Supergirl -- "Both Sides Now" -- Image Number: SPG313c_0102.jpg -- Pictured (L-R): Chyler Leigh as Alex and Melissa Benoist as Kara/Supergirl -- Photo: Katie Yu/The CW -- é 2018 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The DEO captures a second worldkiller and attempts to break through to the human she once was. Meanwhile, Mon-El works to fix the Legion ship before they become forever stuck in the past. Here is a recap and review of the Supergirl episode “Both Sides Now.”
RECAP & REVIEW:
Message wise, we’re finally getting back to the Supergirl we know and love; however, there’s still work to be done. “Both Sides Now” continued to exalt the strength of hope, with hope winning in the battle between optimism and pessimism/realism. The hope that everyone, even worldkillers, can be saved, can be reached, can be human is such a beautiful, idealistic sentiment that is especially relevant in today’s climate when society seems irrevocably divided and unyielding. Supergirl has, and has always had, the power to send powerful messages and explore topical themes, if only they’d take full advantage of it with their diverse bunch of supporting characters.
We’ve now seen the theme of “what does it mean to be human” with Kara, Alex, J’onn, Lena, Sam, and Julia, but what about James and Winn? Neither has had a solo storyline this season and both are barely featured in their respective workplaces and their extracurricular crime fighting activities. The first episode after the hiatus focuses on Winn, so there’s hope for his character, but James would be the more fascinating character study since we’ve seen much less of his backstory and personal life. So here’s hoping his arc isn’t far behind.
While an entertaining and emotionally driven hour, “Both Sides Now” succinctly represents several of the problems that this season has been exhibiting as a whole. The story progression seems stalled. The past five episodes especially have only been slowly creeping along on the worldkiller front. The season-long storylines currently lack a cohesive thread, while certain characters lack a storyline at all. And there’s a mound of unfulfilled potential buried beneath the writers’ desire to remain in the past. At this point last season, Supergirl faced a similar problem, fighting one-off villains frequently enough that their major threat of Cadmus wasn’t much of a focus, but things picked up pretty heavily around episode fourteen. There’s hope that once we return from this extended hiatus that the worldkillers’ agenda and the Legion’s relevance will all become clear.
The worldkillers were a promising threat at their introduction, and since then have delivered a few chills and thrills, but as a whole, their development has fallen flat. They have a mission, an agenda to execute more strategically than just going after criminals one by one, but they’ve given us no indication what that could be. Withholding this information has weakened both the threat and our heroes.
While the worldkillers pose a serious threat when they’re out in the world dispensing justice, they’ve only been a threat on the few instances when their actions happen to cross paths with the DEO. This makes Supergirl and the DEO reactive, but moreso, inactive when they should be the ones driving the story. Although the DEO did manage to track Julia, they have placed barely any effort into tracking Reign because they “can’t,” which is just code for lazy writing. And even if there’s actually no way to track Reign, they should at least be trying different ideas and plans non-stop instead of waiting around for five hours for the crystal to produce any results. Why hasn’t the DEO surfed through every surveillance camera in the city to track Reign? Why haven’t they staged a trap to acquire a sample of Reign’s blood to synthesize her Kryptonite?
As much as I love that there are humans trapped in the same host body as the worldkillers because it gives Supergirl someone to save, and Supergirl is all about hope, which the writers are starting to remember, it doesn’t make sense from a creation standpoint. It’s a combination of odd choices by both the writers and the Kryptonian creators. These genetically modified vessels of destruction don’t have to follow any rules, so why do they have design flaws? Why give the worldkillers a human persona when they could have just incubated in a pod until their awakening? If they wore a mask while dispensing justice, they would still have a secret, seemingly human identity that allowed them to hide in plain sight. This would make them even more difficult to track down because their faces wouldn’t appear in any database. Also, why not wake the worldkillers at the same time to create maximum impact? They could be more powerful and more efficient than they are, and I’m not seeing a reason why they’re not.
The Legion has been exhibiting the same unfulfilled potential as the worldkillers. The Legion has a mission, an agenda to fulfill, but we were completely unaware that this mission existed. It’s unclear what the writers are trying to do with Mon-El and the Legion thus far because they haven’t been using the Legion, and until this episode, they haven’t been trying very hard to send them away. The only purpose the Legion served in “Both Sides Now” was to take focus away from the real threat, using J’onn and Winn to fix their ship instead of tracking the worldkillers. I’m sure the Legion ship has some undamaged technology that could help the DEO, so why haven’t they been more useful? It’s a situation where the writers need to either use the Legion or send them away because this middle ground causes too many audience questions and concerns.
The episode begins when Supergirl kicks down the door to Julia Freeman’s house, and the DEO encroaches upon the second worldkiller. Sitting in her living room, Julia is so engrossed in her music that she doesn’t notice the intruders until face to face with Supergirl. Scared, Julia begs Supergirl not to let them hurt her. Alex’s increasing intensity kicks Julia into worldkiller mode – white eyes and sonic screams. Supergirl builds a freeze-breath barrier, which J’onn phases through and handcuffs Julia.
We know Purity is a worldkiller. The characters are pretty sure she’s a worldkiller. But regardless, here we have the problematic treatment of a character, especially when you take into consideration that she’s a minority. When the DEO breaches her door, Julia has posed no threat, committed no crime, and not even turned into the worldkiller she’s destined to be. And yet, they treat her as a hostile and lock her in a cell without a single character questioning the legality and morality of assuming her guilt. James would have, like he did with Maxwell Lord, but James was nowhere to be found this week. Even though the series touched upon this moral dilemma in season one, this would have been an opportune moment to circle back and examine what experiences and evidence they’re using to justify their current decision.
Finding Lena taking over her L Corp responsibilities, Sam worries she’s being demoted. Inaccurate. After Luthor Corp acquired the company where Sam was a junior VP, Lena saw Sam working at 3 a.m. and knew she was a special employee, but Sam doesn’t need to prove her value anymore. Sam’s earned a day off to spend with her daughter.
Lena’s line about Sam not needing to prove herself at work anymore reminded me of a Cat Grant line from season one. “Women have to work twice as hard as a man to be thought of as half as good.” It’s sad and all too relatable that Sam wants to work as hard as she always does despite her illness because she knows she needs to. And it’s comforting, but rare, that her boss understand this struggle and places her employee’s well-being at the forefront.
Winn hooks up Julia’s Kryptonian crystal to a handy dandy machine that’ll take five hours to locate the worldkillers’ headquarters. Mon-El asks J’onn to borrow a battery from J’onn’s space car that will prevent the Legion ship from losing the ability to fly. It only works after Winn converts it to the right measurement system.
If the Legion ship was a mere twenty-four hours from losing the ability to fly, why wasn’t this a concern earlier? If the Legion gets trapped in the past because their ship’s battery died, then they don’t deserve to call themselves heroes. I’m sure Mon-El, Imra, and Brainy have been working in off-screen land to fix the ship, but still. This problem came across as a last minute way to fill the episode’s secondary storyline, and the scenes were filled with exposition that made it obvious the writers were working hard to make sense of this story.
Having used her favorite, foolproof method to determine the truth, Supergirl looked into Julia’s eyes and saw an innocent woman, not the worldkiller currently in control of her body. If they can get through to Julia, they can reason with her. Alex disagrees, having seen a capable liar who wanted to kill Supergirl. They’ll try Supergirl’s way first, but when that fails, Alex is taking over. Supergirl plays good cop and learns the worldkiller is named Purity. Bad cop Alex ridicules Purity for her haughty attitude and promises she’ll get under Purity’s skin. Purity calls the Danvers sisters out on their shoddy interrogation routine.
And she’s right. Kara and Alex failed to remember that they’re stronger together. Their differing interrogation methods could have been a pre-planned strategy that would’ve been more effective and created a more cohesive scene. It was odd to see Alex Danvers, a woman who has an unwavering belief in Supergirl’s power and influence, undermine her sister’s authority during the interrogation.
Reading Julia’s life story aloud to Purity, Supergirl shows her a picture of the friend Julia saved. Purity’s façade cracks, almost allowing Julia to break through. Almost. Frustrated with no results, Alex tells Supergirl that while hope is a nice motto, it’s not practical; it causes Supergirl’s feelings to get in the way. Cynicism keeps people who aren’t bulletproof alive.
While this scene made the contrast between Kara’s optimism and Alex’s realism clear as can be, it lacked the justification that could have rooted this scene in deeper emotions. Alex’s viewpoint was driven by a combination of fear and anger at herself, but the scene indicated neither. Alex could have mentioned that Reign put Supergirl in a coma and broke her own leg, so her cynicism was grounded in the real fear of being severely hurt by Reign or losing her sister. In addition, it would have been interesting to have Kara call Alex out on being a bit hypocritical; Alex faulted Kara for having feelings because Alex was mad at herself for still having feelings about her breakup. I just wanted more from this scene, but at least we got the Danvers sisters scene at the end.
Using her gift to see inside people, Purity profiles Alex. Alex’s anger is her own fault. She’s hurt and weak after throwing away her chance at happiness. Storming out, Alex takes a breather and gets a hug from her little brother, Winn. Purity recites a Kryptonian proverb, awakening the crystal. The energy surge allows Purity to shatter her cell, steal the crystal, and escape. Reign heeds the crystal’s call, leaving Ruby alone at the ice rink.
Once we get rid of Purity, can we keep Julia around for a while because Krys Marshall is a delight. She succeeded in showing internal conflict on par with Odette Annable in Reign’s Psi-induced nightmare scene while differentiating both Julia and Purity from Sam and Reign. Remember that time Kara tried to mentor Mon-El at CatCo and it lasted for all of one episode? Julia seems like she would fit into a media organization, especially if CatCo had a column to review music and concerts, so they could find a way to incorporate her moving forward.
Space Dad adopts another kid, bringing Mon-El some Martian moonshine and advice learned during his 77-year marriage. Turns out, Mon-El and Imra married to create an alliance. Her family leads a faction of planets that opposed Earth, and Mon-El is somehow a representative of Earth, even though no one agreed to that. Over time, he grew to actually love her, but being around Kara stirs up old feelings and causes friction with Imra.
Mon-El and Imra’s political marriage isn’t too much of a surprise given the lack of intimacy we’ve seen between them, but it is a surprise that the writers would take this path… again. Remember that arranged marriage plot from last season? Yeah, that was awkward. What’s more awkward is that Mon-El has somehow gained the authority to consider himself a representative of Earth. The writers tried to frame this marriage as character development for Mon-El, showing he cared about the well-being of others more than himself. But is it really character development if we see none of the development? Sending the character away, only to have him return as a changed man looks more like a severe course correcting move.
Good thing Lena’s wearing a fuzzy winter coat because Ruby calls cool Aunt Lena for a ride home from the ice rink. Learning of Sam’s memory loss and dual personality, Lena promises Ruby she’ll find an answer, just like she always does.
Winn gives the team sonic dampeners before they surround Purity at the metro station. Purity’s screams crack the building and send the DEO crashing to the floor below. Catching Supergirl in a chokehold, Purity glitches long enough for Alex to see Julia. Alex apologizes for not having hope and swears to help Julia beat this. Reign joins the pummel party, and Julia, back in control, turns herself over to Reign. Kara realizes that maybe they’re not supposed to beat the worldkillers; they’re supposed to save them.
Upset she wasn’t invited to the worldkiller fight, Imra asks Mon-El to confide in her. He apologizes for his behavior; it’s been confusing being back here because he doesn’t know if he still loves Kara. Imra decides it’s time for Mon-El to know the truth about their current mission.
This reveal fell flat because it felt like something tacked on specifically for the purpose of it being a cliffhanger. There was no build up, no indication that Imra and Brainy had a secret mission. But how could there have been when Brainy has been almost as absent as Imra? In addition, it failed to pique my interest because there wasn’t even a hint to indicate what the mission is. There is nothing to theorize about because there is no information, and that creates no investment in this storyline at the current moment.
Kara joins Alex at the alien bar to make sure they’re ok. Yeah, they’re okay, but Alex… not so much. She has two numbers on speed dial: Kara and Maggie. Everyday she wants to call Maggie, and then she wants to delete her, but she can’t do either because she’s scared and weak. It’s not getting any easier, and that’s why she lost hope. Kara recently lost hope too, thinking she’d never get over Mon-El, but she is. She adds: Alex was hopeful when she made the decision that she could have more. Alex will have a wife. A child. She will have all the things.
This scene was a gem. Honest. Emotional. Supportive. Relatable. But most importantly, optimistic. It was a simple, well-written, beautifully acted message that it’s okay to feel, it’s okay to falter, it’s okay to doubt, but it’s not okay to give up because it will get better and you deserve a shot at happiness. This scene was what both the Danvers sisters and what I needed at this moment.
But this scene was at least the second time the Danvers sisters have had a conversation where Kara reassured Alex she made the right decision regarding Maggie; the first came in “Crisis on Earth-X.” It’s understandable that Alex would still be affected, still be heartbroken over her breakup, so I don’t fault her for that, but hitting the self-doubt storyline again steps back any progress we thought she made earlier this season. Like they did in “Fort Rozz,” Alex can exhibit sadness without self-doubt and without being repetitious.
Panicked, Sam arrives at L Corp looking for Ruby, who’s asleep at Lena’s apartment. Sam further freaks that Lena told Ruby about her sickness, but Ruby already knew. All Lena did was assure Ruby that her mom didn’t abandon her. Sam’s eyes flicker into Reign in front of Lena, who knows what’s going on and is going to make Sam better.
Does Lena know know? Or does she just know that Sam has a split personality problem? Given this week’s Spoiler Room on EW.com, it seems likely that Lena has indeed uncovered Sam’s identity as Reign, and I’m hoping this turns out to be true. This storyline has the potential to unite otherwise disconnected threads of this season, bringing Lena into the worldkiller action and returning her to her roots of inventive technology. It’ll be fascinating to see how both Lena and Sam handle this knowledge and when and how they share it. Most importantly, I’m ready for the worldkiller storyline to finally reach its potential and ready for the characters to make an effort to actually solve the problem they’re facing.
ODDS AND ENDS:
– Supergirl returns April 16. Be sure to catch Legends of Tomorrow in the meantime.
– In the world of the show, is there currently life on Titan, or do they begin to inhabit the moon at a later date?
– Purity: I am the scalding light. I am the flood that sweeps away sins. I am the word and cry of justice.
Alex: Yeah, would you mind just condensing that a little bit… it’s long.
– Kara: Okay, let’s start with this, and I’ll try to talk you out of tequila.
Alex: Hmph, that’s a bold move.
– Alex: I’m glad that you’re the way that you are.
Kara: You too.
Come talk about “Both Sides Now” on our Supergirl discussion forum!
Stephanie Hall is a former competitive gymnast and current competitive Jeopardy watcher. Having earned an MFA in writing and producing for TV from Loyola Marymount University, Stephanie aims to create and review content that inspires creativity and a sense of purpose. Her favorite series include Fringe, Outlander, Supergirl, and pretty much anything with a female action hero. Follow Stephanie on Twitter @_stephaniehall
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View Comments
It was a good episode. A lot of emotions on the screen. A few mistakes, but the most important thing is that Supergirl has shown the essence of the hero, Supergirl is really a superhero show. The main characters are good represent. I enjoyed the scene that the Danver´s sisters conducted the interrogation. Kara is guided by hope, she´s from the house of El and that´s their legacy ( i really wanted that Snyder understood this), while Alex has the spirit of a soldier inside herself, and she´s afraid because she knows what a Worldkiller is capable of. I liked that divergence of ideas. It is very clear now that Supergirl only grows up the level when they focus on main story. But the series has a lot of characters, and the writers doens´t know how to match them in the main story. Then, sometimes they do all those non-sense arcs for the rest of the cast. They could work better on that. Another fact that also hinders the development of the story completely, is the fact that the series own a season with 22 episodes. This delay a lot the rythm of the series. I really wanted that this series were about 16 episodes, with an 50 minute episode at least, to work well al those bunch of characters. But despite all this, i think they are still doing an acceptable job with this superhero show. Good review by the way.