Supergirl Review: Nevertheless, She Persisted (Season 2 Episode 22)

Supergirl Season 2 Episode 22, “Nevertheless, She Persisted,” is arguably the best episode of the season. While the season finale is a high point of the series, it also exemplifies a lot of the problems that arose during Season 2.

Below I’ve broken down what Supergirl needs to improve on as it moves forward and the best parts of Season 2 Episode 22 “Nevertheless, She Persisted” that I definitely want to see more of in Season 3.

SHE WAS WARNED. SHE WAS GIVEN AN EXPLANATION.

As much as I absolutely adore the relationship between Maggie and Alex, during the last half of Season 2, they’ve been shuffled to the background and given half baked stories. Supergirl Season 2 Episode 19, “Alex,” showed us that the writers can absolutely give weight and realism to this relationship the way they did during the first half of Season 2.

But too often since they got together, we’ve been deprived of seeing their relationship develop in a realistic way. As a member of the LGBT+ community, I love having this representation on one of my favorite shows on television, but we shouldn’t have to settle for scraps and rushed through happy endings just because they’re queer characters.

I’m thrilled that Alex and Maggie are both still alive, together, and happy at the end of Season 2, but it’s way too soon for them to get married. Especially since the scene itself isn’t even given a moment to breathe, it just plays as a cheap attempt to keep the LGBT+ members of the audience happy without giving these characters substantial screen time.

The Supergirl writers did a wonderful job with Alex’s coming out story and the origins of this relationship. I’d just like to see them give the same amount of respect and reality to developing Alex and Maggie’s relationship now that they are together as they did before.

Show us them fighting and working through it with actual work instead of instant forgiveness, show us them in intimate moments not just quick kisses hello and goodbye. Show us all of the firsts that Maggie asked for on “Alex.”

I want to see them fight over the dishwasher, and go on vacation, and buy a dog. And sure, I would love to see them get married one day, but because it’s their time and they’re ready, not as a simple formula to keep a particular audience around.

Supergirl also needs to do a better job of integrating James into the plot. He shows up every few episodes for about 2 minutes and then disappears again. Bring the superfriends back, and use this fantastic character to his full potential.

Additionally, the relationship between Alex and Kara needs to be refocused. Several times in Season 2 it is made clear that they are still the central relationship to the show. But just as many times the relationship has been short changed for the sake of one or both of their romantic storylines. Alex’s reactions to Kara have been inconsistent.

The parallel of Alex telling Kara she was proud of her is a good Danvers’ Sisters moment, but it comes up short of delivering the same deep emotion as the original moment between the two of them.

While I will say some good things about Mon El’s send off below, even here in his final episode he reassures me that he was never a good partner for Kara. She needs someone who will support her, and make her a better person, not just the other way around. Mon El relies on fear and doubts Kara’s abilities, believing Superman to be a better competitor to his mother, even though Kara just beat him in combat.

NEVERTHELESS, SHE PERSISTED.

Mon El has been a tricky character throughout Season 2, and if he had remained an awkward alien learning how to live on Earth and overcome his differences with Kara I might have liked him more. The romantic storyline between he and Kara completely ruined this character for me.

However, as frustrating as I found their relationship, on Supergirl Season 2 Episode 22, “Nevertheless, She Persisted” Mon El’s send off is actually really well done. Kara has to choose between him and Earth, and she of course chooses Earth, and he for once doesn’t fight her on it. He knows there’s no other solution when Rhea begins to cheat and supports Kara using their last resort.

Their goodbye is lovely and emotional, with him disappearing through a portal his fate is up in the air, but he can no longer return to Earth. Personally, I am satisfied with the ending of this storyline and I look forward to Kara getting her life back.

Cat Grant proves once more that she is an irreplaceable force on Supergirl. Cat’s ability to be bring humor, vulnerability, and inspiration all into a single scene is something that was sorely missed for so much of Season 2.

Cat: Whatever, I’ve never seen Star Wars.

We finally learn that Cat does indeed know that Kara is Supergirl, and she’s known for quite some time. If you’ve read any of my Supergirl reviews before this one you know that I’ve been bitter about the Season 1 retcon of Cat having this knowledge, and then suddenly not, since it happened.

The way that the show reveals Cat actually knowing leaves it up to the audience to determine exactly when she figured it out. One could even argue that Cat has known from the first moment she meets with Supergirl on Season 1 and says “it’s you.”

Cat: Go get ‘em Supergirl.

As much as I’d have liked it to have happened much earlier, I am so pleased with how Supergirl brought this back. Cat has clearly known for a considerable amount of time, she’s been sitting on one of the biggest stories of her life and keeping Kara’s secret for who knows how long, because she cares for her.  

Her respect, faith, and love for Kara is so evident in their every interaction; Kara seeking comfort from her and Cat being the one to help her move on is one of the best choices Supergirl has made in Season 2. Cat gives Kara something that she can’t find anywhere else. Cat is someone just as powerful, if not more in many ways, as Kara is and she understands the way it feels to be in that position.

Cat: The thing that makes women strong, is that we have the guts to be vulnerable. We have the ability to feel the depths of our emotion and we know that we will walk through it to the other side.

Cat and Kara both have the tendency to isolate themselves from everyone around them, except for each other. Cat reminds Kara that she can draw strength from her vulnerability and that her emotions are not a weakness. Supergirl Season 2 Episode 22 implies that Cat is back in a more formal capacity and I can only hope that remains the case in Season 3.

Cat: You my dear, are on a hero’s journey.

OTHER THOUGHTS:

• Where in the world is Eliza Danvers?
• M’Gann is back!!! And she’s in a relationship with J’onn!!!! I totally didn’t see this relationship becoming romantic when it was introduced at the beginning of Season 2, but I’m not mad about it at all.
• Winn calls J’onn Papa Bear.
• Lena continues to be wonderful. I love this character and hope we continue to get more of her friendship with Kara on Season 3 and more science adventures for Lena and Winn! She’s brilliant, sassy, and always one step ahead of her mother. I’m so glad she never became a villain.
• Rhea was an excellent villain, I’m almost sad to see her go!
• The SuperBattle at the beginning of Season 2 Episode 22 is fantastic. Easily the best fight scene they’ve ever had on Supergirl, visually stunning and fantastic to watch.

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

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Supergirl will return to The CW for Season 3.

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