Supergirl Review: For the Girl Who Has Everything (Season 1 Episode 13)

This week’s Supergirl is an absolute roller coaster with ups reaching new heights and downs reaching astronomical lows. As a whole, I’m honestly not sure how to feel about the episode.

Kara wakes up on Krypton in her perfect fantasy world with the family that she lost. Nan planted the parasite called black mercy in her apartment in order to take Supergirl out of the game while he and Astra move forward with the next step in their war against humanity. When Astra learns what he’s done he slips away to give Alex important information that will help her save Kara. This scene shows just how much both Alex and Astra care for Kara. Astra tells Alex about the fantasy world that Kara is living in and how the parasite works–in order to get it off of Kara she has to completely reject the false world.

Astra: If she’s your sister and I’m her aunt, what does that make us?

Alex: Nothing.

This episode shakes up relationships and we get to see the characters interacting with each other in a way we don’t normally see when Kara’s up and about. Winn and Jimmy accompany Alex to the DEO at Kara’s side. Alex makes Jimmy promise that he won’t let Hank pull her out of Kara’s fantasy world until she’s gotten her out safely.

Alex: I either come back with my sister or I don’t come back at all.

It’s nice to see how these people have become Kara’s family and how they all love her in different ways. They’re arguably, from a professional standpoint, all too close to the situation and the Danvers sisters. We wouldn’t have it any other way because the found family trope is one of the best ways to make us care about everyone. However, this episode makes me continue to wish that they hadn’t retconned Cat finding out that Kara is Supergirl. While everyone else was making a valiant effort to save Kara, Cat is left in the dark and although we know she cares for the girl, she’s made to look like the wicked uncaring boss this week.

The highlight of the episode is Alex’s speech to Kara in the fantasy world. The sibling bond between these two is so strong and wonderful in this episode and I feel like it should be the core of the entire show (most of the time it is).

Alex: I can’t promise you a life without pain and loss because pain is a part of life, it’s what makes us who we are, it’s what makes you a hero. . .Earth needs Supergirl, your friends need you, and I need my sister.

Supergirl can lend itself to some pretty campy sci-fi from time to time, and usually that’s part of the charm, but this scene felt completely real and struck a deep emotional chord with the audience. Chyler Leigh absolutely knocks it out of the park in showing us how deeply Alex cares for her little sister this week. She’d go to any lengths to save her, and their bond is what brings Kara home.

I’d have been happy if the episode ended with Alex rescuing Kara, and it would have been a perfect parallel to the start of the series when Kara first reveals her powers to the world by saving her sister. Unfortunately, Nan and Astra are moving forward with their war with something called Miriad and the whole team goes out to stop them. Supergirl goes after Nan because he’s now made her lose her family twice and it’s become personal, while Alex and Hank team up against Astra.

Kara: I’ve known pain, but I’ve also known love, and the people here are my family. I may have been born on Krypton, but I choose Earth and I will protect it to my last breath.

Things go sour for me when Alex is forced to kill Astra in order to save Hank, stabbing a kryptonite blade through her heart. Kara shows up to have a few emotional last words with her morally ambiguous Aunt before Hank takes the fall for Alex, telling her he killed her in the struggle.

Hank: You’re Supergirl’s hero and I don’t want her to see you as anything other than that.

I’m genuinely disappointed that Supergirl has Astra killed so quickly, and I’m really not sure it was the right move for the show. She’s a far more interesting and compelling villain than her pure evil, counterpart of a husband and she also had so much more potential story-wise. I’m not sure where the show will go without her in the long run, but she will be certainly be missed on my screen. Farewell Astra, you beautiful villainess. 

Other thoughts:

• Hank trying to be Kara so that Cat doesn’t fire her for not coming in without notice is hilarious.
• Kara being welcomed home by Alex, Winn, and Jimmy is incredibly heartwarming and a perfect end to the episode, complete with Winn getting over his angst and gladly retaking his role as Kara’s best friend.
• Max Lord is completely tolerable in this episode, that’s a first.

What did you think of this episode of Supergirl? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Supergirl airs Monday at 8/7c on CBS.

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