For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.
Plot
Ryan, Sophie and Jada come together to put a stop to Marquis' plans, as Mary seeks out the family of the man she murdered to make amends. Meanwhile, Alice's instability grows stronger, as she begins to hallucinate Mouse and Ocean while seeking out the Joker's joy buzzer.
Influences
Alice's dream sequences feel partly inspired by David Lynch's movies.
Goofs
Ryan's working with Jada in this episode completely undercuts her telling off the mother who abandoned her in last week's episode and embracing the found family of friends she made as Batwoman.
Again, the show has to come up with some remarkably twisted logic on the part of the "heroes" to justify why Alice isn't the hero of this show when she does most of the work to stop the major villains, while the protagonists argue with each other and are far more selfish than Alice.
Performances
Rachel Skarsten does a fantastic job capturing Alice's torment. Unfortunately, it makes her far more sympathetic than Ryan, whose motivations basically come down to trying to win the approval of the mother who abandoned her.
Artistry
The opening fight scene with Alice is fantastic.
The dream imagery of Alice's hallucinations is well shot.
Bat Trivia
The episode title is a quote from Alice in Wonderland.
This episode hints at the death of Jason Todd, as Kiki Roulette makes reference to helping the Joker beat Robin to death with a crowbar. This raises the question of whether or not Red Hood exists in the post-Crisis Arrowverse and if so, where is he?
The episode also establishes that there is an Arrowverse version of James Gordon Jr. However, he apparently was drugged into a stupor by an experimental treatment when he was 15 and never became the dangerous serial killer he was in the comics.
In the closing title card, the Batarang has a Joker smile painted on it.
Dialogue Triumphs
Alice: The... the hallucinations are back but worse, and I... I just need a little edger until you can get me the Joy Buzzer.
Mary: But Kiki, she said that there was only one buzz left.
Alice: Exactly, so why are we still standing here?
Mary: Because Ryan needs it for her brother.
Alice: But you need it for you sister.
Mary: Except you're not my sister. Why didn't you stop me? A real sister would have stopped me before I killed someone.
Alice: You think this is my fault? That was all you... Poison Mary. I was there for you, making sure no one got in your way.
Mary: You weren't there for me. You took advantage of me. You needed me, so you encouraged me, and... and now a wife is without her husband and their two boys without their dad, and their life is ruined, and my life is ruined!
Alice: (sarcastic) Got it. I am so sorry that you gutted a man with a tree branch. My bad!
(Alice and Marquis are struggling over the joy buzzer.)
Marquis: Damn. I throw you a party, and this is how you thank me?
Alice: Give... it to me.
Marquis: Or... or... We rule Gotham together. You could be the Harley to my Joker.
Alice: (laughs) I think you have that backwards. Besides, we come from different schools of looney tune.
Continuity
The episode opens with a dream sequence in which Alice imagines that she fights her way into Wayne Enterprises, finds Joker's joy buzzer and uses it to shock herself sane. She later wakes up in Mary's clinic where she declares that she feels like Beth Kane again. She is later put on trial and cleared of all her past crimes. Ryan is bitterly disappointed and tells Alice that she doesn't care what the public or a court says - she still knows that Alice is evil. Beth gives her the joy buzzer and says maybe Luke can still use it to figure out a way to save Marquis.
Alice is snapped out of the dream when Ocean shows up and tells her that she doesn't deserve a happy ending.
Ryan goes after Marquis Jet's #2 at Wayne Enterprises as Batwoman.
Sophie wakes up in Ryan's apartment.
Jada shows up at Ryan's apartment with coffee and pastries.
Alice breaks into Mary's clinic and starts rifling through the medication looking for anti-psychotics.
Alice tells Mary the hallucinations are back and getting worse. She says she thinks the only thing that can save her is the Joker's joy buzzer.
Mary refuses to help Alice and blames her for her killing a man while she was Poison Mary.
Ryan tells Sophie that she contacted Jada so they would work on a plan together. She apologizes for not telling her beforehand.
Ryan got a hold of Marquis' schedule from his #2. He is booked solid from 9-6 every day for the next week, except for today.
Marquis sent an e-mail to his #2 asking him to find the home address of one Barbara Kean - an art gallery owner and Jim Gordon's ex-wife.
Barbara is said to have divorced Jim Gordon at some point after their son, James Jr. was found with body parts in his closet.
Jada says that she will give Ryan whatever resources she needs before leaving in a rush.
Sophie goes after Jada and overhears her calling someone named Mario about something that could be bad for all of them.
Sophie knows that Barbara Kean was part of the Black Glove Society, along with Jada, and asks why she won't tell Ryan about the connection.
Jada tells Sophie not to tell Ryan about the BGS before leaving in a car that turns out to belong to Marquis' henchmen.
Mary seeks out the wife of the man she killed as Poison Mary.
Alice seeks out Kiki Roulette in the Joker's old workshop. As she makes her approach, she hallucinates Mouse, who taunts her.
Luke notices that Sophie is wearing the same clothes she was a day before, due to her not changing after her night with Ryan.
Ryan lies and says that Sophie was out all night helping her track Marquis' assistant.
Luke is able to trace the car that took Jada to Wayne Enterprises.
Alice threatens Kiki and tells her to give her the joy buzzer or make her a new one.
Kiki makes reference to the Jason Todd Robin, whom she helped the Joker kill with a crowbar. She also makes reference to Harley Quinn, saying Alice isn't the first crazy blonde woman to threaten to kill her.
Kiki claims to have worked for Joker since she was 16.
Marquis kills Kiki and gases Alice.
When Alice wakes up, she is in the Black Glove Society headquarters, along with five people who are tied-up and hooded.
The five people are revealed to be Barbara Kea, Burton Crowne, Mr. Jeremiah Arkham, crime boss Mario Falcone and Jada Jet - all Black Glove Society members.
According to Marquis, the Black Glove Society was founded in 1984 by Marla Elliot - the mother of Tommy "Hush" Elliot, due to his unfortunate obsession with his friend Bruce Wayne and wanting to be him.
James Gordon Jr. is said to have tied a labradoodle to a train track when he was 15. This was apparently the last straw for his mother.
Marquis subjects each of the Black Glove Society members to the same treatment they used on their children.
For Barbara Kean, this means 7 doses of the same untested drugs that left her son a drooling vegetable. Miraculously, she survives this.
Mary learns that Alice apparently confessed to the killing of the murder she committed and the wife of the man she killed presumed that was why she came to talk to her, given her own connection as a victim of Alice. Mary lies and says that was it.
Ryan apologies to Sophie for hiding the last night from Luke, saying she isn't ashamed but it isn't his business to know. She later admits that she's afraid to admit to anything good in her life publicly because she always seems to lose everything good.
Alice stops Marquis from using the Mr. Freeze coolant from freezing his mother after shocking her crazy with the joy buzzer.
Marquis tells Alice about how he came to be shocked by the Joker and how they were born on the same day, which is why he feels a connection to her.
Alice offers Marquis something that would make the Joker jealous of him in exchange for the joy buzzer. This is later revealed to be the secret of how to get into the Batcave.
Sophie approached Alice as she was leaving Marquis' hideout.
Ryan stops Alice from stealing Sophie's gun and shooting her.
Ryan takes the buzzer from Alice, but is overpowered by Marquis.
Jada shoots the coolant tank to stop Marquis from using it on Ryan.
Marquis escapes in the confusion.
Ryan and Sophie agree to become a couple and live openly.
Ryan says she is not going to let Marquis rot in Arkham for the rest of his life and asks Sophie for 24 hours to try and save him before they go against him in full force.
Luke and Mary learn that Ryan and Sophie are involved.
Alice is committed to Arkham Asylum.
Mary visits Alice in her cell, driving away the images of Ocean and Mouse as orderlies that were taunting her.
Alice tells Mary that she told Marquis how to get into the Batcave.
The episode ends with Marquis entering the Batcave and inspecting the arsenal.
Untelevised Adventures
Alice called the GCPD off-camera and confessed to the murder that Poison Mary committed.
The Fridge Factor
Sophie is easily beaten by Alice, purely to set up a chance for Ryan to save Sophie.
Ryan is overpowered by Marquis purely to give Jada a chance to turn against her son to save her daughter.
The Bottom Line
This may be the episode where the series jumps the shark completely. While Alice has always been an anti-hero and her motives here are purely selfish, she's still far more sympathetic than Ryan, whose motivations are equally selfish. The script twists to make various characters helpless as the plot demands it, even when they're facing an opponent who shouldn't be as capable in a fight as they are.
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