Kyle’s Thoughts

Supergirl’s season gained a lot of clarity in “The Darkest Places,” and that’s a good thing. The bombshells that fell this week should have lasting repercussions, unless Supergirl is subject to Flashpoint. This is the week before a Flash–Supergirl crossover, so you never know. Still, it’s unlikely Flashpoint will affect Supergirl in the same way as Arrow. I reserve the right to change my opinion of “The Darkest Places” if Flashpoint does a number on Supergirl. That said, “The Darkest Places” was solid.

“The Darkest Places” handled Supergirl’s romantic storylines well. The restraint from showing people jumping into bed with anyone in which they are in deep like has the series building relationships. Mon-El expressed an interest in Kara. I’m not sure if his feelings will be returned, but with the exception that it was obvious Mon-El and Kara would tempt romance, I like how Supergirl has handled this so far. The potential Alex-Maggie love story is back on the table. Again, Supergirl is handling this story well; it refrains from showing gratuitous sex. J’onn and M’gann may have a romantic entanglement too, but M’Gann’s origin is one of the major bombshells. Or should I say truth bombs?

J’onn finds out that M’Gann is a white Martian instead of a green Martian. Her survivor’s guilt should have legs. It also keeps J’onn relevant. Lillian Luthor (Lena and Lex’s mom) reveals to Kara that she’s the head of Cadmus. Kara must consider how she’ll handle this information; Lena could side with her mother. Kara and the Luthors just got more interesting. Jimmy’s secret identity is also spilled to Alex by way of Winn. Jimmy doesn’t know Alex knows his secret. We’ll have to see how long she can keep this secret from everyone. I hope Supergirl takes its time building this tension. These three bombs made “The Darkest Places” a jam-packed episode, but there’s more.

Jeremiah Danvers (Dean Cain) returned. He helped Mon-El and Kara escape from Cadmus. Of course, Kara let Alex know she saw her father and that he was well. The fact she shared this information should eat away at Alex until she lets Kara know Jimmy’s secret. If Danvers’ return wasn’t enough, Cyborg Superman made his debut. He’s the real Hank Henshaw—or a Cadmus upgrade from the original—and comic fans should enjoy that pay off.

Even with all these positives, “The Darkest Places” had some hiccups. There might be too much going on. I’m still not sold on Jimmy as a vigilante. He logged the most superhero work by tracking down a serial killer, but he was a stand-in for Kara, while she was captured. This week marks another episode without much mention of Kara’s journalist career. Kara’s role as a journalist grounds her, and Supergirl loses something when it’s not present; Jimmy as a superhero continues to detract from this storyline.

Why must Arrowverse shows recycle plot devices? Supergirl ends with Cyborg Superman retrieving data about last year’s Undertaking of a plot device Medusa. While I like how Supergirl uses vernacular its TV viewers would understand (other Arrowverse shows might pull an obscure comic reference never touched on in the show), it might be too soon to bring back Medusa.

Overall, “The Darkest Places” was a solid episode. I have misgivings about a Flash-Supergirl crossover but they stem more from the Flash. Supergirl continues to outshine the other CW superhero shows. Thanks for reading.