‘Supergirl’ Recap: Will Lena Embrace Her Heritage as a Luthor?
Warning: This recap for the “Luthors” episode of Supergirl contains spoilers.
Where do Lena Luthor’s (Katie McGrath) loyalties lie? She’s proven to be a steadfast friend to Kara, but the ties of blood are strong. Will she join Lillian (Brenda Strong) in her mad quest to rid the Earth of aliens? Will she have a choice when all of National City turns on her? Supergirl continues to explore the relationship between Lena and Kara in a fine episode that pushes us closer to the day when the two must become bitter enemies.
The Plot
Lena Luthor testifies against her mother, Lillian. At the trial, Metallo (Frederick Schmidt) escapes and takes Lillian with her. Footage is released showing Lena smuggling the kryptonite used to power their escape. Lena is arrested and nobody believes her but Kara. Metallo frees Lena, further implicating her, but Winn discovers the footage has been faked by Cyborg Superman. Supergirl must rescue her from one of Lex Luthor’s weapons caches because the synthetic kryptonite in Metallo’s chest is about to go critical. With J’onn’s help, they save Lena from the explosion, but Lillian and Cyborg Superman have also escaped.
A Ticking Time Bomb
Lena Luthor is a great friend and role model and the loss of that relationship would be devastating for Kara — which is why it’s almost inevitable that it will happen. There is a great balance now between Lena’s desire to not become “a Luthor” and the very compelling reasons why she should; she has so many reasons — including this new revelation that she’s blood-related to the family — that every episode that she doesn’t feels like a relief. James notes that Lex and Clark were best friends, and Clark refused to believe that he was evil long after everyone else gave up on him, which speaks to the very core of Kara’s character. She sees the best in people and brings that out of them, which is why Lena has to become her greatest foe.
When The Glasses Come Off
Rom-coms don’t really work television because you can only put so many manufactured obstacles between the two adorable leads before people give up. That works for a two hour movie, but for 22 hours per season of a show? That’s one of the reasons why Supergirl is so refreshing; it has rom-com elements — and arguably nothing has been more rom-commy than Kara taking off her glasses to kiss Mon-el — but they seem new again in the superhero context. And just when it feels like the show is about to tumble into the abyss of One Tree Hill/Dawson’s Creek/The O.C. teen dramas, Mr. Mxyzptlk appears. It’s Screenwriting 101: Give them what they want (a much-anticipated kiss interrupted), but in a way they don’t expect (a mischievous imp from the Golden Age of comics where that sort of thing happened all the time).
Too Many Scoobys
Make no mistake: Maggie Sawyer is a great addition to the show. But Team Supergirl is pretty crowded these days now that she has been officially introduced to everybody. A Scooby Gang — if we’re going by the Buffy the Vampire Slayer configuration — is best at 4. Supergirl’s inner circle is currently at 7 including Mon-el and Maggie. The same thing is happening over on Arrow and The Flash. Are they trying to give all the CW superhero shows the Legends team dynamic? More worrying, are they planning to kill anybody off now that they have this embarrassment of riches?
Kryptobites
*Line of the Night: “Supergirl may have saved me, but Kara Danvers: You are my hero.” Oh, man — this is such a sweet moment between Lena and Kara. It’s going to be so bad when she turns on her! So bad.
*Line of the Night (Runner-Up): “I had my shield. I love that shield.” James sounds like he’s talking about the customized Mustang in the garage or his prized hibachi grill. Boys and their toys…
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
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