Supergirl Review: Truth, Justice and the American Way (Season 1 Episode 14)
Conflict over the truth is the meat of this week’s episode of Supergirl–it seems lies by omission and leading double lives have finally come back to hurt our heroes of National City. Alex remains conflicted over telling Kara that it was her that killed Astra, while Cat has hired a second assistant to pick up Kara’s slack, and Jimmy doesn’t approve of the way Kara and the DEO are holding Max indefinitely. “Truth, Justice and the American Way” centers around the age old lesson that honesty is the best policy, even if it hurts someone in the process.
Kara is really struggling to deal with her feelings about Astra’s death, to the point where she doesn’t know how to work with Hank peacefully anymore. Meanwhile, Alex is likewise struggling to sit on the sidelines dealing with the guilt of having been the one to actually kill Astra. Alex now feels twice as guilty watching Kara take her anger out on Hank, but is still kept from telling Kara the truth.
Back at CatCo, Cat notices Jimmy angsting over what to do about Kara and the DEO holding Max. Though she doesn’t know that’s why he’s upset. (Tell me again why we retconned Cat’s knowledge of Kara’s identity as Supergirl?) She tells him a story about when she first became a journalist and why it’s important to tell the truth, not just as a person with that power in the media, but also just as a good human. Cat doesn’t let her guard down often, but with her interactions with Jimmy there is always a beautiful element of honesty between the two of them.
Jimmy brings his concerns to Kara, telling her he’s worried about her morals in regard to Max. Of course Max is an evil, horrible human being, we all know that–but it’s still unethical to hold him illegally and indefinitely.
Jimmy: When you have more power than any human army on Earth, you have to be better than this.
The duality of this week’s episode forces Kara to realize Jimmy is right through her interactions with a crazed guard from Fort Rozz. His rigid form of seeking “justice” by killing off the alien prisoners no matter their crimes makes her realize that they cannot just rule the world with a iron fist. They have to do the right thing and follow the law even if that means letting Max free for now.
Other thoughts:
- Through an investigation into the location of Max Lord, Lucy learns about the DEO and Jimmy’s involvement with Supergirl. He asks Kara for permission to tell Lucy about her secret identity. I hope Kara says yes, because I’d love to see her and Lucy interacting more.
- Kara participating in Astra’s funeral is a beautifully emotional moment. I still wish she wasn’t dead almost as much as Kara does, though.
- I don’t particularly care for Cat’s new assistant–she hasn’t proven herself necessary to the plot yet.
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.
Samantha Coley
Samantha (she/her) is a social media specialist by day and a sci-fi junkie by night. As a freelance writer and podcaster, she also enjoys live-tweeting, blogging, good music, and better television. Her current favorite television shows include Star Trek (yes, all of them), Riverdale, and Stranger Things and there will always be a place in her heart for Battlestar Galactica, Leverage, and The West Wing.