never avoided letting romantic relationships be central to the show, as could be seen in season 1 when then-Batwoman Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) pined over Sophie in-between crimefighting. However, the relationships always evolved organically, with the characters not being rapidly pushed together, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Ryan and Sophie in Batwoman season 3.

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Since Ryan took the mantle of Batwoman in Batwoman season 2, the relationship between her and Sophie drastically changed. At first, Ryan didn’t want to have anything to do with Sophie, despite the fact she often helped the Bat Team, because Sophie was the crow who arrested her and the reason she unjustly spent 18 months in prison. Working together led them to understand each other more, allowing for a friendship that evolved naturally over the course of Batwoman season 2. Nevertheless, Batwoman season 3 saw a change of pace in Sophie and Ryan’s relationship and a seemingly reciprocated romantic interest in each other.

It could be seen in their interactions, which suddenly became flirtier, but also in the way they justified their working together with excuses such as posing as girlfriends, like when they investigated Jada Jet (Robin Givens) at a dinner at her mansion in season 3, episode 5. The clearest push yet for Ryan and Sophie as a couple came from The Flash season 8, episode 4, where, in an alternative timeline, Ryan would catch up with Iris (Candice Patton) and ask her advice about her relationship with her wife Sophie. Ryan and Sophie’s relationship might be captivating, but considering how Batwoman season 3 pushes for “Wildemoore” to happen, it may backfire and make the pairing controversial, much like Arrow’s Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards) and Oliver Queen’s (Stephen Amell) love story and all its fast-paced sweeping drama.

Arrow‘s Oliver and Felicity romance, dubbed “Olicity,” became one of the most divisive aspects of the show’s run. While in part that was due to some viewers wanting Oliver to end up with Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), it was also because of how it felt the pair were quickly pushed together following the popularity of their potential relationship among viewers; that romance was subsequently rushed along too quickly, damaging the storyline. Ultimately, the debate over Oliver and Felicity in Arrow dominated discussions of the show, and while the romance made sense in a lot of ways, the execution did have at least a somewhat negative impact upon things.

Similarly, Sophie and Ryan would work well together, as they’d be a strong couple whose counterparts would treat each other as equals. Still, they both come from love stories with people they deemed the loves of their lives. Ryan had known Angelique (Bevin Bru) all her life, and Angelique had been one of the first people who supported and believed in her. Ryan was still reeling from Angelique’s departure from Gotham, while Sophie, even more unequivocally, had been hung up on Kate for so long, not only because of their big love story and how it influenced them but also for the hurt of losing her and getting her back before realizing that what happened had changed Kate (Wallis Day). Not much time had passed between Sophie focusing on finding love-of-her-life Kate and then realizing she had feelings for Ryan, leaving her no time to understand what she wanted.

Although nothing major has happened yet between Sophie and Ryan, except for the small kiss in the cabin in Batwoman season 3, episode 9 and Ryan’s unwarranted jealousy caused by Sophie and Renee (Victoria Cartagena) hooking up three episodes earlier, the show seems to frame them as the next big romance. Batwoman season 3 is pushing for them to be together romantically because they’re destined to be, rather than letting them build a relationship that makes sense or in which they could genuinely be invested, based on what they went through and what they understood of each other. This way, Batwoman risks repeating the same mistake of Arrow’s Oliver and Felicity, with yet another couple created as fast as possible without a solid base to hinge on.

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About The Author


Antonella Gugliersi
(100 Articles Published)

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Antonella Gugliersi is a feature writer for Screen Rant. While studying for her bachelor’s in a completely unrelated subject, she started writing about movies and TV shows for an Italian publication. After a brief internship at TPI, she decided she wanted to pursue journalism and graduated with a degree in International Journalism. She tends to like blockbuster movies and indie films alike, depending on the mood. Her all-time favorite shows are Sense8 and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and she finds sitcoms to be the cure for all ills. Star Wars and the MCU have dominated years of her life. When she’s not writing or working as a barista, she spends time with her cats or eating out.

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