What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 1, Episode 13 “For the Girl Who Has Everything” (B+)

This show keeps ending on big cliffhangers that I forget to address when reviewing episodes, and so it was helpful to have the reminder that some weird entity had swarmed towards Kara at the end of last week’s installment. It looked like a sea specimen or poisonous mutant flower, and it turns out that it was a Black Mercy, an alien plant that hypnotizes the person it’s latched onto into thinking they’re living the perfect life while slowing killing them. A quick Google search indicates that this was adopted from a Superman comic book called “For the Man Who Has Everything,” further confirming that much of this show is Superman mythology transposed to apply to his cousin. We actually got to see Kal-El in younger form in Kara’s imagined Krypton life, which included both of her parents and a redeemed Astra free from the evil Nan. Alex jumping in headfirst with a surprisingly cooperative Max Lord’s help to go in to save Kara was brave, and the drama really got heightened with some intense music and Alex struggling against her Kryptonian captors not to be sent to the Phantom Zone. Kara was not happy when she woke up, and it’s truly sad that Astra had to be the one to die just as she had proven that she wasn’t all bad while Nan continues to live, more vengeful than ever before. Alex not telling Kara that she was the one who killed Astra will surely come back to haunt her, though for now it’s all ice cream and happiness for that crew.