SUPERGIRL: HEROES VS ALIENS PART ONE RECAP

Thanksgiving at Kara and Alex’s apartment is interrupted by what appears to be a riff in time. What can it be? More on that later, warning, spoiler ahead…

The episode called “Medusa” kicks off the eagerly awaited four-night crossover event that will continue through all of the CW’s DC Television properties. This was more of a standalone episode with the real payoff coming in the final 30 seconds. I almost see this entry as a way to continue to attract new viewers. The real invasion kicks off tomorrow night on The Flash. For that alone, I was a bit disappointed but to be fair, Supergirl was hyped to be a kick off to the invasion storyline that will follow. That hype for some may appear a bit misleading but there is still a lot of good here to talk about.

It was great seeing Eliza (Helen Slater) show up and play a more pivotal role in advancing the narrative when an anti-alien virus is unleashed on National City by Lillian Luthor (Brenda Strong) and Cadmus. This virus infects Mon-El and we learn that its origins are kryptonian which prompts Kara to go to the Fortress of Solitude for answers. This virus called Medusa turns out to be the creation of Kara’s father as a means to fight alien treats against Krypton.

There is a growing connection forming between Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) and Kara as they both face harsh truths about their own parents. Kara as Supergirl goes so far as to warn Lena about her mother but is quickly rejected by Lena who feels that Supergirl’s views on what is good and what is wrong is no different than how Superman dealt with Lex.

The climax of “Medusa” featured an awesome fight between J’onn and Cyborg Superman. Ending with Supergirl delivering the final knockout blow. When it appears that Lena is helping her mother release the anti-alien virus to the rest of National City, it turns out she was outsmarting Lillian by switching the virus. She even called the police, exposing her mother’s crimes for the entire world to see. You can clearly see the good in Lena. How all this will shape up will be fascinating.

Supergirl — “Medusa” — Image SPG208b_0143 — Pictured(L-R): Chris Wood as Mike/Mon-El and Melissa Benoist as Kara/Supergirl — Photo: Bettina Strauss/The CW — ÃÂ© 2016 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved

Lots questions remain when Supergirl returns. There is J’onn who seemed to embrace becoming a White Martian. There’s Alex who continues to learn more about who she is both on a sexual level and a woman in general. Kudos to Chyler Leigh on her fine acting and to continue to ground the series with her all too human feelings. Personally I can do with the whole Guardian storyline with James and Winn. Thankfully it was all but shutdown in this episode. And then there’s the interaction between Kara and Mon-El. The two did share a kiss. Unfortunately for Kara when Mon-El was cured of the virus, he had no memory of the kiss they had. The chemistry between Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood seem more natural and not forced on us.