Supergirl Episode 318: Shelter From The Storm

Supergirl episode 318, titled 'Shelter from the Storm' aired earlier this week and was the second episode in a row which I found just a bit lacking. Now trust me, there are some very solid moments here, including a slow boil on the Lena/Supergirl eventual clash and some touching moments between J'onn and his father. There are even some Donner nods, something which always makes me smile.

Unfortunately, for me, there were several story decisions here which I thought lessened the total arc. In particular, the constant Mon-El is what is driving me a bit batty. There was a perfect moment in this episode for him to exit the show in a heroic and sympathetic way. It would have been the best redemption for the character and the perfect way to put Supergirl back in the spotlight.

Instead, Mon-El reverse course, comes back, and ultimately sort of saves the day. And then, the embers of the Kara/Mon romance suddenly seem to be glowing brighter.

I haven't had the complete disgust towards Mon-El that others have had. I think he has grown a lot as a person, even just in last season. But the time was right for him to head off into the sunset.

But enough about Mon-El. The straw stirring the drink of this episode was Lena, just as she was last week. Katie McGrath is ratcheting up the Luthor-ness of Lena, even as Kara seems to be unintentionally nudging the character deeper into the shadows. Look out. A Luthor is going to be the big bad of Season 4, no doubt.

We start out the show rather sexily as Lena and James look out onto the city in the early morning. It is clear the two have had an amorous evening as they are all in states of unbuttoned and unzipped, playfully getting each other dressed while kissing. I have to say, initially this pair had as much chemistry as a couple of bricks. But they have seemed much more natural around each other. The pairing has grown on me.

The loving moment is shattered, literally, by the arrival of Reign. Last episode ended with Reign declaring that for Sam's persona to completely fade away, Ruby had to die. Here she tries to pry the information of Ruby's location from Lena. I love this shot with Reign floating outside the high rise window.

But never expect a Luthor to be caught off guard. Suddenly Lena is wielding a Kryptonite spray can which acts as a repellant driving Reign off.

 Okay, it is one thing to say that Lena can manufacture Kryptonite and has some in a safe. It is another thing completely to say that you have weaponized it into a spray. This isn't just rocks to keep Sam at bay in a clinic. This is anti-Kryptonian military tech. That isn't all innocent of Lena.

Meanwhile, the Legion plans on heading back to the future.

Imra says that Chameleon was the first to fall victim to the Blight with the 6 others succumbing shortly thereafter.

But welcome to the world of timey-wimey. With Pestilence dead, the Blight never happened, and the ill Legionnaires now have stable vitals. No Blight means no illness. So why not wake them up? Why keep them in the jar? Maybe they'd like to stretch their legs??

Of course, in standard time travel paradox, they never would have gone back in time if it weren't for Blight so why are they still there?? Someone pass me the ibuprofen.

Imra states they need to rush back to check on the political landscape of the galaxy. Without the Blight to unify the United Planets though, war might have erupted. This is true. Maybe things are even worse.

These time travel loops sometimes drive me batty.

I have enjoyed Brainiac 5's odd mix of awkward social interaction, intellectual superiority complex, and intellectual struggles throughout the show. It makes some of the moments moving forward that much worse. Brainy should have been a keeper on the show.

There is almost a little bit of 'frenemy' between him and Winn which also has been fun. Here Brainy says Winn is a 1.42 level intellect, still a far cry from his 12th level. Brainy says it like it is a high compliment even though it is something of a dig. But you know his heart is in the right place when he tries to give an awful bro hug.

With the Legion going, Imra excuses herself (albeit with a sort of cold look back) so Mon-El can say goodbye to Supergirl. It is sort of cringe worthy because I don't these two have interacted enough in a meaningful way to earn the heaviness of the scene. Kara says she is proud of the man Mon-El has become but it is time to say goodbye.

In a nice throw away line, Mon-El doesn't mind not saying goodbye to J'onn (who is home with M'yrnn). Mon knows he'll see J'onn in 1000 years. That means J'onn is alive in the future, something we saw in the 5YL Legion run.

The news of Reign's attack on Lena reaches the DEO and the team realizes that they need to split up to protect Reign's potential next victims - Sam's adoptive mother for one, Ruby, stashed in Lex's cloaked mansion the other. J'onn and Kara head to the Arias farm.  Meanwhile, no big surprise, Alex heads to find Ruby.

Now one thing that has been constant this season has been the understanding about how love and humanity can save.

Here in Sam's childhood home we see the opposite. Sam's mother Patricia regrets how she treated her adoptive daughter. Cold, distant, cruel ... it all drove Sam away, perhaps opening the way for Reign to manifest. She says when you try to bury something (in this case the way she treated Sam) it only comes back at you harder (meaning that hate has been magnified by Reign.). Patricia wants to see her daughter and apologize.

I do love this contrast. Sam's room looks untouched with boy band posters and childish things still up. And yet we learn that Sam constantly drew the Reign glyph, even putting it huge on the wall.

I suppose this is the Superman origin writ sideways. What if the Kents were cruel?

Meanwhile, Alex finds the cloaked mansion and sticks close to Ruby.

Despite how recent events have shown that lies only make things worse, Alex won't open up to Ruby about Sam's condition.  Instead she clouds things.

Stuck in the dark of Alex's lies, you can see how Ruby is going to take matters into her own hands..

With Patricia in a 'safe room' (on her farm??), J'onn and Kara await Reign's arrival. And she doesn't disappoint.

Except now we see that Reign has all the World Killer powers. FLowers droop. She has the venom finger nails. It is chilling to see her stalk through the house saying 'Sweetheart, it's Mommy!' I wonder if the presence of the other powers has buried Sam even deeper in the valley.

A decent fight breaks out. Supergirl, crouched in a closet like a victim in a slasher movie, unloads with an electricity gun. (Check out Kara in the closet. This is a nice shot!)

But the combined World Killer powers quickly overpowers J'onn and Kara. A Purity sonic blast really does a number on J'onn.

It is then Patricia shows up to try and reach Sam.

She apologizes for her mistakes. She wishes she had loved more.

Then she tells Sam that she needs to 'rise up', the second time that particular saying has been used with a World Killer. It is what snapped Julia to the surface last episode. Why 'rise up'? Trying to get one last boost from Hamilton?

Regardless, it doesn't work. Reign gives the old Pestilence gut shot.

I'm glad Patricia's pleas didn't work at all. She had no relationship with Sam. There is no reason for this to somehow break Reign's hold.

Kara scoops up Patricia and they and J'onn retreat.

Meanwhile the Legion, including a true Brainiac 5 (no more image distorter) prepares to head back to their time. It is here that Brainy picks up transmissions from the DEO (he bugged the place!).

Realizing that Reign is now powered by all the World Killers, he calculates Supergirl's chances of beating Reign alone at just over 50%. But if just one Legionnaire sticks around, it goes up to 88.8%.

Okay. So this is the moment.

There could have been hints that Mon-El would be the one to stay. But instead Brainy could stay. This would solve the Mon problem. It would bring Brainy into the show. It might start a Brainy/Kara romance.

This was the moment ...

At the DEO, Patricia dies, again saying how she regretted her life, especially never seeing Ruby.

With the bodies piling up, James tells Lena she has to come clean about having more Kryptonite. He is sure that if Lena comes to the DEO as an ally, providing a weapon to stop Reign, that Supergirl will see Lena as trustworthy and an ally.

This scene shows Katie McGrath's range. You can see all those insecurities about being a Luthor written on her face as she says how she knows Supergirl will be angry, shun her, and brand her as evil. It seems this is Lena's weakness. In the end she relents.

Meanwhile, Reign floats over the city, listening for anything that can help her pinpoint Ruby's location.

I loved this shot (sorry so blurry) as it completely mirrors Supergirl's from the first episode.

Reign and Supergirl are such wonderful foils.

Meanwhile, Supergirl continues to be stymied on how to reach Sam. J'onn reminds me of how her secret weapon is her heart.

But then he thinks that maybe M'yrnn can help. After all, he somehow managed to reach the White Martians enough for them to spare M'yrnn's life for 300 years. With J'onn shape-shifted into a White Martian to shake the memory loose, M'yrnn says that he turned the White Martians beliefs back onto them. He reminded them of their own beliefs.

David Harewood and Carl Lumbly have been killing it in these scenes as you really feel their emotional pain.

And nice Eradicator namedrop here.

Okay, so one Legionnaire staying could help Supergirl.

On the cruiser, Mon-El says he won't stay but Imra begs him to. She knows he wouldn't hurt or disgrace her. But he needs to sort out his feelings. And she'll be waiting.

Sigh.

This could have been the moment. He could have said that she was wrong. He has sorted his feelings out. He leaves with Imra. Brainy stays. It's that easy.

Instead, we get this mess.

Another option would have been to say that Imra had fallen out of love with Mon-El as well. This was an arranged marriage. Maybe she couldn't stand him. If only Imra had a better moment to go out on than the cheated on wife, emotionally bereft, hoping her husband returns to her.

This was the moment ...

Lena shows up at the DEO with super-Kryptonite to help Supergirl fight Reign. She admits she can manufacture it.

But as usual, Kara loses her mind. Supergirl keeps saying how any Kryptonite is a personal attack. She demands Lena turn it all over.

In a nice retort, Lena talks of how humans walk each day in danger of things other than Kryptonite. She says Supergirl has a God complex.

That is full on Lex there. An El thinking they are above humans.

I think this was the turning point on this relationship. It has to be over.

Sick of being fed lies, Ruby walks out of Chez Luthor and calls Sam on her cellphone. Her voice is picked up by Reign who streaks off.

But the Luthor house isn't without it's defenses. In a shot ripped right out of the Donner Superman movie (extended cut) Reign walks the Luthor gauntlet.

Wonderful.

Supergirl and Alex try to hold off Reign. But then ... who should show up ... but Mon-El. With Kryptonite.

Imagine the surprise if it was Brainy that showed up instead. That in flashback we saw Brainy tell Mon to do the right thing. Imagine that moment ...

As it is, we get a very good fight in which the heroes fling Reign through and get flung through priceless objets d'art in Lex's bunker. I love it.

Then Reign's mask gets ripped off. And Ruby sees it is her mother.

In a crazy move, Reign moves in to kill Ruby. Her daughter's tear-streaked face doesn't reach into the Valley. Interesting.

It is then that Kara's scheme of turning Reign's beliefs back on her is sprung. Supergirl talks of how Reign's mission is to purge the world of sin. And Ruby is without sin. There is no reason for Reign to lash out.

That mind-poke makes Reign pause long enough for Mon-El to crush the Kryptonite into bullets he fits into Lex's home Gatling gun.

Riddled with high K-aliber rounds, Reign falls.

Held down by K, we see Reign back in Lena's medical bay, behind the force field wall.
Supergirl apologizes to Lena, saying that the Kryptonite worked but that the use of Kryptonite will always be considered a personal attack.

That would have been a fine scene to end on. But the writers give us one even more delicious to mull over. Ruby is now at Alex's. Kara and Lena enter the elevator to visit at the same time. The review recent events. At the beginning, Lena has a look on her face like she knows Kara is Supergirl.

But then, so perfectly, Lena says she will never trust Supergirl again. Supergirl tried to turn James against her, lied to her. Supergirl acted the way Lillian Luthor acted. (That has to be the biggest burn Lena can throw.) The relationship between Supergirl and Lena is over from Lena's view.

Nothing like a Luthor/El spat to liven things up. And it is even better with Kara hearing both sides. And I still think that Lena knows, making this whole conversation even more venomous.

So that was a huge high point to end on. (Yes, there was a cliffhanger about Thomas Coville's journal being stolen but this was the big kapow.)

If only the Mon-El thread was handled better. He could have left on high ground. We could have had Brainy. There wouldn't be all this meaningless romantic triangular nonsense.

And that just sort of weighed the rest of this episode down.

Lena - calls Kara Lillian, never trust