"Wake Up" Roundtable, Supergirl Season 3, Episode 7

We knew we were in for a doozy, but we weren't quite prepared for this one, nor could we really ever be. This week, Mon-El of Daxam (played by Chris Wood) came back onto our screens and we had a very emotional roundtable to follow. Also, Sam is really coming into her destiny now, so how will that play out with the Legion and Ruby, her daughter? We discuss below.

This week, we've also welcomed a guest! Welcome Luke (aka @KryptonianKing on Twitter)!

This episode sees the awaited return of a familiar face from season two. How do you feel about Mon-El being back?

Opal - God, I missed Mon-El. Chris Wood is such a presence on the show that I really felt a void with him not there. He stole the show in this episode. And he had a very difficult job because he was playing this new version of Mon-El layered over the Season Two version. You really saw that version when he’s teasing Kara at the very end. He also had very few lines of dialogue, everything had to be conveyed in meaningful looks, stares, and body language. That’s very difficult to pull off. Of course, he had Melissa’s brilliant performance to siphon off as well. Even though it was meant to be strained, awkward, and tenuous between these two there was a great connection and you could see these two people have a real strong palatable connection to each other. I said before I watched that these two were coming for my wig, and I wholeheartedly cite they were even more amazing than I thought they would be.

Luke - I couldn’t be happier about Mon-El being back. I echo the words of Opal, Chris Wood is such a presence on the show. I certainly felt that void with him not being on the show for many episodes. I thought Chris gave an outstand performance in this episode. Chris had the challenge of playing a same but also different version of Mon-El to the one in Season 2. Despite the changes to his character. We got a scene towards the end of the episode where we had Kara and Mon-El on the balcony of the D.E.O. We got a glimpse of the old Mon-El when he and Kara spoke like they used to back in the days of Season 2. I thought this scene was beautiful and very true to life. It was as if I was watching two real life soul mates who had been reunited after being apart and thinking they would never see one and other again. Chris and Melissa have such a strong amount of chemistry as actors. They played out every emotion in each scene to perfection.

Winnie - I’m feeling so many simultaneous emotions on this that it feels impossible to untangle them. I also have so many questions! It felt really good to have an episode that progressed the main plot of the season. It also feels like the show has figured it’s formula out and that formula includes Mon-El as a source of well, a lot of things, and Chris Wood’s presence and performance. I went in apprehensive and I think the episode was one of my favorites this season. I think the show did an excellent job hooking the viewer into Mon-El’s storyline past and present (or is it future and present?) I feel this was because in large part we got to experience through Kara’s eyes and Melissa’s outstanding acting. I guess what I’m trying to say is that with this episode we have progressed to the “thick” of this season and Mon-El and the Legion are a key part in that. Let’s just say I’m strapped in and here for the ride!

Michelle - SO, if I could insert this Lady Gaga video every time I mentioned Chris Wood’s name, I would. Because, wow, he’s amazing. I think I’m gonna echo everyone before me when I say I am ecstatic to have him back on the show. Going into this episode, I didn’t fully know what to expect and definitely wasn’t ready. But it blew every other episode this season out of the water. There’s definitely a lot to the mystery of Mon-El’s return and Imra and the rest of Legion on the ship, but it was presented super well and also makes me certain that the rest of the season is only going to get better from here.

Cristina - I wholeheartedly agree with everyone so far on this question, especially Michelle! I mean, I was excited for this episode beforehand already, but it truly blew me away. Hands down, my favorite of the season so far. Chris did a phenomenal job and I am beyond ecstatic to have Mon-El fully back on the show! I’ll just leave it at that because my lame words can’t possibly do Christopher Charles Wood the justice he deserves.

Mia - Chris Wood never fails to impress me with his acting. And having Mon-El back in conjunction with the Legion is going to be very interesting! From what we’ve seen so far, he’s very different from when he left, and there are a lot of questions to be answered. I can’t wait to find out the entire story of what happened!

Sam goes through some big revelations after a conversation with her estranged adoptive mother, with a huge shift happening at the very end of the episode. How do you think Sam will appear in the next few episodes?

Opal - Another person that blew me away in this episode was Odette Annable. Just simply brilliant. A lot of her scenes are spent in isolation, and I loved how her story was kind of in parallel to Clark and Kara where she never knew of her Kryptonian roots and discovered them in adulthood. Also the Reign Fortress of Solitude was so freaking cool. She seemed reluctant to take on the Worldkiller mantle and to abandon Ruby so I think we’ll see a split personality of sorts. With the evil alter ego taking over completely in 3B.

Luke - First of all I have to again echo the words of Opal. Odette Annable was absolutely incredible in this episode. I have been thoroughly enjoying Sam’s story this season and I couldn’t be happier with how her story developed to the next level. I am very pleased by how her story follows in the footsteps of Kara and Clark. I think this parallel is going to make for such excellent storytelling for rest of the duration of this season. I think the next time we will see Sam we will see a couple of episodes of the two personalities at war against one and other. Sam trying not to lose herself to this new found worldkiller side to herself.

Winnie - I’d mentioned this before, but I’m finding Sam’s story to be so tragic and it's really hitting me straight in the feels. And to echo Luke and Opal, did we know Odette Annable was this good. I was holding my breath in every scene she was in! She has been such an invaluable addition who is holding her own among this stellar cast. I really enjoyed getting some answer on Reign and just experiencing it all through Sam’s eyes.I found her excitement and then disappointment that she is not “like Supergirl” completely heartbreaking! In terms of what I think is the future of this character, I think I see it more being almost like a split personality thing where she is fighting to stay as herself but then finding that her Worldkiller impulses are taking over. I’d mentioned before that I thought pursuing this storyline with Reign is ambitious and to date, I am floored with how well it is going.

Michelle - Yeah I really want to reiterate Winnie’s words here. We all knew that Sam was going to be Reign, the Worldkiller, and so to see in this episode how she’s really realizing her powers and then getting super excited was really, really heartbreaking. Like the scene with Ruby on the couch? “This is going to be really, really good” for them? I could barely stomach it. Her storyline just keeps getting better and I can’t wait for it to be fully fleshed out and culminate into something really sinister.

Cristina - I have always enjoyed Sam the most when the show focused on her Reign storyline and this episode delivered in every way! Odette gave her best performance of the season and Betty Buckley was great as well! As far as how Sam will appear in the coming episodes, based on how she “transformed” at the end of the episode, I actually think it would be really cool if she went back home as Reign...but pretending to be Sam. For example, she goes back home and pretends to be Sam, but inside she’s really Reign, and she starts acting kind of cold towards Ruby and everyone else so they start thinking something is wrong with her. As more time passes, she grows colder until one day she forgets who Ruby is, and that’s when Ruby knows something is really wrong.

Mia - Sam has very quickly become one of my favourite characters on the show and knowing that she’s now fast becoming a villain is so heartbreaking! After this episode, there’s no turning back, so we’re going to have to witness Sam’s relationships falling apart and I’m not looking forward to it. She will likely wage an internal fight for the next few episodes, but sadly we know the villainous side will win over, at least for a while. I just have to applaud Odette Annable, though, she’s giving amazing performances week after week. What a great addition to the cast she has been!

Bomb dropped: Mon-El has been gone for seven whole years and is married! How will this affect how Kara will work with the Legion, do you think?

Opal - Not going to lie, the whole thing felt like a soap opera plot twist. That’s why I think there’s more to it than “This is Imra Ardeen...my wife”. Especially, because Mon-El is clinging to Kara’s necklace like it’s his sole reason for existing. There’s also the fact that he didn’t want Kara to know he was wearing it initially. He also directly contradicts himself several times. For example, when he’s with Winn he says: I need to get back to the ship because if I don’t people will get hurt, Kara will get hurt. Later on, when he was talking to Kara he says “you don’t need my protection”. Secondly, he never answered Alex’s question: why was he the first to wake up? There was also no mention of the Legion or even the Legion Ring. It’s all very confusing. So, I think Kara is going to get breadcrumbs from these Legionnaires and is going to get very frustrated, very fast.

Luke - I think this is an issue that will without any doubt will be explored in 3B. We have a lot of questions that are in need of answers from this latest episode within the second half of the season. Mon-El still cares for Kara very deeply. He has held onto Kara’s necklace for all this time despite everything. One of his main reasons for being in such a hurry to get back to the ship without people within the D.E.O knowing was to keep Kara safe. Maybe we will get flashbacks to Mon-El’s time spent in the future and we get to see what it is Kara may have needed saved from? There was no mention of the longly expected Legion in this episode. I can imagine during Kara and the Legions working together after seeing this latest episode will be at times hard for Kara.

Winnie - It is clear that the arrival of Mon-El and the Legion will change everything for Kara and the team. She has so much to consider and figure out. She is honestly being put through a gauntlet of emotions this season, give the girl a break! I am very intrigued about the time travel aspect and what the Legionnaires know and how that will affect how they act once they are awake. Like Luke and Opal, I have a lot of questions and see so much potential.

Michelle - Yeah, as I mentioned before and how everyone here is saying, there are just too many questions to answer from this episode alone, not to mention what is to be revealed the rest of the season. I don’t think this marriage is going to be valid or a huge obstacle, I think that it’s just a part of whatever mission the Legion is on. But if it is, I’m really excited to also just see how this all unfolds. I am a very impatient person at times and so having all these unknown things just unanswered for now is frustrating. But also at the same time I am so, so happy because it’s going to produce some of the best episodes we’ve seen and also give us so many good acting points.

Cristina - Opal brought up some very good points and I absolutely agree! Purely objectively speaking, there is more evidence right now to support the theory of their marriage being a sham than there is evidence saying it’s actually real. Maybe I’m wrong, but regardless, for the time being I think that this twist will definitely cause Kara to act in a colder manner towards Mon-El and the rest of the Legion. It’ll be a reasonable reaction, given that we’ve seen that Kara doesn’t deal with her emotions well and so her pain will definitely manifest through frustration and anger at times. It doesn’t help that there still so many questions that need to be answered and I have a feeling that Kara won’t always get the answers she wants.

Mia - There were rumours about the marriage beforehand, but if I’m completely honest, I did not expect the writers to go that far. But they did and now they have to deal with it. I feel like there’s something sketchy about the whole ordeal though, that not everything is as it seems. Kara will (again) go through a very hard time. Poor girl..!

What are you most looking forward to with the Legion vs Worldkiller(s) storyline coming up? What/who would you love to see? We know Brainiac 5 is in a pod--who do you think the three others are?

Opal - I hope with the Legion coming in we get a bit of a shift in tone. A lot of people (myself included) have been looking forward to Legion arriving since Season 1. And no one wants to deal with a high level of angst in the middle of what should be good superhero fun. So I’m hoping lots of action, lots of superhero hijinks, and lots of team bonding moments. I would love to see Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, and Timberwolf (although the last two would be very hard to do in live action). I think we’re going to get Lightning Lad (Saturn Girl’s actual husband in the comics), Dream Girl (based on the BTS that was released by David Harewood), and maybe Cosmic Boy as well since he’s another important figure.

Luke - I very much agree with a change in tone taking place within the second half of the season. I am so excited for the concept of new heroes arriving on the show up and I think it will bring all kinds of new dynamics to the show when the Legion meet our regular characters. I am looking forward to the roller coaster ride the Legion will turn the show into within the second half of the season with everything from Fun team ups to stop day to day villains and then getting to the serious battles with world killers. There will be everything from laughs, jokes, tears and angst. Going from the BTS I would say we can expect Dream Girl to make an appearance within 3B along with Cosmic Boy and Phantom Girl. I would be curious as to these characters would translate on The CW Supergirl.

Winnie - I admittedly know very little about the Legion of Super-Heroes beyond the googling I did when the new about them came out. But I generally tend to enjoy the dynamic of groups of heroes coming together for several reasons, chief among is that it allows the villain (in this case Worldkiller(s)) to be truly menacing. For it to be engaging, viewers need to believe that the girl of steel is in real danger and we all know it ain’t easy to do that. In terms of guessing who the rest are, Mon-El referred to a “Querl” (aka Querl Dox, aka Brainiac 5) so maybe he/she is in there. I am assuming Saturn Girl will be paired with Lightning Lad but beyond that I defer to my more informed panelists on the matter.

Michelle - Yeah, I’m really just so pumped, I can’t contain myself. I think it was Luke on Twitter, but someone posted that our show was finally getting the recognition it deserves and I wholeheartedly agree. It’s literally so good (it’s not shocker that we all think so) but to see the ratings go up and just see such good TV. And the Legion is just going to add so, so much! I also don’t know a whole bunch of Legion members, but like Winnie pointed out Querl. It’s going to be such an interesting dynamic to see all these superheroes make an appearance and I am so ready to see the fight with Reign. Again, it’s going to be tough to watch because they did a good job of getting us thoroughly invested in Sam, but I am so excited.

Cristina - I’m a sucker for good character interactions so that’s really what I’m looking forward to - seeing the dynamic between Mon-El and Brainiac 5 and whether it’ll remain true to what I’ve heard from the comics, seeing how Winn reacts to the rest of the Legionnaires especially when their powers are revealed, and just how Kara interacts with all of them as they fight Reign. But I’m also looking forward to the epic showdown between Kara and Reign because I know both Melissa and Odette will crush it! I unfortunately don’t really know my Legion members, so I truly don’t have a preference as to who the others are.

Mia - I adore superhero teams, and teams in general (I adore Legends of Tomorrow and The Avengers), so I’m super excited to see some epicness take place. As for who else will join the team, I’m guessing Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy and Dream Girl.

We found out that Sam indeed got pregnant and gave birth to Ruby--do you think Ruby has any powers of her own?

Opal - I think so, I think she’s meant to fill the mentee role of the show since Mon-El is going to be well established by the end of the season. She might be the show’s version of “Kon-El/Superboy” that being said. I really do not like Ruby as a character and the actress is terribly flat. So I really hope she isn’t sticking around for another season.

Luke - There is indeed potential for Ruby to fill some sort of role on the show and if given powers which I do believe she could have. There could be potential for Ruby to appear in future seasons with an arc about her discovering herself. Although I think Ruby should and will only be a one off season 3 only character

Winnie - That would be my guess but you never know. I think this is one of those storylines that could be dropped - cough systematic problem with continuity cough - and it not be a big deal. I think it might be cool to have a kid hero. I generally don’t find Ruby particularly compelling but I enjoyed her scene with Sam on the couch a lot this episode, it is honestly making my heart ache for her with what’s about to happen. My current guess is that Ruby will be used to play to Alex’s mothering storyline.

Cristina - Logically, it would make sense if Ruby eventually develops powers of her own since she has Kryptonian DNA inside of her. But it remains to be seen what the show decides to do with her. I’m not a huge fan of hers either, but I have a feeling that she may stick around to fulfill Alex’s mothering storyline like Winnie said, especially given the fact that Ruby and Alex kind of hit it off since 3x01 and then there was that forced “cool aunts” dialogue in 3x04.

Mia - I would assume she has some minor powers. Maybe she’s immune to disease, for example. Slightly increased strength, tougher skin. I doubt she has flight, x-ray vision and big stuff like that. I remember the casting call said Ruby has a possibility of staying on for season 4, but unless she gets a major storyline in 3B I don’t see that happening? Like the others, though, I feel like Alex might get another go at mentoring with Ruby.

Michelle - Yeah, I think everyone is onto something. Ruby probably has powers, but may just be in hibernation like her mother’s. They’re definitely more minor though, due to the fact that only half of her is alien. I will say though, that I hope she isn’t in any season after this one… maybe Alex can have her mother storyline start with Ruby and then broaden with her own child later on. I don’t really want Ruby in more seasons. As of right now though. We’ll see!

Favourite line of the episode?

Opal - “You have to believe that no matter what century, or universe, or world I’m living in that I would never forget you. Never.” - Mon-El to Kara

Luke - “Except for that one time we went for all you can eat ribs and you were inhaling those things, if I remember correctly.” -Mon-El to Kara

Winnie - “Shame on me for having a human heart” - Kara

Michelle - Either “Shame on me for having a human heart” or “It was a limited time offer… I had to…” from Kara (literally BOTH sides of the spectrum of emotion last night)

Cristina - This is a tough one, but I’m gonna have to go with Opal on this one. Such a powerful line!

Mia - “Shame on me for having a human heart.” - Kara

So now that you’ve heard our take on 3x07 "Wake Up" what did you think about the the episode? Let us know on Twitter! And we'll see you next week after the crossover!

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