Batwoman has had a lot going on following the aftermath of “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” After the Arrow-verse crossover, the multi-verse was forged into the single world known as Earth-Prime. The full effects of the multi-verse meld are still open to speculation, with one exception. There are now two versions of Kate Kane’s twin sister (born Beth) roaming around Earth-Prime.
In inventing the twist, Batwoman has not gone the way of its fellow Arrow-verse shows. They underwent dramatic changes and shifts following “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” Instead, in a bid to keep the show grounded, Batwoman opted to add an additional Beth as an “anomaly,” according to what series showrunner Caroline Dries told EW. When speaking about the decision, Dries said:
I was heavily involved in the crossover, and the thing I’d been struggling with since the beginning was: How can we make Kate’s life a little bit more integrated with all of this madness of sci-fi and aliens, and the dense mythology between The Flash, Arrow, and Legends, and time travel? What’s kind of our takeaway from the crossover that could really rattle the show without feeling like all of a sudden we have aliens on the show or meta-humans and stuff? You know, keeping it grounded as we started the season.
Rather than opt for the complicated sci-fi drama of time travel and aliens, Batwoman went with a single return. Thus, bringing actress Rachel Skarsten into the dual roles of the newly introduced non-evil Beth from another Earth, and the villain, Alice. A tale of two Beth(s)? The plot twist means Kate’s sister situation getting a retool of sorts.
How did this grounded idea for a sister act shake-up on Batwoman come to be? Well, it all goes back to the executive producer of “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” Marc Guggenheim. Caroline Dries explained that what Guggenheim shared opened the door to new possibilities for the already renewed series, saying:
Marc was like, ‘Yeah, this can reset people’s characters if you want. It can do a lot of different stuff for your stories.’ So I went back to our writers [and asked], ‘Is there anything we can do here?’ Obviously, the idea is Beth is Kate’s Achilles heel for this season, and so I think James Stoteraux pitched, ‘You know, what if Beth comes back?’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God, yes.’ So we decided to go with that
Kate Kane has probably wondered what would have happened if Beth did not become the villain that she is now. Now, Batwoman is getting a chance to explore that as the other Earth’s Beth does not share her counterpart’s currently villainous path. In other words, Beth is a far cry from Alice.
The Vampire Diaries’ Paul Wesley will be directing an upcoming episode. Will it entail a showdown between Beth and Alice? Anything is possible. Batwoman has undoubtedly opened up a lot of emotional territory for Kate in making this game-changing move. It is a grounded twist that does not entail a tremendous amount of sci-fi finagling.
The cameo-filled “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover gave fans a lot to see and enjoy, even if it meant some less elaborate fight sequences. Everything comes at a cost, and yet, Batwoman did not pay the price by sacrificing the show’s grounded nature. It has found a way to mightily leverage the storyline’s Arrow-verse implications in a way that works for it.
Batwoman fans will need to continue watching to learn if the Beth twist sticks. Will Beth's stay on Earth-Prime be permanent? From the sound of things, I think there is a lot of story potential in Kate getting to know Beth, a.k.a. Alice minus the severe bad streak. Time will tell if Batwoman’s fallout from “Crisis on Infinite Earths” remains!
New episodes of Batwoman air Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. The Arrow-verse series is one of many airing new this winter and spring.
