Supergirl is back! How we’ve missed her. And this show. And the way it can emotionally compromise us even when we don’t expect the show to be able to. Like with that dream sequence. And that Alex/J’onn conversation. And the Danvers sisters!
Our Fangirlish writers Alyssa, Lizzie, Lyra, Lacey, Kayla, and Jade and our lovely guest Funmbi, from one of our favorite sites: We So Nerdy, are breaking down the first episode of Supergirl. Here we go!
Describe your thoughts about “Girl of Steel” using just six words.
Alyssa: There is no shame in grieving.
Lizzie: We grieve how we grieve. Period.
Lyra: Yo waited six months. Chill, Alex.
Lacey: Grief does not have a deadline.
Kayla: Chris Wood deserved more screen time.
Funmbi: J’onn is the voice of reason.
Jade: Can everybody just hug Kara, please?
Kara and Alex had a charged confrontation, with Kara trying to push aside her feelings in order to cope with the loss of Mon-El and Alex trying to push her to feel. What did you think about this scene? Did you think Alex’s approach was the correct one?
Alyssa: That definitely wasn’t the right approach here. Yes, Alex cares about Kara. Yes, Alex is worried about Kara. But going into this situation trying to tell Kara how she should feel and how she should be dealing with this grief is out of line. People grieve differently. People handle emotional situations differently. Like Kara said, how would Alex have reacted if it had been Maggie? Granted, Alex admitted she wouldn’t have handled it well, either. But I wouldn’t expect Kara to try and tell Alex how to deal with the pain of losing the love of her life. So I don’t understand Alex trying to force her to feel when she’s clearly not at that stage in the grieving process yet. No, Kara isn’t human. But she has this beautiful humanity about her that makes her just as easily susceptible to pain and the like. Which means that she’s not perfect. Which means she’s not going to necessarily handle things the right way, like I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of at some point in our lives. Alex loves Kara truly and deeply, I have never and will never doubt that. But what Kara needed from Alex was just love and support. She didn’t need someone trying to force her to deal with something she wasn’t ready to deal with. And like Lizzie said, when Alex reminded Kara that she’s her favorite person, that’s all Kara needed to hear.
Lizzie: No, I don’t. And I get where she’s coming from, I get she’s trying to help, but no Alex, no. What really struck me about this scene is that I can feel Alex’s love for Kara and at the same time think she handled everything wrong. Which, really, is to be expected, sometimes, when it comes to cases like this. You never know what to say and what the other person needs – and I have certainly been on the side of the person needing comfort more than enough times to know that it changes from person to person and situation to situation. But I’m pretty sure that what Kara didn’t need was Alex talking about how she knows it hurts (she doesn’t) or chiding Kara for having a pity party (go to hell) or telling her to get over Mon-El as if he was a cheating boyfriend who did her wrong. That part at the end of the convo where she reminded Kara that she was her favorite person, that’s basically what Kara needed. Support. Alex tried to drag Kara into the light, and that wasn’t for Alex to do. Kara had to find her own way. All she needed from Alex was support.
Also – why was Kara the only one grieving Mon-El? I get she was the one dating him, but I kinda thought other people cared about him? Wasn’t Winn, at the very least, his friend? Why is everyone treating Kara like a dog she had that no one else ever saw died? They ALL KNEW MON-EL. He sacrificed himself for basically EVERYONE. I’m not saying everyone’s got to be in shut-down mode, but like, at least an acknowledgment would have been nice.
Lyra: I thought this scene was the realest thing Supergirl has ever done. It felt raw and charged with emotions that I’m familiar with in my real life when it comes to my family. That being said, I didn’t like the confrontation. Some of the things that Alex said could have been worded differently. And I think she was a little bit too stuck in what she was feeling instead of what Kara was feeling. It felt very one-sided and as if Alex couldn’t understand how pain changes you or stays with you long after.
Even her comment as she was walking out of the house felt dismissive of everything that her sister had just told her. Her attitude and the way that she stormed off read to me as someone who wanted to have the last word instead of sitting down and actually having a conversation about what just happened. Or maybe not even having a conversation at all. Sometimes people just need to be in each other’s presence and feel like they’re not alone. But Alex needed to prove her point that she was right and that Kara was overreacting.
And even days after watching the episode I’m left with the feeling as if Alex was blaming her sister for not shaking her depression and her pain off fast enough. That really isn’t the impression I wanted to be left with.
Lacey: Short answer? It pissed me off! I found Alex’s approach completely wrong! The moment she used to words “pity party” (seriously?!), I lost it! Kara lost her family, her way of life, her planet, everything she knew; everything that was familiar. She came to earth and had to cope with that; had to cope with the knowledge that she was different from everyone and everything. Then Mon-El came and it was like a breath of fresh air. Here was someone who knew her home, who knew the places she had been because he had been there himself. In a way, she had a piece of her HOME with him and just like that, it was ripped away. Alex wanted to help her “get over him”?? How do you get over something like that? How do you just pick up and move on and act as if everything’s a-okay? You don’t and I found Kara’s actions and feelings 100% validated.
She is grieving and she can take as long or as little time as she needs/wants. Part of me feels like she never truly grieved over the loss of Krypton and her family and I think losing Mon-El made everything hit her all at once. In my opinion, Alex was selfish. I expected better from her. I expected her to be like J’onn and be the only one who truly got it and helped Kara. I do feel Alex loves and cares deeply for Kara and that she felt like she was doing the right thing with her approach but she needed to put herself in Kara’s shoes for once and she didn’t.
Kayla: I loved this scene! Incredibly well acted by Melissa and Chyler. However, I do not like Alex’s approach. To me, it was very selfish. Telling Kara she’d help her “get over him” is a no go from me, and apparently Kara too. I love Kara’s reply. “He didn’t dump me! I sent him away!” As J’onn said later in the episode, “There’s no timeline on grief.” He should know. He’s been there. To me this scene makes Alex look like a very bad sister who hasn’t paid enough attention to Kara. It’s like she is totally out of touch that Kara is grieving. She doesn’t know if Mon-El is even alive. He is the love of her life. However, this is more than just about Mon-El here. Kara is dealing with all the abandonment issues she has. Alex not paying attention to Kara’s needs over the past 6 months as Kara has been dealing with this. To me Alex cares more about Maggie than Kara, at least since episode 2×14, and it needs to stop. I want the supportive big sister back. The person in this scene is not the Alex Danvers I fell in love with. I need her back. This version of Alex doesn’t know how much Mon-El was there for Kara the last half of season 2, and I mean more than romantically. He was her confidant. Her support system. Losing that destroyed Kara. The one person she desperately needed to be there for her after 2×22 wasn’t. This scene gave me proof of that.
Also, I agree with Lizzie. EVERY SINGLE MAIN CHARACTER ON THIS SHOW KNEW MON-EL. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM! They could have acknowledged that someone other than Kara was grieving Mon-El leaving. He made a major sacrifice for the entirety of Earth and nope, not even noted. At most, a Winn and Kara having a scene discussing it, as Winn seemed to be the closest friend Mon-El. I’d have loved a scene with them discussing and Winn helping comfort Kara some. It would’ve been an amazing bonding moment. It’s like his sacrifice means nothing to the rest of the characters and that makes me so mad.
Funmbi: I spent the entire episode very confused about everyone’s adamance that Kara return to her old happy-go-lucky self. Lena wanted her friend back so they could hang out. James wanted his co-worker back. And, of course, Alex (in the midst of planning one of the most important days of her life) wanted her sister back. And I got it, watching Kara be this unfeeling ice-woman, frozen in her grief for Mon-El, was probably very difficult. In this confrontation between Kara and Alex, it was clear that Alex thought the best way for Kara to heal was to let all the emotions in and just feel them. But I was really on Kara’s side. Mon-El was the love of her life and she was responsible for (at minimum) sending him on a journey through space, never to return to Earth, and even potentially to his death. I understood wanting to avoid that level of pain (and as a superhero, to a certain extent, Kara could do just that). To me, J’onn was the only person being reasonable. He afforded Kara patience through this difficult circumstance and was there to reassure her that she was a good person, just as she is, humanity and all. I really loved J’onn for that.
Jade: I think it was a hard situation – for both of them – and Alex didn’t know what to do. It’s hard, in that situation, to know how to help someone – and I think it’s even harder when you love them because it HURTS to see them that way. But life doesn’t give you an instruction manual. Do you give them time or do you push them? There is no “right” answer because there’s nothing you can do to really make that pain go away. There are, however, a heck of a lot of WRONG answers – things you can do that only make them hurt worse. Unfortunately, you just have to do your best and hope it works out for the best. I think Alex had given Kara six months of space, hoping that’s what Kara needed, but that clearly wasn’t helping and Kara was slipping further out of reach. So she pushed. She probably didn’t say the BEST thing when she told Kara she wanted to help her get over Mon-El – she should have rephrased that better. But I think her actions came from a place of love and also helplessness. I deeply know what that place is like, so I really felt for her in that scene. I felt for them both.
Kara handled grief by shutting down her human side and focusing on Supergirl. What did you think about that? Comment on the double standards that surround a woman shutting down her emotions vs. a man doing it.
Alyssa: What do I think about that? I think that she’s human –– well, as close as an alien can get to being human. It’s normal to not be “okay” when you feel like a part of your world has been taken from you. It’s something that I’m sure everyone has done during some point in their life. Where the pain just feels suffocating, where you just can’t deal with the tidal wave of emotions, where you just want it to go away. But the pain doesn’t go away, as we learn. We have to confront it, we have to deal with it. Eventually. Kara wasn’t ready to deal with it yet. Kara was determined to force the pain down along with the guilt and the heartache. She felt that if she was just Supergirl, an alien, that she wouldn’t have to deal with the pain. After all, humans feel emotions. Aliens don’t. Right? Wrong. Kara is more human than most humans in the world, and it was that fear of having to keep living even after she lost Mon-El — at a time when their future was looking bright, where she finally believed as if she could have it all — that was terrifying. So she tried to stop being Kara Danvers. But the thing is, Supergirl exists only because of Kara Danvers. This whole thing that Supergirl defines who Kara Danvers is, is a load of crap. A superhero is defined by the individual. Kara wasn’t born Supergirl. Kara created Supergirl, modeled after her own beliefs and her own desire to help people. Kara Danvers isn’t Supergirl. Supergirl is Kara Danvers. And I think she made a big step in learning that by hour’s end.
Oh, and that double standard. I don’t think there’s a thing in this world where there isn’t a double standard related to how men and women deal with emotions. If a man does it, he’s strong. If a woman does it, she’s weak. People just love when men brood — they’re showing emotion, oh wow! But when a woman is handling emotional situations, and especially if she’s crying, people write her off as “emotional” and “weak.” Showing emotion, no matter what gender you are, is something that’s difficult to do. Thus when people make themselves vulnerable like that, they should be commended, not insulted. Especially the women.
Lizzie: If you’re judging Kara, I’m really super happy that your life has been devoid of loss that you can stand on your high pedestal and judge how other people grieve. I don’t wish that you actually have to feel what she does right now, I never would, but sadly, I think at some point, you will understand. I certainly do and I do not judge Kara one bit. We all grieve differently and there’s no right or wrong way to grieve.
Plus, the double standard – God, the double standard. Men can shut off emotions and be broody and extra manly and shed just one single tear of pain, but God forbid a woman does it. SHE’S GOING AGAINST STEREOTYPE, SHE’S A MONSTER. *rolls eyes* We need to stop placing these ridiculous expectations on women to be perfect and conform to certain standards and allow women to just be human. If not, how can we, as a society, ever come to a place of true equality?
Lyra: *cracks knuckles* As soon as I saw the way that Kara was dealing with her pain, I knew that people would drag her. As a female superhero she’s held to higher standards and many see her as the epitome of a female superhero and role model. Anything like grief or the loss of a boyfriend is seen as going against what it means to be a strong independent woman. They don’t stop to think that being an independent badass woman doesn’t exclude you from falling in love or the pain that follows when you lose it. If anything, it makes her more relatable.
The CW has a rather simple and repetitive formula when it comes to how they deal with their characters and their arcs. Supergirl is doing the exact same thing that other superheroes on this network have thought about or actually done before, but now people are throwing a fit? Is it because she’s a girl? Or is it something deeper within viewers and how they feel about the leading ladies love interest? I’ve got a feeling it’s the latter but I’m going to hold on to the double standards notion.
Oliver can brood in Kara’s exact manner and work out to his heart’s content and no one bats an eyelash. They say he’s handsome and just going through a hard time. And Barry, he can cry until the cows come home and people lose their minds talking about how gentle and broken he is. How we must give both of them the benefit of the doubt. But Kara does it and all of a sudden it’s a problem? All of a sudden superheroes shouldn’t act like this? If we really want equality for men and women, stuff like this matters. The double standards that are imprinted on our minds and that maybe we’re not aware of, need to be addressed and not excused because of their gender.
Lacey: As I said above, Kara is someone who lost everything, EVERYTHING. If you’re judging, I guess you too have lost literally everything, right? Everyone handles grief differently. Some people feel it and then move on immediately and others, like Kara (myself included) take a while to process everything. It’s only been 6 months and while that may seem like enough time to some, it really isn’t that long in the grand scheme of things. I thought Kara’s actions were completely normal and human honestly. She’s hurting, excruciatingly so. And it’s not just because of a boy like some haters seem to think, it’s what Mon-El represented for her. He was the first person she ever truly loved (who wasn’t family) and he was that piece of home. She’s feeling the loss of Krypton all over again. Everyone has moved on and is happy living their lives because none of them lost anything. Kara is the only one who had to sacrifice her happiness.
And I’m getting really tired of hearing that she’s grieving over a boy and letting him “ruin who she is”. Many MALE superheroes have lost loves and grieved and not a word was spoken. Because Kara is a woman, she’s not allowed to feel loss? Or is it because she’s grieving over MON-EL? Okay, sure, Jan.
Kayla: The reaction Kara had does not make her weak. For once in her life, she had everything she ever wanted: a job she loved, life as a hero, friends, family, and LOVE (in the form of Mon-El). She had to give up on a life with a person she loves with all her heart. Losing Mon-El was her last straw. Kara got a glimpse of the perfect life and when she had to give that up, she did the only thing she could to cope. It seems no one else was there to help her through it either. She has every right to grieve. It does not make her weak. Often, having your heart broken only makes you stronger. At least that’s been my experience. The double standards in this fandom are everywhere, sadly. If someone, say Barry Allen or Oliver Queen, were to do this then they’d be hailed for it. However, this is Kara Zor-El, a woman. She’s not even human, she’s Kryptonian. An alien. Kara has never once in 15 years dealt with the loss of her family and planet properly, at least that we are aware of. This event pushed her over the edge. When Barry was out there trying to change the timeline to save Iris, was anyone complaining that he was weak for doing so? No. They weren’t. When Kara shuts off her emotions because she had to send Mon-El away, and she doesn’t even know if he’s alive. She’s massacred. It needs to STOP. Women don’t have to be strong all the time. Falling in love doesn’t make you weak. To Kara, being Supergirl made sense because she can hide behind Supergirl. She can do one of the only things that still made her happy. Love is not a weakness, it is a strength. Kara will come out better and STRONGER for this.
Funmbi: Kara did exactly what she needed to do to make it, day in and day out. I can’t imagine dealing with that level of grief, resentment, and pain. And honestly, if I had the ability to shut off my access to those emotions, I probably wouldn’t hesitate to do so. But I feel like Kara always knew this strategy would be temporary. In her dreams of Mon-El and her mother, in her quest to save as many lives as possible, in her conversations with J’onn, we saw that Kara couldn’t completely disengage the way she probably wanted to. But it’s as J’onn said, Kara’s humanity is the most beautiful and good thing about her. It’s that humanity, that desire to help others and find love that allowed her to take on a role as a hero and open herself to her relationship with Mon-El. This is not a female story, it’s a human story. To suggest that Kara experiencing love and then grieving over love lost somehow makes her less of a hero, is completely ridiculous. It is equally ridiculous to deny Kara the agency to choose the way she wants to deal with her grief, be it in her stoicism, her anger, and (if they come) her tears.
Jade: I don’t think it takes a Kryptonian to want to turn off what makes them human when they’re in pain. I definitely get where she was coming from, and I think it was perfectly natural for her to lash out from her place of grief. That said, it was hard to watch. This episode had a lot of people unintentionally hurting the ones they love the most, and that’s always a hard thing to see. It’s particularly hard for a character like Kara, who is not – and is not supposed to be – a dark character by nature. But, then, the assumptions about what the nature of men versus women should be is at the heart of why women are more often lambasted for this kind of lashing out and shutting down. Men are often given a pass at it (correction: male LEADS are often given the pass at it. A male supporting character may get a bit more leniency than a woman in the same situation, but if said male supporting character is railing against the hero, they will often be crucified. See Cisco in early season three of The Flash. These stories are told from the heroes’ perspectives, they are the ones the audience is most often asked to identify with, so any attack on said hero often treated quite harshly). But society assumes that men should be the stoic ones who bury their pain under perhaps one single Emo Tear of Man Pain – enough to convey that they are actually in a great deal of pain but far, far too manly for more. Women are supposed to be nurturers, by this mentality. So shutting off their emotions goes against what society so often tells us women “should be” and definitely goes against what we are told ideal female characters should be (which is basically flawless at all times, and certainly to respond exactly perfectly and entirely correctly to any given situation in ideally the most self-sacrificing manner possible). It isn’t fair, and it is frustrating to see how often the female characters I adore the most get attacked for having perfectly normal – entirely human – reactions to anger or grief or fear or any other moment of internal or external conflict.
What was your reaction to the dream sequence (using a gif)?
Alyssa:
Lizzie:
Lyra:
https://giphy.com/gifs/sad-crying-UwPyIExTOTeoM
Lacey:
Kayla:
Funmbi:
Jade:
Alex’s wedding planning leads to a touching moment with J’onn, who, in many ways, has been her surrogate father. How did you feel about this scene? Do you consider them family?
Alyssa: Family isn’t defined by blood. Family is defined by the love you have for another person. One of the things that I love about Supergirl is how we’ve seen new families created. Whether it’s been Kara with Alex or Kara, Alex, and J’Onn, there’s so much to love about how this show has created love out of loss. Alex and J’Onn are family. There isn’t anyone else, outside of Jeremiah, who I could see walking Alex down the aisle on her wedding day. Since Jeremiah has been missing from Alex’s life for a long time, I love how J’Onn has taken on that father figure role. It’s been an amazing relationship to watch. That entire scene where Alex asked J’Onn to walk her down the aisle was emotional from the start. It was one of those moments where you could feel the actors shining through their characters. The emotional was raw and palpable. It was one of those moments that instantly brought tears to my eyes and made me chuckle as the two tried to laugh off the impending tears. Just beautiful.
Lizzie: I don’t think I can accurately express what this scene did to me – especially because, I have struggled with the same thing as Alex. I lost my dad, and I can’t even think about getting married or walking down an aisle. City Hall sounds just fine for me, because what’s even the point of the whole big wedding if he’s not there with me? I don’t see it, I can’t – and I felt Alex so deeply in this episode. At the same time, she has someone in J’onn who not only loves her, but who’s been there for her, almost as a father figure, for so many years, and it touched my heart that she could open herself up to recognizing that and asking for what she needed. That’s big.
Lyra: They are absolutely family. Found families are my jam and these two definitely fall under that category. Family isn’t just about blood. It’s about those that stay, those that help, and those who want the best for you in life and are willing to step in to make sure that you do. Alex asking this of J’onn is a symbolic gesture of love that will forever crush any doubts that this alien has about where he stands in Alex’s life. Now leave me be. I’m going to go and watch the clip again and cry because of the amazing acting and how much I relate to my found family.
Lacey: People say you “can’t chose your family” but in some ways, you can. I was raised by my mom and step-dad and I wholeheartedly consider him to be my dad. He chose to love me and call me his daughter and I see the same thing in J’onn and Alex’s relationship. What started out as his promise to Jeremiah to protect his daughters has developed into a genuine loving and caring father/daughter relationship. I think it meant so much to J’onn since he lost both of his girls during the invasion of his planet. It was a beautiful scene and I really enjoyed it. Love makes you family and to me, that’s sometimes thicker than blood.
Kayla: Of all the scenes in the episode that Alex was in, this was the one that had me tear up. The bond J’onn has with Alex and Kara is so special. Alex has no clue where Jeremiah is. J’onn has filled the gap that Jeremiah left behind for these girls. If anyone deserves to walk Alex down the aisle, it’s J’onn. The acting from David and Chyler was just so touching. So heart warming. I love Space Dad moments. I truly consider J’onn more of a father to not only Alex and Kara, but Winn and Mon-El as well. There’s a reason he’s been dubbed Space Dad by the fandom. It’s because he’s the dad of this team. As a girl raised by a single father for many years, it hits right in the feels. Every girl needs a father figure, and J’onn is the one I’m glad Alex has had since her own has abandoned her.
Funmbi: One of the highlights of Supergirl has been watching Team Supergirl and the DEO form their own family unit and J’onn is very much a central figure. He lost his family on Mars, but has forged a new one on Earth. We know that since Jeremiah Danvers “sacrificed” himself to save J’onn, he has considered it a personal mission to keep an eye out for the Danvers girls. J’onn was responsible for bringing Alex (then Kara/Supergirl) into the DEO. And over the seasons, the walls and secrets between them all have come down, allowing for the relationship between J’onn and Alex/Kara to become more than a professional one. J’onn emotional support was so necessary in this premiere episode. He provided it for Kara by reassuring her that is was possible to overcome grief. And J’onn provided it to Alex in this beautiful scene where he agreed give her away at her wedding. It was lovely and heartwarming and I wanted to cry all the happy tears!
Jade: I loved it, and I thought it was perfect. Both actors just NAILED the scene, and I loved Alex’s little joke at the end. To be honest, I enjoyed this scene way more than the justification for why Alex seemed reluctant for the wedding, earlier in the episode. Maybe because I lost my own father (with whom I was extremely close) a few years before I met my husband, I couldn’t understand why she’d not want to think about her wedding due to the fact her father wouldn’t be there to walk her down the aisle. Being sad about it? I definitely get that. Getting a little teary about the moments that could have been? Definitely. But when she confessed she had a hard time thinking about her wedding because her dad wouldn’t be there, I kind of wanted to shake her. Her wedding is about her future, about sharing the love she and Maggie have with everyone else that they love, and her father would want her to embrace and celebrate that moment. I’m very glad she ended up realizing that Hank has been like a father to her, and that he should share in that moment as a father figure would.
Lena and Kara were friendship goals in this episode. What are your feelings on their friendship and how refreshing it is to see such a positive relationship between two women portrayed on TV?
Alyssa: There are not enough female friendships on television, yet alone healthy female friendships. So I naturally gravitated towards their friendship last season because I wanted to see more female friendships where the women are supporting each other. Sure, it was only a season, but I feel like this season is definitely going to continue to strengthen that friendship. I love how supportive they are of each other, how concerned they are for each other. There’s always that potential for Supergirl to pull a Smallville with the pair, which right now is still a likely possibility. But do they have to?
Lizzie: I’m with Alyssa here – does Lena really need to go bad? Can’t we just avoid that trope? TV in general, but DCTV in particular, hasn’t really done female friendships well and now we have a supportive, adult friendship made up of two women who truly respect and care about each other. Does Lena really need to go evil because her last name is Luthor? Can’t we just think outside the box for a minute or two?
Lyra: Ladies helping ladies? Be still my heart it’s actually real! There was no cattiness or blaming between these two women. All there was was love and worry for each other. And it was beautiful! We’ve always been made to believe that other women are our enemies and our competition for various things in our lives. I can’t help but smile at the thought of little girls seeing these two women get along and the kind of impression that it’s going to leave on their minds about female friendships. It’s a much-needed change.
Kayla: I’ve had many issues with how this FRIENDSHIP has been portrayed. To me, it was rushed too fast. Kara calling Lena her best friend is not realistic after knowing her for such a short amount of time. To me, Winn is her best friend. He always will be. I want the show to get back to that. However, I can see that they are trying to show a positive friendship, but I just don’t feel it. Kara has issues with Lena because she was responsible for the lead device that banished Mon-El to wherever he is now. The scene where Lena apologizes to Kara is quite a little too late for my taste. There’s a reason Kara been avoiding you Lena, and she never accepted the apology. Just walked out. Also, how can you be best friends with someone and them not know your biggest secret? Kara doesn’t trust Lena fully, or she’d have told her she’s Supergirl. So, for me unless they really work hard to show that this is nothing but a FRIENDSHIP, between two women. I’m not for them being best friends. Friends, yes. Best friends, no. I love that she has a female friend, don’t get me wrong. However, in the past Kara has had Alex for this. Yes, they are sisters, but sisters can be friends too.
Funmbi: Kara’s friendship with Lena gives me so much joy. And even though they didn’t spend that much time together in the episode (plus with Kara grieving Mon-El), you could tell that their relationship was very much in tact. I think of the scene towards the end of the episode when Kara came to see Lena in her office after Lena has purchased CatCo out from under Morgan Edge. Morgan stormed into Lena’s office to confront her, and even though Lena had things well in hand, Supergirl made an appearance just to back up her friend. It was awesome! Of course it’s refreshing to be able to enjoy a positive relationship between two women who are powerful in their own right. I am curious about when Kara will finally reveal her alter-ego to Lena…it has to be soon, right? (Also, I just need to mention this somewhere… you got the James/Lena ship vibe that I got during that board meeting at the beginning of the episode, right???!!!)
Jade: As a long-time Superman fan (having Erica Durance return to television in a Supergirl show was a dream come true and the highlight of the episode to me), I have a hard time shaking my own lingering suspicion that the show will ultimately turn any friend with the last name “Luthor” to foe. I hope they don’t. There just aren’t enough positive female friendships on television – and even fewer that don’t in some way revolve around another (let’s be honest – usually male) character. There are shows that I absolutely adore that frustratingly rarely if ever passed the Bechdel test, and I’m always left thinking how much better they would be if they just invested a little more time in the relationships between their female characters. I just hope the show runners don’t screw it up for some quick and easy drama and angst one day.
What were your thoughts on Reign? Does she look like the villain this show has desperately lacked, or are you still in wait and see mode?
Alyssa: Reign has the potential to be such an amazing villain because her origin story isn’t going to go the typical route that most villains do. So instead of us meeting her when she’s the villain, we’re going to get to see her — as she begins to remember what happened to her — become the villain. I’m so intrigued by that storyline because it has the potential to really make the audience feel for the villain, which I don’t think you can typically say. I have read some spoilers as to who Reign is, so if the show sticks even remotely close to that storyline — and allows Odette Annable the chance to really sink her teeth into it — this season is going to be a fun one.
Lizzie: Well, at least she’s got potential. I think she’s going to be interesting to see, that’s for sure, and I already feel more invested in her than the past villains, so at least, on that regard, we’re good.
Lyra: I have a feeling that loss and love will tear Reign apart. It’s a tale as old as time when it comes to bad guys and I honestly can’t wait to see how they make her different and what madness she brings into Supergirl’s life.
Lacey: I’ve always loved Odette’s work and I was super happy when they announced she’d be joining the cast. The quick glimpse we got of Sam was great and I think it’s going to be interesting to see how she develops into the infamous World Killer. Can’t wait to see what happens next!
Kayla: Reign intrigues me. Just the few glimpses we got intrigued me. Especially the scene at the end with Alura that looks like it came out of a horror movie. What kind of foreshadowing is that? I do think her journey to villain status will probably tear my heart out because I love Odette so much from what I’ve seen of her that as the season goes on I’m going to fall in love with Sam and forget she’s Reign, a worldkiller. I hope she’s the villain Supergirl needs. I’m guessing I’m in the wait and see group, but I do know I’m already attached to Sam and her daughter Ruby.
Funmbi: To me, the most interesting thing about Reign was that she was so surprised when she used her superhuman strength to lift that giant beam off her daughter. That surprise was so genuine too… so what in the world happens to take her from this loving mom who jokes with strangers to an evil villain? Plus, did you notice that she was dreaming of Alura Zor-El in that same field that Kara dreamt of her mom and Mon-El? Interesting, but creepy.
Jade: I’ve largely kept away from Supergirl spoilers, so I get to go into the season without any real idea of what they’re going to do with the villain. So I’m definitely intrigued. I don’t know just yet if she’s the villain I’ve always wanted but didn’t know it until I had it, but I’m looking forward to seeing where this story goes. That last scene was definitely creepy, and I’m all for being creeped out this season!
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8/7c on the CW.