Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Supergirl - For The Girl Who Has Everything


Borrowing its plot from one of the most famous Superman stories, Kara (Melissa Benoist) becomes trapped in a fake reality in which she is still living on Krypton. Lost in the dream world by the Black Mercy, a parasitic organism designed to trap its prey in their perfect reality, Kara initially recognizes the truth of the situation but the longer she stays in the dreamworld the harder it becomes to remember her real life. Not strong enough to break free of the Black Mercy's pull on her own, Kara will need the help of her sister to make her way home.

The episode isn't as good as Justice League Unlimited's take on the same story but it does give the show an opportunity to flesh out its version of Krypton a bit and give us our first look at Robert Gant as Supergirl's father Zor-El. Having Alex (Chyler Leigh) enter her sister's mind through a weird virtual reality splice into the Black Mercy's reality builds on the show's sisterly bond, but despite not making a hell of a lot of sense (wouldn't Martian mind control have made been a simpler solution?) it also lessens Kara's eventual hero moment by not allowing her to fight off the fake reality on her own.

The short subplot involving J'onn (David Harewood) taking Kara's place at work during her incapacitation sounds funnier than it is as the episode never makes the plot thread a major priority. Far more effective is Kara's rage-filled fight with Non (Chris Vance), whose use of the Black Mercy finally raises Supergirl's ire, and the death of Astra's (Laura Benanti) whose calming influence on the Kryptonian terrorists is likely to be missed as the season continues and the Kryptonians' plans for the Earth are revealed.

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