“This is awe and some”, comments Mon-El, (Chris Wood), and echoes my sentiments on this week’s episode of Supergirl. Pause your game of Garata, put away your dragons, and sit back to read what the residents of National City were up to this week.
Warning: SPOILERS ahead!
THE ADVENTURES OF MON-EL
I was quite surprised, but welcomed the flashback that opened the show. We got a chance to see how Mon-El wound up on Earth, and were treated to a small glimpse into his life on Daxum. As the gang at the DEO observes him and his possible powers, Mon-El talks about being a royal palace guard, and we see a quick look of despair on his face as he is told that his signal he sent to Daxum remains unanswered. He recovers quickly and asks Kara if they play garata here on Earth. Kara explains the game is like soccer but with dragons, and suddenly I am the biggest garata fan on this planet. So far I have been skeptical of Mon-El, but this episode changed my opinion of him. He had great interactions with both Winn and Kara. Frustrated and going stir crazy, Mon-El convinced Winn to take him out for the night which resulted in a hungover Winn, and an angry Hank. “Nothing. Not hungover. You’re the one being defensive”, answers Winn as he is slumped on his desk. In contrast, Mon-El’s interactions with Supergirl/Kara start off in the zone of playful sarcastic flirting, but by the end of the episode their banter takes on a romantic tone. They poke fun at each other’s planets, then bond over their shared loneliness that comes from missing their respective planets creating a poignant memorable scene. Supergirl/Kara explains to Mon-El that adjusting to life on Earth can be tough, and shares a personal story about breaking the toes of her prom date. But, it’s in the final minutes of the episode in which Supergirl/Kara announces that she is having Mon-El released in her custody when we get a sense that the adventures of Mon-El are truly just beginning.
KARA COULD USE A JOURNALISM CLASS…OR TWO
In between fighting aliens and flirting with Mon-El, Kara needs to prove to Snapper Carr that she is a reporter. She pitches him the story about the dead alien (don’t worry, we’ll get to that) and he immediately questions as to why she isn’t covering the Sanitation Department meeting. Like any good editor, Snapper rapidly fires off the list of requirements that any beginning journalism student knows are necessary in a news story. Poor Kara stutters and fumbles around his questions. I’m still on the fence with Kara being a reporter, on the other hand I have completely fallen in love with Ian Gomez’s portrayal of Snapper Carr. If any readers listen to the Scene N Nerd Earth 2 Podcast that covers Supergirl, (and Legends of Tomorrow), you might have heard me complain about Snapper Carr. Although the character’s name still bugs me, it only took two episodes for me to truly appreciate what Ian Gomez is bringing to Supergirl. I miss Cat Grant more than I can properly express, but Snapper seemed to channel her this week when he begrudgingly mentored Kara, “You didn’t give me a story. You gave me a half -baked idea. Go bake it fully, then I’ll talk to you” Eventually, Kara gets around to finishing her story and even though Snapper accepts it, he also reminds her that she still needs improvement. I hope Kara stopped at the bookstore to buy a copy of the latest APA Publication Manual.
MERGING MARTIAN DRAMA
An overzealous Hank/J’onn heads to my favorite neighborhood alien bar to have a chat with his newfound Martian buddy, M’gann. My mouth dropped open when I heard him ask her if she wanted to take the bond, and it wasn’t until he fully explained it later that I recovered. Martians merge their minds and form a psychic bond which allows them to communicate telepathically, share dreams, memories, and all their dirty little secrets. David Harewood tugged at my heart strings this episode, and the moment M’gann hesitated and quickly brushed off the subject of the bond, my heart truly broke for J’onn J’onnz. But, I quickly recovered and maintained my suspicion of M’gann, especially when she said, “I am whatever I have to be to get by”. I understood her reluctance with the mind merging, but I couldn’t grasp the reasoning behind her aloofness towards Hank/J’onn. We quickly discover that M’gann is not only a bartender at my favorite neighborhood alien bar; she also moonlights as a fighter for the illegal alien fight club. Supergirl/Kara and Alex break the news to a clearly devastated Hank/J’onn, and we watch that devastation turn into anger. He confronts M’gann at her apartment leading to an emotionally heated argument, and we get to witness two different mindsets of the same alien species trying to survive here on our Earth. Two sides of the same coin…or are they??? Which leads us to…
THERE ARE NO RULES IN ALIEN FIGHT CLUB
Alex gets a phone call from her new detective friend Maggie Sawyer, “Wanna see a dead body?’, and with those five words we embark on a storyline that is sure to have a ripple effect on the rest of this season. A bruised beat up body of a “peaceful” alien species and an abduction of another alien equal many questions and some subtle flirting between Alex and Maggie. A tip from one of Maggie’s sources, (I’m starting to suspect either Maggie is an alien, dating an alien, or a villain masquerading as a dedicated police detective), leads to a night on the town for a very dressed up sparkly face mask wearing Alex and Maggie. Even though this is a “work” outing, we see a glimmer of…something…on Alex’s face. She seems relaxed in Maggie’s presence, and for a few moments seems to let down her usual stoic work attitude. This is an Alex Danvers we aren’t used to seeing, and then we enter the underground illegal alien fight club. The gritty environment is offset by National City’s rich and famous dressed up eager to be entertained. Roulette, who is played by the stunning Dichen Lachman, is the equally disturbing yet beautiful mastermind. “There are no rules in my cage tonight, no laws. Every fighter knows the risks and they are here for you” Roulette shines in every scene she is in, including my personal favorite when she effortlessly sasses Supergirl/Kara while sipping from a flute of champagne. Thankfully, Roulette gets released from police custody by the end of the episode so I’m sure she will be back to wreck more havoc onto National City.
Alien fight club is the focus for much of this episode and its sort of fitting given the title “Survivors”. Each of our characters is a survivor in his or her own way. They have all been imprisoned in some way. They are all fighters. This is where we see a kidnapped Hank/J’onn being forced to fight M’gann. They exchange blows and some words, but M’gann realizes that even in this forced fight to the death, she cannot kill him. Enter the Dragga alien who quickly tosses the newly united Team Martian to the ground with ease. There is a frenzy of activity as the police and DEO agents rush in, National City’s elite make a run for it, and Supergirl/Kara appears to take down the Dragga.
Finally, the back alley of alien fight club is where Supergirl gives a rousing speech to the group of alien fighters, “Cadmus. People like Roulette. They say we are dangerous. That’s what they want everyone to believe. Don’t let them be right about us” These are the types of moments where Supergirl truly shines, and while Kara Danvers fumbles throughout her life, it is Supergirl who just inspired a group of aliens who fought against each other to become a group of survivors.
WAIT A SECOND…M’GANN?!?!
We get to see a nice scene between M’gann and Hank/J’onn, and I start to let my guard down and trust her; but out of nowhere she morphs into a White Martian!!! What does this mean? Is it possible she isn’t the real M’gann? Should we be preparing for a White Martian invasion upon National City?!?
WORTH NOTING…
- Where is Jimmy Olsen?
- I can see why the writers dropped the Supergirl/Kara and Jimmy storyline. Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood have so much chemistry!
- Alex seemed so sad when Maggie declined her offer to grab a drink, and then introduced her to her girlfriend. A couple episodes ago, Alex remarked how her whole life had revolved around Supergirl/Kara. I’m hoping the writers give Alex a love interest/let her explore some facet of her life without Kara.
- Kara owes Lena Luthor a favor, “I know when you’ll be there for me when the time comes”…Uh oh?
Send me your thoughts and spiral theories on Twitter! @KerrBearkru