Supergirl Season Finale Review: Better Angels (Season 1 Episode 20)
The Supergirl Season 1 finale “Better Angels” is nothing short of wonderful. The episode delivers high stakes action, and leaves the show’s audience with an satisfying sense of hope, joy, and excitement for more.
In a time where it seems like a lot of shows believe that in order to be good and interesting, they must be dark and edgy, Supergirl takes that assumption and shreds it to pieces. In a finale in which they could have killed off any number of characters in the name of shock value and Kara’s development, they simply decided not to and showed us there are better ways to move a story forward.
Within the first ten minutes of the episode we are reminded of the core values of Supergirl: hope and the love of family. Hank and Eliza pull Alex out of the Myriad stupor by reminding her of her father. Cat’s idea works and Supergirl is able to reach into the hearts and minds of everyone in National City and give them back to themselves, the way they’ve done for her over this year. Kara reminds the people of the importance of hope and how it keeps us going, how it keeps us looking for the light in the darkness, and moving in positive directions.
Kara: I need you to hope. Hope that you will remember that you can all be heroes.
Unfortunately for Kara, the trouble doesn’t stop once she’s rescued everyone from the Myriad trance. If they can’t control everyone on Earth, Non and Indigo decide to just kill them instead. Superman is down for the count, so Supergirl is once again National City, and the world’s last defence against the imminent threat. The difference is this time it feels like she may not make it out alive. With Supergirl not yet being confirmed for a Season 2, the idea that Supergirl could die seems narratively plausible.
So with concern for Kara and the lives of all her loved ones, we watch her say goodbye to the most important people in her life. It’s a perfect way to show the audience how much each of our favorite supporting characters mean to Kara as well as to sort of recap their journeys over the course of Season 1. Winn is her dearest friend, he takes his goodbye with kindness and humor. Kara tells Cat she has the biggest heart of anyone she knows, and Cat responds with genuine sentiment covered by sass and assignments. With James she decides to push him away, wanting him to be happy without her, rather than mourning what they could’ve been.
Cat: We have been through hell the last few days; we survived. Lesson? Don’t ever take life for granted. Always take good care of yourself.
Thankfully, while Kara’s always out to save the world there’s still one person who’ll always save Kara. Alex’s arc bookends beautifully. Throughout this season and this episode in particular, Alex proves her value on her own while also being driven by her love for her sister. The bond between these two is the heart of the show and while all the moving parts work in concert to bring us something delightful this love stays.
Alex: You saved the world, and then I saved you.
When the world is finally safe, if only for the moment, Season 1 gives us a truly happy ending for everyone. The most crucial plots are all resolved and all of our favorite characters are at peace. Kara gets a promotion and Cat says her name correctly! James and Kara move forward with their relationship! The bad guys are gone for now and everyone made it out alive! I couldn’t have asked for a better ending for Season 1 of this delightful show! Thank you, Supergirl.
Questions and Other Thoughts:
- What/who is in the pod from Krypton?
- How’s Jeremiah Danvers doing? Will we find him in Season 2?
- Are Non and Indigo truly dead? What about the other escaped Kryptonians,
- What are Max and General Lane up to with that Kryptonian power source?
- The President is a woman! How awesome is that?
- Are we still pretending Cat doesn’t know Kara is Supergirl? Seriously guys, she has to know by now. She met Supergirl’s mom and sister, Alex and Eliza Danvers.
- When will CBS announce a renewal for Supergirl? Because not renewing it would be a crime against all things good and happy at this point.
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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.