Filmmaker Kevin Smith returns to direct the fifth episode of the third season, as we get some heavy tension between Lena Luthor and Morgan Edge, along with the end of the show’s sole remaining relationship.
Previously, on SUPERGIRL…
The last two episodes had started to move away from the consequences of the second season finale, with Lena Luthor developing a weapon to put lead in the air to kill or repel the invading Daxamites. But the show goes back to that thread this week, as Morgan Edge tries to use that to destroy Lena’s reputation in National City.
As the episode starts, we learn that kids in National City are starting to suffer from pretty severe lead poisoning and are being hospitalized. Edge takes that opportunity to remind the City that Lena was responsible for the lead dispersal, that she’s responsible for the sick kids. At the urging of James Olsen, Lena steps aside from her duties at CatCo to let the media conglomerate cover the story without being seen as having ties to Lena.
Apparently, just saying something out loud makes everything happen immediately, without all that messy paperwork and bureaucracy.
The people of National City, who have been shown to be easily worked up by the slightest provocation, turn against Lena. She holds a press conference outside to address the issue, which does not go well. A grieving parent takes out a gun and starts shooting, hitting Olsen (who is probably wishing he was back in Metropolis… Superman would never let his bestest pal get shot!).
Lena, despondent, ends up hiding out at the house of her new CFO, Samantha, and proceeds to get drunk while Samantha and Kara, you know, the supposed star of the show, go snooping. With some good detective work, they figure out Lena’s lead bomb wasn’t the cause of the lead poisoning. Nope, it was Edge, framing Lena, which was pretty obvious from the minute he showed up at the hospital earlier in the episode.
Vindicated, Lena confronts Edge in the Luthor way – with a gun to his face. But she’s not as evil as her brother Lex is and gets knocked out by a thug who snuck up on her. It must have been a pretty good shot, too, since she was out long enough to be carried to a cargo plane and tied up while the plane took off. The plane is being controlled remotely and has a stockpile of the chemical that got the kids sick, which Edge plans to dump in the reservoir. Thankfully, Lena gets something of a distress call out before Edge has his military toady jam the signal and Supergirl saves the day.
While all this is going on, Kara’s sister Alex is dealing with her desire to be a mom while her soon-to-be-wife, Maggie, has stated she doesn’t want kids. They go back and forth on it for a while, asking themselves if they’re ready to give up on their relationship over this difference of opinion. Then there’s a final moment of intimacy – set beautifully to Cyndi Lauper’s “All Through the Night,” before they end things. And Maggie leaves, telling Alex she’s gonna be a great mom.
Oh, and Samantha was shot during the press conference, the bullet went right through her jacket and shirt, but was stopped by her impenetrable skin. There is definitely more to that woman than meets the eye, huh?
Show Notes
• Once again, there are some political comments that feel shoe-horned in. Lena mentions that she doesn’t want the lead situation in National City to turn into another Flint, Michigan, referencing the real-life water issues going on in the city. She also compares the Luthor name to bin Laden. Both of these references seem weird and very out-of-place on an Earth that has people in blue suits and red capes flying around saving everyone…
• The slow burn build to a Luthor-Olsen relationship continues, as Lena tells James that he can stop calling her Ms. Luthor, since he took a bullet for her. Olsen tells Lena that she can call him Jimmy… a name that the show has gone out of its way to avoid since the first season.
The Super Cinco
- Morgan Edge – Adrian Pasdar is SO GOOD as a smarmy villain, and he ramps up the evil this week, putting kids in near-death situations and nearly killing Lena. So far, Edge has been a great addition to the show. (Last Week’s Ranking – Unranked)
- James Olsen – The guy took a bullet to save his boss – after telling her she should step away from the media company he was running before she took over – and still managed to get back to work. Olsen is a baller. (Last Week’s Ranking – 2)
- Alex Danvers – Made the ridiculously difficult decision to end her engagement and her relationship with Maggie Sawyer over their difference of opinion on wanting kids. (Last Week’s Ranking – 4)
- Supergirl / Kara Danvers – Discovered Edge’s evil scheme and then saved her best friend from dying in a plane crash while also preventing the toxic chemicals from getting into the reservoir. (Last Week’s Ranking – 1)
- Samantha Arias – Stood by her friend Lena and helped Kara discover Edge’s evil scheme. Also, she found out she can stop bullets with her body. That’s impressive. (Last Week’s Ranking – 3)
That’s all for this week. Be sure to check out Joe’s recaps of THE FLASH and LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, and then I’ll be back later this week with ARROW and this week’s ARROWVERSE POWER RANKING!