Kate’s story began 13 years prior to the Batwoman premiere when the Joker ran her mother off the road, with Kate and Beth in the car, and Batman was unable to save all three of them.

As a teenager, Kate Kane went through a tragic and unbelievable loss when their car went off of the road (as it was being chased down by the Joker on a school bus and Batman was unable to save them), killing her mother and — supposedly — her twin sister. It transformed her into the tough-as-nails person she is today, but then things changed, again.

When Kate discovered Beth was alive, as Alice, it brought up old, obviously unresolved feelings about what happened that day 13 years ago. So why has there been almost no mention — in the present day and flashbacks — of Kate’s mother, other than the simple fact that she died too?

The obvious focus on Beth

Seeing as Alice is the Big Bad of the season, it makes sense why all of the focus is on her, and Jacob and Kate’s loss of her in flashbacks. As the survivor, it’s continuing their traumatic loss because Beth came back as someone they don’t recognize. Plus, Kate’s mother’s body was found in the car after it was recovered, but Beth’s was not. Their search for her kept her alive, longer to them, before they accepted what they believe to be inevitable.

Additionally, for Kate, losing her twin was probably the hardest thing she’d ever experience. Their connection was something others can only dream of, and no one can ever begin to build a connection like that with someone else. For Jacob, it’s understandable why he was more distraught over his missing, and then-presumed, dead daughter.

How did losing her mother play into her ‘Batwoman’ story?

Given the series of unfortunate events that occurred to make Jacob and Kate Kane lose half of their family, it’s understandable why they were much more focused on Beth’s loss than Kate’s mother’s death. However, that doesn’t mean her death should be (or was) completely ignored. Jacob lost his wife and the mother of his children, and Kate lost her mother on top of losing her best friend in the entire world. Who does someone seek comfort from, usually, as a kid? Oh, right, their mother, if their relationship with her is good (and we have no reason to believe it wasn’t).

As much as losing Beth transformed Kate, and helped drive her to becoming Batwoman, losing her mother should have had a similar impact that needs to be explored. Growing up after losing someone is so difficult, so losing two people is unbearable.

We saw the dynamic between Kate and Mary — and the forced idea that Mary could have been Kate’s “replacement sister” at one point — but how did Jacob marrying Catherine change Kate? Yes, it made it so she grew up with a step-mother, but we know little about the practically non-existent relationship Kate and Catherine had with one another. Did Catherine ever attempt to step up as a mother for Kate? Or did Kate have to watch Mary grow up with her mother while missing her own, with no relationship with Catherine?

Now that we’ve uncovered a lot of how Kate’s loss of Beth changed her, let’s get to the loss of her mother. There’s surely plenty of story to tell from both before and after the crash, and even to the present day. Losing your mother is another life-changing event that defines who you are as a person. It’s amazing, given all that Kate went through at such a transformative age, that she’s even stable enough to suit up as Batwoman to protect Gotham.

Batwoman airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW!