We later learned that Ryan’s biological mother died in childbirth, but she and her adoptive mother were set to move into an apartment together recently. But when they opened the door, the apartment was full of Alice’s thugs. They beat both Ryan’s mother and the building manager to death and nearly killed Ryan herself, but she survived and now talks to her plant like it’s her mother. She also probably wants some revenge on Alice.
As for Kate, the assumption in Gotham is that she’s dead. However, she left a letter in the suit for Sophie (Meagan Tandy) revealing herself to be Batwoman and professing her love. Alice (Rachel Skarsten) also got a note from Safiyah that claimed credit for whatever happened to Kate, though viewers know Kate is not dead.
After it was announced that Rose was leaving the show, showrunner Caroline Dries promised that the show would not become part of the “Bury your gays” trope, meaning they would not be simply killing off their LGBTQ+ main character.
“As a lesbian who’s been working as a writer for the past 15 years, I’m well aware of the ‘Bury Your Gays’ trope and I have no interest in participating in it. That’s why it’s important to me as the showrunner to clarify any misinformation out there about Kate Kane and recasting Batwoman,” Dries said in a statement. “Like you, I love Kate Kane—she’s the reason I wanted to do the show. We’ll never erase her. In fact, her disappearance will be one of the mysteries of season two. I don’t want to give away any of our surprises, but to all our devoted fans, please know that LGBTQ+ justice is at the very core of what Batwoman is and we have no intention of abandoning that.”
