WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Batwoman Season 3, Episode 13, “We Having Fun Yet?,” which aired Wednesday, March 2, on The CW.
Kate Kane’s deranged twin sister Beth (aka Alice) has been a pivotal Batwoman character since the pilot. After serving as the show’s main antagonist in Season 1, Alice was featured more extensively in Season 2 while the series explored her more redeeming qualities. Batwoman‘s Season 3 finale gave the villain a happy ending after all — or so it seemed.
While Season 1 saw Kate and Alice go head-to-head multiple times, their complicated sisterly bond became the emotional core of the series. Season 2 found Alice starting out as a villain once more against the new Batwoman, Ryan Wilder, who had a grudge against her since Alice’s Wonderland Gang was responsible for the death of Ryan’s adoptive mother. Season 3 established that Alice’s mental health was starting to deteriorate because her past trauma was slowly catching up to her, which led to Alice seeking a cure for her affliction. She spent the rest of the season teaming-up with the Bat-team — repairing relationships and helping to defeating Ryan’s own deranged sibling Marquis Jet. At season’s end, Beth finally decided to seek help and admitted herself to a psychiatric facility in Geneva, leaving behind her villainous persona once and for all.
Batwoman Season 3 saw the introduction of two major villains — Gotham’s first black Joker (played by Nick Creegan) who was also finally comics-accurate, and the infamous eco-terrorist Poison Ivy — while Alice took on a more anti-heroic role. Interestingly enough, the comic book version of Beth Kane eventually developed a heroic identity of her own named “Red Alice.” Through this rebranding, Beth truly tried to make up for her past mistakes by helping Batwoman protect Gotham City. A heroic turn would be the ultimate redemption arc for Beth on Batwoman; while she won’t be able to fight next to Kate, she has a surrogate sister on the Bat team in Mary Hamilton.
But while the third season ended with the indication that Alice might be able to turn her life around, the source material suggests future trouble for the former villain. In the comics, Beth Kane was indeed admitted at Weiße Kaninchen Sanatorium in Geneva after rekindling her relationships with Kate and her father — but though she appeared to be mentally stable, her “Alice” persona still occasionally haunted her. Moreover, several villains attempted to use Beth against Batwoman, going to the extent of brainwashing her so they could bring “Alice” to the forefront.
That latter plot point could easily be adapted on the show, with Batwoman Season 4 exploring Beth’s struggles maintaining her mental health despite the influences of a new antagonist. That kind of storyline would truly test both the character and her commitment towards self-betterment.
Of course, the ideal option would be for Beth to reunite with Kate and live happily ever after with her sister — but that scenario would lead to her eventual exit from the series, which would be a loss for fans. While Season 4 has yet to be ordered by The CW, there’s still plenty left to explore with Kate Kane in another season. However, if Batwoman doesn’t get renewed, the show at least delivered a happy ending for this tortured Gothamite.
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