Supergirl Episode 320: Dark Side Of The Moon

Supergirl episode 320, titled 'Dark Side of the Moon' aired this week and was one of those episodes I mulled over for some time when it ended.

There was so much to love about this episode. There were some fantastic Supergirl mythology in the episode which was impressive. I mean I got to see a live action Argo City. There was a subplot involving Alex that really showcased her character nicely. We got some Winn moments and some Lena moments that were solid. And there is a Mon-El moment that feels a little foreboding.

There were also some things that just difficult to completely roll with in my head, specifically the Argo plot. I had issues with timelines, goals, and decisions.

All that said, this continued to build up the threat of Reign. It pushed a little into my prediction that Lena will ultimately kill Reign, driving the last wedge between her and Supergirl. And there was a bit more about the overall arc of this season of Supergirl trying to reconcile her alien heritage, her role on Earth, and her humanity. If Krypton exists, even a slice of it, why does Kara Danvers need to exist? Can you go home again?

On to the show.

Last issue, Mon-El and Kara flew off in J'onn's ship to head to a 'meteorite' that has more of the black rock of Yuda Kal, a last ditch cure for Reign/Sam.

During the flight, Kara says with Mon-El she can finally be just herself and not have to pretend. The weight of her secret identity is pressing on her, specifically because of the friction with Lena. And here she seems to think that the Danvers part of her is nuisance. It was that thinking that got her in trouble earlier in the season. Remember it was Kara Danvers who opened the door of her mind to wake her up. It was her embracing a cold alien persona that led to her Reign beatdown.

Of course it isn't just a meteor. It's a city under a dome. The ship is dragged in with a tractor beam. But they have the ship shapeshift to seem like a meteorite. This way they can slip inside.

Meanwhile on Earth, Reign continues to grow stronger, shaking off the effects of Lena's Kryptonite. J'onn is more 'stoic and grave' than usual. All the stun guns, body boots, and red sun grenades won't be helpful to stop Reign. The DEO is evacuating LCorp. This is real.

And Alex and Ruby continue to grow together. During a fun day at an outdoor marketplace, Alex sees someone tailing her. This man tries to kill her with a grenade but Alex is able to catch the bomb and have it explode away from the crowd.

Still, someone is after her. And that means Ruby is in danger too.

I do like the chemistry that is slowly building between these two. We all guessed Alex would be an adoptive mom at the end of the season. Seems like we are heading that way.

In the DEO, Reign looks cool and calm in her cell, lounging in her chair while she needles Lena. Reign keeps pressing all of Lena's buttons saying Lena is filled with fear and anger, that Lena is relying on Supergirl. And, of course, the only way to win is for Lena to kill Sam/Reign and Reign doesn't think Lena has the guts.

It is interesting brinkmanship. Lena has been trying not to be a hard core Luthor. But poking the bear is never a good idea.

Landing on the planetoid, Kara and Mon-El slip into a bazaar, see the inhabitants are humanoid, steal some cloaks and follow a trail to the 'black rock'. Kara seems surprised there is a city under the dome ... didn't she see it on the way in?

In the city, didn't she recognize the architecture? The language being spoken?? How could she not see this Krypton immediately? She lived there for her first decade?

Cloaked, Kara again bemoans needing to hide who she is, even here.

The trail leads to a memorial with Kryptonian writing. And then the police arrive - a fleet of Kelex and ... Alura!!

So Alura looks remarkably well preserved for someone I think should have aged at least 30 years. She hasn't changed at all from the flashbacks when she put Kara in her pod. Does the dome keep people forever young?  This just kept nagging at me.


Meanwhile on Earth, Alex brings Ruby to the DEO (everyone is welcome!) to discuss the assassination attempt. Her, Winn, and J'onn bring up a list of her biggest enemies including the Hellgrammite from the first season (I thought she killed him) and Dick Malverne from season two (who was mindwiped). In the end, the most likely candidate is the sheriff from this season's Midvale episode who she got convicted of murder. He is recently paroled and living in National City.

On Argo, Alura says that Zor-El developed the shield but didn't think it would work. That is why they rocketed Kara away. Had they known it would work, they would have kept the family together. Alura assumed Kara died when she saw her pod enter the Phantom Zone.

Kara explains how they need the black rock to defeat a World Killer which followed her to Earth. As for the Yuda Kal rock, called Harun-El , it is used as a way to detoxify the atmosphere under the dome, another legacy of Zor-El. They need all the rock they have to keep the city liveable, the dome up, and their cloaking tech active.

Alura feels it should be brought before the High Council for a vote. And while that emergency session is gathering, she and Kara can catch up more.

Alex finds the Sheriff who is hitting the sauce pretty early. He talks about paying his debt to society but not to himself. He still sees him killing Kenny, still sees the blood. He is damned. Killing Alex wouldn't do anything.

It is clear he is broken. He isn't the killer.

I like all the callbacks to Alex's history and this was a nice retread of that excellent episode.

Leaving the bar, Alex discovers her bike booby-trapped. She decides to go on the offensive.

This whole Alex plot was great.

You might remember that there have been  a lot of moments in prior seasons where Kara questioned her beliefs about her mother. She couldn't believe her mother would be in charge of Fort Rozz and the atrocities that happened there. She was angry at her mother for for sending her away. I wondered if those would be brought up.

Thankfully, the writers did.

Kara talks of the Danvers and Alex. She then retells the events of Season One. Fort Rozz crashing. Astra and Non's initial plot. Astra changing for good.

Alura calls Rozz her biggest shame. She did what she thought she needed to do but it was wrong. Hmmm Will this same idea be replayed in regards to Reign? Will Lena do what she thinks needs to be done??

Alura asks for Kara's forgiveness for everything. But I think both regret just assuming the other was dead and gone.

Meanwhile, Mon-El heads back to the marketplace where earlier he had seen a boy with a breathing device. The boy, named Val, suffers from Thallonite lung.

Mon takes off a Legion device which and gives it to Val. This will give Val a vaccine and boosters, curing him of this illness. Val can then pass it on.

It shows how magnanimous Mon has become. But I also wonder ... was this his lead poisoning cure?? Has he doomed himself?

And will this Val become Valor??

Back on Earth, Lena knows she could kill Reign right now by flooding her body with the remaining synthetic Kryptonite. This would, of course, also kill Reign. She and James debate what is the right thing to do. Lena knows Sam would want to be taken down to protect Ruby. James says that is the answer.

Hoo ... James basically told Lena this would be a just kill. I wonder what Kara would think. But this again strengthens my thoughts that Lena is going to kill Reign.

In another good subplot, while J'onn and Alex investigate her killer, Winn has been put in charge of Ruby. He is initially, and uncharacteristically, very cold ... almost cruel ... to her. He doesn't want to babysit (remembering his botched time watching Cat's youngest son from season one?).

Realizing he has been horrible, he apologizes. In a nice resonance, he says he can empathize. His father was the Toyman after all. He worried if he would turn evil. These two have a lot in common. I'd like to see more of this.

On Argo, again Supergirl says she isn't Kara Danvers and she isn't Supergirl. Here she is Kara Zor-El. It is another jab at the Danvers she was.

The high council meets and one of them is Selina, the Dark Priestess. When I saw her alive on the council, I heard Marv from Sin City in my head. Just like that, a big puzzle piece clicks into place. And naming her Selena is brilliant! That is a nice nod to the movie.

The members are split between those who feel Argo can't worry about others and need to survive. They cannot spare the Harun-El. Some think Krypton needs to atone for their sins and learn from their mistakes. The World Killer is their responsibility. They need to give the rock.

Selena casts the deciding vote saying they need to give the Harun-El to Kara.

Hmmm ... nothing suspicious about that! If only Kara knew what we know!

Alex's trap (J'onn pretending to Alex and jogging) is foiled when the killer spots the real Alex. What ensues is a great rooftop chase where Alex is leaping and jumping everywhere. She almost dies, barely making a long jump and hanging on by her fingertips.

Somehow, once the killer reveals himself as the brother of an alien Alex busted, she does a flip off the ledge and brings him down. That is a physically impossible stunt. So unless Winn's suit amps her strength, she shouldn't be able to do what she did. It was so impossible it took me out of the moment.

I like Alex being a 'normal' person showing what peak conditioning and guts can do. I hope more insane things like this don't happen again.

I also wonder why it took J'onn so long to get there and help. But that is a quibble.

There is also a nice voice over of Kara extolling the virtues of Earth to convince the council to give up the Harun-El as we see Alex chasing him down. That worked well, each one building on the other.

Selena gives Kara a hunk of purple rock which doesn't look like the Harun-El we have seen before. This is a trap. Maybe Selena is hoping Reign will raze Earth so the Argoans can move into the vacated home?

But this was another part that I mulled over too much. If you are on Argo, barely surviving, and you learn of a planet where you could become a god, wouldn't you want to go? Wouldn't Kara start shuttling them back to Earth  in the ship, starting with Alura. Wouldn't you gladly give up Harun-El if it meant getting to a new home?

Instead, everyone seems happy with their lot in life. Kara says goodbye to Alura just for now. She knows she will see her mother again.

But I can't imagine the Argoans like their domed life of limited resources and dependence on a big rock to breathe.

Maybe I am thinking too hard.

I said it before, this Alex plot was my favorite of the episode and the last scene about it sealed the deal.

Alex talks about how she was lost, failing medical school and drunk, when she was found by J'onn and given purpose. She has become that person who jumps off buildings (she notes she's jumped off higher than the one from this episode), doggedly pursuing bad guys, and throwing herself in the line of fire. She can't change that (and I wouldn't want her to!).

Now she has to think about Ruby. She has to think about becoming a mom at some point. And can she be both. How can she be ...

But she will be.

I loved this. You can have it all. No one would ask a guy if he could be a top agent and a dad and husband.

And this really was a greatest hits parade for Alex.

We know what the tallest building she has jumped out of .. Catco from the end of last season!!

I loved this shot then and now!

Reing continues to needle Lena. She says Lena is as dark and as ruthless as she is. It is the right thing to get under Lena's skin. And it looks like Lena is about to take the bait, turning up the K only to have it not work! I think I'm right about this; Lena will kill Reign.

We end with a great ending shot. Reign punches down the force shield wall. Kara arrives with the rock and engages. It's the end of Rocky III over again, a freeze frame of two haymakers being thrown.

There is a lot to love here. Argo City. The name Selena and her being on the Council is brilliant. Alura and the discussions around the Alura/Kara issues. The first season callbacks. Alex's greatest hits. Alex's plot. Winn's empathy. Mon-El's possible sacrifice. Lena's temptation. These were all fantastic.

But taking a step back, the idea that Argo citizens wouldn't be pleading to be taken away didn't make sense. Kara not recognizing Argo was problematic. Alura not aging. And Alura not going with Kara herself to help rebuild that relationship. Alex's impossible leap. These were like pebbles in my shoes taking away from what was a good walk.

So what did you think?

Posted in: Reviews