Into The Arrowverse: Saying goodbye to the Green Arrow
By Ariba Bhuvad
Photo: Shane Harvey/The CW
Batwoman Episode 111: “An Un-Birthday Present”
As a result of the Crisis, the denizens of the Arrowverse are still trying to make sense of the new world they’ve suddenly been thrust into. Each show is dealing with the confusing and emotional repercussions of that reality-altering event.
Kate Kane is no exception. She’s feeling especially out of sorts now that she knows that there’s a nice, happy version of Beth existing on Earth-Prime. She’s drastically different than the sister she’s come to know as Alice the villain. Not only is this version of Beth kind and nurturing, but she was saved by Kate in the accident that, in Kate’s world, turned Beth into Alice. One can understand why Kate feels so much guilt for not doing the same on her Earth, but there’s nothing to be done about that now.
I’m glad Batwoman didn’t waste time keeping this version of Beth in the dark about who and what she is (a product of the Crisis). Kate filled her in right away, saving us the torture of unnecessary secrets and lies. Since this Beth is an astrophysicists expert, she’s not really baffled by the idea of what the Crisis is and what it did. Those are the perks of being a genius, I suppose.
Much of the episode is about Beth and Kate getting reacquainted, which felt fitting. But I still felt it should have been given more time. I know a lot is going on, but I wanted this particular reunion to have more emotional weight than it did.
But we do have to visit other plotlines, including the other Beth/Alice being held while Mouse tries to secure her release. In an attempt to get Alice back, Mouse kidnaps the kids of two of Gotham’s leading citizens: the mayor and the commissioner. Oh, and Kate.
There’s something riveting about the scenes between Alice and Sophie as Alice recalls every heartbreaking detail of her capture and how she dealt with it. I was excited to see these two interact because it gave us a moment away from the craziness of the story. I know Alice always has ulterior motives, but something about the way she tells her story and how she looked to the “Alice in Wonderland” book as a coping mechanism felt very appropriate.
After Kate is kidnapped by Mouse, Beth realizes that she will be able to save her sister just like she was saved all those years ago. The only way she can do that is by pretending to be Alice and tricking Mouse into thinking Alice was released. But come on, after all those years of spending time together, I think Mouse knows better than that.
And he does, but unfortunately for him, he fails at burning Beth alive as Kate gets her moment of redemption and saves her sister from a burning car. Hooray!
But that’s not all! Not only did the evil Alice escape before she could be locked up in Arkham and nearly kill Sophie, it turns out that evil Alice and new Beth are connected. And only one of them can live.
Tune in in three weeks to see what this all means. What other crazy fractures are happening around the Arrowverse? Ah, don’t you just love living in a post-Crisis world?