Lena enlisted the help of Kara and James when she ran into trouble with Morgan Edge again this week, but as usual, things didn't go quite as planned. Meanwhile, Alex helped Sam with a personal issue and the DEO found more answers in the fight against the Worldkillers. Keep reading to find out what we thought about this episode!
This episode had all the girls showing Sam a plethora of support after learning she’s suffering from some unknown ailment. How do you expect this dynamic to change once they learn that Sam is Reign?
Winnie - This storyline continues to mess with my emotions, big time! To be honest, I thought that once Sam became Reign she’d be the big bad and then the focus would be fighting her. But there's a back and forth between Sam and Reign. Her moments of recognition that something is off, her conflict and vulnerability is - yes, I know I’ve been saying this for months - heartbreaking. I think once the team finds out Sam is Reign it will wreak emotional havoc across the board. And then eventually the team and the Legion will begin taking sides about how to handle the threat she poses.
Mia - I think Lena will take it especially hard, as she has firmly stated that her friends are the only thing keeping her on the side of good. I can imagine her finding out Sam is an evil supervillain, and that Kara has lied about being Supergirl, would be hard on her. Also Alex has become very close with Sam as of late and will definitely step in for Ruby. Kara will obviously try to turn her to the good side and will probably bring up their friendship and trust when Sam is in Reign mode to coax her back into the light.
Opal - I think what Sam has going on is very much a Mr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde thing. Reign is outside her control. So I actually think the girls will keep rallying around her to figure out a solution to this. Now, if Sam goes full tilt to Reign and the back and forth stops, then I can see Kara and the gang using her humanity to reach her.
Cristina - Well the thing we have to remember is that Sam isn’t consciously turning into Reign. This isn’t a choice she’s made herself, so frankly, I think it would be cruel for her friends to just automatically turn against her when they find out Reign is her alter ego. Especially with what has been hinted so far with Kara trying to help Sam as much as possible, I think that she and the rest of the women will stick with Sam and try to help her as much as possible.
Michelle - I agree with what everyone has said. I also agree that this is killing me! The fact that it is very split personality, with her Sam side not having a say and still being good is what’s got me so sad about it. After the midseason finale, I said that it hit me hard how this was going to impact my feelings (starting the season out, I scoffed at feeling anything at this storyline). Yet here I am, seriously stressed about how all the girls are going to take it, especially Alex who has gotten not only attached to Sam, but to Ruby as well.
The CW.
Lena has finally embraced some of her “Luthor” qualities which could very well be the start of her supervillain origin story or it could be the show’s way of telling us this idealized confident version of Lena is what we’re getting on a permanent basis. On the good Lena/evil Lena debate, where do you stand?
Winnie - As soon as Lillian showed up, I initially thought that might be the impetus for Lena’s turn. But after this episode, I think Lena might just turn out to be not evil. Initially, when Lena’s character was introduced I was livid. I have always believed Supergirl has her own story to tell and did not need to be paralleled to Superman. What better way to break that mold then to have the Luthor not turn out evil. I thought Lena did a good job reclaiming the Luthor narrative and using “Luthor traits” to handle Edge. She was smart and cunning. Another moment that helped me reach this conclusion was when she told Kara the truth about confronting Edge. In my mind, if she had lied about that that would’ve taken things in a different direction.
Mia - I’m dying to see Lena become a true Luthor, and possibly working with Lillian as an evil mother-daughter duo. Lena being a good person is nice and all, but I don’t see her purpose on the show, at least now how it is right now. Is she just gonna be doing the bi-seasonal skirmish with Edge, not have a clue about Kara/Supergirl and just be at Catco? The character deserves much better than that. We need a real storyline for Lena, whether she is good or bad.
Opal - Out of the main cast of characters, Lena has honestly disappointed me the most. They’ve sung her praises without showing us how badass she can be. That all changed this episode. By embracing her Luthor qualities, Lena took charge of the narrative rather than letting the narrative trample her. This is the Lena I want to see on Supergirl. An ambitious woman who isn’t afraid to play the man before her. I disagree with Winnie. I do think under the right circumstances, Lena could still become evil. Especially when she learns that her boyfriend and her best friend have been lying to her. Losing her support structure, will have Lena clinging to the thing she knows best, which as Lillian points out, is her need for vendetta.
Cristina - I’m with Winnie in that I was a little disappointed when I heard the character was being introduced because I also wish that the showrunners would use a little more creativity and not parallel everything to Superman. However, now that what’s done is done, I have to agree with Mia in that I don’t really see what the purpose of her on the show is if she’s not going to become evil eventually. Last season, there were moments where I saw potential for her story to twist in a different way while still staying interesting and relevant to the story. Sadly, this season, it’s become fairly obvious that the writers have really struggled to integrate the character into the main storyline. I think Lena slowly turning evil would provide that needed integration so I really hope that this is the start of that journey and the show continues to gradually build towards that instead of taking steps backwards.
Michelle - Not surprisingly, I agree with Winnie as well. I said this during the 12 Days of Christmas, but I truly love Lena and don’t want to see her turn evil. Although, it is safe to say that I was vibing real hard with her and Lillian being a power-duo on the evil front. At this point, I do want the writers to pick a side, and stop being wishy washy about what she is or who she is internally. Where do I stand? I see from this episode that Lena has fully been exposed to her evil nature, but chose to stay, relatively good, so I’m hoping that’s the endgame on that issue.
Lillian Luthor makes her triumphant return to Supergirl! How did you feel about seeing her again and how do you think she served the plot?
Winnie - I knew Brenda Strong was in season three but did not realize it was this early or this spectacular. I thought her return fit relatively well in the story of the episode. I thought it was, ummm, an amusing way to resolve two major plot points related to her from season two. We saw Lex’s Warsuit in action then promptly disabled by a MonWinn team up and Cadmus out of commission with Lillian now in jail.
Mia - I was surprised when Lillian starred in this episode, I didn’t think this would be the one she was in. I truly enjoy Lillian, I find her weird relationship with her daughter very intriguing and fun to watch. I hope she becomes a proper recurring character in 3B. She’s deliciously evil.
Opal - Lillian Luthor is possibly one of the most underrated villains Supergirl has to offer. She reminds me of a more polished methodical Joker in the scheme of things. I would love to see Brenda come back full time in a future season. I absolutely loved the Lexosuit and the ensuing battle sequence.
Cristina - I absolutely love Brenda Strong as Lillian Luthor and I think she’s been tragically underused on the show so I’m always excited to see her pop up. It was a very nice surprise seeing her in the Lexosuit and I only wish that the fight sequence would’ve been longer so we could have seen Lillian really use the suit to its full potential! Lillian is so crafty and cunning and I can’t wait to see what else she has up her sleeve.
Michelle - Love, love, love Lillian’s character and like always, Brenda Strong blew it out of the park. She’s always great to watch, and this time was no different. Plus she gave us a great fight scene, which was great! Plus, we did get to see some of her more vulnerable side, which I still can’t decide if it’s because she’s letting Lena in more or if she just really sees her evil potential and needs her as a partner. We’ll have to see when she breaks out of prison again.
The CW.
We talk about this all the time here but it has to be mentioned once again. Do you think it’s a disservice to Lena’s character that she’s not at least a bit doubtful about Kara being Supergirl, given all the evidence she’s confronted with?
Winnie - Yes, especially since she recognized Mon-El immediately. When Lillian showed up I thought it would be it, and Lena was about to put it all together. I also think this episode showcased what Katie McGrath can offer when given a proper plotline.
Mia - Absolutely. Like Winnie said, she recognised Mon-El with one glance, even with the beard, but Kara puts on a pair of glasses and over a year later she still can’t make the connection? It’s not realistic. The writers have to allow her to realise it soon, I’m begging.
Opal - Yeah it’s getting tired at this point. While it does offer a little bit of comedy now and again, telling us that Lena is this brilliant prodigy and she’s always two steps ahead of the plan, and then not having her read Kara well is honestly mind-boggling to me. She doesn’t need to find out yet with so much going on but can she at least start being a little skeptical?
Cristina - Oh my god, at this point it’s just downright insulting - both to Lena’s character (who is supposed to be a genius) and to me as a viewer. You would’ve thought that finally in this episode she would have figured it out, especially after recognizing Mon-El and seeing him and Supergirl side by side and then Kara saying that she knew Mon-El was back when Lena mentioned it to her afterwards. Listen, I understand that this is a show about flying aliens with superpowers and secret government organizations with crazy tech and time travel. But there is a line between suspension of disbelief and just insulting everyone’s intelligence. For example, I’m willing to overlook the fact that somehow Kara wears her underneath her work clothes at all times, which just allows her to rip her shirt open when she changes into Supergirl. I get that. It’s not practical at all, but I’m willing to suspend my disbelief because it’s not that important and it allows for the iconic shirt rip, etc. etc. But when you bring in a character who’s supposed to be a genius and have her be best friends with Kara and also stand face to face with Supergirl, and she STILL doesn’t realize that they’re the same person?? I’m sorry, but that’s just lazy writing at best.
Michelle - Yeah, I actually burst out laughing when from afar she could tell Mon-El was who he was even being seven years older and with a full-on beard (which, in my opinion changes a face more than glasses do), but she can’t do the same with her BFF. I really wonder at this point if they’re going to address that at all? But yeah, it’s gotten insanely stupid.
The CW.
Kara’s dream seemed to be prophetic in showing her the identity of the second Worldkiller we’ll see this season: Julia/Purity. Are you excited to see her take on Team Supergirl in next week’s episode?
Winnie - I’m crazy excited for the Worldkillers and for Krys Marshall! I’m curious to see what her character is like, the extent of her powers and what kind of relationship she will have with Reign. Another thing I’m curious to see is if she shifts from Julia to Purity the same way Sam does.
Mia - I’m so excited! Krys seems so excited to get to be part of the cast and that enthusiasm is bound to show in her performance. I’m loving the Worldkiller storyline so much, can’t wait for Purity to kick off!
Opal - Krys' monologue in the 3x13 promo gave me chills. Purity definitely seems to be an antagonistic presence and I’m interested to see what she’ll coax out of the sisters during the interrogation scenes.
Cristina - I am so very excited to see what Julia/Purity has to offer. The promo for 3x13 was pretty epic and if the episode has that same intensity then we are in for one hell of a ride! Purity seems to be like a Kryptonian Black Siren and I’m really interested to see what other powers she has and how her approach will differ from Reign’s. Purity is also interesting to me for the simple fact that she doesn’t wear a mask, and for now, she doesn’t have a suit either like Reign does. Her identity is exposed and that seems to be what allows the DEO to track her down and capture her.
Michelle - Yep, yep, yep, I am SO hyped for this. Even though we have a crazy long hiatus coming up (I’m sorry I sad the H-word), this should be a really good one to end it on. I have really high hopes, and I do think they’ll be realized.
Favorite Line
Winnie - "Why be Cat Grant when you can be Lena Luthor?" (Lillian to Lena)
Mia - no favorite line for this episode
Opal - no favorite line for this episode
Cristina - "I've got your back, I promise." (Mon-El to Kara)
Michelle - “Why be Cat Grant when you can be Lena Luthor?” (Lillian Luthor) or “Don’t grab women, sweetheart.” (Kara Danvers because YAASS QUEEN)
So now that you've heard our take on "For Good" let us know what you thought about the episode and we will see you next week for the final episode before the long hiatus!