SUPERGIRL Review: “In Search of Lost Time”

Supergirl — “In Search of Lost Time” Pictured (L-R): Melissa Benoist as Kara/Supergirl and Chris Wood as Mon-El — Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW

SUPERGIRL REVIEW: “IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME” 

BY CYNTHIA VINNEY

As Supergirl opens, we’re back where the last episode ended: in Lena’s sleek, fancy medical cell where she’s keeping Sam. Lena’s figured out that Sam is morphing into Reign, and has placed her in a medically induced coma but is now faced with waking her up to conduct further tests.

Meanwhile, back in DEO-land, the gang is at home playing charades when a distress call comes in. An alien has gone destruct-o-rama in a downtown bar. After taking her down, we learn the alien, a Kalanorian, had no record and wasn’t provoked. But J’onn dismisses the issue, saying Kalanorians are psychic and prone to outbursts. Besides, the team needs to focus on finding the additional Worldkillers before Reign and Purity do. Imra and Brainy have gone to explore a river of blood in the Arctic hoping to find the Worldkiller Pestilence.

When Sam wakes up, Lena tells her she’s turning into Reign, but Sam won’t accept Lena’s diagnosis. She tries to leave, but Lena keeps her in her cell.

James visits Lena, who reveals just enough of what’s going on with Sam for him to understand the “emergency” Lena’s currently enmeshed in. He observes that even if you want to help someone all you can really do is “hold up a mirror” for them.

Back at the DEO, Mon-el and Kara review footage of past fights with Reign as they attempt to figure out how to beat her. Outfitted in his repaired Legion suit, courtesy of Winn, Mon-El attempts to show Supergirl how to use her cape to fight.

J’Onn takes his father to the DEO where M’yrnn “prays.” Inside the DEO, people start to get agitated. Winn and a co-worker fight while a frustrated Supergirl punches Mon-El. It turns out M’yrnn is using a psychic technique to try to combat his dementia. But it’s begun to impact the people around him, starting with the Kalanorian at the bar.

Taking James’s advice to heart, Lena provokes Sam into going all Reign. When Sam is herself again, Lena shows her a recording of her transformation and Sam finally believes Lena.

Meanwhile, J’onn realizes his father is causing the outbursts of aggression happening around the DEO. J’onn could use dampening technology to confine his father’s psychic energy, but he’s reluctant to do so because it would strip M’yrnn of his independence, and besides J’onn just got his father back. Alex convinces J’onn that it’s a necessary evil.

Supergirl practices the cape techniques Mon-El has been teaching her. He asks if she punched him earlier because of some pent-up anger towards him, which Kara denies. They start to spar as J’onn attempts to explain to M’yrnn that he’s hurting people. M’yrnn denies it and becomes increasingly angry as he realizes J’onn wants to restrain him.

However, as M’yrnn gets angrier, so do the other people at the DEO. Supergirl goes off on Mon-El, yelling at him about everything he’s put her through, until Alex comes in and gives her a device to make her invulnerable to the psychic attack.

M’yrnn’s psychic energy gets so overpowering it releases all the aliens from their containment cells. The DEO’s in chaos. Agents are fighting other agents, while Supergirl, Mon-El, and Alex, attempt to stop the released aliens. On the plus side, in the heat of battle, Supergirl finally masters the cape techniques Mon-El was teaching her earlier.

J’onn tries to get his father to understand what’s happening when M’yrnn sees a white Martian and panics. J’onn overcomes the white Martian as Supergirl reasons with M’yrnn, who finally realizes he must give in and let J’onn use the dampening device on him.

In the aftermath of the incident, Kara confesses to Mon-El that the experience made her realize she wasn’t really OK with everything between them, but she’s glad it came out because it’s taken a load off her. Mon-El apologizes for being a jerk in the past. They make up and go out flying when dead birds start falling from the sky.

Pestilence has arrived.

This was a great episode, with a number of storylines about accepting and dealing with hard truths. It was nice to see several characters confront their unresolved issues. Despite the way it happened, it was good to see Kara finally call Mon-El out on all his bad behavior in the past, too. She had been suppressing her anger at him for too long and it was cathartic for her to finally acknowledge and express her feelings, and start to get over it.

Also, Sam accepting she’s becoming Reign may help Lena make some important discoveries about her and the other Worldkillers. While this story feels a little isolated right now, it could lead to some interesting revelations.

While Supergirl can be a serious show, this episode had a bunch of light, funny moments. Here are some of the best:

• J’onn’s father telling the team that his son used to cheat on a Martian game and blame his actions on his imaginary friend, who he claimed was a fifth dimensional imp named Zook.
• Kara carefully unbuttoning her blouse to reveal her super-suit while the others look on in confusion. “What? I like this shirt,” Kara explains.
• Supergirl taking down the Kalanorian in a photobooth. The strip of photos shows snapshots of the fight after Supergirl has incapacitated her.
• Winn: “I have done something amazing.” Kara: “Did you find pestilence?” Winn: “I have done something… OK.”
• During M’yrnn’s psychic outburst at the DEO, an enraged woman runs yelling towards Winn. A panicked Winn exclaims, “Pam from HR?” before stunning her and knocking her out.

That wraps things up for this week. Until next week—when Pestilence arrives in force.