Supergirl’s 15th episode (“In Search of Lost Time”) dealt with some heavy issues, all centering around loss. In a way, Kara, Mon-El, M’yrnn, and Sam have all lost time in different ways. For Kara, Mon-El has returned to her, grown up and a better man. And it kind of wrecks her. But it also (through M’yrnn’s wayward psychic powers) helps her finally confront her resentment toward Mon-El. The cape-centric fight scenes between them could’ve been cheesy. They could’ve looked like a Doctor Strange bastardization. Instead, they acted as a fertile moment for the truth to come out. And, at the end of the episode, there was a really nice seen between Kara and Mon-El, in which they apologize to each other—and then shake on no more apologies.
But here’s one thing I especially loved. After their first fight, Mon-El maturely asks Kara, “So you, uh…you punched me. It didn’t feel like part of the sparring. Can we talk about it?” And I thought, holy crap, personal growth. That was a healthy relationship thing. And I loved seeing it on TV. Because it’s important to communicate and check in with people. But then Kara echoes his question later, “Can we talk about yesterday?” and it’s brilliant. These two aren’t dating, because…married blah blah blah. But you could argue that the good groundwork of any relationship is friendship and dialogue. It is nice to see how far they’ve both come emotionally. You know, when they’re not busy hitting each other.
Then there’s the heartbreaking storyline between M’yrnn and J’onn, both who lost time away from each other. The memory issue, how losing control leads to a loss of self, was handled brilliantly. It didn’t pull any punches, with the grief, concern, and denial. Seeing a parent lose their autonomy is unspeakably grief-laden. Alex relays a story about her grandmother to help prod J’onn along (and that brief anecdote was powerful). It was so important for M’yrnn to have chosen to wear the inhibiting cuff. There was strength in that choice.
Finally, Sam learns she’s been Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde-ing it in the worst possible way. Every scene between her and Lena was brilliant. I mean, it’s incredibly fun to see Lena get all science-y. But it’s also super great to see her protecting and helping her friend, no matter what. Because keeping a secret like that isn’t easy, especially when said friend spews some nasty things (“You ask a Luthor. They’ll tell you you’re a supervillain.” Ouch.). The scene where Sam is finally convinced that she’s Reign was freaking incredible. Odette Annable’s face was just…the grief, the revulsion, the horror were absolutely brilliant. And when she called and lied to Ruby about where she was? Maaaaan. Annabelle cries like a champ. Yes, that is a compliment. (Side-note: I know we were supposed to find Jimmy’s actions romantic and sweet, but I….they felt a little been on the creeper side to me. I wish we could’ve gotten their scenes together without him randomly appearing at her work. Twice. Because the scenes themselves were great.)
Obviously, next week, things get much worse, because pigeons appear to be falling from the sky. And that can only mean one thing: gravity still works! Wait, that’s not quite right…
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