Supergirl’s ninth episode (“Supergirl Lives”) covers a lot of ground, but with deft purpose. No slouch in the least, Kevin Smith brings his usual flair for humor and complicated, emotion-laden scenes. In short, it was good to have Kara and the whole gang back on screen.
First, let’s talk about Winn. His confidence gets shaken, after a nasty run-in with some robbers. He freaks out at Jimmy—and ends up having to wear sunglasses inside. (See, it’s not just for douchebags.) This was particularly interesting, given that it’s the first Guardian-based time we’ve seen Winn in danger. He let his fear and insecurity get the better of him, until a pep talk from Alex (“But nobody gets better by running away.” TRUE.). Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Kara needs to be rescued. All of this pushes him out of his comfort zone.
In fact, that’s the theme of this episode: getting outside your comfort zone. Alex certainly does it, even if she does have a meltdown in the middle. I really enjoyed the morning scene between Alex and Maggie, because as Kara points out, Alex glows. She’s a big shining bit of human-shaped happy. And it’s nice to see.
But she has a fit and pushes Maggie away, when Kara goes missing. And it was hard to watch. I could see it coming from a mile away, but that didn’t make it easier to witness. It was a real moment, where a person panics, assumes that happiness is a lie, and reacts. But it also worried me. Honestly, I felt for Maggie—and I hope that the show does her character justice. I wanted more out of her than quiet hurt, and I hope that we don’t see her simply as a one-note plot device. Because she’s too fierce and too awesome. Nobody puts Maggie in the corner. Or something. (I also have issues with Alex giving up Kara’s secret, because that’s not exaaaactly her place.)
Turns out that Roulette (the divine Dichen Lachman) is funneling humans to a slave planet named Maaldoria. This trade is run by a random human doctor in what Mon-El calls the “Murder Castle.” Unfortunately, neither of them have powers due to a red sun, but they make friends with an alien named Joe—and Kara proves (again) that you don’t need to fly to be awesome. You just have to stand up and step up. I like that as a recurring central tenent of the show. It’s often full of “ordinary” people doing extraordinary things.
Winn, obviously, being one of those people. Y’all, I just about lost it when he started shouting about not being a redshirt. That was classic. While it’s nice to see him find his footing, it’s fun to see him do it while being a nerd (I mean: “Oh my god, it’s stargate.”). Nerd Winn is awesome. I mean, he went to space. (Question: when did he grab that jar of rocks…?)
Lastly, Mon-El runs the gamut in this episode, from bartender to superhero wannabe. It turns out that he’s still being hunted by the low-key Nazguls, and that I’m 98% sure that’s he actually Daxam’s prince. But Kara’s right: he’s a bit more Gallant than Goofus, and his sweetness (although somewhat saccharine) is rather nice to see.
Actually, he tends to make Kara smile a lot. (Except when she’s yelling at him for not listening to her and kiiiiiinda getting them stuck on Maaldoria.) Much like how Alex lights up around Maggie, Kara lights up around Mon-El. (Like how she used to light up around Jimmy. And yes, I’m still miffed they dropped that storyline faster than an undercooked Mooby burger.) But I like that Kara brings out the goodness in people and that she helps them find their inner strength. She not only does good—she is good. Her influence on Mon-El is no exception.
One last thing: if the episode title isn’t a play on the Kevin Smith Superman Lives movie (with Nic Cage) that never got made, I’ll eat my hat. Okay, I don’t own a hat. But still. Someone tell this Jersey girl she’s right.
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