Welcome back all you Supergirl fans. The season nears its conclusion and my questions as to how they were going to keep Reign relevant yet manageable for five more episodes have been answered. The answer is by having her snarl behind a screen until she inevitably escapes in an episode or two. Oh, and the Cult of Coville returns. Who doesn’t love a good cult? Always an excuse to do something out there, plot-wise. Let’s see what they cooked up and as always, some spoilers are ahead.
1. Truth, Justice, and the Supergirl Way
I keep saying that Supergirl has been oddly self-centered in recent weeks. From assuming everyone had to conform to her rules or they weren’t worthy of trust, that secrets are only hers to keep, to her asserting her centrality in all decisions, her character was off. This episode attempts to course correct that by bringing in another of my favorite gripes, Supergirl’s identity question. It is implied, all right, it’s said aloud pretty bluntly, that Kara/Supergirl has been struggling with what it means to be Kara vs Supergirl.
That there is a dissonance she has been unable to resolve and it has been causing her selfishness. Only problem with this is that 1) she doesn’t fully realize the extent to which her actions erode her relationships to those around her and 2) there has been no inkling of this at all this season. At the onset of the season, she wrestled with this in the context of Mon-El’s departure. She sank herself into Supergirl at the expense of Kara Danvers.
Since Mon-El’s return though, she’s still sunk herself into Supergirl but no one calls her out on it. Maybe it’s because we don’t see her moments as Kara but that presents a whole new problem. We can only judge what has been put on the screen. The rest is speculation and speculation is fine but it is an act of audience creation instead of audience inferencing and reading. Where did this crisis of identity come from? It certainly wasn’t apparent throughout these last few episodes.
That being said, voicing the issue is at least a step forwards and leads to some great moments. Lena continuing to call Supergirl out is great, though I am afraid the writers are forsaking bits of Lena’s character in order for her to be this bitter. Supergirl’s conversation with Mon-El and Kara’s conversation with Jimmy are both perfect for her growth, making her aware that maybe her actions aren’t always being taken for the good of others but instead are being done for selfish reasons.
It’s a hard lesson for anyone to take and I hope Supergirl doesn’t dismiss it.
2. The Only Adult in the Room
Since Jimmy reintroduction, I’ve had the sneaking suspicion that he is the most mature person in this entire show at the moment. J’onn is a close second but he hasn’t been given room to grow or act as anything besides advice giver and father-care-er for a while now. Lena, as I said earlier, is being pettier than usual and everyone else is rife with season-long character issues. Jimmy by comparison is the only character to be emotionally mature, make decisions that are thought out and is compassionate in ways I haven’t seen from any of the other characters.
His decision to tell Lena his secret two episodes ago was the start of this. This episode he has the wherewithal to talk to Kara that he told Lena the truth because that’s what he finds to be the bedrock of a solid relationship. He also helps her think on her problems while also never undermining the traits within her that are admirable. He is also willing to out himself as Guardian, despite the backlash he knows he will face. I’m glad the writers are giving Jimmy a defined role within the show as the mature center outside of the DEO.
3. Expecto Patronizing
Alex, why. Why do you continue to patronize Ruby? You know doing that makes things worse. I said before that Alex was not mature and this is why. She is trying to “protect” Ruby from the harshness of the world and her situation but she should have realized that, by this point, those attempts only make things worse. The realities of the world will always make their ways to children and young adults and the best way to deal with that is to prepare them for it.
Continued belowThankfully, this episode shows that. M’yrnn and Ruby connect over the loss of people close to them yet it isn’t this connection that snaps Ruby out of her funk. Instead, it is the frankness that M’yrnn speaks with. He doesn’t overwhelm Ruby, he does simplify what he felt and what happened but he doesn’t hide the truth behind walls of false perkiness. He doesn’t pretend nothing is wrong.
He addresses it and, through that, is able to get Ruby to open up. She sees that there are others that go through what she is going through and that they can make it out. The world is harsh but it can be softened, just not by hiding it.
4. Social Issues in the Forefront
Jimmy’s plot thread is a topical one, dealing not with police brutality, although there are shades of it, but the everyday, pervasive racism that plagues the American police force. The mere presence of this within the show is important. It continues to reinforce the reality that this form of systemic violence is present and the injustice of it. It doesn’t sensationalize it nor does it attempt to write these things out nor does it offer any easy solutions. White characters such as Lena offer condolences but we see in Jimmy’s eyes that, while what Lena says is true and it is meaningful to hear, it doesn’t change the reality that simply knowing Guardian is black will turn him from a loved vigilante to someone to be despised in the eyes of the white American public.
Yet, as the ending asserts, there is value in the knowledge that Guardian is black. Representation matters, despite the backlash and despite the hatred. It can inspire others, much like Supergirl does. That said, the scene is still from the same team of writers as the rest of the show and as such, the scenes do not have the same depth or lasting impact that it should. Mehcad Brooks pulled off the scene beautifully, weaving the anger and the hurt into who Jimmy is, making something that only appeared this episode fit perfectly within who Jimmy has shown himself to be.
By the end of the episode, the issue is “resolved” in the sense that it will probably not be brought up again. Lamentably, it arrived in one episode and leaves in one. It’s a step, at the very least.
5. Channeling Clark
Perhaps my favorite Mon-El moment of this episode, and the last few, to be honest, was him getting into the truck in full-on hipster gear. Having him act as a doofus tapped into some of the sillier, more fun moments of the Supergirl/Superman mythos and that there is something to be said for balancing the Silver Age with the Modern Age. It reminded me that Supergirl doesn’t do a lot of doofy and fun adventures which, fair enough but I still hold out hope that we’ll get something more akin to the tone of “All-Star Superman” one day. That or just Jimmy’s multi-colored lab coat. Please. I love that coat.
And that’s all I’ve got for you all this week! Join me again next time as Mon-El and Kara take a space car to a giant mcguffin rock that promises to heal Sam…maybe. Plus, Coville is back. Yay? Let me know what you all think of this week’s episode and place your bets on when Reign will escape her cage.
