Supergirl’s 21st episode (“Red Daughter”) was full of interesting moments. I mean, I still don’t care about Ben Lockwood, even if he did tango with Otis (I really wanted Alex to kick his butt, ugh). But I enjoyed Lena confronting her mother, roping her into helping, armed with snark, a toxin, and a baby truth seeker. That short sparring scene was brilliant, from the quips to the revelation that Lena’s mom loves her. I don’t know how was more surprised by that confession.
The episode had plenty of action—Brainy unleashed was quite a badass. It was painful watching him short circuit, but holy cats and canaries, seeing his unhindered powers in full swing was quite a sight. Unfortunately, his reboot turned him into an unmitigated jerk. I yelled at the TV when he left Dreamer behind, even moreso when Vulcan pressure pointed J’onn. I’m not even mad at the transformation! It’s interesting to see this side of him, and it’ll be even more interesting watching him wrestle with the fallout once he gets back to being his quirky self.
I really enjoyed the Supergirl/Red Daughter scenes. Melissa Benoist gave a layered, powerful performance in both sets of shoes, and it was truly captivating. The vulnerable rage of Red Daughter is excellently rendered, from the creepy stalker apartment to going to visit her mom. Every inflection of her voice is sharp, which is a stark contrast to Kara’s steely softness. Both share a righteousness, although only one is well founded, obviously.
But I have to point out a bit of flaw. When Supergirl and Red Daughter fight, it’s daytime. The purple lightning is revealed, and then suddenly…it’s night time. Granted, this was done for the purposes of emotional impact (to heighten the reunion between Kara and Alex, once her memory returns), but it took me out of the moment. I spent 15 seconds trying to figure out if Kara had been punched into a cave or another hemisphere, where it was night. But no. That was jarring, to say the least.
Of course, the reunion scene was brilliant, and yes, I teared up. Because it’s a scientific fact that when Chyler Leigh cries, you have to cry. There’s just so much raw pain and vulnerability in her face and voice, and I will probably never get over how brilliant she is. Even if the whole pulling sunlight out of the grass angle was a litttttle bit far-fetched. *Chrissy Teigen cringe face*
That said, I enjoyed the episode on the whole. It was filled with hilarious one-liners (Wookiee!) and plenty of emotions. Next week is the season finale, so we’ll see what else Lex Luthor has in store.
(PS Even with the wonky plot hole, it was STILL better than last night’s Game of Thrones, which was full of bad narrative and character choices. *shakes fist*)
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