Supergirl’s 16th episode (“Of Two Minds”) had a fair amount of humor (Yoda! Freddy Krueger! Winn recognizing Brainy when no else did! Post-illness Alex quipping that Winn is a suckup!), but plot advanced slower than I’d like. To be fair, there was a lot going on in the episode. Alex and Winn nearly died (leading to a nice moment between Winn and Jimmy). Lena got incredibly close to figuring out how to prevent Sam from becoming Reign. (Sam, getting shocked over and over again? Facing her shadow self, as she put it—that was well done.) Imra and Kara clashed, repeatedly, over how to handle Pestilence.
And that made me realize that this is really the first episode where Imra is given a personal focus. It’s the first time we’re given a solid reason to relate to her, to feel empathy. The story about losing her sister softened her slightly murder-y personality a bit. But this episode also added tension between her and Mon-El: “I’m perfectly capable of keeping my personal feelings of this.” Riiiiight, Imra. Because feelings are so easy to turn off. There’s a slow burning resentment building between them, and I imagine it will only build as time goes on.
We were also given lots of awesome moments with Space Dad, aka J’onn. From his encouraging Kara (“You break through impossible every day.”) to his innumerable poignant moments with Alex. As sad as the situation is with his father, it is nice to see him leaning on Alex. The bond they have is pretty amazing and very sweet. Family isn’t always blood, after all.
Speaking of bonds, Lena and Sam trying desperately to subdue Reign was a hell of a thing. I love the friendship and tenacity. When Sam waivered, Lena was there, being strong and brilliant: “I swear, I’m the only one who knows how to do this. … I’m not going to let her hurt Ruby. Ever.” It was a great moment. (Side-note: When Jimmy called Lena for help, she reassured him that he was helping, but didn’t say how. Given that she had no idea what was happening at the DEO, it seemed like a bizarre way to comfort him. And he just accepted it? It was weird. And very generic.) But Reign, in the foggy dream world of NOPE, is also tenacious. She confronts Sam: “You’re strong. Much stronger than you should be. … You’ve been trapped since Ruby was born. It doesn’t have to be that way. There’s another life. … It’s here for you. Just reach out and take it. … Surrender.” And maaaan, all their interactions are solid, but that one was especially compelling.
All of this led to the Trio being reunited, which will cause all sorts of chaos in the future. My personal guess is that saving the world is going to come down to Ruby summoning the humanity back into her momma. Because Sam is strong, and her love is stronger. Kara has tried to reason with the Evil League of Supervillains, but tapping into someone with a personal, visceral connection might just do the trick.
Only time will tell.
Comments are closed.