Supergirl Review: Mxy in the Middle (Season 6 Episode 11)
Supergirl Season 6 Episode 11, “Mxy in the Middle,” is bogged down with too much exposition from start to finish. Its saving graces are Thomas Lennon’s Mxy and a magical twist involving Lena Luthor: She’s a witch.
While this revelation doesn’t make a ton of sense, it is an unexpected and honestly quite fun turn in a final season that is starting to lull a bit. Plus, it’s simply rewarding for Lena to get these answers after all this time.
Magic is a unique way to challenge a character who can find a way to outsmart everything and everyone.
Lena’s reliance on science is part of what makes her such an asset to the Super Friends. That shouldn’t fade if Lena does accept the magic she inherited from her mother.
“Mxy in the Middle” lets Katie McGrath shine in a way to make Lena’s story the most grounded aspect of the episode.
Her performance is a reminder of everything Lena carries on her shoulders and how that parallels the experience of her mother.
Ideally, this will lead to a scene in which Lena sees that she can be a hero who uses magic to save the day but she doesn’t need to use it.
Lena Luthor is already a hero. If there is to be a journey of Lena accepting magic, let it be one that remains personal in its connection to her mother.
That core relationship is far more interesting than Lena finding another way to measure up to the Super Friends, even though she’s proven herself time and time again.
Florence’s words about Lena’s mother’s heart being pure and not knowing her power could not ring more true for Lena as well.
The women on this show continue to step into their power this season. Whether it be Nia, Kelly, or even Nxly, there is a hell of a lot of magic already radiating from these female characters.
As for Mxy, he’s still an absolute delight. He never fails in reviving a room even if it means putting every character on edge.
Lennon’s performance of “I Will Survive” that substitutes the lyrics for Supergirl‘s exposition is actually a creative way to make all of that more bearable.
Unfortunately, Mxy’s presence brings attention to one of this season’s greats flaws — the way in which it keeps sidestepping Kara’s trauma.
Supergirl Season 6 Episode 8, “Welcome Back, Kara!,” teases a show in which the trauma of these heroes will be a heavy focus of the rest of the season.
Season 6 is doing the work to unpack Nia’s relationship with herself, her powers, her mother, and her sister.
We know that Guardian is coming, and we are going to learn even more of what that means to Kelly Olsen. Supergirl is even giving Lena the answers she’s always deserved.
So what is the reason for letting Kara’s brew under the surface until Mxy whips out the Phantom Zone Projector? It’s not that Kara needs to be talking about her pain and time in the Phantom Zone in every single moment of every single scene.
That would be brutal to watch and unfair to the character. It’s only that Supergirl laid the groundwork for Kara’s next big story at CatCo. That story values those affected by the Phantoms, including herself, and there has been no further discussion of the matter.
Supergirl always struggles with the balance between Kara’s life at CatCo and when she’s suited up. There was time on their side in the past to figure it out, but the series is running out of episodes to give Kara the story she deserves.
There is no shame in showing a hero struggling. The fear in Kara’s eyes when she sees the Phantom Zone Projector isn’t subtle. Neither is Alex coming to her defense, literally shielding Kara with her body.
Andrea tells Lena, “You can’t deal with the past unless you face it.” That is ironic coming from the same show that won’t even clue us in on if Kara is facing her past off camera and we don’t know it.
It’s difficult to imagine a world in which Andrea lets Kara slip past her deadline. So she has to be working on this story, right? Let us see that. Let us see our hero, our Paragon of Hope, struggling to find hope again.
The Nyxly plot is already a lot, and time is running out to see if and how it’ll fold into the season at large. Supergirl needs to find a way to refocus the story on the characters who matter before it’s too late.
This show is at its best when it values the intricacies of its character like it did for Brainy, Alex, Nia, Lena, and soon-to-be Kelly. Kara Danvers cannot be excluded from that.
Stray Thoughts
- The Totems sound a lot like Paragons.
- We got a Mon-El mention.
- Kara using her heat vision to distract the cat is resourceful.
- I will take all of the Brainy and Nia scraps.
What did you think of this episode of Supergirl? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Supergirl airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.
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Shelby Elpers
Shelby is a TV enthusiast and pop culture writer. She's an avid podcast listener, green tea drinker, and soccer fan. Her brand can be summarized in rom-coms, superheroes, teen dramas, and workplace comedies.