Supergirl: “Resist” Review

By: David Carner (@davidcarner)

Spoilers to follow!

Welcome to the Supergirl recap and this week’s episode, “Resist,” which was a very fitting title. Earth is being taken over by Daxamites, and humans must resist. We have Maggie fighting off Daxamites with a pistol, and then using her shotgun to clear a path for her escape, resisting. We have Alex shooting her way out of the DEO as it is overrun, leaping off a ledge during the scuffle and hoping her sister will be there to save her, which she is (a really cool moment, BTW). We have the group joining together at the alien bar after the DEO is overrun to resist. We have Lillian Luthor showing up to join with the DEO to resist…and then the DEO resists joining up. We have President Olivia “Don’t call me Wonder Woman or Lynda Carter” Marsdin telling Rhea that she will not allow the Daxamites to take over the Earth.

However, according to Rhea, Mon-El is the key to the uniting of the Daxamites and those from Earth. And whom does she choose as his bride? Lena Luthor. Later, during their “wedding,” Lena wears a red dress (I have no idea if that symbolizes something or not), but their ceremony is never finished and Lena resists by helping Mon-El attack the guards meant to keep them on Rhea’s ship.

If one big guest star wasn’t enough, how about Cat Grant showing up on Air Force One to also resist? At this point I dare you to resist fanboying (or girling, which is probably more appropriate) over the back and forth her, Rhea, and Olivia have. It is an absolutely phenomenal two minutes of television.

We have a president confirmed to be an alien and whose home world was once taken over because their citizens didn’t resist. Are you getting the point? It was a show with a theme, one that easily could have been pushed too far, but wasn’t. It was on the edge, but it never went over. During the three main guest stars’ spat, there were veiled – and not-so-veiled – political references made. Again, they walked right up to the line, but they never crossed it. It was also about the importance of family, the importance of friends, of love, and how sometimes even when your commander, your boss, or even your enemy is telling you what you should or should not do, you resist.

Cat Grant had not one, but two huge moments in the episode, and one Supergirl pep talk for good measure. She told National City that humans and aliens had to join together to do one thing: resist, and they did. The episode also did something else: it celebrated women. Sometimes it was bold and in your face, like the aforementioned guest star spat, and sometimes it was subtle, like when Lena freed herself and Mon-El. It was Supergirl at its finest, and was the night that I hoped for all those times my daughter asked me where the girl superheroes were.

As the episode drew to a close where everyone but Supergirl was saved, and all she had to do was leave the ship and she would be, too, she did what she always does. She went back to save Rhea. She gave an impassioned speech about how Daxam couldn’t be so bad, because there were people on it, people that deserved to live. All Rhea had to do was surrender, and one last time we saw someone resist. Rhea refused to give up.

For all of that, the episode ended where it started. Rhea has the upper hand, but this time, she’s got someone on her side she wasn’t supposed to: Superman. Next week is the season finale, with Superman, Lena, Lillian, and Rhea having guest spots.

And though the episode found them resisting, they also celebrated what makes this show so special.

Quotes

“Not to mention the full-on Independence Day going on out there with the mothership hovering over the city.” – Winn

“I’m so glad that when things are at their worst, we thought to run straight to a bar.” – Maggie

“What? Not happy to see me?” – Lillian Luthor

“Every time I think I can’t get happier for voting for that woman…” – Kara

“That is still so…cool.” – Cat

“Do your thing, R2” – Kara

Little Things

Last week I said I was worried Guardian would get lost in this part two. He was in two scenes for about thirty seconds total. Some days I’m not sure what the writers are doing with him, and I don’t think they know.

That being said, this episode was tremendous. Sometimes when you have guest stars, they aren’t the best, but this episode used them all, and used them well. It was action-packed from start to finish.

Lena appears not to be heading full-on Luthor unless Lillian is right about Kara being Supergirl.

Cat Grant’s wording was interesting. It sounded like she was planning on staying; however, the producers have said numerous times that they didn’t think she would ever return full-time. Of course, they also led you to believe that she would never guest star again. Who knows, maybe she returned for a spectacular death next week, like her husband in a certain movie. That’s just speculation on my part, but it makes a certain sense, doesn’t it?

A lot of veiled political shots in this one tonight, and next weeks title…well, that one isn’t even veiled. It’s not The Handmaid’s Tale, but this team is making its own statement, and frankly, I’m enjoying it.

Come back next week for “Nevertheless, She Persisted!”

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