Firstly, I would like to thank DJ Riter for covering for me these past few weeks while I was ill. I am still not 100% but getting better thank you for those who have reached out and sent well wishes.
This week’s episode was written by newcomer Natalie Abrams along with help from Katie Rodgers and Derek Simon. They gave us three main storylines interwoven in episode 420.
Kara and Lena’s trip to Kaznia
Ben Lockwood’s revenge
Alex’s potential adoption
Kara and Lena working together are always enjoyable and I love how adorable, or adorkable as people call it (I am sure it’s a word) Kara gets around Lena. In this episode, we are treated to a scene that echo’s early Superman. Kara and Lena in Kaznia and her discovering about Red daughter was far too rushed for my liking. I also felt they dumbed down the characters slightly. Both clearly would have realized Eve was a copy, especially after Kara just read the file.
Ben Lockwood has proved a far nastier and relatable villain than any in the arrow verse. He echoes degrees of so many people out there in the world right now that use people’s fears to breed hatred and violence. All the while believing their cause is a just one.
Natalie Abrams seems to have been given the hard task of addressing old wounds that were bound to cause a stir. While from the onset you had a feeling Alex’s adoption would not go through it gave Alex a chance to address some old wounds and her and Kelly’s friendship seems to be solidified after this exchange however I do not see any great chemistry. It also gave Chyler Leigh’s character an emotional storyline where once again she has us all feeling with her.
We kick off this week with Kara and Lena going to Kaznia (in the DC universe this is a fictional place in the Balkans) Kara would prefer to go alone and her own method of transport, but Lena insists on taking her own private fully automated jet. Kara really is terrible at making excuses to Lena and is it because Lena does not want to see the obvious that she is blinded to the truth.
Alex gets a surprise phone call while out with James sister Kelly, it's from the adoption agency a young mother has picked her for her baby. We know earlier this season Alex had made the decision to adopt and move forward with her life so I did wonder when this storyline would be addressed.
It’s a sad day for Lockwood’s as Ben Lockwood’s wife is buried. George Lockwood speaks up at his mother’s funeral but it’s too much for his father who walks out the funeral and straight to the DEO hell-bent on catching Dreamer and the Alien responsible for his wife’s death he also wants to know how James got superpowers. With Colonel Haley in Washington and Alex out on personal business, he seems to have a free reign in the DEO.
Brainy who is testing James powers at the fortress with Nia rushes back to the DEO to try and stop Ben. James doesn’t seem happy about his newfound abilities something he seemed to want at one time? Another of the character inconsistencies with James. I never feel the writers know what to do with James from best friend to boyfriend and guardian. We do see the guardian suit later in this episode, but I am not sure about this super-powered James storyline.
As you can guess, Kara and Lena’s flight isn’t uneventful as Lex’s defense system seems to take out the plane's power. Lena struggles to land the plane, she thinks she is successful not knowing Kara helped. I love her turning to check on Kara finding her passed out with her glasses all wonky. This is a nod back to the Superman movie; we all remember Clark catching a bullet from a mugger and made out he fainted. Kara tells Lena she passed out and hates flying.
At the base they find it is deserted, it does look like they left in a hurry. They find evidence of Alien experiments and a paperwork trail. We learn Eve trusted paper over the computer as they can’t get hacked the question is, why leave it lying around?
Alex is freaking out and can’t reach her sister, James sister Kelly provides her sounding board and they head to Portsmouth where the baby is going to be born.
This whole storyline was going to be difficult given the very emotional break up from Maggie due to this very reason on the show. I knew at some point the show would have to rip the band-aid off this issue.
At the DEO Brainy tries in vain to stop Ben Lockwood finding out about the Harun-El.
At the hotel in Portsmouth, Kelly helps keep Alex calm while the young mother is in labor and she waits, again I had a feeling this would not end well. I like the friendship between these two and maybe as suggested it will become more but for now, I do not see it.
As Lena and Kara interrogate Eve, I did notice Lena called her Eva Braun longtime companion of Adolf Hitler. Fitting given Eve’s attachment to Lex. However, after such a genius quip you find yourself almost wanting to scream at the tv ‘it’s a copy. Kara, you just read the file for sprocks sake’.
I mentioned George Lockwood might be the key last week. He clearly isn’t happy with his father who still is on the revenge track and not listening to his son. George needs his father to be there for him, but Lockwood’s obsession has completely taken over all sense of reality for him. Of course, learning about the Harun-El can have consequences for him.
In Kazina, Kara and Lena find Kryptonite and Harun-El and a map showing a planned war on the US from Kaznia. They learn of Lex’s secret weapon ‘рыжая дочь’ Red Daughter. Lena works out how she was created very quickly, and Kara is horrified about what she sees. A dark version of Supergirl, Lena’s nature-nurture speech was spot on. They soon learn Eve is a copy… and she presses the self-destruct on the base. Which I am guessing she was left to do when Lena and Kara showed up.
Things are getting tense at the DEO as Lena’s lab is raided and Ben is warned by Brainy not to take the Harun-El as it could be lethal in its raw form. I think it will take him over the edge. As they find the Alien who killed his wife, he instructs the DEO to go after her.
Lena and Kara go separate ways to try and find an escape off the base that is set to explode. Kara comes across the room Red Daughter was in she is horrified to see pictures of herself as Kara and Supergirl all over the walls, with her friends and family. It is also disturbing to see her diary in the room, with the photo of her and Alex tucked in there, it affects Kara deeply. Kara rushes out on hearing Lena’s voice to stop her entering the room. Lena mistakes her shaky reaction for fear at being stuck in the base and they come up with an escape but Kara rushes back using the excuse she left her tape recorder. Kara uses her heat vision and burns the walls in anger.
Ben Lockwood wants to arrest all the aliens along with the one who murdered his wife when they find her. I like how Brainy stands up to him this episode and pleads to his fellow DEO agents it’s not their way. Nia and James show up, but Ben loses it and injects himself with Harun-El only being stopped when J’onn turns up. J’onn tries to talk Ben down and warns Ben it didn’t end well for the last person who went against him.
Ben seems stronger than James and maybe its because it's in its raw form, I wonder like James will it attack any weakness in Ben.
Kara and Lena find the evidence they need about the government mole. I was surprised they stopped after all the base is going to explode. Kara hands Lena her tape recorder, we know it’s because she was going to change into her super suit but for Lena, it later proves to be a lifesaver. Lena chases after Eve and Supergirl takes on copies of Eve, in a great almost comedic fight scene as Eve’s keep coming.
I loved the Lena and Eve fight, Lena has literally Killer heel’s a weapon hidden in her Prada’s, let’s just take that in for a moment. After Lena gets distracted when the base blows up Eve stabs Lena, but she is saved by Kara’s tape recorder. It would seem it wasn’t the real Eve but another copy. Lena is in a panic at thinking Kara was in the building when it explodes. This all leads to Kara almost confessing her secret but changes her minds as hearing Lena talk, she knows it would hurt too much right now after Eve’s betrayal. I do feel something big is brewing with this storyline now Lena doesn’t trust easily and saying Kara is the only one she trusts after everything it's going be a huge blow.
Alex opens up to Kelly, Chyler’s portrayal of Alex, especially talking about Maggie always steals my heart, it’s a wound that will never fully heal for her. Kelly reveals she had a secret love (sorry couldn’t help myself) it’s a sad tale of not being able to be out in the military and mourn the person she was engaged too when they were killed in action. So, we have learned Kelly is also gay …yes, I can see a future pairing, but I hope, unlike the other Olsen they at least give her character some better development and storyline. Also, it would appear Alex has zero gaydar. I also wondered why Alex never mentioned Kara’s adoption anywhere in these conversations and why it might not hint at holes in memory. Something we are all eager to see resolved soon.
Ben Lockwood to no one’s surprise survives the burning tanker from earlier battle and goes to visit his son. George tells his father his hatred has caused his mother's death. Ben Lockwood’s black eyes make you wonder if he truly will become even darker if that’s possible. Sam Wither has really excelled in this role and after loving his doomsday in Smallville I was excited to hear of his casting but isn’t he a villain you just love to hate.
Kara is back at Catco and talks about what happened with James, I was kind of hoping for a Danvers sisters’ scene, but I feel too much had happened for a short conversation between them. I hope we get a catch-up next episode. Kara confides in James that she will have to tell Lena the truth, Lex clearly knows, and we know Lillian does. She knows it might be the end of the friendship but it’s the right thing to do.
I for one hope if it ever comes out, they can get past it, but I fear there may be another outcome we haven’t seen yet.
Kara to no one’s surprise is taken, makes you wonder if Colonel Hayley is ok, remember it was mentioned earlier she had gone to talk to the President and if the President is who he appears. I am sure all will be revealed next week.
With only two more episodes to go and the reveal of Lex’s plans, which was so conveniently left out, do you think we have all the pieces of the puzzle? By Lex crafting the very thing he has long feared do you suspect it will be his downfall?
So, what did you think?
Is the President who he appears?
What are your hopes for the Red Daughter Supergirl showdown?
Please post in the comments below
