Supergirl Recap: Luthors

By: David Carner (@davidcarner)
 
Welcome to the Supergirl review. This week’s episode, “Luthors” is directed by Tawnia McKiernan, who is directing her first Supergirl episode, but has directed over 40 episodes of TV in the last few years, most notably Criminal Minds and Warehouse 13. This week’s episode is written by Robert L. Rovner, Executive Producer and writer for Supergirl, and Cindy Lichtman. This is the second episode of Supergirl that Lichtman’s has written.
 

Spoilers to follow!

 
We open 20 years ago at a mansion. A young man, who looks to be about 15, is playing chess with Lillian Luthor. A bald man, Lionel, comes in with a little girl, Lena. Lena is introduced to her “new mother.” Lex introduces himself and begins to play chess with Lena. Lillian says having a sister will be good for Lex. We cut to present day and the news is showing the newest on the Lillian Luthor trial. The camera pulls out and we’re at the alien bar and Kara is watching. Mon-El tells Kara what they would have done to Lillian on Daxium. Kara and Mon-El have awkward small talk. He goes to get drinks and Kara runs over to the table where J’onn, Wynn, and James are awaiting Alex and her new “man.” (This is going to be good). Alex brings Maggie over and it goes quite well. Wynn asked if anyone “knew” and J’onn responded he did because he was psychic. He never said anything because it wasn’t his place to tell. Mon-El brings over drinks, talks with Maggie and Alex, and wonders if they are accepted on Earth. Alex explains that not all are accepting, while Kara watches. (She is tore up.) The group goes to watch Maggie and Wynn play pool, while James and Kara notice the TV and talk about Lena. Wynn shoots a pool ball by their face on accident and we cut to the Luthor tower. Lena is watching the TV as Kara walks in. Kara has brought doughnuts and friendship. Lena opens up about her step-mom and doesn’t feel guilty about testifying against her. Kara tries to comfort her and reminds Lena she’s still her mom. Cut to Lillian in cuffs and Lena walking in to talk. Lillian starts in on Lena, Lena offers to leave, and Lillian apologizes. Lillian says she forgives her and loves her. They bicker for a bit, and Lillian says Lena doesn’t know the truth. Lillian told her that Lionel had an affair with her mother, she was paid off, and Lionel only brought her home after her mother had died. Lillian hated her because she reminded her of Lena’s mother. Lena realizes she really is a Luthor. Lillian says they are the only two Luthors left. (Which is weird because later in the episode they do say Lex is alive, just in prison.) She wants a second chance. Cut to a jailcell where Mr. Corbin receives his mail, inside is Kryptonite. Cut to the courtroom where Corbin is testifying. Corbin says Lillian saved him and Supergirl needs to be wiped from the Earth. Corbin goes on a spiel. He stands up and shoots Kryptonite from his chest.
 
Corbin rips through the courtroom, and frees Lillian. Kara changes into Supergirl and goes after the two. Corbin hits her with a blast knocking her down. Corbin blasts a crane and Supergirl has to catch it while the two escape. She flies back to the DEO. Maggie gets the call and explains how it can only be Lena. Kara goes and warns Lean what is being said. Maggie comes in to arrest Lena, and Kara tries to defend her. Maggie tells her to stay out of it. Kara comes into CatCo, and Snapper is “crashing the cover.” Lena is being put on the cover, and again Kara tries to defend her. Snapper and Kara go back and forth. James backs Snapper and Kara walks out. James tries to warn her of the long con, and they walk away mad, well for 4 steps, until Kara walks into Tessmacher. She tries to cheer up Kara and they end up talking about “Mike”. She thinks Kara is his ex-girlfriend because all “Mike” did the entire date was talk about Kara. Kara tries to assure her they were not, have not, and are not dating. We cut to prison and Lena in her cell. The guards mention her brother losing his hair. Metallo shows up and cuts through them. He goes for Lena, but Guardian is waiting.
 
The two fight, but Metallo takes down Guardian. He frees Lena, though it appears she didn’t want him to. At the DEO, Alex is tending to James wound. James think the Kryptonite is hurting Metallo and something is off about it. (Earlier Kara alluded that her cousin had rounded up all the Kryptonite.) Alex scolds him, Kara jumps in, but James ignores them and waxes on about his shield. Kara thinks Lena is kidnapped, and James is irritated, convinced Lena is part of it. No one agrees with Kara. Kara walks out, and James follows her. James reminds her that Clark believed in Lex and they used to be best friends. James wonders how she can have faith in Lena but none in James as Guardian. Kara reminds him she is trying to protect him, but James tells her he doesn’t need her protection. He needs her trust. She has his, but he cannot get hers. Kara is upset and walks away. Downstairs she is punching things. Mon-El walks in to see her. He applauds her on. They talk and Mon-El tells her how she believed in him when no one else did. Kara admits that she has been cold and distant because she thought he was dating Eve. Mon-El asks why she was mad, Kara denies it, and they go back and forth. She changes the word to surprise. She was surprised because he dated someone else and supposedly liked her. He reminded her that she didn’t like him so why does she care. (Excuse me, that was my phone ringing. 8th grade called and wanted their romance back.) She changes the subject and walks off. Cut to Metallo driving a van with the Luthors. Lena is mad. Lillian waxes how the Luthors are hated by Earth. Lillian tells her no one will believe her, and Lena looks defeated. Metallo’s arm begins to glow green.
 
Metallo pulls into what appears to be the new CADMUS. There are semis everywhere. Lillian tells Lena that this is one of Lex’s many vaults to fight Superman. It is locked and only Luthor DNA can open it. Lena can, Lillian can’t, and Lena figures out the plan. Lillian keeps telling Lena how she loves her, and Lena begins to leave when Cyborg Superman shows up and grabs her. Lena refuses, but Henshaw makes her. Lex’s battle armor rises from the ground. Back at the DEO Kara paces as Wynn looks for something to prove Lena innocent, and he finds it. Henshaw modified the video to make Lena look guilty. Suddenly Kryptonite is detected on the scanner. Wynn realizes the Kryptonite isn’t pure, and it’s going to blow (go nuclear!)
 
Kara is flying toward the source, but it is going to blow any second and the gas will kill Supergirl. The Luthors walk into the room that rose from the ground, and my oh my did the writers do good! The warsuit, Atomic Ax, and Black Mercy. Lena berates her mother, and Lillian continues on with the diatribe. Lillian finds something as Supergirl breaks in. She tells Lena that the Kara believes in her. Lillian throws whatever she found at Supergirl (It makes a strange noise) and Supergirl drops to her knees. Lena tries to help her, but Henshaw holds her back. They try to lock Supergirl in the vault. She tells them about the oncoming explosion and Metallo pulses green. Lillian refuses to believe her, and in a last ditch effort, Supergirl uses her heatvision on whatever Lillian threw at her, causing it to explode. Metallo shoots Kryptonite, and looks ill. He hits Supergirl several times with it, and she tries to fight back. Manhunter shows up and helps her. Supergirl grabs Lena and Metallo explodes. At the DEO they yell, and all we see is a green mushroom cloud. Two figures fly away.
 

 
We switch to CatCo and Kara walks in. She gives Snapper a little salt for the wound. Snapper snarls back and walks off defeated. Kara leaves and sees James. They talk, and we find that Lillian and Henshaw escaped. James admitted she was right about Lena and he was wrong. Kara said he was just trying to protect her, and he says just like you’re always trying to protect me. She says they need to stop trying to protect each other and go back to being friends. (Thank God!) They make a game night plan and hug. Back at the Luthor building, Lena and Kara talk about Kara’s article. Lena says no one has ever stood up for her like that, and Kara is her hero. Kara leaves and Lena looks at the chess board and remembers her time with Lex with Lillian watching. Back at Kara’s Mon-El comes over at Kara’s request. Kara starts out stumbling a little telling him how she feels. As she goes on, she gets closer and closer and more and more clear. She believes she can have it all with him. They start to kiss and light shoots into the room. Mr. Mxyzptlk shows up and professes his love for Supergirl.
 

Quotes

 
“That woman is bad news. I hope once she is convicted they put her out on the town square for public shaming. On Daxium that really seems to cut down on recidivism.” – Mon-El
 
“On Daxium, it’s more the merrier.” – Mon-El
 
“He literally has no heart.” – Supergirl
 
“She said, she said. This time we need more than just a quote, otherwise it’s just another conspiracy theory for twitter.” – Snapper Carr
 
“Your gumption annoys me to no end, but keep gumptioning for tomorrow’s cover.” – Snapper Carr
 
“I’m not one to usually gloat or say I told you so, but it doesn’t seem like I was the one with confirmation bias.” – Kara
 
“Since you’ve got enough time on your hands to stand around and look up at that TV, how about you get out there and get an exclusive on Lena Luthor. This time, try to spell exclusive right.” – Snapper
 

Little Things

 
I love how the group accepted Alex and Maggie so easily. The end of the Guardian – Supergirl rivalry is approved by me as well. If there had been a little romantic twist to it, fine, but otherwise, it needed to be over.
 
I hope Lena stays on the side of Angels, but I’m not holding my breath. As it has been pointed out, there is a long history of a Luthor turning on someone from the house of EL.
 
Mxyzptlk arrival was done PERFECTLY! That episode looks to be fun.
 
I do like how Mon-El and Kara’s romance is going. I joke about it being from the 8th grade, but it works for them, even if it is a little corny sometimes.
 
Lillian is an interesting character. She keeps talking about the female Luthors, how the men got in the way, and how there are only two of them left. I don’t know if she really cares or wants Lena at all, and honestly I suspect not. Lillian feels more like a main bad “guy” with henchmen, and Lena doesn’t appear to be anybody’s henchperson.
 
I hope you enjoyed the review. 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.
 
If you haven’t today, please take a second to open the Donate a Photo app by Johnson & Johnson. When you donate a photo, $1 is given to the charity of your choice, and Operation Smile is one of those charities. There are several other charities on there as well. Come on back next week and we’ll talk “Mr. & Mrs. Mxyzptlk.”

Matt Goodman
via The Nerd Machine

http://www.nerdhq.com/supergirl-recap-luthors/