Joanna Crawford

**Joanna Crawford** is a young woman recently employed as a journalist at the Philadelphia Tribune. Joanna Crawford is Cyrus Montrose's niece, whose education was financied by Dr. Laszlo Kreizler.

She is a recurring character in “The Alienist” and “Angel of Darkness” portrayed by Brittany Marie Batchelder.

## Official Description

*Joanna Crawford is helping her uncle Cyrus at his bar while also pursuing her own ambitions. Her past work for the Philadelphia Tribune leads her to the offices of the New York Times, where her talent for investigative journalism and her personal courage can prove vital to the team’s efforts to rescue the kidnapped Spanish baby.*

## Character Overview

Miss Joanna Crawford is a smart and beautiful young African-American woman with black hair styled in an elegant chignon, brown eyes and a slim build. Her clothes are austere, embellished with a simple pendant locket around her neck. Miss Crawford is a strong and determined woman, willing to voice her own opinions and find a satisfying job that stimulates her interests. She is a no-nonsense woman who does not accept to be belittled in any way because of her gender, skin color or social class.

## Biography

New York City, 1896. When Cyrus Montrose was admitted to hospital following an assault, Miss Crawford traveled from Philadelphia to New York to watch over her uncle in the hospital. It was during this time that Miss Crawford had a brief but unpleasant encounter with Dr. Laszlo Kreizler. The woman, in fact, coldly welcomed the doctor who came to visit his manservant. Miss Crawford pointed out that her uncle was in that dangerous situation because of the doctor and that if they were really friends, Kreizler would let him go and live a quiet life. The woman also remarked how she was convinced that Dr. Kreizler's courtesy and progressive ideas inadvertently used for downtrodden her uncle, were not very different from the whip and the chains of slaveholders. Miss Crawford was also annoyed when the doctor referred to her as Miss Joanna, implying an intimacy which she considered inappropriate – in fact, she did not address him as Mr. Laszlo. The doctor apologized and congratulated the woman on her for having been hired to work as a journalist at the *Philadelphia Tribune*. The woman thanked him, adding that the pay was not very high but that she was still happy with her job. She also acknowledged and thanked Dr. Kreizler for paying her studying and said that she was still intent on repaying him. The two took their leave with a bittersweet understanding and an awkward silence.

Joanna attended the protest outside of Sing Sing demanding that Martha Napp be freed as she was wrongly convicted of killing her child. The police started shoving the protesters, which eventually led to a full blown riot and women being striked down by officers.

Joanna worked the bar as Cyrus broke up a dog fight between the Dusters. Cyrus wanted better for Joanna. He hoped to see her working for one of those rich white families uptown. However, Joanna wanted a more illustrious career. Sara and John then arrived and started asking questions about the Dusters and Goo Goo Knox.

John held the second half of his bachelor party at Cyrus' bar. Joanna checked on Marcus and Lucius, who appeared to be drinking his guilt away.

Joanna arrived at the New York Times after being recruited by John. Bernie Peterson wondered how a black woman would be able to gather stories for the society pages. John explained that he would apprise Joanna of the event, and she would write it up. Admittedly, Bernie was impressed with Joanna’s senior thesis "Suffragism and Emancipation: A New America." Later, Joanna attended John’s engagement party in a mask and eavesdropped for stories.

Joanna and Sara tracked Fat Jack to Goo Goo, who was not only with Libby, but complicit in the abductions. They watched as Libby breastfed Knox. Afterward, Sara followed Libby to her lair as Joanna left to deliver John a message.

Joanna interrupted John's family dinner to inform him that Sara was tracking Libby. into Duster territory. Before leaving to meet with Sara, John instructed Joanna to call Laszlo and the Isaacsons.

Joanna was attacked by Ding Dong and two Dusters. They accused her of bringing Sara and John into their territory. She asked him to leave, however, Ding Dong grabbed her by her face and tossed her to the ground. Cyrus arrived and pulled a baton from his jacket, demanding they leave.

Joanna attended Marcus’ funeral after he was killed by Goo Goo Knox and offered her condolences.

After apprehending Libby, John was given a promotion and his own team. He offered her a spot on his team. However, she found a newspaper in Weeksville, Brooklyn. It was more progressive.

## Memorable Quotes

**Dr. Kreizler:** "*Miss Joanna? I'm glad you were able to get here so quickly.*"
**Miss Crawford:** "*Miss Joanna would make you Mr. Laszlo. Miss Crawford.*"
**Miss Crawford:** "*Your "friend" spends most of his time in the stables. My uncle may take acts of kindness as a mark of your decency, but I see keeping him downtrodden through courtesy and progressive ideas as simply more effective than using shackles and a whip.*"
**Miss Crawford** (to Dr. Kreizler) "*Thank you for letting me know about my uncle, Doctor. And thank you as well for paying for my schooling. I still intend to reimburse you.*"
— Many Sainted Men

## Appearances

The Alienist

* Ep. 7: *Many Sainted Men*

Angel of Darkness

* Ep. 2: *Something Wicked*
* Ep. 3: *Labyrinth*
* Ep. 4: *Gilded Cage*
* Ep. 6: *Memento Mori*
* Ep. 7: *Last Exit to Brooklyn*
* Ep. 8: *Better Angels*

## Notes

* When Laszlo Kreizler greeted her as Miss Joanna instead of Miss Crawford, she promptly corrected him as they were not intimate enough address each other with the first name. This scene mirrors the meeting between Kreizler, John Moore, and Miss Sara Howard in *The Boy on the Bridge*.

## Gallery

* Promotional Images
* Screencaps
* Behind the Scenes

## References

1. ↑ Character Bio Joanna Crawford - Warner Media Group
2. ↑ John Sayles (writer) & Paco Cabezas (director); (March 5, 2018); "Many Sainted Men". Episode 7.*The Alienist*. TNT
3. ↑ Stuart Carolan (writer); David Caffrey (director); (July 19, 2020); "Ex Ore Infantium". Episode 1. *Angel of Darkness*. TNT.
4. ↑ Stuart Carolan (writer); David Caffrey (director); (July 19, 2020); "Something Wicked". Episode 2. *Angel of Darkness*. TNT.
5. ↑ Gina Gionfriddo (writer); Clare Kilner (director); (July 26, 2020); "Labyrinth". Episode 3. *Angel of Darkness*. TNT.
6. ↑ Alyson Feltes (writer); Clare Kilner (director); (July 26, 2020); "Gilded Cage". Episode 4. *Angel of Darkness*. TNT.
7. ↑ Gina Gionfriddo & Karina Wolf (writer); Clare Kilner (director); (August 2, 2020); "Belly of the Beast". Episode 5. *Angel of Darkness*. TNT.
8. ↑ Alyson Feltes (writer); David Caffrey (director); (August 2, 2020); "Memento Mori". Episode 6. *Angel of Darkness*. TNT.
9. ↑ Stuart Carolan & Karina Wolf (writers); David Caffrey (director); (August 9, 2020); "Better Angels". Episode 8. *Angel of Darkness*. TNT.