Is Batwoman’s Alice actually redeemable?
Batwoman’s latest episode ends with Kate and Jacob vowing to get Beth back — but is the series’ main villain actually redeemable?
At the end of the most recent episode of Batwoman, Kate and her father vow to get Beth back no matter what it takes. The two have had a seriously difficult time forgiving themselves for what happened to Kate’s twin sister after the tragic car accident that tore apart their family — and the promise to convince Beth to stop playing the villain stems more from their combined guilt than anything else.
In making this choice, however, the two don’t seem to consider whether Beth — Alice — can actually be redeemed, at least not aloud. But as the viewers, we’re left to wonder if the lofty goal of changing Alice is actually achievable. If not, Kate and Jacob’s guilt could easily be the catalyst for Gotham’s downfall.
Despite the pain Alice clearly feels when it comes to her family, she hasn’t given fans of the series much of a reason to believe she’d ever return to being Beth. When it comes to Jacob, she’s forgone the concept of forgiveness altogether — a fact that became clearer than ever when she stabbed her father during “Mine is a Long and Sad Tale.”
Kate seems to be another story. Alice has become vicious in the presence of her twin sister on multiple occasions since the series began, and she holds the same grudge against Kate that she does against Jacob — a grudge made worse by the fact that Kate is her twin, and she’s doubly disappointed that her own twin didn’t sense that she was still alive.
But there are also times when Alice’s love for Kate shines through, even in spite of all the resentment. During “I’ll Be Judge, I’ll Be Jury,” Alice tells Mouse that she’s saving a spot for her sister at their tea party. That’s her reasoning behind letting her newest round of victims live as well — she doesn’t want to lose Kate completely, and that much is clear from her most recent actions.
When Mouse fails to understand why Alice still cares about her sister, she also tells him, “She’s still my sister.” If anyone can redeem Alice, it’s undoubtedly Kate. But that’s assuming Alice isn’t already too far gone. (And given that she’s made a name for herself as a super villain, that may well be the case.)
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