Item: Supergirl
Rating: 9
Author: Steve Seigh

Last Updated on October 5, 2021

EPISODE 13: MR. & MRS. MXYZPLK

SYNOPSIS: When Mr. Mxyzptlk (guest star Peter Gadiot), a magical imp, shows up on Earth and declares his love for Kara (Melissa Benoist), she tries to let him down easy, thinking him harmless. However, he decides it’s a challenge and starts to wreak havoc on National City. Mon-El (Chris Wood) has seen beings like Mr. Mxyzptlk on Daxam and knows how dangerous they can be. He and Kara argue over how to get rid of Mr. Mxyzptlk, further straining their relationship. Meanwhile, Alex (Chyler Leigh) and Maggie (Floriana Lima) celebrate their first Valentine’s Day together.

REVIEW:

Oh my goodness, I hardly know where to begin. Here, how about a little music to set the mood? There, now that we’ve got Sir Elton John in the house, we can begin our review. For starters, I had a really good feeling about tonight’s episode, with the confidence that Mr. Mxyzptlk would make for one hell of a character cameo. Unsurprisingly, the fifth-dimensional imp added a ton of fun to an already charming episode of SUPERGIRL, which turned out to be a slightly-delayed Valentine’s Day treat. That’s right, love was in the air this evening, and I’m not just talking about Kara’s impromptu engagement proposal from a Golden Age genie-like nuisance.

First off, let’s talk about the energy of tonight’s episode, because it was chock full of the stuff from the moment Mr. Mxyzptlk entered the scene. With a snap of his fingers, he magicked Mon-El back to the DEO, and left him wearing nothing but his super-undies. I laughed my ass off at this scene. I like Mon-El and all, but there was something about the way he played the situation real cool that had me rolling. Personally, I thought Mr. Mxyzptlk (Peter Gadiot) was a real charmer. Oh, don’t get me wrong, the guy is a total danger to himself and those around him, but I think that, deep down, he had the best of intentions. I really enjoyed the way Melissa Benoist and Peter Gadiot got along on-screen. Those instances where “Mxyz” was getting a little too close and personal, and Kara was having none of it, were golden. Furthermore, I pumped my fist at the way Kara stressed the importance of consent, this episode. Forcing yourself on someone is never the right choice, and I’m glad that SUPERGIRL took the time to address this topic so naturally and cleverly.

Switching gears for just a moment, let’s talk about my boy Winn. Dude went and got himself an alien girlfriend this episode, and holy hell is she a bad ass! Just as a little FYI, Lyra (Winn’s new squeeze) hails from the planet Starhaven. Um, okay, so where’s that then? Well, Starhaven hade its first mention in the comic book issue Superboy #226 (1977). Starhaven is, according to Comicbook.com “the home planet of both Legion of Super-Heroes member Dawnstar and R.E.B.E.L.S. member Wildstar. Located near the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, Starhaven is a planet with little industry as the residents prefer to live in a culture much like that of a traditional Native American culture. The residents of Starhaven worship the Great Spirit, an entity that they believe creates order in the universe. Much like Dawnstar, the native inhabitants of Starhaven each have a pair of feathered wings that allow them to fly at supersonic speeds, faster than the speed of sounds.” So now you know, and knowing is half the battle. Actually, there’s a lot more involved in knowing half of the battle of anything, but there’s no time to go down that rabbit hole, right now.

For me, I hope that Lyra sticks around, and that she and Winn can make something of their budding relationship. Mr. Schott is a good-hearted dude, and I think that he and Lyra can potentially add an interesting “mixed race” relationship angle to the show if the writers play their cards right. After all, this season of SUPERGIRL has been almost as much about making positive statements toward relationship equality as it has been about kicking and punching. Some readers have commented that I go too far with this stuff in my reviews, but the bottom line is that the relationships these characters have forged is the primary reason I’ve remained so engaged with this show. Not only are these themes and subjects important to me, they’re well written and entertaining scenarios to boot. It’s not just about my agenda, it’s about quality, and SUPERGIRL is making big strides for a selection of under-represented groups.

As we move on down the line, let’s talk for a moment about Mon-El’s inability to listen. Seriously, what’s with this guy? I know that he’s saying Kara is his kryptonite and all (yeah, I almost threw up in my mouth at that line as well), but this dude’s got to learn to use his ears if he hopes to have any chance of winning Kara’s affections. I can appreciate that he loves her, but a girl needs her space, and if she tells you that she has the situation handled, let her handle it. That said, I do like that writers Jessica Queller and Sterling Gates resisted the urge to hit the fast-forward button on Mon-Kara (I make no apologies for giving them a couple’s nickname). Using the character of Mr. Mxyzptlk was smart way of keeping their advances at bay, even if it was for just an additional 45 minutes worth of show. For my money, the antics and actions of Mr. Mxyzptlk served to elevate Mon-El’s character, in that the imp’s meddling taught our dashing Daxamite a valuable lesson or two in the art of love. As a result, I feel like Mon-El has leveled up, and is finally ready to start using his super hearing for more than heroics. Wait … does Mon-El even have super hearing? Either way, you know what I mean.

Another highlight of tonight’s special Valentine’s Day episode was the “Sanvers” sub-plot, which included Maggie revealing to Alex the story of how she was outed by someone she thought she could trust. There’s two key moments surrounding this part of tonight’s narrative that I thought were awesome. First, I loved the way Alex shot back at Maggie when Agent Sawyer freaked out about Alex’s saucy plans for the evening. Not to get all high and mighty, but she was right, relationships are a compromise. A large part of creating a life with another person is being willing to adjust to your significant others needs. It can’t be about you all the time, that’s just not how it works. I loved when Alex was like, “Whoa! You don’t get to just walk out of here. We need to talk about this.” I’m paraphrasing, but that’s the jist of it. This was an important and impactful scene, I thought, and one that serves to highlight just how much Alex has taken control of her life during this season of the show.

The other moment I’m speaking of, as you will assuredly guess, is near the end when Alex and Maggie make their peace … and then sweet, sweet love from what I would surmise. If it’s one thing I like it’s resolution, and ending their quarrel with a heart-to-heart followed by compromise was the best way this thread could have concluded for tonight. Add to that the fist-pump worthy makeout session between Kara and Mon-El and you’ve got a comics-inspired Valentine’s Day episode for the ages.

Ah, and before we get out of here, I have a confession to make. I’ve been watching this show from the very beginning, but never have I felt anything more than admiration for Melissa Benoist as an actress and all-around cool human being. Tonight though, that kinda changed. I think that, after tonight’s episode. I might have developed a hardcore crush on Supergirl. Maybe it was the lightning, or her steadfast demeanor, by holy hell did Benoist charm the pants off of me in the final moments of tonight’s adventure. For real, I kind of wanted to jump into my TV screen, deck Chris Wood in his chiseled jaw, and steal his scene. Ha ha ha! That said, I’m a happily married man, and my wife is already quite super.

See you next week, folks!

SCORE:

STINGER: Homecoming – Alex and Kara are thrilled to have their father, Jeremiah Danvers, back after he’s rescued from Cadmus. The Danvers arrange a family dinner to celebrate, but things go awry when a suspicious Mon-El starts to question Jeremiah about his sudden return.