Supergirl - S2E19 – Alex

Previously on Supergirl: Ace Reporter

I’ve always maintained that any episode of Supergirl that focuses primarily on sisters Alex and Kara is going to be a season highlight. Throw in Alex’s beautiful and honest relationship with city detective Maggie Sawyer, and you have what is probably the best episode of the season. Alex also manages to continue the Lena/Rhea intrigue with considerable momentum.

There’s conflict a-plenty as Kara pretty much wastes seventeen hours of Maggie’s time during a hostage crisis. Just as Maggie appeared to have a breakthrough with a couple of bank robbers, Kara flies in and apprehends the bad guys, much to Maggie’s dismay. At dinner later, Maggie pulls Kara up for her appearance saying word is getting around that criminals are using Supergirl’s appearance as an example of vigilante behaviour which could cause contamination of crime scenes. Kara is so sure of herself she can’t see the logic behind Maggie’s words. I happen to agree here, for the most part. I think there’s an important distinction to be made between what a superhero can do and what they should do. Well and good, if they’re called for assistance, then that’s a different matter. Maggie had this handled, but Kara decided that she could do better. Kara leaves the dinner table in a huff, but Alex goes off after her. A sinister figure in the elevator with Alex doesn’t bode well for her safety, however.

When Alex fails to return home that night and at work the following morning, Maggie goes to Kara for help. Kara gets a call from Alex’s number, but it’s not her sister on the other end of the line. Alex has been kidnapped and unless Kara breaks a guy called Peter Thompson from jail, her life will be forfeit. What’s almost as bad is, the perpetrator knows Kara is Supergirl. The DEO get on the case, and it comes to light that Thompson has a son who lived in the same town as Kara when she was a young girl. Rick Thompson had a thing for Alex back then, but he had problems of his own – namely an abusive mother. His father, who’s currently doing time for manslaughter, saved him from his mother, but circumstances have separated them again. Rick’s been planning this scheme for a year and will not back down when Kara confronts him in his home in Midvale. Even using J’onn as a decoy doesn’t work. Rick sees through that ruse quite easily.

While all this is going on, Alex is using her experience to try save herself. Cutting herself open with a credit card, she hotwires her tracker to send a message to the team. Against Maggie’s advice, Kara rushes to where she thinks Alex is, only for another booby trap to come into play. Kara and the team now have four hours to save Alex’s life, otherwise she will drown. Maggie is furious once more with Kara, saying that she has as much to lose as Supergirl does. Alex is the love of her life.

But desperate times call for desperate measures. Maggie hatches a plan to break Thompson out of prison using DEO weapons and equipment. Just as she’s about to succeed in her plan, Kara turns up and uses her previous argument against her. Before she crosses a line that would damage her professionally and personally, Kara persuades Maggie to use a father’s love for his son to find out where Rick is holding Alex. And just in time, too. Despite using her work pants as a means to float above the rising water, Alex is literally on her last breath before Kara and Maggie break her out in a nicely tense scene, directed with poise and purpose by Rob Greenlea. Later, Alex gets personal satisfaction when she punches Rick before J’onn mindwipes the kidnapper’s memory of Kara and the DEO. Alex asks Maggie to marry her, and she says yes. Awwwh.

The episode’s main subplot takes place between Lena Luthor and Mon-El’s mother Rhea, who’s attempting to use LuthorCorp to help build a transmatter portal. Lena initially refuses to cooperate upon learning of Rhea’s alien origins. She tries calling Kara for advice, but Kara is busy with her own family issues. But Rhea is no slouch in the manipulation department and uses Lena’s family struggles to help bring her around. How this will play out for the remaining episodes of the season is anyone’s guess. One thing is for sure, though: it’s not going to go well for Kara and Mon-El. Probably not for Lena, either.