Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Supergirl - Distant Son


When Mon-El's (Chris Wood) parents (Teri Hatcher, Kevin Sorbo) put an outrageous bounty out on Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) aliens begin attacking the Kryptonian, forcing Kara to reluctantly stand down. Hoping to convince them that Mon-El is better off on Earth, Kara meets with Rhea (Hatcher) and only survives a sneak attack by the queen thanks to Mon-El stepping in and agreeing to return to Daxam. The story's main purpose is to show how much Mon-El has grown as a character, wiling to sacrifice himself and his own happiness for the woman he loves (who, despite orders not to engage the aliens, isn't going to let Mon-El leave without a fight).

Relationships are the focus of the episode's B-story as well when Alex (Chyler Leigh) runs into Maggie's (Floriana Lima) ex-girlfriend. The show can run hot-and-cold with Alex's subplots, but this one turns out to work well by not falling into an obvious jealousy trap and allowing Kara's sister to act like a rational adult (which isn't always the easiest thing for network television to pull off).

"Distant Son" has a few moments with talking about. Sorbo's quick exit is unexpected, but certainly reinforces Rhea's viciousness. It seems Mon-El's mother isn't going anywhere. Although a bit cliche, Kara's final punch to the no longer mind-controlled Mon-El (and her reaction) is fun television. For the first time in weeks the show also reminds us that the President of the United States (Lynda Carter) has been replaced by an alien. And, much to Winn's (Jeremy Jordan) utter glee, Mon-El uses a Star Wars reference correctly in the middle of his jailbreak.

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