Supergirl Episode 310: Legion of Super-Heroes

Supergirl episode #310, titled 'Legion of Super-Heroes', aired last night and was an extremely entertaining episode, the perfect way to kick off the back half of the season. The midseason finale ended with Supergirl battered and defeated at the hands of Reign, beaten down when Supergirl took her sister's advice to be cold and alien.

But Nietzsche said it best when he said 'battle not monsters lest ye become a monster'. This Supergirl has been struggling with being human, with being emotionally vulnerable, with being Kara this whole season. But the answer was never going to be to match brute, unfeeling force. It was always going to be winning through empathy and humanity. And this episode does a near perfect job of illustrating that ... while also dropping in a Supergirl continuity bomb that has long standing fans purring with happiness.

The episode also was Legion heavy as well. Supergirl and the Legion are as close to peanut butter and jelly as you can get, two great things which are even greater together. And the writers lean into the Legion history pretty hard, name dropping planets and Legionnaires, giving us familiar tech, and showing just how powerful a Legion team can be. (If only DC Comics felt the same!)

Another real draw here was Brainiac 5, a character with major comic history with Kara. I was one of the people who really bashed the way the character looked in preview pictures. And I have to admit, this wild-haired, blue/purple looking Brainy isn't what I would have designed. But the performance by Jesse Nath was pitch perfect, the mix of hyper-intelligent, shy, awkward Querl who is smitten with Kara. His performance sold me, so much I looked past the odd makeup.

And lastly, all this wouldn't work without the evil of Reign. Odette Anabelle is crushing it as the caring mother/malicious judge combo. Now she isn't alone. She gains an ally this episode, showing long term story thinking by the writers, and we hear that maybe there are more World Killers out there, something very true in the comics.

Long intro I know. But excellent episodes get more commentary. Onto the details!

The episode starts off with a non-spectacled Kara waking in her loft by a knock at the door. Outside is Brainiac 5. When he calls her Supergirl he is invited right in.

You immediately get the sense that he is nervous about meeting her. After all, she is legend to him, the inspiration behind the Legion. So hearing him stammer, saying 'It's you' and then 'Now you're talking to me' while he shuffles about was humorous. This isn't cold, calculating, 'how about I create Omega' Brainy. This is awkward, shy, not comfortable around people in an endearing way Brainy.

He does an info dump about him, Colu, his 12 level intellect, how she is healing in a Legion medical tank, and how he is talking to her. He reminds her of the fight and that this loft is a construct of her subconscious, where she feels most comfortable. You get a nice read on his character almost immediately, which works throughout the episode.

There is a lot to like here. The replay of the fight in Kara's mind include some POV shots from her perspective, Reign's fists flying at the camera. We also get some dutch angles as she reels from the news. Nice.

But most of all, the thing to take away here is that it is Kara's apartment that is her subconscious place of strength. Not Krypton. Not the DEO. Not the Fortress. This is pure Kara, a nod again to the importance of her humanity.

Meanwhile we see that Reign still has some Sam in her. She plays with Ruby around the house, only getting weird when she see a newspaper pic of Reign.

Then it is off to her Fortress of Spikes where she again hears her mission is to purge the world of sin, both the sinners and those who protect the sinners. She won't abide people ignoring evil or being apathetic to it.

Flying off, she casually either maims or kills a car jacker. She floats into CatCo rather haughtily declaring that she is here to destroy evil, as a friend.


I have commented before that this show will riff off the Donner movie. Hearing Reign say 'I'm a friend' made me bristle as that is a key line in the Christopher Reeve movie. Even her demeanor, floating in like some god, shows she is far from human, far from caring.

This whole thing is supposed to show us what an alien, unfeeling Supergirl would look like. This is the dark mirror. This is to show Kara that she can't ... she shouldn't ignore her humanity. She should embrace it.

Back at the DEO, we learn a bit about the future.
The Legion is reluctant to engage in the affairs of the present given their mission in the future. (A 'we don't want to interfere with history' could have been used here as well.)

They do know Supergirl lives and Reign leaves eventually. But they don't know details. In 2455, the Earth is nearly destroyed and nearly all of its history is destroyed as well. It is Mon-El (God help us) who informs the Legion about Earth's culture - Shakespeare, Aristotle, and Bon Jovi (okay that's funny).


That means the DEO has to figure out how to stop Reign. They activate Project Sundown, a protocol to stop a rogue Kryptonian. (Hmm ... could have used this with Astra and Non, just sayin'.) Red Sun grenades, Kryptonite from Coville's K-bomb, and sound guns. (Remember, all the other K was taken by Superman to the Fortress. I wish we got even a one liner about Superman being off-earth.)

Alex also decides to visit Thomas Coville, the Rao fanatic, in prison seeing if he'll give some info. But instead, Coville says Reign is here to show the world 'what's next'. I guess getting spurned by Kara has put him on a dark path.

Meanwhile, back in Kara's mind, Brainy realizes that she has locked herself into this room. Her body has healed but she isn't awake. Maybe she is afraid to face Reign again.

Steeling herself, she says she isn't afraid, first trying to punch the door down and then unleashing a tremendous heat vision blast. The bolt blasts the apartment, strewing the contents everywhere. But the door remains closed.

First off, I love the 'once a season Melissa Benoist gets to cut loose with heat vision and scream' trope we see in this show. Remember Red Tornado?

I also like that Brainy says he has imagined meeting Kara 4,237,642 times. Some might call it creepy. But I found it endearing. He has thought a lot about her. Now he gets to meet her.

Reign continues to cut a bloody swath of 'justice' through the city, killing drug dealers and cops.

When questioned on why they can't join in, Mon-El finally reveals their mission. The Legionnaire Ayla discovered that an alien horde called the Blight has laid waste to the planet Winath. There is a way to stop them, written onto the DNA of the Legionnaires. The time-displaced Legionnaires need to survive to bring this to the future.


Ayla! Winath! The Blight!
Legion fans everywhere were squealing!

Okay, there was a needless subplot about how James and Lena were deciding if they should date. Lena is worried that James isn't interested because she is a Luthor. She decides to talk to Kara (who is home sick) about it.

Of course, Kara is comatose so J'onn has to stand in again for her. I love these scenes. Melissa Benoist acts like David Harewood being Supergirl. The vocab, the body language, the blunt advice ... it all screams J'onn. I chuckled out loud.

After talking about kissing James and his ability to look past the Luthor because he knows Lena, Lena leaves happy.


Okay, it's a funny funny scene. But felt weird in the context of the high drama around it.

To lure Reign out, the DEO fakes a bank robbery. Everyone in the bank is an agent.

And the protocol almost works. The grenade stuns her. The sound guns keep Reign still. And the drop the K around her neck on a big chain.

The problem is it doesn't incapacitate her. She is able to fly off.

It is clear. The DEO needs to concentrate the K and inject it into Reign. Maybe she is something more than Kryptonian? I suppose it could be that she is like the comic Reign, some alien or animal modified to be a World Killer.

First we have 'I'm a friend.' Then we have Kryptonite on a chain.

Maybe I am looking for Donner too much.

Now I have loved this show. But the following scene almost melted me.

Back in the apartment in her mind, Kara realizes that maybe all the things around her include a clue to getting her out. Quoting Sherlock Holmes (love that), Kara decides to look around and finds a picture of her and her childhood cat ... wait for it ... Streaky!

Streaky was a tomcat she took in as a stray. She was afraid she would hurt him with her powers. But she learned to be gentle until finally she could pet him. Having Streaky was the first time she felt truly human.

Just incredible.

Streaky is in the show's continuity. A boy cat Kara loved. If only he was an orange tabby! But I can't complain. Trust me, long time Supergirl fans everywhere screamed with joy at this.

But the threats outside her mind continue. Reign is going to rip through a prison. She'll kill the inmates and the staff. It is time for the Legion to fight.

Donning their black leather (ugh), they slip on flight rings and fly off in their cruiser.

In the prison, we see Reign strolling down the corridors lashing out at everyone. Everyone except Coville who vows to serve her.

But then 'Living on a Prayer' fills the air. The Cruiser shows up. The Legion spills out and fights with Reign. But it's clear, even with J'onn,  they are outmatched.

Finally, inside her mind, Kara realizes that this place says she is Kara primarily, not Supergirl. Brainy reminds her that these are Kara's things. She can't leave with heat vision and punches. Instead, for the first time, she puts on her glasses. (The preoccupation with her glasses in emotional scenes has been there since the pilot!) And now, as Kara, she simply opens the door and walks out.

Again, this once more shows that it is Kara's humanity that will save the day. It is her upbringing, her emotions, her empathy that is her greatest strength.

Waking up on the cruiser, Kara immediately decides to join the fight.

Near sacrificing herself by exposing herself to the concentrated K, Kara flies in and jabs the Kryptonite into Reigns neck. The World Killer retreats.


She's the hero.

There is nothing left but the wrap up.

Mon-El says he still cares for Kara. Imra says it was an honor to fight beside her. And she meets Brainy in person.

Lena and James begin their romance.

The sisters have a quiet evening in Kara's loft. What I love about this is that throughout the episode we see Alex punishing herself for the 'be cold' advice. She felt responsible. Everyone needs to know that it is Supergirl's warmth that will win the day.

And then we see that Coville has joined Reign's side. And is ready to help her find the others like her. Hello World Killers. We are heading to a massive brawl between a Supergirl-led Legion fighting 5 World Killers. I'm ready.

I love how the theme of the season keeps chugging along. Kara is learning lessons about herself, about the strength of her humanity, and what a cold Kryptonian 'protector' would look like.

And we got Brainy and Streaky.

I am thrilled.