What I’m Watching: Supergirl (Series Finale)

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 20 “Kara”

Okay, so this is a series finale I can get behind. After opening with a news reporter in black and white proclaiming that it’s as if they were fading away, a proper plan was hatched for a mass surge of emotion with Kara doing what she does best, which is helping everyone in the world feel hope. I’m glad that this final episode brought back a few characters from the past who were a big part of this show, with Mon-El proclaiming that Kara’s speech made the history books and Winn there along with him. The original Guardian returning was a nice touch too, and James even got to bond with his new niece after they took down the villains. It was fitting that Lex and Nyxly ended up being their own undoing, unleashing the phantoms who preyed on them rather than the heroes lined up against them. I’m not sure why we needed to feel sympathy for Lillian given that she’s always been pretty evil, but Lena is an extraordinary rehabilitated character, so she had to let go of part of her past. It was sweet to feature the wedding as an extremely happy moment for all, with Brainy sticking around in spite of the sacred timeline and Kara and Winn getting to sing since Melissa Benoist and Jeremy Jordan are Broadway stars. All the little hints at what the future holds were fun, but the best one was Cat telling Kara that she knew she was Supergirl and convincing her to go public with her identity. While I haven’t found this or last all that compelling, this show was very good at one point, and I would be happy to see some of the characters appear on other Arrowverse shows in the future.

Series finale: B+
Series grade: B
Season MVP: Melissa Benoist
Season grade: B-
Series MVP: Melissa Benoist
Best Season: Season 1
Best Episode: “Better Angels”

What I’m Watching: Supergirl (Penultimate Episode)

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 19 “The Last Gauntlet” (B)

We’ve almost reached the end here, with the first of two back-to-back final episodes. There was certainly a good deal of action with some intense aerial cinematography, showing just how much all of the good guys – and the bad guys – can do with their abilities. Lex wearing a truthseeker at the start of the episode wasn’t a good indication of how he was going to be telling the truth, but he also fell victim to his own ego and the need to do things the way he wanted instead of respecting what Nyxly wanted, which was to be able to do it all herself. In theory, Nyxly’s refusal to harm Esme should have been enough to make her realize that she didn’t want to be evil after all, but that wasn’t the case, and now she and Lex are battling each other in the sky through portals while everyone on the ground is drained of their humanity and their very color, transformed to black-and-white in a very literal metaphor for their new states. Harnessing the power of the sun wasn’t something Kara was ultimately okay with doing, and now she seems like she has a plan to finally end this, which is likely to include a whole lot of hope and teamwork, strategies that neither Nyxly or Lex have even properly employed. I’d like to see this show go on a good note that makes this final stretched-out season feel worthwhile, and it looks like even Andrea might get some redemption before the end.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 18 “Truth or Consequences” (B-)

This show has now officially concluded its run, and I’m glad to know that I’m not nearly as far behind as I was before, with only the final two episodes, which aired back-to-back, left to watch. This episode ended on a dark note with William dying after Lex shot him, which is surprising to a degree but also not all that impactful since he is the most recent addition to this show’s cast, so we haven’t gotten all that attached to him. He didn’t even know that Kara was Supergirl, a revelation that he surely would have made at some point soon had he not been killed by the vindictive and vengeful Lex. It’s also unfortunate that Andrea used his byline to leak Lex’s love poems about Nyxly, which resulted in William chewing her out, telling her that she had no ethical code and that she stands for nothing, which in turn made her reach out to Lena to question if she is indeed a good person. Brainy also has major life-changing thoughts on the mind, namely the very nature of his existence if he does what has been asked of him. His line “All this happiness is making me very sad” was particularly poignant. Alex reacting harshly to Kara’s unsolicited parenting advice was a rare moment of true conflict between sisters, and they’ll have to get back to a good place to be able to rescue Esme since she has now become such an intricate part of Nyxly and Lex’s plan for world domination.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 17 “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” (B-)

Well, this is at least somewhat interesting. Lex was never concerned with anyone else’s happiness, but he has apparently developed a unique affection for Nyxly. In the present, she doubted that could be true, not because of his hubris or general demeanor but because she knew him as someone who had sent women to the phantom zone, a trait she couldn’t forgive. But the two of them do share a love for world domination, something that doesn’t usually leave space for romance and allies unless their goals are briefly aligned. Mitch has quickly become a hapless punching bag for everyone, prisoner to Lex as he tried to use him to feed into to Nyxly. The creation of a decoy totem was a good plan, but this umpteenth instance of the hunt for totems that are able to have a tremendous, unchecked power wasn’t all that much more enthralling than the ones before it. J’onn performed admirably right away when he had to confront his fears, a rare sign of confidence and positivity during this seemingly neverending fight. It was sweet that Alex was so excited about having the ring and preparing to propose, not prepared for the devastation of the karaoke bar being booked for a private event. It was obvious from the start that Kelly was the one who had booked it, but that led to an extremely cute and endearing moment that was best summed up was Esme’s enthusiasm for the two of them to finally get ready to tie the knot.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 16 “Nightmare in National City” (C+)

Well, this makes some sense. How Lex Luthor is still alive isn’t a question I want to bother to ponder since there are surely many multiverse-related answers, but he is far more fitting a nemesis for Supergirl and her superfriends than Nyxly since, unlike her, he actually cares quite a bit about them and wants to eviscerate them, not just ensure that they don’t get in his way. I also can’t really comprehend the dream realm, where Nyxly was getting tips from herself while happening upon the two sisters wandering around and very visible to her. Nia didn’t expect that the doctor she was going to find would be her sister Maeve, who was very resentful of the fact that she had, in my mind, stolen her destiny, and getting to a better place wasn’t all that easy. Back in National City, the nightmare creature was not just a literal embodiment of everyone’s fears but also a physical obstacle that the governor and the National Guard were prepared to deal with as they found little confidence in the superfirends. It’s a wonder that it took Kara this long to quit her job as a reporter, and while I doubt it’s going to be permanent, this last stretch was just as much Andrea’s fault as it was hers, since she had no appreciation for meaningful conversations and instead just wanted to get the best publicity. William is a decent successor, but Kara needs to be doing something as Kara in addition to her very important work as Supergirl.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 15 “Hope for Tomorrow” (C+)

I’m getting a bit tired of all of these totems, which feel quite repetitive and easy to manipulate. I do remember back in the season one finale when Supergirl was able to bring everyone back to reality and break the hypnosis they were all under by reminding them of how much hope she inspired, and the fact that it wasn’t working now makes sense as a draining development, one that threatens to keep the typically peppy superhero down. William wanted to be more involved in everything, and that put him very much in danger, something that Andrea didn’t care too much about since all she wanted was someone to capture the excitement on camera. He did manage to find a way out of her trap when Kara was there with the totem, and fortunately she destroyed it so that Nyxly wouldn’t ever be able to make it whole. The existence of a secret admirer makes it possible for her still to be a relevant and problematic threat, and I’m curious to see who it is and how it will affect the final few episodes of the show. Supergirl, Hank, and Brainy did have a great time restoring hope in Kaznia and Corto Maltese, and it was also fun to see Esme deduce quite easily that Kara and Supergirl were the same person because they had the same powers. Alex was entertainingly nervous at the start of the episode as Esme was coming home, and having an adoptive daughter with the ability to mimic anyone else’s powers doesn’t even seem to be the most worrisome thing for her.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 14 “Magical Thinking” (B-)

I really didn’t know when this show came back in March that its final season consisted of a relatively full twenty episodes, and I’m not sure that it needed all of that to wrap its story arcs. What’s ended up happening is an excessive focus on Nyxly, who is a decent villain but doesn’t need to take up quite this much space in the overall legacy of this show. For one thing, there’s always collateral damage whenever Supergirl shows up to stop her, seemingly more than with other baddies, and in this case, pretty much everyone she came into contact with ended up drained of their humanity, which was not a good thing and gave even Lena pause about the ethics of going forward. It was somewhat entertaining to see Nyxly so unusually happy, endowed with so much unprecedented positivity and humanity that she wasn’t able to kill the guard and ultimately needed to give the totem back, a move she immediately regretted when she was once again emptied of all goodness. Lena trying to work on her mother’s spells seems like a risky endeavor given the potential impact of them not working, and Nia wasn’t pleased with the immediate results. Andrea hacking William’s computer and demanding that he compromise his sources felt like a true overreach, and the defense of his own boundaries, both with her and with the superfriends, appears to have worked well enough so far to ensure that he gets good reporting and keeps the important, potentially damaging stuff off the record. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Esme may be moving in with Kelly and Alex, and that’s probably a helpful development that will productively affect their relationship.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 13 “The Gauntlet” (B)

Every indication is that Nyxly is going to amass the power she needs and be nearly indestructible before she gets taken down by the team as this show signs off for good in just four episodes. This was a moderately entertaining detour with everyone getting affected by the totem. Alex exclaiming “Sweet, another dragon!” was a great prelude, but my absolute favorite part of this episode was Hank being so chill, exuding kindness and support and doing the opposite of what he tends to all of the time. I’m most intrigued by David Harewood’s comedic potential since I’ve only ever seen him on this show and “Homeland” before that playing particularly serious characters. Brainy getting to do Vita’s voice when she possessed him was also enjoyable, and I liked the way he reacted when he realized that he had been guesstimating all day. While Kara was trying to pass the test, Nyxly was examining her own memories and realizing what she needed to do in order to possess true courage, and now that she has come to terms with what that means, she’s not going to let anything stand in her way. William wanting to embed himself with the superfriends is an interesting idea, one that Nia didn’t seem to be thrilled about but which could actually be good for everyone. William could use the boost after the trauma he’s endured and the unsympathetic pressure Andrea is putting on him, and some public support could help our heroes in their latest and greatest mission.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 12 “Blind Spots” (B-)

Watching this episode, I kept thinking that there was going to be a psychic block on all of the heroes that wouldn’t let them concentrate on what Kelly kept insisting was important. But instead it was actually their continued inability to see past their own problems and to zero in on the people who were continually suffering in favor of the bigger picture. This show has previously dealt with issues like acceptance of being out with Alex, and now this was a chance to look at systemic racism and how it allows those who don’t have to constantly see inequality to move on without realizing the implications of focusing on other matters they thought were more crucial and pressing. It’s good to see Kelly get to step more into the Guardian identity, complete with a sleek new costume courtesy of a very prepared and excited Brainy, who managed to contain all of that enthusiasm until the moment she came to him. Actress Azie Tesfai, who plays Kelly, served as a co-writer for this episode, and so it’s at least worthwhile to know that she was invested in telling this particular story. While it was good to see Diggle, who continues to play a recurring role in the Arrowverse despite the show that launched him no longer being on, it might have been more fulfilling to have James return, if actor Mehcad Brooks was still available. I can’t imagine we’ll see him again given just how close this show is to its end and the fact that that the focus is much more on Nyxly and other more current issues.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 14 “Mxy in the Middle” (B)

It’s an interesting concept that superpowered aliens and magic aren’t all that different, yet most of the characters on this show are so willing to accept the existence of the former but not the latter. Pairing Mxy and Nyxly being the major plotline with Lena’s search for answers about her mother, who was apparently a witch, made a lot of sense thematically, and I’m curious if it’s going to end up being Lena who learns enough magic to be able to help the superfriends stop Nyxly. Mxy’s eagerness to be helpful was not terribly productive, and his use of the image inducer was clever but ultimately failed, proving that it wasn’t going to work when they went up against Nyxly. The ease with which she snapped her fingers and first nearly suffocated Kara and then restrained everyone so that they could become dragon bait was formidable, and Mxy allowing himself to be captured at the last minute was a surprisingly selfless act, one that hopefully comes with a plan that he either shared with someone else or which will become clear at exactly the right moment when they next go up against Nyxly. As this show inches closer to its end, facing off against someone who could very well end the universe as we know it feels very appropriate. Nyxly also takes a certain pleasure in getting the best of those she believes have wronged here, and while Kara’s offenses aren’t nearly as bad as even Mxy’s, she’s set her sights on our heroes as enemies, and they’re going to have to take her down.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 10 “Still I Rise” (B)

I was definitely under the impression that this show was wrapping up this month, and I didn’t think that this was actually the halfway mark of the season. I suppose that makes more sense since there’s much more to be addressed than I think could be done in just a couple of hours, and I suppose twenty episodes is actually a pretty standard, if not slightly short, run for this kind of show. The CW delaying all its programming due to the pandemic was indeed smart, and so now we’ll have this show running straight through early November. Nia discovered almost right away that making a deal with Nyxly came with problematic conditions, and her mother, played again by Emmy winner Kate Burton, wasn’t exactly comforting in helping her to get through that and to the other side. Kara immediately calling Mr. Mxyzptlk as soon as she saw Nyxly was smart, though it’s hard to know if he’s going to be interested in helping her or if he’ll have more devious endgames in mind. Kara wasn’t having the monotony of plugging vegetables with Brainy in viral videos, and she managed to use her public persona for good and give someone else the chance to have his story heard. As soon as I saw the politician played by Kari Matchett, who I remember from years ago on “Invasion,” I had a feeling that she wasn’t going to turn out to be an ally. Things never seem to work out too well for Mitch, who is all too trusting of all the wrong people and needs to find a new hobby aside from his intergalactic zoo.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 9 “Dream Weaver” (B)

In the several months since this show was last on before last week’s return, I had forgotten all about Nyxly and how she had tagged along uninvited on the ride out of the Phantom Zone. It’s a shame that Nia is so desperate to have her mother reincarnated since she should have seen the significance of the trusted owl warning her that she shouldn’t trust someone else. Taking her word that she only wants to go back to the Fifth Dimension isn’t likely to mean much, and presumably, Nia is going to feel tremendous guilt for helping her to escape when she’s currently trapped and not able to hurt anyone. It was good to see a focus on Kelly as she took action when she saw injustice happening, and through the simple act of stealing security camera footage and e-mailing it to a supervisor, removed someone who was actively doing harm because she just couldn’t be bothered to try to do anything different. It’s good to see her decide to take on the hero mantle vacated by her brother, and I love that Alex had a helmet gift-wrapped and ready to give her, adding that it would be accompanied by some likely unwanted training. Kara, who made a great and ultimately successful case for taking the legal route to the alien prisoners, was able to use her super-speed in front of Kelly, and I wonder whether William will be the next one to learn her true identity, since it might make things a bit easier at work and help them fill the irritating and incessant demand by Andrea to feature content with the superfriends.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 8 “Welcome Back, Kara!” (B-)

This show’s first episode in months wasn’t much to write home about, and that’s mostly because it involved spillover content from Kara’s extended Phantom Zone trip. It never works well to have a long-lost parent that a main character never thought they’d see again stick around unless there’s an actual effort to make them permanent, and I suppose there were some entertaining moments along the way as Zor-El struggled to blend in as a human, lifting a Catco copier with his bare hands just because he could. The notion of a trash-protecting robot wasn’t terribly appealing, though Zor-El’s eagerness to solve Earth’s climate crisis in just a few hours was probably a little ambitious. While he may not be sticking around, Kara’s going to have a tough time forgetting about phantoms given her new punishment/assignment from Andrea, who is truthfully going to have to make hard decisions in order to keep the company afloat. I’m more interested in the fact that William is apparently dating someone and whether they’ll end up getting together before the show ends. Nia’s new nightmare definitely spells trouble for the team ahead, as if Andrea digging into Supergirl’s “superfriends” wasn’t going to be problematic enough. Lena leaving to go back home was a bit of a surprise, and I’m not sure if that means we won’t be seeing more of her in the future. Making Brainy rush to deliver the cake because they thought he would eat it was a humorous if somewhat random introduction back into this show’s universe.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 7 “Fear Knot” (B-)

Well, we’re back in the present but not exactly in a stable frame of mind, and this is the last we’ll see of this show until August, when it returns to air the reminder of its episodes leading up to the series finale. At least Kara was successfully rescued from the Phantom Zone, which has been a long time coming, and her father was able to convince her, the beacon of hope, not to lose her own hope as she was just about to give up. I’m not sure that traveling on the outside of a ship is the most recommended thing, but Nyxly is desperate to escape her captivity, and her powers are sure to drive the team crazy once she’s on Earth and able to wreak havoc there. But, for now, it’s worth celebrating the fact that this team overcame their very literal fears, though the process for each of them was quite different. I’ve seen concepts like this play out before with the scene constantly resetting and each person traveling down their own specific nightmare (something that also featured in the episode of “The Flash” that aired right before this one), and it was moderately well-executed here. Brainy hallucinating balloons everywhere that could pop at any point was an amusing notion, and I liked that Hank said there wasn’t time to unpack that right now. Dreamer having so little confidence in her abilities is going to continue to be an issue, but hopefully Kara can help her work through that and Brainy can provide just the right amount of encouragement. I’m not sure that I need to keep watching this show when it comes back in August, but it feels wrong to give up this late in the show’s run with so little left to go.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 6 “Prom Again!” (B)

I’m never entirely clear on how all this time travel stuff works and I think I tend to be more forgiving than others except when things aren’t exactly logical. In this case, I got lost when Kara snuck onto the ship and then somehow had to rejoin her present without knowing what had changed and where she’d be in that moment. But there’s no real reason to dwell it since they achieved the mission, and I’m still curious whether Kenny is going to end up being a part of her future now since they seem to have left things on good terms. I’m also hopeful that a return to the present will inject fresh energy into this show that was absent from its opening episodes this season, and Kara needs to return from the Phantom Zone as soon as possible. It was strange to see Cat Grant featured so prominently in this episode since Calista Flockhart exited this show so long ago, but maybe they’re teasing her return? I doubt it, since it’s sort of like how “Smallville” replaced Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor with Cassidy Freeman’s Tess Mercer in its final seasons. Back to this show, Nia being able to conjure something out of a dream and bring it into consciousness was cool, and she’s quickly becoming the most valuable and powerful member of the team. Her relationship with Brainy might also be back on track, but he’s going to have to gain back her trust first and not just assume that a passionate kiss after a difficult endeavor will be enough to square them.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 5 “Prom Night” (B+)

Okay, so this was pretty fun. It was definitely something different than what we’ve been experiencing, and that’s a good thing. I was so impressed with the two actresses selected to play the younger versions of Kara and Alex, and after some quick research, it turns out I was just as impressed the first time they showed up, back in a high-school set episode, “Midvale,” that I didn’t remember from season three. I’m also intrigued by the notion that Kenny, someone who apparently was the focus of that same episode but played by another actor, may still be alive in the present everyone will eventually return to, which could have interesting implications for Kara’s life and love life given that he knows about her powers. We don’t know, of course what Kara ended up telling him and how he took it, but it’s going to be up to the teenagers to save Brendan and Brenda now that they’ve been captured by the two aliens eager to complement the selection in their zoo. Their behavior and eagerness to fit in with the 90s vibe was hilariously off-base, and Brainy took very quickly to the idea of both singing and playing baseball when it was an option to, in his mind, lay low. The presence of a young Cat Grant means that all this is surely going to have an effect on the future, but the way I see it, the more time-travel the better, especially if it keeps us out of the Phantom Zone for longer.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 4 “Lost Souls” (C+)

This title is an appropriate one for a storyline that I feel isn’t headed anywhere interesting anymore, and I’d just like to get Kara back from the Phantom Zone and all of the phantoms gone from National City. It took some effort for them to find a mirror that would enable them to escape the Phantom Zone, and, unsurprisingly, Nyxly showed herself to be far less pure and well-intentioned than the far too trusting Kara had thought her to be. Whether Zor-El can survive in the real world after so much time spent in this mental and physical captivity is still uncertain, but Nyxly has particularly nefarious aims that Kara recognized were too dangerous to permit her to escape, even if that meant Kara had to keep herself trapped in the process. Lena had a great solution that could have saved Kara but meant worse things for others, and she’s feeling a tremendous amount of guilt for what Lex did that’s not allowing her to make rational decisions like what Alex is able to do regarding her own sibling. I’m not sure exactly what going back to high school will do, but I’m certainly up for that trip if it gets us to a different place and format for this show. Everything Brainy is going through as he’s processing his own shortcomings is getting more and more grating by the minute, and I think this team could use a win in the near future before the next big and theoretically final threat emerges.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 3 “Phantom Menaces” (C+)

I don’t know what it is, but I’m not feeling energized by any of the storylines on this show right now. I recognize that Kara being stuck in the Phantom Zone may last a long time, but that’s a particularly draining plot point that hardly seems in a rush to be resolved. Additionally, it’s likely that her new friend Princess Nyxlygsptlnz might have ulterior motives and not be someone that she wants to free from the prison her mother created, and I also suspect that Zor-El won’t fare all that well in the real world either. Seeing her still alive there and knowing that she’s the protagonist of this show makes the despair that her colleagues and friends on Earth are feeling less genuine, even if they truly believe that she might be trapped forever and gone from their lives. M’gann being injured could have led to her death since she is a recurring character and not entirely central to any of the others’ stories aside from Hank, but of course she managed to survive and affirm Hank’s dedication to what he does (I know I should be calling him J’onn but I’m sticking with Hank). Lena and Brainy probably should have realized that messing with Lex was going to lead to consequences, and setting a hospital on fire to villainize Lena tracked with his tendency to enjoy showmanship and theater above all else. Brainy’s angry freakout was a bit much, and I’m not sure that Lex really will tire himself out the way Lena thinks he will now that she’s opted to walk away so that he can’t manipulate her as he always has.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 2 “A Few Good Women” (B-)

I didn’t know what exactly was happening at the start of this episode with a suspected vampire who turned out to be an alien from the planet of Transylvan whose real existence had inspired all of the stories we’ve come to know. Him having a connection to the Phantom Zone since he tried desperately to find his missing husband made more sense, though it still caught me off-guard as completely random. Knowing that her mother was alive but not being able to be with her all the time was peculiar enough, and now Kara has the chance to be with her also very-much-living father, who has taken an “Inception”-like plunge where he believes that there’s no way out of the Phantom Zone even if they tried. Brainy training Nia is hardly what I would call gentle, and she’s already running all over the place thanks to having to babysit William. I suppose it shouldn’t be all that far-fetched that Lex would find a way to get himself completely exonerated in court, but I wonder what the longer game is here, especially since Lena could have wiped more of his memory so that he wouldn’t pose such a continuous threat to all of them. He discredited Eve with ease and then still managed to win over the jury even after Lena baited him, and she’s going to have to work with Andrea to find a way to take him down in the court of public opinion and the press if she can’t do it in the court of law, provided she doesn’t find herself facing charges too.

What I’m Watching: Supergirl (Season Premiere)

Supergirl: Season 6, Episode 1 “Rebirth” (B-)

It’s strange to come back into this show a little bit later in the season than a few of its Arrowverse counterparts, and I’m honestly much more intrigued by what was going on in the last show to hold this timeslot, “Superman and Lois,” which is due back in a little under two months when this show in turn goes on hiatus. I know that this wasn’t intended to be the season premiere and all this Lex/Obsidian business was likely going to be wrapped at the end of season five, but it’s now all still going on as this show begins its final season. That’s also odd to know given that the other series have all been enthusiastically renewed for more, whereas this one is ready to sign off at just six seasons, which is two fewer than even the already-ended “Arrow” got. I am glad at least to see the characters evolving and that there’s a great team at play here, with Lena firmly deciding which side of this battle she wants to be on and encouraging Alex to be honest with Kelly since not opening up to close friends is exactly what pushed her away from Kara so viciously. M’gann and Hank seem to have a good bond going, and they’ll presumably lead the charge to find Kara and bring her back from the Phantom Zone. Now that she’s separated from her father and Obsidian control, it seems like Andrea is stepping back into the journalism business full-time, and it will be interesting to see where she directs William, especially in Kara’s absence.