Supergirl Lives (Recap)

By:  David Carner (@davidcarner)

 

Welcome to the Supergirl review.  Before we begin, it should be noted that over the winter break, Supergirl was renewed by CW for a third season.  This week’s episode, “Supergirl Lives” is directed by Kevin Smith, and has a brief role for his daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, as the missing girl, Izzy.

 

To begin tonight’s episode, Supergirl is chasing jewelry thieves, who just happen to a have a missile launcher.  Supergirl takes down the van, but two of the criminals escape.  Guardian attempts to stop the criminals, but one manages to flee.  Winn opens the van door into the path of a fleeing criminal, celebrates his accomplishment, only to turn around and be attacked by the criminal.  James makes the save, but not before Winn is sporting a noticeable black eye.

 

Back at the DEO, Kara is upset about Guardian getting the criminals, and Alex calls her out on it.  Kara admits things are too easy right now.  Kara invites Alex over, but Alex has plans with her girlfriend.  We cut to the next morning, and Maggie Sawyer is pouring coffee.  Alex and Maggie have a moment, and skip work to spend the morning together. 

 

At CatCo, Snapper is desperately trying to enjoy his Danish and coffee, when both Kara and James approach Snapper about last night’s robbery.  Each has written an article from their perspective.  Snapper tries to gets rid of them only to run into a woman who has lost her daughter, Izzy.  Izzy has run away, and Kara is determined to find her. 

 

We cut to the unnamed alien bar where Mon-El is working.  He likes alcohol so all should be well, right?  He has no idea what soda water is, but that’s beside the point.  Mon-El tries to give bartender advice to Kara, and fails miserably.  Kara meets Maggie about the missing girl, and finds out there are multiple missing people.  We cut to a mysterious room, where a random man is being led by another man in a lab coat.  The random man is grabbed by what looks to be two bouncers and is taken toward a weird purple light.  Mr. Labcoat begins to talk to someone off camera, the person who must be the villain of the week, Roulette.

 

Kara returns to the DEO, where Winn has a black eye and a story about being mugged, while Alex is glowing from a “love ray.”  Winn figures out the connection, and Alex stays behind to glow.  Back at CatCo, Mon-El catches Kara at the elevator before she leaves.  Mon-El took the day off to spend time with Kara, because working two straight days might be overdoing it.  He talks his way into going with Kara to the lab, and our two heroes try to get past the interview process.  It appears Mr. Labcoat believed them, as he led them to the back, or Mon-El’s comments about going to Paris City, and being madly monotheistic, had Mr. Labcoat leading them into a trap.  Labcoat pulls the cover off of a large object in the middle of the room, and it resembles the top half of a Stargate.  Mr. Labcoat turns on the gate and the bouncers show up to throw our heroes through the purple light coming from the object.  Joke’s on Mr. Labcoat, Kara and Mon-El take on the bouncers, Labcoat turns into a lizard-like alien and flees through the gate.  Kara changes into her costume and tells Mon-El to go tell Alex.  She runs through the gate to find a planet with a red sun.  A fight ensues, and Kara is saved by Mon-El.  She explains the red sun, the gate shuts down, and our heroes are stuck off world with no superpowers.  Kara heads off to find Izzy while Mon-El whines and complains.  Mon-El get caught in a trap, and saved by an alien named Jo.  Jo tells them they are on Slaver’s Moon and that it is escape proof.  Supergirl decides they should give themselves up to find the slaves, and when they do, Roulette informs her that she is selling slaves to the dominators.

 

Back on Earth, Alex gets worried about Kara, and goes to find her.  Alex finds the portal, and J’onn recognizes it, and has Winn track the coordinates.   Not only does the planet have a red sun, but particles on the planet keep J’onn from going on the mission.  Maggie walks in, and Alex freaks out blaming her happiness.  At the portal, J’onn gives Alex something, and Winn gets recruited.  He freaks and tells Alex the truth about the black eye.    

 

On Slaver’s Moon Kara gives a pep talk and explains to Mon-El about being a hero.  Aliens show up with souped up cattle prods and Kara blocks the way.  The aliens zap her, she falls, gets back up, rinse, repeat.  Finally, the humans all fight back and take the prods away.  They lock up Roulette and Mr. Labcoat, just as the strike force from Earth comes through the portal.  The team attacks the fortress, finds Supergirl and the slaves and leads them to safety.  Towards the end of the escape, a dominator stops an alien from shooting Mon-El, and bows to him.  Winn gets attacked by an alien, fights back, and celebrates.  The humans escape, along with Jo. An alien grabs Izzy, and a ship appears.  Alex throws the mysterious object at Kara, a yellow sun grenade.  Kara saves the day, and everyone escapes. 

 

Kara brings Izzy back, and tells Snapper that she is always going to follow her heart.  Snapper smiles as she walks off.  Winn tells James what happened off world, and all is forgiven.  Alex invites Maggie over.  Alex stumbles through the apology until Maggie tells her she knows Kara is Supergirl.  Maggie tells Alex she gets one chance.  Mon-El comes over to Kara’s to apparently share a blanket and admit he was wrong about getting involved.  He tells her that he wants to be a hero, with a cape.  After this revelation, Kara gives him a Highlights magazine he was reading in the lab office.  They pound fists.  Back on Slaver’s Moon, Labcoat tells two aliens that Mon-El is on Earth.  The thankful creatures kill Labcoat as the show ends.

 

 

Quotes

 

“In the Venn diagram of the things I care about, there is coffee, and there is Danish, the manna from heaven that keeps me barely, just barely, tethered to the mortal coil.” – Snapper Carr

 

“No, no, no, no we are going away from murder castle!” – Mon-El

 

“Oh, my, God.  Stargate!” – Winn

 

“I’m not the red shirt, I’m not the red shirt, you’re the red shirt!” – Winn

 

“That a girl, Danvers.” – Snapper

 

“Plus the glasses don’t help” – Maggie

 

Little Things

 

Chris Wood is doing an amazing job as Mon-El, and frankly the writing of his growth has been very well done.  Who is Mon-El?  Is he a prince?  Stay tuned.

 

Maggie and Alex seem to take two steps forward, three steps back, two to the left, two forward, two to the right, and then I’m confused.  This feels like the same storyline each week, but maybe with Maggie telling Alex this was her one, this relationship will move forward. 

 

Apparently, the Guardian-Supergirl back and forth is going to continue for some time.  They seem to have this one set up for a long, slow burn.

 

Who exactly runs the paper?  A few weeks ago, Jimmy stood up to Snapper, but tonight, Jimmy quickly ran when Snapper grumbled about his Danish and coffee.

 

If you haven’t seen Melissa Benoist’s Instagram picture from last Saturday’s march, I can sum it up for you by saying she is summing her inner Supergirl, or you can just go visit it for yourself. (If your offended by strong language some might want to skip it though).

 

I hope you enjoyed the review.  I tried to make it light where it deserved it, but I am a true fan of this show.  A few years ago, my (then) 7-year-old daughter asked me where are the female superheroes were.  Today I get the privilege of watching the show with her (10 now), and now reviewing it.    

 

Finally, let me be the first to admit, I do not have the strongest knowledge base of the Supergirl comic.  If I missed an Easter Egg, please let me know and if I can confirm it, next week I’ll give you all the credit.  Come one back next week and we’ll talk “We Can Be Heroes.”

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