Kara and Mon-El head into space to obtain more of the black rock and accidentally discover a surviving Kryptonian city. Meanwhile, someone tries to kill Alex, and Lena wrestles with whether or not to kill Reign. Here is a recap and review of the Supergirl episode “Dark Side of the Moon.”

RECAP & REVIEW:

“Now, in each and every one of you, there is a light, a spirit that cannot be snuffed out, that won’t give up… I need you to hope. Hope that you will remember that you can all be heroes. Hope that when faced with an enemy determined to destroy your spirit, you will fight back and thrive. Hope that those who once may have shunned you will in a moment of crisis come to your aid. Hope that you will see again the faces of those you love and perhaps even those you’ve lost.”

Supergirl spoke these words in the season one finale. These are words she believed in so deeply that she was able to inspire an entire city of people she’s never personally met to wake up. These are words I believe in so deeply because these words exemplify the message, the spirit of Supergirl. Or, more accurately, they exemplified the message because that light, that spirit has been snuffed out. Over the course of the past several episodes, Supergirl has failed to embody a message of empowerment, but rather lingers in the stasis of the dreary present, barely trying to break its way out of the pessimistic narrative.

The mission of the season is two fold: defeat Reign and save Sam. If Supergirl were inspired by these words right now, the characters would be doing everything in their power to save Sam rather than trying something here and there to defeat Reign. They would not risk losing her like they did with Julia and Grace, two deaths that should have motivated them to work even harder to reach Sam inside the dark forest and empower her to hold out hope, to assure her that they will fight for her until the very end. But this makes the third episode in a row with no glimpse of Sam, with no reminder of what they’re working toward and with no urgency. Everyone is stuck in a bog where they don’t believe in one another’s ability to succeed, where they’re preparing for the worst when they should be working toward the best.

Even with the knowledge that Reign is growing immune to kryptonite, the DEO waits around for Kara and Mon-El to return instead of trying to prevent Reign’s immunity. Yes, Kara and Mon-El were actively trying to find the rock to save Sam in this episode, but without them having communication with the DEO, their actions remained leisurely. It felt like a task, almost a burden, that they had to complete, not a mission to save their friend in danger. The energy, this episode especially, is problematically low when it should be ramping up. Even if this black kryptonite is the only thing that can split Reign from Sam, it would still be worth a shot to try anything and everything they could in the meantime. This is a team more than capable of being proactive in any given situation. Just look at them:
Kara, champion of Earth who believes everyone can be saved;
Alex, expert in bio-engineering and alien physiology;
J’onn, a source of 300 years of alien knowledge and director of an organization dedicated to protecting Earth;
Lena, dual doctorate holder and the CEO of a vague but powerful company (side note: if Lena can synthesize kryptonite, why can’t she create synthetic black kryptonite?);
Winn, tech genius and gadget inventor.
They can all be heroes, they can all contribute their piece of the puzzle before Supergirl puts the final pieces in place, but hardly any have been given the chance to prove it.

Alex’s storyline, although still not living up to the character’s potential, dived into more layers and managed to weave in a purpose this week. It wasn’t the practicality of balancing work life and home life that she wrestled with, but rather subjecting her loved ones to loss because of her career choice. It’s possibly the first time she’s ever had to confront the ramifications of her mortality, but what she found to be the source of the problem is a problem in itself. It wasn’t that she has a dangerous job. This antagonist, who was ultimately inconsequential and a letdown because of that, was much less of a threat than Rick Malverne in “Alex.” The problem was framed with the fact that she acts dangerously in her job, which is something that can be altered before ever needing to make a life-altering decision.

The implication that Alex may choose to leave the DEO doesn’t sit well with me. In the wise words of Cat Grant on the topic of the most annoying question of the century, you can have it all. Just not all at once and not right away. So, it would make sense and be in line with the show’s former teachings for Alex to step away from her DEO job to focus on motherhood as a job, but it also undermines her growth from last season. She spent a year discovering who she is and what she wants and taking the time to pursue what makes her happy. To have her step away because it’s “not fair” to the person or people she’s coming home to reverts her back to the woman who spent most of her life taking care of someone else over taking care of herself.

In an unexpected* turn of events, Kara gets to see the face of someone she loved and thought she lost as Alura makes an appearance (*unexpected prior to the promo that spoiled it). Whether it was the fact that this reunion was given away or that it was hasty and underdeveloped, this storyline didn’t land with the emotional impact it should have, despite fantastic work by Melissa Benoist. This was a huge moment, a huge change for Kara’s character, but it almost feels like a betrayal to her character. All of the pain and trauma she suffered was for a lie and could have been prevented, and that’s going to traumatize her further. And what’s the end game with Alura? Does she come to Earth and become a recurring character? Or is she returning just so Kara will have to watch her die again, for real this time.

The return of Alura and the introduction of Argo was something better suited as a season premiere idea where it could explore Kara’s understanding that her mother wasn’t the perfect woman she held her up to be, where it could take the time for an arc that could still be hopeful and optimistic, but not as glossy and simple as it was.

In addition, what prevented this storyline from landing with shock and awe is that it’s a combination of recycled plots, several from this season alone, like when Kara thought Mon-El was dead and then just happened to run into him alive and well. Or when Mon-El’s parents didn’t die when Daxam perished. Or when J’onn traveled to Mars and discovered his father was still alive. Or when Alex’s father is found to be alive and helps her on her mission. Or when Winn has to deal with a mother who abandoned him. This was Kara’s family. This was her home. This was (almost) everything Kara lost. Regaining it should have felt like a win, but it just felt like a normal episode.

This series and this audience really need that win right now, that boost of hope and positivity in an episode that should have done just that, so I’m going to switch gears and make the rest of this article the positive, slightly corny, empowering message we’re missing… okay, like ninety percent positive. Maybe eighty. This season is wearing me down.

Here we go into the recap… Aunt Alex, resident babysitter, takes Ruby for fresh air and ice cream, but gets shot at and almost blown up because near-death experiences are her new thing. Thankfully, she’s a warrior with or without her suit and no one gets hurt. Super chill (i.e. not chill), Alex brings Ruby to the DEO and brainstorms everyone who’d want her dead. At the top of her list is Sheriff Collins, the man who killed Kara’s friend Kenny.

Lena, in her lab, trying to save the world again, advises her lab techs to be gentler with their briefcases full of volatile substances. No injurious explosions on her watch either. Reign finds that possibility almost as amusing as being able to speak through her room’s shield, which Lena turns transparent with a “Morning sunshine. You’re very chatty today.” Reading her, Reign doesn’t think Lena has the stomach to kill Sam, which is the only way this ends.

If they wanted to make an entire episode or a spinoff webseries, anything really, that was just about Lena and Reign throwing sass and smirks at one another, I would approve. What’s been interesting about the increase in interactions between Lena and Sam/Reign is seeing the difference in the relationship between Lena and Sam versus Lena and Reign. Both actresses are portraying these differences wonderfully. Sam once said that Lena is mush on the inside, and it’s never more apparent than when she’s worried about her friends and never more concealed than when she looks at Reign with such seething disdain.

This season, we’ve been lucky to see a little more of Lena’s anger and fear bubbling to the surface in situations that don’t involve her mother. It’s a nice reminder that even the most seemingly tough people have a lot going on underneath because people are a multitude of facets. Having questions and doubts doesn’t make you weak; it means you’re trying to get it right. Lena doesn’t always get it right, and neither will we, but we must remember to just keep trying or we’ll never make it through.

Zipping toward the black space rock, Kara and Mon-El enter a no-communication zone, which worries the DEO since Reign is quickly growing immune to kryptonite. Landing, they discover a thriving city and grab cloaks to blend in, stumbling across a Kryptonian memorial. Kara realizes they’ve landed in Argo, her hometown. Kara swells with a flurry of emotions as Alura appears almost as abruptly as this act break.

The emotional family reunion turns expositional. Zor-El created a shield to protect the city, which Alura doubted would work. She saw Kara’s pod get knocked off course and assumed she died. Kara explains why she needs the black rock, which keeps Argo’s air breathable and undetectable. She’ll have to convince the council to give a shard away. Waiting around, Kara tells Alura about her life on Earth, but only about the Danvers and Fort Rozz. Meanwhile, Mon-El returns the cloaks they stole and gives a sick child a magical healing device that required no sacrifice on his part and would have been really helpful when Alex and Winn were dying four episodes ago.

It’s worth noting that the first thing Kara says when she mentions her life on Earth is how amazing the Danvers are. They gave her a home when hers was destroyed. They gave her a sister, something she maybe never thought she’d have or want. They treated her with care and love, and that’s what any parent would want to hear, and I’m so glad Alura got to hear that. I just wish Kara had the opportunity to tell her mother about all the wonderful work she’s done as Supergirl and at CatCo because those are also important facets of her life on Earth. She’s a sister, a daughter, a friend, a reporter, a superhero, and a woman making a name for herself.

Lena stares out her office window, praying that Supergirl lands on her balcony with the black rock. No luck yet, and time is running out. James advises her to do what Sam would want her to do: protect Ruby at all costs. Lena realizes she may need to kill Reign by overloading her with kryptonite.

In an unusual turn of gender roles that I still do not approve of, James has essentially been reduced to a love interest. Continuing a trend, James and Lena’s scenes aren’t reading as romantic, but this scene was solid. It demonstrated the friendship and partnership that could have and should have been explored and established as the foundation for their relationship. While it was laudable that James didn’t try to tell Lena what decision to make or judge her for the conclusion she would reach, I wish he would have had more hope, more faith that Lena would find a way around killing her friend and/or more faith that Supergirl would make it back in time.

Ruby tries to converse with Winn about his work, but he rudely brushes her off in a rant, so she scolds him and leaves. Later, Winn apologizes, and the two bond over their homicidal parents.

While this scene makes light of severe childhood trauma, it also serves as a reminder that you are not bound to make the same mistakes as those who came before you… even if the show insists on insinuating that Lena is the same as her family. You are your own person, and when people make incorrect assumptions about you and judge you, hold your head high and prove them wrong. Kara Danvers believes in you. And according to Clark Kent, “When you believe in someone, it’s not for a minute, or just for now. It’s forever.”

Alex questions Collins, but he’s not after her. When her motorcycle explodes, Alex panics about Ruby losing what little parental guidance she has left and wants to set a trap. J’onn shapeshifts into Alex and takes a jog as the real Alex observes. Her stalker sniffs out the decoy. Alex chases him across rooftops and apprehends a man whose brother she arrested after he escaped Fort Rozz. #LesbianLives! On the DEO balcony, Alex recalls how J’onn gave her a purpose when she was drunkenly failing med school in her Lexie Grey flashback wig. Today, that purpose almost got her killed. Jumping off buildings is as much of who she is as being a mother, but she wonders if both things can co-exist? If so, is that fair to the person she’s coming home to?

In the wonderful words of Maggie Sawyer, you deserve a “real, full, happy life” with someone who doesn’t make you feel guilty about wanting to be a working mom, who doesn’t insist that “fair” means giving up a part of who you are, who supports all of your decisions and dreams, and who finds a way for them to co-exist. Life isn’t fair, so why compromise to try to make it that way.

Before the council, including the Worldkillers’ Priestess, Selena, Kara pleads her case and wins. With the rock in her possession, Kara says a temporary goodbye to Alura. In private, Selena calls upon the Worldkiller. Reign rambles about Lena being just like her: strong, ruthless, so much darker than she realizes. It provokes Lena to hit the kill switch, but Reign breaks free just as Supergirl and Mon-El return.

Unlike Kara, who’s prevented from being the hero of her own story because she can’t touch the black rock, the thing capable of saving Sam and the world, you are not prevented. You are capable of being the hero of your own story.

ODDS AND ENDS:

– Ruby reading a book about or by a mathematician… definitely smart and tough.

Come talk about this episode on our Supergirl discussion forum!