"Damage"
Supergirl hits yet another one out of the park in its 3rd season run, only this time, we get what is essentially a Lena Luthor centered episode. I was surprise to see that the series would even consider devoting an entire episode on a character who hasn't really been a primary member of the Supergirl circle of heroes. However, to my greater surprise, the writers found a way to create a situation to where Lena (who admittedly was never one of my favorites on the show) was given an emotionally investing story arc to follow through.
An Epic Battle Without Superpowers
As I mentioned before, this is basically an episode focusing on Lena Luthor, but more importantly, her ultimate struggle to transcend her family's dark history. It's no secret at this point that Lena constantly fights back the Luthor name both publicly and behind the scenes. However, with the introduction of Edge being our new human antagonist and a villain centered against her, we see the L-Corp poster girl being directly attacked and exploited for past events. I honestly wasn't expecting to be remotely engaged by a corporate espionage-like plot point in a series about a costumed alien superhero fighting extraterrestrial criminals. Due to the overall dramatic-thriller tone of the episode however, I found myself completely engrossed with everything taking place.
This leads to me having to put my foot in my mouth, so to speak, for ever considering Edge to be a potentially weak and unnecessary villain for the new season. I found myself loving everything about the sinister and tactical traits of his character especially when he uses the victory over the Daximite invasion to his advantage. The idea of claiming Luthor's lead bomb, which was used to get rid of the Daximites, also gave children fatal lead poisoning was one of those moments where you just have to sit back and admire an evil genius at work. It's also great to see the world changing events of Season 2 get brought up as readers of the Penny For Your TV Thoughts site will know that I always praise writers for revisiting major events within a show's history.
Aside from eating my own words about Edge possibly being a waste of a villain slot, allow me to do the same for Lena. I've never really found the character to be that interesting except for her obvious ties to Lex (a big name Superman villain with a massive history in the comics). What made this episode really stand out for me is the fact that we got to see a much larger scope and inside look of the character's more tragic background. Following a tension driven assassination attempt on her life during a press conference, we see Lena rejecting Kara's help to save her image. It's by far the best Lena Luthor scene on the show as she breaks down and tells Kara that she will always be pinned as "the bad guy" no matter the situation due to her family's legacy.
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| The visual FX during the plane crash sequence is some of the best ever displayed on the show. |
After Samantha and Kara discovers the real culprit behind the lead poisoning, Lena takes matters into her own hands by threatening Edge directly with a gun. The "I'm being a Luthor" line and concept during this scene did feel a tiny bit out of character. However, it reminded viewers that she simply isn't afraid to go over and beyond what she sees as justice. This leads to a climatic action sequence involving Lena being trapped in a crashing cargo plane packed with the same chemicals used to secretely poison the citizens. With Edge and his subordinate remotely piloting, there's a visually impressive set piece showing Supergirl flying in to save Lena by lifting the entire plane which is now split open and covered in flames. The series continues to surprise with its sometimes spectacular action sequences every now and then.
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| "If I were your enemy, the best thing for you to do would be to kill me. But you capes…you don't have what it takes, do you?" - Morgan Edge |
We then get a great scene with Edge where Supergirl drops in on him moments after he "takes care" of his subordinate to threaten him. It's here where Edge boldly tells her that if he was her enemy, the best thing for her to do would be to kill him which she can't. The entire conversation plays out in that "I know that you know what I am, but I won't say it" sort of way where he never really admits to his crimes yet he smirks about it. There's something engaging about seeing a villain look directly into the hero's eyes with confidence due to their victory despite being physically vulnerable at that point. Now, I still wouldn't consider Edge to be a great season villain option above a more desired cosmic choice, but I will say that the writers are doing a great job at warming me up to his potential.
Overall Thoughts
This may not have been the Reign debut episode that I've been clamoring for since the premiere, but there's definitely enough in here to admire. It's great to see Lena given a lot more to do now especially considering her new position on the show as well as the return of Morgan Edge adding a different dynamic to the show's rogues gallery. Now that we've placed a button seal on the Alex-Maggie dilemma (as happy loving relationships are a no-no in the Arrowverse), we now have to ask ourselves what's waiting for us on the horizon for the new season. Are we finally going to see Samantha transform into a world killing alien machine? Perhaps a certain criminal with the last name Luthor breaking out of prison? There are several things to anticipate making this season one that definitely should not be missed.
Bonus Thoughts
Easter Eggs
1. The Untold Story & Future of Samantha
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| In order to save Lena's image, we see Samantha and Kara team up to find clues surrounding a possible sabotage. During their mission, Samantha reveals to have also been adopted just like Kara alluding to their backgrounds being closely linked. We also see Samantha finding a bullet casing in her jacket as a result of being unknowingly shot and healed. This discovery foreshadows the capabilities of Reign in their future confrontation. |
2. X-Ray Vision
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| It's always great to see classic Superman/Supergirl powers being utilized on the show. In this case, we see Kara using her X-Ray vision twice in order to reveal lead particles in a swimming pool and a potential assailant's weapon. |
3. Colonizing Mars
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| One of my favorite things to keep an eye on is all of the news article headlines shown inside the CATCO CEO office. There's always something interesting to note whether significant to the central story or not. In this case, during Lena's scene with James, there's a headline to the top left TV screen speaking about space technology firms racing ahead to colonize mars. This is interesting considering what has recently transpired on the red planet with Megan and the White Martians. |
Favorite Shots
Episode Rating: 9/10
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