Item: Supergirl
Rating: 9
Author: Steve Seigh

Last Updated on October 5, 2021

EPISODE 2: THE LAST CHILDREN OF KRYPTON

SYNOPSIS: Supergirl ends up seriously injured during an attack on National City by a kryptonite-powered villain; and Superman puts the blame for his cousin getting hurt on Hank, because the kryptonite was stolen from the DEO. Meanwhile, Kara’s first day at her new job doesn’t go as planned after she meets her new boss, Snapper Carr.

REVIEW:

I think there’s a chance that I inadvertently won the CW Superhero Show Review Lottery. Over the past few days, I’ve been catching up on shows like THE FLASH, LEGENDS OF TOMORROW, and ARROW – and there’s not a doubt in my mind that SUPERGIRL is currently soaring above the rest. Tonight’s episode, directed by series veteran Glen Winter, picked up right where last week’s “Adventures of Supergirl” debut left off. Now I know what some of you are thinking, “Dude, this sort of thing happens all the time. Directors stay on for several episodes at a time and it’s not really a big deal.” You’re not wrong, but one of the best things about tonight’s adventure is that it not only continues the narrative thread woven by Kara and Clark’s exploits, it also maintains the tone and heart of that first exemplary episode.

For me, “The Last Children of Krypton” (written by Robert L. Rovner and Caitlin Parrish) represents much of why SUPERGIRL is leading the super-powered charge on television this season. Not only has this (essentially) two-part episode featured my ideal version of Superman (Tyler Hoechlin), it’s also got some of the best action this side of the DCU. Honestly, it’s blowing my mind a little that Superman’s guest-appearance has been executed as this entirely pleasant and measured bit of storytelling. Adding to my excitement, I found the combined efforts of both Supergirl and Superman an absolute joy to watch – and I’d be lying if I said that I’m glad to hear that Clark will be returning to Metropolis by the close of tonight’s credits.

As the events of tonight’s episode begin to unfold, we find Kara at the mercy of her new and most certainly curmudgeonly boss, Snapper Carr (Ian Gomez). As if his sourpuss wasn’t enough to contend with, Superman and Supergirl are thrust into their first ordeal with the shadowy mad science-driven genetic engineering project, Cadmus. Not a group to pull any punches, Project Cadmus unleashes their home-brewed and Kryptonite-powered menace Metallo on our unsuspecting dynamic duo. Confused by how Project Cadmus was able to gain access to a sizable amount of kryptonite, an angry Superman turns to Hank Henshaw for answers. Understandably, this places Kara in an awkward position, as she’s forced to come down from the emotional high of her cousin’s arrival and confront the cracks forming at the foundation of her DEO family.

And while we’re on the topic of Kara’s DEO crew, I’m going to take a moment give it up for both Winn (Jeremy Jordan) and Alex (Chyler Leigh) – whose contributions to this episode were just as memorable as that of Kara and Clark’s daring do. For me, I’ve always viewed Winn’s character as not much more than the program’s plucky comic relief – the resident tech whose knowledge of computers goes far beyond his pay grade. Like Felicity on ARROW, Winn is the guy you want to have in your pocket when villains like Livewire or the Toyman come to town – someone who can manipulate the Cat. Co. grid like one of those Rubic’s Cube savants you see on the internet. Now that he’s no longer fawning over Kara and is an integral part of the DEO, Winn’s character is finally is a position to shine with his geeky observations and humorous jabs at the obvious. He slays in this episode with a series of blunt quips in addition to his laughably unabashed love for Big Boy Blue.

Furthermore, let’s talk about Alex for a moment. Hers is a character that took a lot of warming up to for me during that first season. While I appreciate her serving as Kara’s “emotional anchor” throughout that first year, I was really hoping to see her come into her own by the start of this second season. Not only have the writers given her some solid comedic material to deliver, she’s kicking ass and taking names like a champ here in this episode. I mean really, did you see her going after Metallo in that mechanized suit of hers? I’d be real curious to find out who the fight choreographer is for this particular show, because the fisticuffs featured in SUPERGIRL are doing more to impress me than any of the other comic-related shows on the CW. Truthfully, I’m really digging the way Alex gets involved. Never content to hide behind her sister’s cape, Agent Danvers has been meeting alien threats head-on for a while now, and I hope the trend of her busting out those sweet grappling moves continues to be a part of the action.

I think perhaps what I like best about this episode is that the events of it look to have sobered Kara in a way that I feel is essential to her character growing up a bit. With the battle won, and Superman returning to Metropolis, Kara now knows first-hand that her legendary cousin trusts her with the fate of an entire city. While people like you or I have known all along that she’s a more-than-capable hero, it doesn’t hurt for Kara to know for certain that she has the love and admiration of a familial role model to reflect on in times of doubt and panic. And maybe that was the point all along – to create a scenario in which Supergirl loved having Superman around, but ultimately discovers that she doesn’t need him by her side to win the day. I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe that this season we will see Kara rise to new heights both as a hero and as a resident of the planet Earth.

It would probably behoove me to mention that a lot of other stuff happened in this episode. Most of it regarding Kara’s new reporting gig, Cat relinquishing her position to James Olsen as the driving force behind Cat Co., or the part where our not-so-mysterious pod person regained consciousness. I could talk about these things, but I have a feeling that they’ll be plenty of time for all of it as we continue on into this exciting season of SUPERGIRL. Change, and perhaps even growth seem to be the themes of this season, and it should be very interesting to see how Kara and her friends cope with all that will inevitably be thrown their way in the coming months.

SCORE:

STINGER: Episode 3: Welcome to Earth – Kara fears the recently escaped Mon-El is behind an attack on the president, who Supergirl and the DEO have been assigned to protect; at the same time, the hot-button issue of aliens vs. human rights divides National City.