Summary
Not every plotline struck gold, but this season saw some unrestrained comic bookery meet some damn good ensemble plotting.
**NB: This review inevitably contains spoilers for the season and its eventful finale. Strap on your Kryptonite underwear and proceed at your own peril.**
Of all the DC Comics television adaptations, SUPERGIRL has followed the rockiest path. Following its cancellation at CBS, the revival at the CW for the start of Season 2 gave the show a separate but equal status in the Arrowverse. With this season, viewers had to contend with an extended hiatus while Legends of Tomorrow finished its excellent third year. Nevertheless, she persisted and ultimately stuck the landing in classic hero pose.
The season begins with Supergirl/Kara (Melissa Benoist) dealing with the departure of Mon-El (Chris Wood) by throwing herself into constant vigilantism. James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) is now running CatCo until Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) buys out and takes over the day-to-day running of the media empire. The villain for the first half of the year is Morgan Edge (Adrian Pasdar), an industrialist who is staunchly anti-alien. Alex (Chyler Leigh) and Maggie make plans to marry, at least until that relationship goes off the rails. Then Mon-El returns after being lost in the future, bringing with him a Legion of Superheroes that include the super-intelligent Brainiac 5 (Jesse Rath) and Imra (Amy Jackson) – Mon-El’s wife!
Following the “Crisis on Earth-X” crossover with Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow at the end of last year – an exemplar of how to do a television event and please old school and new school fans – Season 3‘s primary arc involved Reign. Foreshadowed by the episode “The Faithful,” in which a National City cult of Kryptonian worshipers rises, it turns out several other Kryptonians had been dormant on Earth since Kal-El’s arrival. Reign, Purity, and Pestilence each have powers that surpass even Supergirl’s, although their secret identities aren’t conscious of their super heritage.
There was a lot to like this year. While Mon-El’s presence continued to divide fans, the introduction of the Legion and seeing the character in full costume (cape and all) was a delight. The expansion of the J’onn/Martian Manhunter storyline, complete with a trip to Mars and meeting with his estranged father M’yrnn (Carl Lumbly), goes a long way towards fully integrating the Martian world within this rapidly expanding universe. Speaking of which, the late season revelation that Krypton’s Argo City has survived – along with Kara’s still-living mother (now played by Erica Durance) – now gives the show plenty of scope to explore Kara’s heritage without being tied to it.
Having said that, SUPERGIRL sometimes wraps itself in knots tiptoeing around Supergirl’s cousin. The Season 2 pilot wasted no time in introducing the Man of Steel to audiences, but occasionally his confirmed existence becomes problematic. While comics and CW stablemates have long maintained separate solo adventures, the show will mention Kal-El in one breath and say no other being on the planet is capable of stopping a particular threat with the next breath. The extended break in the New Year also didn’t do the show’s momentum any favours. Much of the post-break narrative spun its wheels in anticipation of the finale, an epic 45 minutes with an obvious basic cable budget.
Yet the finale brings most of the threads together satisfactorily. It also offers a number of massive twists, even beyond those one would expect for an episode designed for cliffhangers. (This is your last chance to bail on spoilers).
- Mon-El departs. It’s a shame because the interplay between Kara and Mon-El was gold, even after their romantic relationship ended. The departure of Wally West and Roy Harper on The Flash and Arrow respectively seriously altered the dynamic of the shows, so here’s hoping an equivalent equal will present his or herself in the next season. Speaking of which…
- …there is a second Kara. The final shots of the series show someone who looks identical to Kara emerging from the Siberian hinterlands. Is this a Supergirl clone? Another friend from the Multiverse? Is it Power Girl? We are squeeing at the possibilities. We also get a tease of Lena’s secret agenda, which may finally see her be a villain rather than an ally in Season 4.
- Guardian is revealed. Much of the fourth season opener will sure be spent dealing with the fallout of James exposing himself (heh) as a vigilante. His relationship with Lena will also be tested in light of the above.
- J’Onn steps down as the head of the DEO, with Alex replacing him. The show hasn’t ruled out Martian Manhunter as a series regular, but Alex as Kara’s boss will be a curious change.
- Winn in space. Actor Jeremy Jordan is pulling back from being a series regular, swapping places with Brainiac 5, but Jeremy Rath will be on board for more Brainiac love.
It might be a lot to contend with for the end of a season, and some shows don’t survive such radical shifts in casts. One of the core strengths of SUPERGIRL, particularly this year, has been the way in which Kara draws strength from those around her. Yet’s it is also great to see that the show won’t have to rest on its laurels going into a new season. After all, the Arrowverse has far too many Laurels as it is.
