Amazon Prime Video's Absentia Season 2 confirmed whether Alice Durand (Cara Theobold) is truly bad in Episode 10, and the revelation was devastating for Emily Byrne. Absentia's debut season introduced Alice as Special Agent Nick Durand's new wife, following Emily's unexpected disappearance for six years. As Nick's wife, Alice became close to Emily's son, Flynn, serving as his stepmother while his real mother was presumed dead. Season 1 showed a bit of Alice's dark side when she became antagonistic and untrustworthy of Emily, especially after the real killer, Logan Brandt, managed to frame her for abducting Flynn.
While Emily managed to expose the truth about the killer who framed her, a sliver of resentment for Alice remained, carrying over into the events of Absentia Season 2. This left fans to wonder if she truly has a dark side.
Directed by Oded Ruskin, Absentia stars Stana Katic, Matthew Le Nevez, Cara Theobold, and Patrick Heusinger. The series ran for three seasons on Prime Video before being canceled in July 2020. Absentia was added to Netflix in the United States and became even more popular.
Is Alice Bad in Absentia?
Absentia Season 2 raised the stakes when Emily and Nick's son, Flynn, became a key target of one of the villains. The show's sophomore run introduced a mad scientist named Dr. Oduwale (Hugh Quarshie), a major antagonist responsible for experimenting with people by injecting them with the "resilience serum." This drug was used to heighten resilience and help subjects cope with stress.
The twist was that Dr. Oduwale used Emily's blood as a main ingredient of the serum, mainly due to Emily being subjected to harrowing tank torture and countless other brutalities during years of being held captive by Logan Brandt. The various vials of blood came from Logan Brandt, but the supply was cut off after Emily killed her in the Season 1 finale.
Another shocking development was the revelation that Dr. Oduwale was Flynn's therapist and that Alice was actually the doctor's accomplice behind the serum research. Alice's mission was to insert herself into Nick's life to get close to Flynn, thereby cementing her evil turn, as she was only in it to protect her own interests and those of Dr. Oduwale.
Oduwale's ties to the Quill project (the operation involving the experimental serum) and Alice's act of giving Flynn's blood samples to him made her betrayal more heartbreaking. While the resilience serum was initially meant to help those with PTSD, its side effects include violence and aggression, which explains Flynn's distant and unusual behavior throughout Absentia Season 2.
What Happens to Alice in Absentia?
Given Emily's tenacity and keen eye during her investigation, it was only a matter of time before she learned the truth about the partnership between Dr. Oduwale and Alice. As a result, Alice killed Oduwale and later told Emily that she had done it to protect her, Flynn, and her husband, Nick Durand (who has a completely different appearance in Absentia Season 2).
Alice also pointed out that she was not aware that the Quill project was linked to Emily's past abduction, but clearly, the damage was done. Emily deduced that Alice lied, exposing her as an antagonist and a liar who had stolen the life that was supposed to be hers in the first place.
With her back against the wall, Alice tried to leave town, but Emily tracked her down, leading to a heartbreaking confrontation. While Alice claimed that her feelings for Nick and Flynn were real, it was too late, because Emily could already see through her lies. Despite that, Emily agreed to let Alice go, with her even putting her gun down.
However, Alice still pointed her gun at Emily while trying to leave, and this reckless act led to her being shot by Special Agent Julianne Gunnarson (Natasha Little) while in the street. Alice died before coming clean to Nick and Flynn about her involvement with Dr. Oduwale and the Quill project.
Alice's death served as a quick consequence for her rather drastic actions that thoroughly impacted the lives of Emily, Nick, and Flynn. Many would agree that she should've suffered more from her betrayal, but her death was an easy way out.
What made it more gut-wrenching was that Emily decided to keep Alice's secret from Nick and Flynn in the Season 2 finale. Although this was an honorable move for Emily, some have pointed out that it was hard to see Alice escape the consequences of her betrayal.
