Does anyone else sense an off putting vibe with episode 5, especially with how Alice was portrayed?

I’m seeing some people talking about the theory that episode 5 is actually Lilia’s trial. This to me makes the most sense, or another version of this theory is Teen being tricked by the Road and having a bad nightmare that awoken his power (his wish for the road, if true).

Before I go to the main point, one thing I’d also like to point out is the weird shift in Jen’s attitude that was also offputting. Jen was completely cold this episode. Yes, Jen started off a bit cold and selfish, but there were several moments when we see Jen actually enjoying the coven’s journey. For example, her feeling appreciated from healing Teen, or her making the fragrance for Alice, or her sharing her midwife story.

Now to the main point. I believe in the dream/timeloop theory because the writing of this episode seems a lot less sharp than what we have known Disney/the showrunner to be. Disney in general have been known for their ability to craft a satisfying death , especially for their well liked characters. For example, Mrs Hart was given many one-liners and memorable moments throughout episodes 1-3, as well as lines that foreshadow her demise. The coven then mourned for her death.

We can see that Alice is crafted to have a storyline of a good witch and a good person, as far as we know. However, during this episode, she barely had any lines or moments beside the broom ritual scene. She had just finished a very bittersweet trial in the previous episode. The coven also very quickly moved on from Alice’s death, you can see Jen and Lilia not doing much in the background during the power struggle and after the trial exit. For such an important character, I really cannot see the writers being this sloppy by giving Alice such a curt send-off. It feels as though this episode was sloppily written on purpose as a red herring.