Supergirl Review: Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzptlk (Season 2 Episode 13)

Supergirl Season 2 Episode 13, “Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzptlk” is as difficult to write about as the title is to spell or pronounce.

I love Supergirl, I want to talk about how great it is and how wonderful the characters are, and the hope it brings in a dark time. But week after week throughout Season 2, more noticeably in recent episodes, the show has wrecked Kara’s plotline for the sake of an obnoxious, overdone romance.

There are still traces of the Kara that we fell in love with in Season 1, but they’re so buried under this mess of a love story that they’re becoming increasingly difficult to see. All of Kara’s personal life has become wrapped up in the juvenile will they/won’t they plot between she and Mon El.

Kara is supposed to be becoming a reporter, but we barely see her life at CatCo anymore. When we do it’s brief and hardly relevant to her evolution as a character.

We get a few moments of Snapper being condescending or Kara shrilly demanding that a story go out a certain way. There’s no emotional growth and very little long term story relevance in Kara’s day job now.

The majority of the audience hasn’t been sold on the romance between Kara and Mon El, because it’s been delivered in a way that insults Kara and takes away from the rest of her story.  

“Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzptlk” plays as if the writers knew they had to bring in a suitor for Kara who’s literally the most obnoxious man in the galaxy in order to make Mon El appealing. And even that fails to present him as a proper love interest for her. He doesn’t communicate with her, he doesn’t respect her intelligence or her independence, and he uses his romantic feelings for her as an excuse for how he treats her.

The only positive thing about Kara and Mon El finally getting together is that it at least brings an end to the will they/won’t they style storytelling we’ve been subjected to all season.

On the other hand the romance between Alex and Maggie continues to be touching, heartfelt, and realistic. Though the writers failed to follow through on their promise of a “Sanvers-centric” Valentine’s Day episode, the story between them is still sweet and endearing.

Going back on/changing Maggie’s coming out story is an odd choice, but honestly I appreciate it in a way. Not everyone gets to have a good coming out story like Alex, for too many it is a harsh, negative experience.

It’s important that we see a range of different coming out stories, and LGBT persons living their lives to the fullest either with the support of their loved ones or in spite of the lack of it.

Maggie: You deserve an amazing romance with a woman who is absolutely crazy about you.

Maggie takes Kara’s advice and lets go of her long held grudge against Valentine’s day to celebrate the love she has with Alex. It’s just another small way in which the two of them are changing each other for the better.

Maggie has gotten Alex to stop suppressing her own feelings, and now Alex is helping her to see that there is love worth celebrating right in front of her and reminding her that she isn’t going anywhere.

It may have only been a few brief scenes this week, but this relationship is still a shining force for good in the world.  Supergirl is showing the audience a positive, loving, and realistic relationship between two women, and for that we are certainly grateful.

OTHER THOUGHTS:

• Winn is adorable and so enjoyable this season. In “Mr. and Mrs. Mxyzptlk” he begins a romance with a pretty alien girl who keeps him from getting eaten by some bigger meaner aliens in the bar. It’s adorable so far, but could this possibly be a trap?
• What do you guys think Cat Grant is up to? Can she come back soon? Do you think she and James call each other from the bubble bath so he can keep her updated on Kara’s drama?
• J’onn sending M’Gann a Valentine message is absolutely adorable. He’s the best dad.

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 The CW.

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