‘Batwoman’ 1×11 recap: Beth’s return comes with possible consequences

Sunday’s episode of Batwoman answered some questions following the bombshell that Beth is alive was revealed, but it also raised even more questions about how she and Alice can co-exist on the same Earth.

Confused? I don’t blame you. Here’s a recap of episode 1×11, titled “An Un-Happy Birthday Present”.

Kate gets answers

Things pick up right where we left off last week with Kate questioning Beth 2.0 at Wayne Tower. Kate doesn’t believe that that is her sister. I mean how could she? She’s been put through hell with Beth becoming Alice for much of the season in addition to killings, kidnappings, and the whole framing Jacob for murder thing. I wouldn’t even allow that girl in the same area code as me. Anyway, Kate manages to get Beth 2.0 into a chokehold but ends up getting pepper-sprayed by her sister. I know sisters fight, but that’s taking it to the extreme. Jeez!

Kate and Luke speculate that the new multiverse is to blame for Beth’s doppelganger showing up out of the blue. Remember, we learned in “Crisis” that there is a new Earth – Earth 99 – where Beth is not a villain, so it’s likely that Beth 2.0 came from that Earth. Man, these multi-Earth things can get confusing as heck. We find out through conversation that Kate actually saved Beth 2.0 on her Earth from the car accident and that’s why she never turned into Alice. If only Kate knew that earlier and could call up Sara and the Legends right about now, huh?

Alice has a plan

The Wonderland Gang has kidnapped the sons of both the mayor and police commissioner but GCPD refuses to use the Bat-Signal to call Batwoman. I mean, do they think Kate won’t know about crime in the city? That’s funny. So Kate goes off on her motorcycle to stop the gang. At the same time, Mouse calls Sophie to tell her to release Alice, but Kate says to not do what Mouse says. Beth 2.0 finds out about evil-Beth-turned-Alice and decides to step in to help.

Massive props to Rachel Skarsten for pulling off two different versions of the same character in one episode; it was a really solid performance. Anyway, Beth 2.0-as-Alice shows up and announces she “escaped” and to tell Mouse so that he’ll stop the kidnapping. Things didn’t go as planned because of course it didn’t. Mouse locks up Beth 2.0 in the trunk of an abandoned car and long story short, Kate saves her.

So this plan worked as Alice does eventually escape and Kate got to save her sister. Happy ending for all, right? Not so fast..

A banging headache

Kate, Luke, Mary, and Beth are all celebrating a job well done. Drunk Mary is pretty funny as she goes on about some hilarious multiverse theory that I’m sure The Flash‘s Cisco would have loved. The fun and laughs end when Beth 2.0 hunches over in pain, holding her head. Meanwhile, Alice does the same in some other part of Gotham.

My theory is that Alice and Beth 2.0 cannot both exist on the same earth. I know what you’re thinking, “so one of them will die?” No! I think Alice and Beth 2.0 will somehow merge into one person, creating the biggest super-villain that Batwoman will face. Yes, Batwoman‘s version of The Joker may be forming here before our very eyes.

Episode Notes

• Alice shared with Sophie a story from her time being held captive by Mouse and his freak of a father. Basically, Mouse’s dad killed her pet kitten and forced Alice to sew the skin masks to Mouse’s face. So as a coping technique, Alice took her mind into an alternate reality where she was “Alice” from the Alice and Wonderland story.
• As I’ve said before, I still have issues with this show but I’m very intrigued to see how the two Beth’s storyline plays out. If they do it right, they can hook viewers and maybe draw some new ones in for Season 2.

What did you think of the episode? Let me know in the comments below!

Batwoman airs Sundays at 8/7c on The CW.