[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Director: Jesse Warn
Writers: Paula Yoo & Katie Rose Rogers
Stars: Melissa Benoist, Mehcad Brooks & Chyler Leigh
Summary
Supergirl discovers a cult worshiping her as a God while Sam struggles to find time to spend with Ruby.
Positives
The cult idea is really fun. I totally buy that Kara would be seen as a god. I love James’ dialogue about why people would look at her that way. Religion is a place of comfort for people, but it is a matter of faith. Supergirl makes that faith real and tangible. The most interesting aspect of this plot is what it does to Kara. The cult is using her Kryptonian religion and its prayers which Kara sees as a perversion; it’s traumatizing to her. Throughout history, endless crimes have been committed in the name of religion by people who clearly don’t understand the religion. Additionally, this isn’t a villain Kara can hit because they’re just misguided people which makes the episode a little more tense. She can’t hit these people into submission so she has to reason with them.
The conflict between Alex and Maggie is great. I don’t love that they’re probably going to break up soon but at least this is a real conflict. With these CW shows, the romantic conflict is often ridiculous and frustrating to watch because there isn’t really much of an actual conflict. The characters are either mad about nothing or there’s an easy solution. The conflict between Alex and Maggie is one real couples have. Alex desperately wants kids and can’t imagine life without them while Maggie just wants Alex; that’s enough for her. Neither is wrong in their thinking but it’s not something that will be easy to work out.
While it’s not the most entertaining part of the episode, I do like Sam and Ruby’s subplot. Sam is our big bad but the writers want Reign to be a tragic villain. We need a lot of time to make her likeable so that when she falls, it will feel like something real has been lost. It’s something Arrow struggled with when Slade went bad so I hope this works out better. It also gives Alex direct access to a mother and child. Seeing their bond only reinforces how much Alex wants kids.
Negatives
I have no negatives worth mentioning for this episode.
Verdict
This is a great episode. Paula Yoo and Katie Rose Rogers put Kara in a really interesting conflict. I love that she’s confronted with a perversion of her own religion by ordinary people just looking for hope. It’s a great plot. The subplots move Alex’s story in a realistic, while a bit depressing, way while connecting Sam both with the cast and the audience.
