Supergirl didn’t have the luxury of having a formal fall finale after the big crossover event with all the CW superhero shows. So while the show was only off the air for one more week than The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow, it has felt like much longer and, personally, Supergirl has been much more missed than its other super brethren. The winter premiere of Supergirl is even more exciting than just the return of the show. This is because “Supergirl Lives” is directed by Kevin Smith, who has many credits. But the most relevant one might be that he directed the best episode of The Flash to date, “The Runaway Dinosaur.”
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The Search for Izzy
“Supergirl Lives” is nowhere near as awesome as that Flash episode, but it is a fun return to the series. Supergirl wisely makes the decision to largely ignore the crossover. Instead, we dive back into the season, and Kara is feeling a little down. She thinks she is not being challenged enough (which is quite an insane opinion if you do consider the crossover, in which she just saved an entire alternate universe). In any case, when Kara hears news of a missing girl named Izzy, as well as other teenagers, she rushes into action, thinking this is what she needs to bounce back.
The problem is that Kara is not alone. She is joined by a very bored Mon-El, who tags along and is his generally hyperactive Mon-El self. You can see this as a bad thing if you’re one of those weirdos who is annoyed by Mon-El. If you’re a sensible person, though, a Mon-El and Kara team-up is an amazing idea, and “Supergirl Lives” capitalizes on it fully.
Kara and Mon-El eventually discover that Izzy and the other missing teens are being in sold into slavery — interplanetary slavery — due to an agreement between the villain, Roulette, and some aliens.
Roulette’s return to the show is pretty much overshadowed by the place that Mon-El and Kara end up while searching for Izzy. The two pursue one of the aliens running the slavery ring through a portal. When they are spit out on the other side, Mon-El and Kara are on an alien planet that has a red sun. If you’re not a super Superman geek, you should know this means that Kara and Mon-El are left without their powers. This team-up might have gotten a lot less “superhero-y” but much more promising as an episode.
Being a Hero
Back on Earth, Winn is dealing with some issues. Out on a mission with Guardian, Winn gets attacked, and it makes him a little gun-shy about running into action. Winn quits working with James, which sadly doesn’t last.
Winn is also reluctant to go with Alex to the alien planet when they discover that Kara is missing. Alex gives Winn a pep talk, which convinces him to man-up and be a hero no matter the danger. Alex doesn’t take her own advice, sadly. There is also a very unfortunate subplot where she briefly and temporarily breaks up with Maggie due to the stress of Kara being missing. The less said about that story, the better. It’s not great.
On the alien planet, Kara is having a similar conversation with Mon-El that Alex had with Winn. The best thing about this powerless team-up is that it boils Mon-El and Kara down to just their personalities. Without an ability to fight the bad guys, Kara and Mon-El engage in a battle of wits. Okay, essentially it is the same argument they have been having since Mon-El was introduced.
Mon-El just wants to be a normal guy …. with super-strength, but Kara thinks they are meant for something more; their powers exist for a reason. “Supergirl Lives” doesn’t really offer anything new to the argument, but it is nice to revisit this part of their dynamic. Kara and Mon-El aren’t ready for a romantic relationship, but this dichotomy of personality is much more compelling than whatever existed between James and Kara.
Kara’s side argument is backed up when the other slaves follow her line of thinking. They all manage to work together to overthrow the alien slave traders and escape their prison cell.
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Mon-El: Fugitive, Prince or Both?
The escaping slaves are quickly joined by the arrival of Alex, Winn and the DEO. Winn gets into a fight with an alien and shockingly wins. It is the most pathetic of fight scenes, but for a character like Winn, it is pretty awesome. Alex throws a yellow sun grenade, which makes no logical sense, that gives Kara her powers back momentarily on the planet. Kara, using her powers, gets everyone out safely and all is well.
The only really notable thing that happens during the escape is that Mon-El is cornered by the aliens. He is seconds away from death, but the aliens allow him to pass, saying that he is special, and they even bow to him. Supergirl can basically cut the crap at this moment. It is becoming blindingly clear that Mon-El is the Daxamite prince, not a royal bodyguard as he has claimed.
When they are all safe on Earth, Mon-El visits Kara’s apartment. In a very cute scene between the two, Mon-El confesses something. He tells her that she has finally convinced him that he wants to be a superhero. This is not a great ending moment for the episode because Supergirl really doesn’t need another caped hero running around, especially since a character like Martian Manhunter has been pushed way to the side this season. However, there is a very real chance that Mon-El will never get his superhero moment.
After Mon-El shares his heroic ambitions, two masked bounty hunters corner the alien traders. The bounty killers ask for information on Mon-El. When they get their info, they kill the slavers and learn that their prey, Mon-El, is on Earth. Mon-El probably isn’t going to die, but this could cause a rift between Kara and himself for the foreseeable future, depending on why exactly he is being hunted.
What did you think of the episode? What is your theory on Mon-El? Will it bring him closer or further apart from Kara? Do you enjoy Mon-El or find him annoying? Will he ever become a superhero? Should he become a hero and join Kara? How did Kevin Smith do as a director on Supergirl?
Supergirl season 2 airs Mondays at 8/7c on The CW. Want more news? Like our Supergirl Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of The CW)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
