Kara’s future remains uncertain after Sunday’s Supergirl, which finally brought everyone up to speed with a series of refreshing reveals — one of which could lead to war.
Despite his earnest (i.e. frustrating) commitment to maintaining the space-time continuum, Brainy admitted to knowing about Nia Nal in the 31st century, all but confirming Kara’s growing suspicions that Nia’s nightmares and narcolepsy could be pieces to a much larger puzzle. This led to Nia confessing that her family is from a distant planet where some of the women, herself included, develop the ability to dream the future. Good to know!
That’s where Brainy entered the equation: By tapping into Nia’s subconscious, he helped her control her latest vision, which revealed the identity of Agent Liberty’s next victim. (Brainy also called her “Nura” by accident, which we’ll talk about later.) The gang’s attempt to thwart this pending murder resulted in a messy melee with several of Ben’s “Children,” which totally could have been avoided if Nia was in on Kara’s secret. (You know, after Kara tells Lena.)
Truth be told, the DEO could have also saved itself a lot of effort by asking Manchester Black for Agent Liberty’s identity. He didn’t just figure out Ben Lockwood’s secret, he also tricked Ben’s wife into thinking he was an old college friend of her husband — as if anyone would forget to mention their super-intense, trench-clad British vigilante pal who refers to himself as “Manchester Black.” J’onn gave Manchester the full Professor X treatment, hoping to shut him down remotely, but his rage was too powerful to overcome.
With another assist from Brainy, Nia eventually saw her nightmare come to fruition, though not quite as she expected. Agent Liberty’s “victim” turned out to be Ben’s wife, who was pleading with her husband not to kill Manchester. And while I guess I’m glad she was able to get through to him, I have to admit that getting rid of Manchester — who willingly identifies as the “intolerant left,” for those of you who watching the show for its politics — would make Supergirl’s life much easier.
Before being hauled off to prison, Ben delivered a speech about how he only wore a mask to protect his family, adding that Supergirl should also have to share her alter ego. His plea for “full transparency” even crept into the DEO, which demanded Kara that reveal her secret identity, then fired her for refusing to comply.
The very end of the episode offered a tease of next week’s three-part “Elseworlds” crossover, taking us to Earth-90 for an intense confrontation between the original Flash (played by Jon Wesley Shipp) and The Monitor. “Why are you doing this?” the OG Flash asked, to which his enemy offered this chilling reply: “You did this to yourself. And now, all of you will perish.” (You know, as if things weren’t chaotic enough on Earth-38.)
Also worth discussing…
* I’m obsessed with Nia’s roommate. How are we just now meeting this person?
* As DC buffs are likely already aware, “Nura,” the name Brainy accidentally called Nia, is Nura Nal, a future member of the Legion of Super-Heroes. So when Brainy said, “I can’t tell you how I know, but we can stop this,” he really meant it.
* Was Kara being paid by the DEO, or has she been living entirely off her CatCo salary? Frankly, I just want to make sure she’ll still be able to afford that stunning apartment on a single paycheck.
Your thoughts on this week’s refreshingly revealing episode of Supergirl? Drop ’em in a comment below.
Wow, wow, wow. Great episode Kevin Smith. SG was firing on all cylinders. What a set up for Elseworlds.
I hope Brainy’s probiotics quip makes the week’s best quotes!
FANTASTIC or as Manchester might say, BRILLIANT!
So what Earth number DOESN’T exist if there are only 53 Earths and yet JWS Flash world is Earth-90?
They stated there was 52 KNOWN earths. Last years crossover was 53. There are way more. Think of it as a universe where only so many planets have been discovered with so many more still out there.
Plus, how many has (The) Monitor eliminated?
Infinite earths
I thought I seen green arrows costume from Smallville for a sec when it was showing heroes on the ground couldn’t make them all out
There was one that I thought was green arrow, but it looked a brighter green so I thought maybe it was green lantern. Too much to take in on one view.
Yup, definitely some Smallville heroes there. Star Girl, Green Arrow. Also doppelgangers of Earth-1 Hawkman and Earth-X Ray. The others probably can be identified with the help a slo-mo replay.
Yep, that was definitely Smallville’s Green Arrow costume. I’d recognize that bright green and arm tattoo anywhere.
Kara shares her apartment with Alex, doesn’t she? Plus, Alex is the head of the DEO, I’m sure she’ll be fine.
Nevermind, they live in separate apartments.
I never thought of the similarity between Nia Nal (Dreamer) and Nura Nal..whose Legion code name is Dream Girl
Nura is a descendant of Nia.
I hesitate to ask this . . . but, how could she possibly even have descendants? Given . . ?
Aliens work in mysterious ways?? Lol idk?
There is a lot to understand still about her species. She said this power she has affects women of her species. As transgendered, you would think she wouldn’t have it. Yet she does, so maybe the transgendered in her species become inherently female.
I’m sure they’ll address it. Maybe she banked Male DNA and has a child via surrogacy.
She has a sister so you never know
The technology for people to have children from same-gender partnerships already exists and is being used IRL.
I should also point out that identifying as trans* in no way indicates someone is unable to have biological children. That was so basic it almost didn’t occur to me it needed to be said.
Transwomen cannot have babies nor are their chromosomes XX but rather XY.
Alan, please be quiet. Your lack of empathy and understanding is showing.
For everyone else: Being trans* does not require anyone to have had a specific surgery that renders them incapable of ever having biological children. Even if someone who identifies as trans* chooses, can afford, overcomes all the barriers (including having to fight with doctors to ‘prove’ they’re “really trans” and that they’re capable of making decisions that they understand, and having doctors change the nature of the surgery after putting them under general anaesthesia because doctors can be obnoxious about this), and has a surgery that is successful, they may have chosen (or been forced to have as a condition of being ‘allowed’ surgery) to undergo fertility preservation, allowing them to have biological children at a later date. However, because surgery is still a thing that is extremely difficult and draining to achieve, and because surgery itself -is not necessary to identifying as trans* or transitioning and living as one’s authentic and self-defined identity-, a trans* person is not automatically incapable of having children. There are well-reported cases in the media of people choosing to delay transition to have children, transitioning after having children because they didn’t know they could transition before because society is like that, people who thought they could not have children due to their body and then finding out they could because they do. There are people who transition without having surgery because surgery is something they can’t afford or is too stressful or difficult or because they don’t feel they need it to live as themselves. It is never as simple as chromosomes and it is hurtful to reduce trans* people to what your best guess is as to what their genes are and define them based on that. It is also -not your business-.
Kara had that nice apartment before she started working with the DEO.
——
I’m curious now if there will be a change in the intro when the show returns in January.
Oh dont worry, in case Kara couldn’t afford to pay the apartment Lena would buy her a hole floor or a house, so she’s covered. 😂😂
Great episode
Until Lena finds out Kara is SG. She gonna be pissed.
I still hope lena will forgive Kara and understand it was to protect her
There is nothing for Lena to forgive. It is Kara’s secret to tell – or not – as she chooses. Just because people are friends does not give them the right to know everything about each other
AMEN!!!!! Why does Lena truly need to know? And for that matter why did Lucy Lane and Maggie Sawyer? And why did James tell Winn Clark was Superman? Did Clark give him permission? It’s Kara’s secret to tell period. My point is commentor Sara is absolutely right, “Just because people are friends does not give them the right to know everything about each other”. Plus in a world of super-villains, mind-control, and so-called friends who selfishly believe their love-lives entitle them to “share all” (yeah you, Alex & James) telling just anybody the secret is just plain stupid.
David Ajala is doing great as Manchester Black. I didn’t realize he is also on SYFY’s Nightflyers.
He’s doing fantastic.
Check him out on USA’s now cancelled drama Falling Water. FYI, it ends on a cliffhanger, so if you just want to check out David Ajala see season 2 episode 8. He gives a brilliant performance as a veteran with a guilty secret.
How is her identity even a secret from anyone at the DEO? She and Alex make no attempt to hide their sister relationship around anyone.
And if she was being paid by the DEO shouldn’t they have some kind of payment on record to Kara Danvers? I assume a government agency isn’t paying cash under the table, but has proper tax records.
I do not get it either. Also, I never through that Kara was an actual employee of the DEO – she just helped them
I assume she agreed to work collaboratively with DEO without pay.
This makes no sense at all. I just roll with supergirl now and don’t ask for sensical plots. I gave that up long ago. Kara carries Lena to the DEO last year as Kara Danvers and just a quick google search “Kara Danvers in deo” turned up like five other times she is not dressed as supergirl wearing her glasses. I never heard once, in four years, them ever implying the deo did not know who she was. Her sister heads the agency! Lol
It is just dumb
One time I asked about how people at the DEO *didn’t* know because Kara would frequently be there in street clothes!! (I was told there was no way they knew, btw.) But I noticed in the episode, very briefly, when she looked around at some of the staff watching the confrontation, at least one of them shook their head as if to say ‘don’t tell them’, so I assume that at least some in the know and support her not telling. It would not surprise me if there was an arrangement that she was paid by cheque (still happens) or into an account in her Kryptonian name Kara Zor-El. Facebook probably wouldn’t let her have an account, but there are tons of banks that would.
I’d like to point out that Kara was living in that “stunning apartment” before she became Supergirl and worked with the DEO. I guess being Cat Grant’s assistant paid well.
Pretty people on TV shows inexplicably have great apartments.
Wasn’t it Alex’s first? and then she gave the apartment to Kara?
@ Luli: No it always belong to Kara. The only time we saw Alex’s apartment was when she babysat Ruby last season.
Before that an apartment she shared with her former fiance.
Family get togethers always take place in Kara’s apartment.
There was a deleted scene on the season 1 dvd with Drunk Alex being recruited by J’onn and her giving her apartment to Kara
Yup it’s I think a Danvers family apartment cz a college going Alex was living there when Kara visits her & tells it will be Kara’s soon enough when a much younger Kara swoons on how much she loves the place.
Cat wasn’t paying much to her & Alex had a swell job from the get go so probably the youngest of the family got the apartment by default
Plus one of the producers said that Kara is the building’s super (superintendent) so the owner of the building gives Kara a break on the rent.
And using super speed it’s not like it would take a lot of time to maintain the building. Look how fast Kara cleaned the roof.
HOW does the DEO not know Kara’s secret identity – half the time she is Kara there.
Those glasses. They’re very convincing.
With every ep Alex’s screen time is less than the one before…. Give her some action!
The show could do and be better off with far less Alex time. She is a disgrace and a stereotype to the queer community.
Why is she a disgrace? Woman seems pretty on point.
You can’t speak for an entire community while you’re running around perpetuating harmful misinformation about part of it.
Mia’s roommate was too briefly amusing. If only Cat Grant would return and hire her as her new assistant.
I wonder if Cat Grant is still the press secretary of the new president? Usually a new president brings in new people for jobs like that.
More Manchester.. I want an odd couple with him and J’onn traveling around
If she doesn’t do so already, I’m sure Kara could just crush some chunks of coal into diamonds in the palm of her hand to pay the rent on her ridiculously gorgeous apartment.
Not to mention paying for all of the civilian clothes she has to buy since she’s always tearing off and abandoning her “Kara” clothing to save the day as Supergirl.
So I’m confused by Nia’s origin story. The character is transgender meaning she was born a male. If some of the women in her family start to exhibit this dreamer thing wouldn’t her being transgender eliminate her from being a part of that? I’m not trying to be insensitive so I’m really sorry if it’s coming off that way. I just don’t understand. Would going through all the operations so she is genetically a female now enable the dreamer possibility?
I’ve been wondering about Nia too. Maybe she’s transgender as in alien transgender?
Firstly, you’re assuming human biology. There are creatures even here on Earth that can change their physical sexual characteristics either as needed, at will, or over their lifetime.
Secondly, even assuming humanlike biology, being trans* doesn’t necessarily mean one is born with all the expressed genes and characteristics of the gender they were assigned at birth. For example, someone may be a chimera, and testing from various body parts would then show different genes and genders. It may be that there was a medical condition or issue that caused some organs not to form, or form correctly – some people can be internally male but be assigned female, with the issues only becoming apparent when puberty doesn’t follow the assigned paths, or growth markers aren’t hit. Some people are assigned intersex, or have markers that are classed as masculine and feminine. Some people start off without an assigned gender at all. It’s not clearly delineated even before we get to various medical conditions that affect the presentation of secondary characteristics or the amount of hormones produced (for example, people with PCOS can end up with facial hair due to excess androgens, and liver disease, prostate cancer etc. can lead to gynaecomastia). But the operations you refer to don’t change someone’s genetics – they change a person’s body so that they look how they want to and feel most themselves. Unfortunately, gene editing on an adult is not that far advanced to be so possible. For all we know, she’s using an image inducer because she doesn’t like her alien body and that’s why we’re only meeting her now. For all we know, her powers manifesting are what clued her in to her trans*ness and that’s part of why she’s so uncomfortable with them!
Because the power goes to females, the power has accepted her as female and she identifies female, that should be enough for us, because what’s ‘under the hood’ is not really anyone’s business. IRL, if you go up to a person who identifies as trans* and try to qualify their trans*ness by what their body has or what they’ve had done, you’d be in the wrong, because there’s no single one way to be trans*. The show hasn’t given us the details because they’re not details we should need in order to accept that she is who she says she is.
Kara’s apartment only LOOKS expensive, it’s actually located in one of National City’s rougher neighborhoods, and is owned by an elderly lady who essentially pays Kara’s rent in exchange for Kara acting as a surrogate “Super” (short for supervisor).
Also, we have very strong evidence from the episode Ahimsa that Lena already knows that Kara is Supergirl.
Positives tonight:
1. Supergirl finally leaves the organization. It’s time she becomes a complete hero, freefrom ties like Superman.
2. Nia gets a solid plot line. It’s about time. Now let’s explore her powers and her trans experience.
3. Brainy finally says he knows the future and won’t, under any circumstances, reveal it.
4. Great acting particularly from Nicole Maines and Melissa who really took on a Superwoman mentality for the first time.
Negatives tonight:
1. Alex has to get out of that ridiculous costume and hair style. If she’s trying to affect a macho lesbian style, she’s not doing so and embarrassing the lesbian community.
2. Does Kara know Nia is trans? If not, when does she find out?
3. Nia is a transwoman so how can her powers come from generational heridity if she was born XY?
4. In the final flight scene, for the first time, you can see the wires that Melissa uses to fly in a green screen. Slow the final fight scene down andits very apparent on her cape.
One f the strongest episodes in the series history.
How Can she be born XY ? She comes from another planet. So how could she have the same chromosomes as humans.
Are you, personally, a lesbian embarrassed by how Alex chooses to look *in her work uniform*?
No, I am a gay man who is very active in the queer community. Alex is held with disdain by many, fi not most, lesbians for being over the top. This is really the case for lesbian families who look to Supergirl,as a family viewing hour show.
You’re mixing with the wrong lesbians mate, Alex is a beloved lesbian icon and Chyler Leigh a fantastic ally of the community. Butch lesbian characters are very few and far between on tv. The uniform and the haircut and her kick ass attitude make Alex a very popular characters for the ladies.
And yet all the lesbians, femme and butch, I know who watch the watch love her look.
So, you can’t speak for lesbians, and you’re active in the “queer community” but your comments above show you are barely educated about trans* culture or identity, and you want Supergirl to be :family viewing: by… not having people look and be different, or only fitting your approved ‘queer’ paradigm.
It sounds like you want to be an ally, but you’re currently not doing so well at that. I would urge you to take a step back and educate yourself with the help of the internet and people outside your community.
Being a straight man, I love Alex’s new look. She looks so fierce.
I don’t know what you people are seeing. To me this season hits too close to home here in America on how much our country is divided. I watch these shows to get an escape from reality. To see this being played out on tv just completely turns me off. I’ll give that this was a better episode than the rest of the episodes BUT for me it just hits to close to home. I’m sorry this for me has been one of the worst seasons on tv that I can remember. I just hope they can change course and fast. I don’t like giving up on s season but I’m so close to with this season
Agree. There is not fun in the show anymore and it Takes itself waaaay to seriously
Law and Order’s bread and butter was ripped from the headlines stories. Dragnet’s catch phrase was the story you have just seen is true, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Lots of people do like stories that reflect real life.
I think L&O etc., are slightly different in that you know that going in; they’re not advertising themselves with things that are obviously fictional, so people looking for escapism won’t look there. However, people have been drawn into Supergirl because the S stands for acceptance, justice, etc., and it’s advertised as clearly fictional, and part of the Arrowverse, where generally, Good Wins Out Every Week. There is a bit of bait and switch happening here, particularly when compared with the heavy-handed feminist, intersectional and acceptance narratives that the show has had.
Last episode I’m seeing of the show, oh wait sorry I mean the Brainiac 5 show. Why is he still in this timeline? So annoying in every single scene!
because when they eliminated reign, and the plauge, it meant his cousin braniac 1 lived, who gave viruses beings like him
I don’t recall Kara ever moving apartments, which would imply that she was living there pre-DEO so it shouldn’t be a problem for her to stay there, third party factors notwithstanding.
You made the comment I’ve been wanting to make for a couple of weeks: Since when is SG employed by the DEO? She has a job…at Catco.
I guess at the same time the Legends started working for the Time Bureau
Is the Nth medal like Vibramium?
I may have forgotten something, but the DEO employees show up and tell civilians they are FBI so why must there be transparency for Supergirl when actual employees who are paid by the government allowed to lie to the people? It has never been stipulated that she is a paid employee. It has always seemed like a volunteer position, while J’onn received a salary since he took over a person’s identity. And I know the show is Supergirl, but wouldn’t Superman also be in the same position as Supergirl with outing her true identity? It’s not a National City issue, it’s an American issue per the President.
As far as we know, Superman is still on Argo and may not even have any idea this is happening – on a meta level, precisely to avoid that question.
Rao! (God) This felt good. I loved the episode. Less relationship drama, more regular action drama. And the Kara, Nia, and Brainy Super Sleuth gang was amazing. I can’t wait to see that whole dynamic grow. Manchester, he might be excessive, but wow is he entertaining. I hope he gets out and finds some kind of mutual respect between himself and the rest of the team. I don’t want to see him go full redeemed because I love his kick *ss attitude. But far enough that you know he isn’t going to betray them. My theory is that Lex Luthor is behind the whole movement. He’s playing a long game. Use the Graves siblings to out the president, putting someone he can control into office, have the General take control of DEO to keep them focused on hunting aliens and eliminate Supergirls support system. Setup liberty as the face and fall guy when the whole movement implodes while simultaneously fanning the flames of his ideals. Plus, once he’s out of jail, and with so much control, it’d be relatively easy to take over the oval and become president himself. Unless president bakers been luthor using the identity concealer tech the whole time and the shutdown during the early episodes in this season was a smokescreen to add himself to the database. Hmmmm. And it’s make sense considering Luthor was president in the Red Son Storyline. Regardless I totally saw Supergirl leaving the DEO coming the moment they started giving her orders earlier this season, and when Manchester called her a gov. Stooge. And I’m glad. She needs to be her own hero, not a DEO employee. Which when did that happen again???
I think Kara been a DEO employee since season one. When Cat Grant was going to fire Kara for being Supergirl J’onn said he would like her to work for the DEO full time. So I assume she would be paid as a full time DEO employee, not having her job at CatCo anymore. Plus when it was revealed Kara was dating Mon-El, J’onn, as her supervisor, ordered Kara to report to Human Resources for a sexual harassment seminar because she was dating a co-worker. In general J’onn acted as her boss, not as someone independent that he just had a working relationship with.
Huh, I guess the personal father/daughter dynamic that developed between J’onn and the girls skewed my pov. Good points though. Regardless, now she’s out from under the general & presidents thumb. I’m convinced their either working for or secretly are lex with an identity concealer.