Lena: “And you are not your cousin. We are miles beyond those boys with their sticks and their stones.”
Episode description: "Supergirl finally learns the truth about Lena while tangling with Leviathan; J'onn J'onnz makes a discovery about his brother's whereabouts."
While Supergirl and J’onn J’onzz are training, he suffers a psychic attack. J’onn thinks it’s because he feels so guilty about Malefic, rather than the possibility that Malefic might still be around. Fortunately this not dragged out too long; J’onn summons the incarnation of his father, M’yrrn, and M’yrrn tells him that Malefic is across town.
We also see much more of the Leviathans, who send an agent to take something from Lena (the agent fails). It turns out the Leviathans’ motives are to save the planet from the scourge of humans, which, as we are bearing witness every day to our general scourginess, seems a reasonable point of view. Is it possible that our various groups – Lena with her "do no harm" and the Leviathans with their "protect the Earth" precepts could learn to work together with Supergirl and our heroes? Not, at least, in this episode.
J’onn locates Malefic and although he brings the Phantom Zone thingamabob, he doesn’t actually use it. Instead he opens his heart and mind to his brother, who is able to feel forgiveness. Although I like David Harewood and I adore Carl Lumbly, this storyline didn’t do much for me, so I’m glad it’s resolved. However, J’onn fails to ask his brother a critical question: how come you’re not in the Phantom Zone? You’d think the previous director of the DEO would have some concern about the Phantom Zone no longer containing its prisoners.
Malefic is forgiving, but others are not. Kara, at the Fortress of Solitude, discovers that Lena did not forgive her for lying to her for years about her double-identity. Lena yells a lot at Kara, pointing out that she killed her own brother (unlike J’onn J’onzz) to save Kara and the rest of the world, only to discover her dearest friends had betrayed her too. This is the scene we’ve been waiting for, ever since Lena learned the truth from her brother. Lena doesn’t kill Supergirl, but traps her in the Fortress of Solitude.
Kelly almost broke up with Alex, for which I was cheering, because all the Alex-Kelly time has meant there’s been little Kara-Alex time this season. The bond between the sisters has always been the heart of the show, and I have missed it.
No one seems to notice that Kara/Supergirl is missing. How long will she be stuck in the ice palace?
Title musings. “Tremors” is not just the title of the episode, but also the title of a movie or two and apparently a series, none of which I have seen (well, I have watched the Supergirl episode). The shaking motif shows up in the earthquakes produced by Earthbender over the millennia; in the tremors felt by Alex after she gets a concussion; in the trembling experienced by J’onn as psychic waves attack him. In a more metaphorical sense it is the quaking of the relationship between Kara and Lena.
Bits and pieces
So, in this episode, we learn that the Leviathan ship wiped out the dinosaurs. I always like it when a show connects its mythology to some real event. Ditto for the major earthquakes of history.
M’yrrn’s partial reveals of information to J’onn is ridiculous. How can he say "Your brother’s across town" and not give the exact address?
Turns out that Lena – who is alone a lot, either in labs or in her home – has a super-duper security system that can fend off a Leviathan agent!
Brainy’s dialogue was much better in this episode than it has been in the past few episodes.
I once had a concussion. It was impossible to remain upright without assistance.
Quotes
Supergirl: All these unknowns make me feel anxious. And when I feel anxious, I want to punch things.
Lena: Let them come. Supergirl will save me.
Brainy: Thank God for selfie culture. Because of this generation’s constant need to livestream everything, I’ve got a clear view of your attacker.
Brainy: Of course, the scientists insisted that the natural disasters were natural, but in an ironic twist of history, they were wrong and the fearmongers were right.
Brainy: I am intact. You’re the fragile human. Are you all right?
M’yrrn: I made my impossible choice. There is no such thing as right or wrong; there is only peace in one’s heart – something I never found. The sins of the father are visited on the son.
Lena: It was designed for evil, but perhaps we can use it for some good.
Lena: I’m not a villain. You shouldn’t have treated me like one.
Overall Rating
This episode, with more Kara/Supergirl, worked much better for me. Brainy was also better; I love his increased peripheral vision! The Leviathan threat didn’t feel great, and J’onn’s guilt-trip about his brother felt tacked on to the story. The core of the story, the conflict between Lena and Kara, was wonderful. Three out of four Myriad thingamabobs.
Victoria Grossack loves birds, math, Greek mythology, Jane Austen and great storytelling in many forms.
Considering his X-Files background, I thought Mitch Pileggi's role in this episode as an all powerful alien secretly controlling the earth was hilarious.
ReplyDeleteI so so so don't want Lena to be doing this stuff.