Verdict: A powerful episode mixes cutting topicality with a gripping emotional narrative that finds an impressive balance of Supergirl’s innumerable moving parts.

Review:

In this new political climate, the term ‘relevant’ has been slapped onto innumerable shows dealing with social issues that have suddenly become constant features of the front pages of any news site. Whether it’s shows depicting a covert Russian infiltration of American society by spies, or simply shows promoting representation of ethnic minorities, LGBTQ people or social movements that have come under particular scrutiny in the Trump administration. While it’s absolutely true to say that television has taken on a more potent role in empowering minority voices at the moment, the term ‘relevant’ has been attributed to almost everything right now to the point of overuse.

It’s difficult to call this week’s Supergirl, Exodus, anything but relevant, however. It is blunt and unapologetic about its usage of sci-fi metaphor to confront imagery that couldn’t be more up to the minute. During ad breaks, any given viewer might have hopped from Cadmus’ rocket preparing to deport hundreds of aliens ‘back where they came’ to footage of President Trump signing his new travel ban, or agents stepping up their deportations of undocumented immigrants around the Mexican border. While Exodus demonstrates the rationalisations and moral equivalences that can lure good people into these decisions, it is unequivocal in standing with the victims and in condemning the reflexive fear stemming from a lack of understanding that have defined these topical policies. It’s a stirring rebuke, and one that exploits Supergirl’s unique place within the genre to tackle social issues through the metaphor of ‘the other’ to advocate for compassion and understanding for the plight of the unfortunate. It’s the timeliest Supergirl, a show that’s been predicated on staying up to the minute ever since the litany of pop culture references in the pilot, has been all season. Combined with a renewed focus on the emotional struggles of the Danvers sisters at the core of the episode, and you have an episode that ticks all the boxes for an all-timer episode of Supergirl. Exodus is just what a season lacking direction needed – focused, punchy, and compassionate.

The central theme of Exodus was ‘the right thing’, and the vastly different ways in which this can be construed. There’s no set standard of heroism in Exodus, as it presents competing and subjective ways of reaching the same end goal and interrogates whether morality or integrity is the best way forward. It’s an impeccably constructed story in that it pairs off Alex with J’onn in the A-plot and Kara and Snapper in the B-plot to attack the question from the angles of active life-saving and journalistic ethics, and the episode demonstrates a pleasing maturity in refusing to ever come down on one side or the other in either argument.

Atypically for Supergirl, it’s Alex who steps up to the lead. Her importance isn’t unwelcome, either, as Chyler Leigh shifts into the driving force of the episode with a powerhouse performance that runs the gamut from unfettered ferocity in her surprisingly brutal throwdown with the Cadmus agent in DEO lock-up, to desperate, heartbroken pleading with a father whose moral compass lies just out of arm’s reach. Alex’s decision to go rogue makes for a compelling story with a real sense of momentum to it – her lack of inhibitions in finding her father and stopping Cadmus translates into a tight and snappy pace that crafts Exodus into one of the most densely-plotted episodes in some time. Most importantly, however, her decision-making hits that careful grey area between justifiable in the given situation, but also open to legitimate criticism. Leigh’s wild-eyed desperation, and Maggie’s unwavering support for her simply personal mission (there’s a lot more screen-time for the couple than Supergirl typically makes time for, and that’s absolutely welcome) make you root for Alex in her furious quest to bring back her father from the moral edge.

Equally, however, she’s breaking every rule in the book, and Exodus never tries to impose the grittier tone of other superhero shows by fully condoning that. J’onn and Kara aren’t wrong either in their assessment that Alex is unfit for duty, and their misgivings evidently come from a place of compassion and concern. The idea of protecting others as an excuse is an especially lame cliché of the CW DC shows, but given how Exodus takes time to illustrate the extreme consequences of Alex’s actions, it holds up here as a legitimate excuse to impede her quest. This legitimate concern comes tied up with the fact that it’s served by manipulative means – J’onn’s choice to test Alex’s fidelity to the DEO by disguising himself as Jeremiah comes from a place of troubling ethics that even J’onn regrets by the time the episode is up. The fact that J’onn and Alex are both right and wrong is the core of Exodus’ success. It knows when to draw its moral lines, as it terms Cadmus’ actions as reprehensible and reactionary, but it also knows when to leave the moral absolutes behind and trust that the audience will make their own minds up as to whether the ends justified the means of either character.

The same conflict plays out in micro over in Kara’s story, which is a true breath of fresh air in that it uses the CatCo setting and the character of Snapper substantially, looping back to the season premiere where Kara’s search for self-definition began with her calling as a reporter. There’s a fair amount of topicality to be found here, too, and Exodus is similarly frank about its roots in real life with its references to fake news and the importance of objective, truth-led journalism. One of the most interesting things here is that this hot-button idea of fake news and unsourced stories creating misinformation actually conditions us to root against Kara. She is justified in many respects – she’s the series’ protagonist after all, even if Alex takes the most substantial story here. Exodus is keen to point out her sincere belief that she’s doing the right thing in a strong scene with Mon-El, and it’s undoubtable that her choice, like Alex’s, works out in the end.

But Snapper has a point, and it’s a point that’s arguably more compelling than Kara’s. The idea that the CatCo editor would be reviewing Supergirl was a big part of this episode’s initial synopsis, so it’s surprising to see the scene is a relatively small one in context due to the simple fact that Kara refuses to reconcile her viewpoint with Snapper’s. His demand for two verified sources stems from a genuine desire to spread the incontrovertible truth to allow people to inform themselves without falling into deceit, and his rallying cry for well-sourced journalism will almost certainly have resonated with an audience who’s seen respected press organisations demonised and restricted in terms of access for challenging the current administration. Indeed, in a symbol of the moral complexity of Exodus, Kara’s heroic acts are a gamble. We’ve read plenty about the power of amateur blogging that makes up information to affirm a certain ideology and takes root through viral dissemination around like-minded people, and only our trust of Kara as viewers, and understanding of her decision-making process distinguishes her blog from that. From an outside perspective, what would distinguish Kara’s piece from other unsourced blog posts claiming to be news? It’s a fascinating standpoint for Exodus to take that challenges Kara substantially without ever undermining her character (Kara is nothing but consistent in her moral absolutism), and it ends the right way: with Kara having saved the day but losing her job for breaching journalistic ethics. Too often, superhero fiction purports to be grounded but ends up warping its reality according to what the writers need (see Arrow’s recent handling of politics). Exodus, as an episode of a show not known for being particularly naturalistic, is all the more impressive for striking that balance between good drama and tangible, realistic consequences that would occur in the real world.

For all its interrogations of morality, or explorations of topical imagery, the most powerful moment in Exodus is simple. It’s two sisters, one on either side of a craft holding hundreds of aliens, connecting without ever hearing one another, where Kara is spurred to yet another act of titanic heroism through her sister’s unwavering belief that she’s capable of doing so. It’s the fulfilment of the potential last week’s episode showed but didn’t bring about, allowed by a simple understanding of the emotion and history in this endlessly complex sisterly dynamic, and a recognition that Melissa Benoist and Chyler Leigh are far too good to let the moment go to waste. After a season that’s sifted through its ensemble and struggled about who to foreground and who to bench, Exodus offers a finely-tuned vision of Supergirl’s cast, with supporting characters like Winn and Lena who play small but genuinely important roles only they could fulfil feeding into this central emotional journey of the Danvers sisters that defines everything else that is going on. It’s Supergirl looking back and recognising what worked in its imperfect first season in order to move forward, and it’s as good as a sign as any that this flawed second outing is perfectly placed to end a better show than when the season started.

Exodus is a fantastic episode, but if there’s one thing that comes up short here, it’s the loose thread from last week in the continuing exploration of Jeremiah Danvers. The episode makes some good choices regarding Jeremiah – it chooses not to go the predictable route of brainwashing and therefore maintains a certain degree of complexity, as Jeremiah’s morally relativistic choice of protecting his daughters above protecting the vulnerable aliens of Earth at least makes some vague sense. Likewise, the moment where Alex gets through to him and turns his moral compass back to the side of the good plays well, as Exodus establishes early on that he still has the potential for compassion. But in the third act, Jeremiah slips through the cracks, thrown into a token dust-up with Cyborg Superman before he disappears off the map entirely with only a cursory line of explanation. There’s bigger things going on in Exodus than Jeremiah, but he’s still at the core of Alex’s motivations for the entire episode. That he becomes incidental at the episode’s apex is a rare spot of sloppy storytelling, and a frustrating missed opportunity to provide a satisfying emotional capper to this journey of two episodes.

After a run of episodes that’s skated some impressive highs (Luthors) but has so frequently struggled to square thematic ambition with the basics of balanced character development, Exodus is a breath of fresh air. It’s Supergirl in top form, and it’s a delight to see the show regain the boldness and invention of the season’s very early episodes. And with the concluding appearance of our new villains, played by Teri Hatcher and Kevin Sorbo, whose regal ship is closing in on our planet, it seems like Supergirl doesn’t plan to let up any time soon.

Odds & Ends

• Another great thing – Mon-El has actually become a good boyfriend on a semi-permanent basis. He is hugely likeable in this episode, and his role as the emotional support and cheerleader for Kara is a nice acknowledgement that Supergirl needed to step back on his development for just a little while.
• Winn’s relationship with his girlfriend Lyra, despite the small hiccup of her abduction and ejection into the atmosphere, is another plot point that’s coming into fruition. Sometimes it’s just nice to see characters you like be happy.
• Cadmus’ grand sequel to Project Medusa is Project Exodus. Come to think of it, isn’t their full name Project Cadmus? Is Lillian Luthor’s real name Project Lillian Luthor?
• James is finally back! He, too, basically just plays the role of emotional support, only suiting up to punch one guy. Will the show remember that he’s the head of CatCo?
• A little break is up next, just as Supergirl delivered its best episode of the year. On March 20, it’s Star-Crossed, as we get acquainted with our new villains and learn… a little bit about Mon-El, Prince of Daxam.