‘Supergirl’ Recap: The Crossover Begins (Kind Of)
Warning: This recap for the “Medusa” episode of Supergirl contains spoilers.
For those Supergirl fans who want nothing to do with this crossover madness — no need to worry. Technically, this week’s midseason finale is the beginning of the massive, four-part arc, but it really only affects the last few minutes. If you love this show, but aren’t a fan of The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow — well, that’s weird, but you’ll find the the intrusion of those shows to be but a minor inconvenience.
For those disappointed by how little things crossed over this episode, not to worry. The remaining three episodes are a fun, alien-filled romp chock-full of the Woman of Steel, and you only have to wait a day.
The Plot
Cyborg Superman releases a virus in the alien bar that only kills off-worlders; Mon-El is exposed and falls ill. Kara thinks Lena (Katie McGrath) will help them track Lilian Luthor (Brenda Strong), but when she confronts Lena about her mother’s activities, Lena is unwilling to believe it of her mother. Kara discovers the virus was created by her father at the same time Lena discovers her mother is behind Cadmus. Lena helps Lilian by giving her the isotope she needs to weaponize the virus in bomb form but, when the bomb goes off, it turns out Lena has betrayed her mother: She gave her an isotope that neutralized the virus. Lilian is taken away by the police, but Cyborg Superman, who almost defeats both J’onn J’onzz and Supergirl, disappears.
Coming Out
Alex wants to tell her mother (Helen Slater) at Thanksgiving dinner that she’s gay , but they’re interrupted by a mysterious space rift. Not that it matters; Eliza already knew. They share a beautiful scene in the astrobiology lab with Chyler Leigh’s awkwardness lightening Slater’s sincerity. James and Winn’s secret will have to wait for another time.
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Ship Watch
Alex and Maggie are the first of two big liplocks this week. Part of it is probably Alex’s growing confidence, but also Cyborg Superman tags Maggie and — confronted with mortality — she says, “We should kiss the girls that we want to kiss,” and they make it official.
Kara and Mon-El also kiss, but the Daxamite is at death’s door. It is a beautiful moment. He tells her, “You look beautiful with the weight of all these worlds on your shoulder,” moments before passing out. But when he’s recovered, he tells her he doesn’t remember anything. Is he lying? Probably. She has mixed feelings about him and doesn’t say anything when he gives her the chance to bring up the kiss. He doesn’t admit his feelings to her when she asks him point-blank; instead, he talks about all the hot ladies throwing themselves at him. Two steps forward, one step back.
Parents: The Disappointening
Like Barry Allen in The Flash, Kara is is driven by the hole in her life left by missing parents. Unlike The Flash, Kara’s parents are turning out to be really awful people. It’s almost a throwback to the early days of Arrow, but with a distinctly alien flair. Zor-El and Alura seem loving and philanthropic, but designing genocidal viruses definitely gets filed under “E” for “Evil.”
Lena’s mother, Lilian, may be even worse. What she lacks in technical prowess, she makes up for in sheer willfulness. Zor-El designed a means of genocide, but it’s Lilian who pushed the button releasing it. Well, actually she made her daughter do it. Take your pick: wonderful parents who turn out to be monsters or monster parents who live up to expectations?
Kryptobites
*Alex sneaking bourbon from the freezer behind Kara’s back is just the best visual gag.
*Love that sweet Hank-on-Hank violence. Supergirl has more opportunity to do it than most shows. Even though it’s probably a logistical nightmare, they should do it more often.
*Oh, right. Some freaky aliens are tracking Mon-El’s pod from the Well of Stars. That’ll end well, right?
*The look Maggie gave after Alex told her about her “new normal”? The kiss later in the episode was almost redundant because that look said everything.
*Line of the Night: “Your parent’s legacy isn’t death and destruction. Their legacy is you.” Sure, we all knew where that speech was going. But sometimes you just gotta hear it coming out of David Harewood’s mouth.
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on the CW. The DC Week crossover continues tonight on The Flash.
