Batwoman Review: Mine is a Long and a Sad Tale (Season 1 Episode 5)

Batwoman Season 1 Episode 5, “Mine is a Long and a Sad Tale,” tells the beginning of the story of how Beth became Alice, and it’s a heartbreaking one on multiple levels.

Curiously, we don’t really spend time watching Beth fall down the rabbit hole, as she says, and turn into Alice. Instead, she’s still Beth in the flashbacks, and the focus is on her first weeks in captivity and her almost rescue.

Hopefully, this means that there’s more flashbacks to come (something I never thought I’d say about an Arrowverse show). It’s not hard to imagine how a girl locked in a room with an Alice in Wonderland book to keep her company managed to slowly go insane.

However, it would still be worth seeing. There’s still a lot to explore there, but let’s not make it a “I wasn’t on the island for all five years” situation a la Arrow.

Alice’s backstory doesn’t need to be continent-spanning or anything, but it would be nice to learn more about what happened to her, and why she chose now to make her return.

The decision to focus on the first couple weeks of Beth’s captivity is smart because that near rescue delivers an emotional punch.

Alice: I waited for you to feel it, to know, to sense, but alas, nothing! I guess what they say about twins being connected, that profound, soulful, magical tie is just fantasy! The thing you dream about before your hunger wakes you up.

Kate and Jacob were so close to getting Beth, to saving her. It’s devastating to watch the flashbacks play out and to see Alice recount the tale to Kate who is piecing together her memories with the events in Alice’s story. It’s a double whammy of emotions, of pain.

It’s impossible not to feel for Beth/Alice, even after all the things she’s done and after stabbing her dear old dad. If that’s not proof that this is one hell of an origin story, I don’t know what is.

Alice, villain-wise, being in the gray area — a villain we, Kate, and Jacob don’t want dead — is one of the many reasons that she’s fascinating.

This complex family dynamic is the best part of Batwoman. Actually, it might be more accurate to say that Alice, and the complex relationship she has with Kate and Jacob, is the best part of Batwoman.

It’s interesting to find that the main reason to keep tuning in is not the hero but the villain. It makes me wonder what the show would be like next season if she’s no longer around.

Right now, however, the draw and intrigue Alice has is working to the show’s benefit. The continual release of information about Alice keeps us (and Kate) torn between rooting for her capture and wanting her to survive.

Alice: When your life unfolds into a nightmare, you pray your dreams will take you elsewhere.

If this origin story was pushed back until later in the season, it would have been more difficult to keep us invested in Kate’s “she’s my sister, I have to save her” struggle, especially if week after week we were watching Alice commit one crime after another.

Kate learning more about what happened to Alice keeps the fact that Alice is her sister in the forefront of Kate’s mind. She is able to focus on that, on learning about what happened to Alice, instead of all the atrocities Alice has committed.

All that being said, at some point, Kate is going to have to accept Alice for who she is now. She can’t keep being shocked at Alice doing terrible things. It’s not like it’s breaking news anymore, and Alice hasn’t shown any signs of remorse or hesitation before committing each act.

Batwoman is walking a fine line with Kate and Alice, but, so far, it’s working.

Stray Thoughts:

• Mary and Luke should hang out more often.
• Catherine coming clean to Mary does earn her a few brownie points.
• Mouse is one creepy individual with that mimicking skill.

What did you think of this episode of Batwoman? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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

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