Supergirl Review: The Wrath of Rama Khan (Season 5 Episode 8)

Supergirl Season 5 Episode 8, “The Wrath of Rama Khanm,” is a midseason finale that definitely packs the punches. It is full of action and heart, which is a huge part of what brings loyal fans and newcomers to National City every week. 

Although “The Wrath of Rama Khan” is quite an epic episode, it does have one too many big bads than it can handle. Rama Khan comes across as a weird diversion for the real issue of the season — saving Lena from herself.

Rama Khan is a failed “god” that has missed his time in the sun. It is clear that the larger story resides with the women of Leviathan, which becomes evident with the Elder appoints Gamemnae over Rama Khan. 

This is an intriguing story that will hopefully fit into Supergirl’s season more after the crossover.

It may have even been beneficial to leave Leviathan until the second half of the season because loyal viewers of The CW superheroes are much too concerned with the earth-ending challenges “Crisis on Infinite Earths” will bring to worry about the seemingly washed-up Rama Khan. 

If Supergirl Season 5 Episode 7, “Tremors,” showed Lena crossing a line, then “The Wrath of Rama Khan” shows what Lena is willing to do to stay on the other side of it.

Lena does not come to some divine revelation by the end of the hour, reconciling with the error of her ways. Instead, she shifts the blame onto Eve, who is still unconscious in her own body. 

Before that even occurs, Lena is ready to launch Myriad, which may not kill people due to her manipulation of the device to further Project Non Nocere, but it would still harm them. Lena continues to be caught up in the resistance to physically harm anyone, which is ironic knowing that she has been burned the most by emotional and verbal harm. 

Even though Lena continuously says something along the lines of, “I’m not the bad guy,” every week, her actions demonstrate the exact opposite. Even if Lena’s intentions are good, the way she executes them matters. 

This is why the parallels between Lex and Lena in “The Wrath of Rama Khan” are so perfect. Kara makes the point that Lena is not Lex, that she is better than him. Not many people have an argument against that because it is true. Lena is better than Lex, for now. 

Things start to get a bit eerie when Lena calls Hope her friend.

Hope refutes and describes herself as something Lena created “to serve a purpose,” and she does exactly that when she takes responsibility for Lena’s master plan. Although, Hope takes responsibility under Eve’s name, as she is in her body, and Lena doesn’t do a thing to stop it. 

This is when Lena resembles her brother the most: when she gets caught up in her own delusions and plans.

This is when Lex is his most terrifying because it seems like there’s no way to pull him back. Lena calling Hope her friend and then allowing Hope to volunteer Eve to a cruel fate felt a lot like one of those moments. 

Lena’s “I’m not the bad guy” paralleled with Lex declaring, “I’ve always been the hero,” is like a chef’s kiss to end the pre-“Crisis on Infinite Earths” episodes on. Ideally, Supergirl will spend the episodes after the crossover event deconstructing that parallel and exemplifying just how Lena is different from Lex. 

Her redemption would be the perfect end to that arc, as Lex remains past the point of no return. This is why the juxtaposition of Kara and Alex’s reactions to Lena’s plan is so intriguing.

It is evident that Kara has more at stake in saving Lena because Lena is her best friend, but Alex makes it clear that she cares about Lena as well. Kara’s mission to save humanity, whether it be from Rama Khan or themselves, is admirable and grand, but Alex makes the good point that Kara is thinking with her heart when it comes to Lena. 

This does not make Kara weak.

In fact, it makes her strong, but sometimes it can be her kryptonite. That’s when Alex steps in and demonstrates why the Danvers sisters work so well together. Alex says the things in “The Wrath of Rama Khan” that Kara does not want to hear but needs to her. 

Alex takes the steps that need to be taken to ensure the safety of National City and its citizens. She does her job the best she knows how with the resources she has. Yes, the D.E.O. could use some reform, but that’s a conversation for another day.

Alex describes Lena as “someone has turned a corner,” and she could not be more right. It is what the Super Friends decide to do after this pivotal moment that matters most. This is when the fight to save Lena really begins. 

Thankfully, Supergirl did not even slightly resolve the tension between Kara and Lena in “The Wrath of Rama Khan.” A thoughtfully worded apology is not going to work for either Kara or Lena this time, and it looks like Supergirl is going to dig into that after hiatus. 

Until then, a crisis is imminent. The Monitor uses Malefic to test J’onn’s strengths and weaknesses. This supports Supergirl’s subtle approach to the crossover as discussed in the review of Supergirl Season 5 Episode 3, “Blurred Lines.” 

Obviously, Kara will have a big role in the five-part event, but The Monitor’s investments in J’onn suggest that he may have a larger role than expected. Then again, it looks like Lex Luthor may be a big player as well, and that does not bode well for anyone. 

Stray Observations

• Where is Nia? Her abilities would have been quite useful in an episode that deals with three different threats. 
• The M’gann mention is such a nice touch! It’s reassuring to hear how she’s doing on Mars. 
• This episode teases a Supergirl/Acrata team up. Fingers crossed for an even bigger and better one in the future!

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

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Supergirl airs Sundays at 9/8c on The CW.

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