Supergirl Episode 222: Nevertheless, She Persisted

Supergirl Episode 222, the season finale titled 'Nevertheless, She Persisted, aired this week and was an incredibly intense, over-stuffed, and every emotional ending to what has been a crazy season. This episode felt more like a mini-movie than a television show with spectacular effects, a rousing score,. massive fights, and all the major characters (well most of the major characters) having key moments to move the plot along. I was thrilled. And I suppose given the names in the credits (writers Andrew Kreisberg and Jessica Quallers; directed by Glen Winter), I shouldn't be surprised.

While the title of the episode is clearly referencing Senator Warren's defiance while speaking to the Senate, the overt politics of this season were put on the back shelves a bit to let the story stand more on its own. And for the most part it delivered. The ultimate victory came in the form of a true deus ex machina, but overall this shined.

But the time has come to put a bow on this season. In looking back, the show really covered a ton of topics and subplots. Sometimes all this made Supergirl feel more like a character in an ensemble cast than the headliner.

We had multiple big bads in the form of Cadmus and the Daxamites. We had major plots involving Maggie and her relationship with Alex, Winn and his relationship with Lyra, James and his relationship with the Guardian suit, and J'onn and Miss Martian. We had political stories about alien amnesty, refugees seeking asylum, the down trodden forced into slavery, and basic prejudice. Jeremiah Danvers blipped into the storyline and then vanished again. That is a lot of ground to cover.

And I haven't even mentioned the elephant in the room ... Mon-El. At least on social media, he was something of a lightning rod. Some fans loved his arc as he tried to walk away from a rather ugly past to become something better all while inspired by Kara. Others hated him for being the epitome of the slick, emotionally abusive, frat boy. He was that kind of man that bullied his way into a relationship by constantly nagging the woman, then didn't respect her wishes, and then groveled his way back in. For me, I didn't think he was all that bad. At times his actions were cringe worthy. And unfortunately, he doesn't have a big redemptive moment in this episode. I was hoping there would be big moment where he sacrificed himself for others. All that said,  I believed him when he said how inspired he was by Supergirl and what she represented. I mean, that's why I love her as a character.

But enough looking back, let's look at this episode itself. Be prepared, I took a lot of screencaps because there was so much to love. And I am going to write a lot, not only recap but thoughts. Because this was an overstuffed episode. On to the show

The episode opens with a true comic trope, hero fighting hero. In an absolute stunner of an opening sequence, we see Superman and Supergirl brawl through the streets and buildings of National City. It turns out that Rhea has poisoned him with Silver Kryptonite, making Superman see General Zod instead of Supergirl. We even get a 'kneel before me' line!

The fight is brutal and long. The score as these two trade punches is incredible. The effects were stupendous. And ending the fight in water, adding the splashes and waves to the exchanges, gave it a very dynamic feel. In the end, Supergirl ends it with a massive uppercut, sending Superman into the sky and unconsciousness.

A few things about this. First off, there was Silver Kryptonite in the comics, but it was a hoax played by Jimmy Olsen to celebrate Superman's Silver Anniversary as a hero.

Second, there were times in this fight where Superman sees Zod that made me think the writers were riffing a bit on Snyder's Man of Steel. Rhea describes Zod as Superman's greatest fear. She says Superman will protect his planet at all costs. They say he will stop Zod 'forever', perhaps a nod to Superman killing him in MoS. There is even a point in the battle, where a family is cowering in a corner as Superman sees Zod near them, reminiscent of the train station scene in MoS where Supes snaps Zod's neck. Maybe I am reading into things too much?

But what I loved (and shown in the bottom right of my montage) is that Alex is there, watching the fight. And when Superman is defeated and Supergirl is exhausted physically and emotionally, Alex runs to her and hugs her, trying to help her super-sister regain her composure. It is a small moment but really showed how these two care for each other.

The next scene shows Mon-El and Kara cuddling in a sun-speckled bed. Kara just wants to stay there forever. Mon-El calls her the 'Woman of Tomorrow', a nice call to Superman's Man of Tomorrow nickname. She reminds him about her necklace, given to her by Alura to remind her she will never truly be alone. But all this talk of having more time and solitude was clearly a foreshadow. And we all knew this wasn't really happening right?

It turns out Kara grabbed Alex and the unconscious Superman and flew them to the Fortress before collapsing herself. The cousins wake up and immediately hug. This thrilled me. The mistaken identity is behind them. They love and care for each other.

But honestly, I was surprised to see Superman back in it. I thought for sure he would have remained incapacitated for the show to get him out of the way (much like he was mind controlled last season with Myriad).

We then cut to a very upset Lena Luthor drowning her sorrows and flinging her chess pieces. I am amazed at how most adults on this show turn to booze when confronted with an emotional problem. But I like the idea of her taking out her frustrations on the chessboard. She's Lena; she's supposed to be three steps ahead of the game. But she was played herself.

In comes Lillian and we get a great scene between these two. Brenda Strong and Katie McGrath crush it here. Lena talks about how she has been so starved for acceptance, so need a mentor so she would stop doubting herself, that she was swayed by Rhea.

And Lillian, in a moment of clarity, admits she always chose 'something else' over Lena and that she regrets it. But now she knows what Lena is capable of and she needs Lena's help to save the world. She pulls out the 'Lex-Box' from the Luthors episode.

I don't know if a reconciliation between these two bodes well for Supergirl next season.

Back in the Fortress, Superman says that he was at full strength and not weakened by the Silver K when Kara defeated him. She was stronger than him.

Now if you have an issue with Supergirl being stronger (not that you should), you can use a number of explanations. While not weakened, he was addled by the Kryptonite and a less effective fighter. For me, I use the concept of Hero Points (from the DC RPG game) meaning she heroed up during the fight, expending some power to be more powerful than normal.

Superman scours the archives for some way to defeat the Daxamites and stumbles across 'Dakkam Ur'. They three fly back to the DEO where they explain that Dakkam Ur is a sacred oath for one on one battle. Supergirl will challenge Rhea with the planet at stake.

I do love the scene when Superman enters the DEO. Winn remains starstruck, shocked that Superman remembers his name. And we see Kal meet Mon-El, saying Mon must be a good man if Kara likes him.
I was at full strength and you beat me.


Supergirl invokes Dakkam Ur and the Daxamite ships (which had targeted every school, hospital, and municipal building in the city) power down their cannons. Seriously though , what kids are in school as the world ends?

In one of those moments that Mon-El haters will hate, he asks her to stand down and have Superman fight Rhea. This isn't supportive of her decision. It undermines her. He should support this, recognize this as one of the things that inspires him. But he doesn't. Superman nips it in the bud. Kara beat him; she is Earth's champion. (Whoa ... I never thought I'd see that anywhere.)

Meanwhile, J'onn who has been off the board for some time, gets shaken out of his mental anguish by a telepathic visit from M'Gann!! Looks like this show is bring back all the characters.

The fight gets silly sensational media coverage everywhere, treating this fight like a pay-per-view wrestling event rather than a world-saving last ditch effort. I loved seeing this ridiculous 'Sportscenter' like ad playing in the background.


J'onn returns to the DEO and gets a hug from Winn who calls him Papa Bear. Love it.

They realize they need to downplay this coverage so innocents won't be around the fight. Kara can't worry about them. The best way to do that is to convince Cat Grant to stop the media.

Clark and Kara head to CatCo where we again get to see Cat preen and pretty herself in Clark's presence. Clark is her Kryptonite. She calls him 'Clark Bar', and 'Kansas' (maybe a little jab at Lois' 'Smallville' nickname?). And she relents into stopping coverage of the fight.

But most interesting is her asking Kara outright if she thinks Supergirl is ready for the battle. Hmmm ....

Meanwhile, war makes strange allies. The Luthors call the Supers to LCorp.

The Lex-Box isn't a phantom zone bomb (my guess from way back). It was a way Lex was going to add slight Kryptonite to the atmosphere making Earth inhospitable to Kryptonians. Lena thinks she can alter it to add a small amount of lead to the air, harmless to humans (glad they said this) but deadly to all Daxamites.

Despite knowing this would make Mon-El need to leave (Lena even asks of Supergirl knew he was dating Kara Danvers), Supergirl asks them to build it.

And Mon-El, when he hears of it, says Supergirl should use it if she needs to. A little sacrifice on his part! Yay!

Back in the DEO, Kal and Kara spar. He talks of moves he learned on Warworld!

But she pauses to try and take stock of her life. Just when she was so close to having it all - the heroics, the job she loved, the relationship she wanted - it all is one fight away from disappearing.

He talks of how heroes can have it all if they work for it. He thinks of Lois every time he goes out and fights. And it is Lois that makes him win. All this makes me want to see Lois on this show. I am thrilled he talks so highly of her.

But hearing Kara talk of how close she is to happiness is another foreshadow, portending of tragedy.

The Rhea fight is another incredible action sequence as the two really pound each other in well choreographed battle. Again, the music swells to add some power to the proceedings.

But Rhea shows just how evil she is. Despite this being a sacred oath, she has the ships mobilize and fire onto the city. History is defined by winners. She doesn't care how she wins.

And then, in an added twist, the bloodied Rhea shows how Krypton has literally poisoned her as well. Her blood is filled with Kryptonite energy.

Now while, in theory, this is interesting, I have so many questions. If those on Daxam were poisoned like this, why didn't Lar Gand have green blood?

If the K is coursing through her veins, why doesn't her very presence weaken Kara? Why does the blood need to be exposed to air to weaken Kryptonians?

I don't know. Comic book science??

But given that we know these Daxamites aren't as powerful as Kryptonians, and knowing Supergirl just defeated Superman, we needed a reason why these two would be more evenly matched.

(As a side note, Teri Hatcher continues her delicious wickedness this whole episode! I love to hate her!!)

With the city in peril, the supporting cast goes to help the citizens.

Rhea and Kara continue to pound each other on the roof tops. I mean it, this fight is just wonderful violent.

But Mon-El fights the Daxamites on the ground. J'onn and Superman (awkwardly running down alleys?) help the citizens escape and blow out fires. M'Gann returns and brings with her White Martian allies who fight along side her. And 27 minutes in, we have our one and only James sighting, standing with Cat in Catco.

As for Lena, she and Winn finish the LexBox. It reminded me of how those two first met very early in the season! But, in an added twist, the Box can only be activated by remote control and only by Supergirl. They weren't going to let Lillian have that power. Maybe ... just maybe ... Lena is a good guy after all!!

I hope so because Katie McGrath is perfect.

The Rhea/Kara fight goes on for quite sometime and maintains that level of awesomeness. And just when it seems that Kara will succumb to the K poisoning, just as Rhea talks about moving from one city to the next to eventually rule the world, Kara digs deep and just lays the smack down.

She says that Earth is her home and she is going to protect it.

But despite Rhea's loss, the Daxamite fleet are still active and prepared to raze the city. It becomes clear, Kara will need to use the LexBox.

There is this wonderful moment when she knows this will mean that Mon-El will be banished. There is this pained look on her face when she knows that to save the world she needs to say goodbye to him, she is the reason he will be gone. It is incredible.

Benoist just nails everything in this issue, but the sadness on her face in the rest of this issue just stuns me. She is such a fantastic actress.

But it does mean the ultimate victory is Lena's. The Daxamites are removed by a machine. I don't know if I like that.

With the Box activated, the Daxamites begin suffering pain and head back to their ships. With Earth now uninhabitable, the fleet leaves.

As for Rhea, she stays on the roof, shocked at the proceedings. And then the lead poisoning turns her to a lead-looking dust. Perhaps this was a bit too 'graphite' for a kids' show?

Comic fans have seen this move before in The Legion of Super-Heroes Great Darkness Saga when Element Lad adds just enough lead to the atmosphere to incapacitate marauding brain-washed Daxamites.

But with the lead in the air, now comes the goodbyes. Mon-El, powered by the yellow sun for so long can last a few more minutes.

Chris Wood does a good job here. He says that even though this will end in sadness, the time together was worth it. He says wherever he goes, he will be better for having been with her. He will try to be the man she thought he could be. It is all very touching. And Benoist is just an emotional wreck during the scene which made it work that much more.

Hearkening back to the opening scenes, she gives him the Alura necklace and sends him away in her (or maybe his) pod. Now he will never be without her (just as she was with Alura).

The show isn't over though. The writers do a great job of giving us the fallout of Kara's decision. She seems wracked with pain and guilt, standing on the DEO balcony while the world celebrates.

Superman is the first to talk to her, saying he is humbled by her and her strength. He might not have been able to say goodbye to Lois in that way.

And then, while all the couples hug around her, Alex comes out. She says she is unbelievably proud of Supergirl and what she did. It won't mean much then but maybe it'll be something to hold on to. I wish there was more super-sister moments this season. But when they happen, they are always powerful.

Knowing that love can be fleeting, Alex then proposes to Maggie. I hope Maggie returns next season.

As great as that balcony scene was, we amp things up even more.

Kara goes to see Cat. She says that her boyfriend is gone and Cat, like usual, gives her an inspiring speech. Women are strong because the have the guts to be vulnerable and come out even stronger. Kara has grown immensely since Cat left. But this is the beginning of the hero's journey. There is more to come.

When Kara runs out to change and stop a fire, Cat says 'Go get 'em Supergirl!'

We all knew that she knew, right?? Or we all wanted her to know? This made me so happy!

Now the show could have ended there and I would have been very very pleased. But we get three more moments worth talking about.

First off, even though she is flying off to rescue people, Supergirl doesn't look as happy as she normally does. There is this pained look. She still isn't over Mon-El. I wonder if this will carry over into next season. Will she be sad?

As for Mon-El, he is flying his pod in space. I don't know if he had a destination. But a wormhole opens up. He is heading to the Phantom Zone! As a comic guy, this made me very very happy. Hurray continuity! As a reviewer, I wonder if Alura's necklace is somehow a Phantom Zone portal generator.

But then we get a sneak preview of next year! On the day Krypton exploded, as Kara was being rocketed away, another pod on another side of the planet was also being sent to Earth. This one has red power lights. The baby isn't seen but is crying until it is fed blood. And the cloaked women say 'it' is going to Earth to reign.

No doubt about it..... it's gotta be Doomsday! Well, or Reign!

Whew ... that was a lot to unpack. Maybe there is one more Supergirl Season 2 post in me next week. But what did everyone else think of the finale??

Posted in: Reviews