“Nevertheless, She Persisted”: Go Get’em, Supergirl.

This week on the season finale of #Supergirl: Supergirl and Superman clash, Lena Saves the Day, SOMEONE PROPOSES.

Spoilers through Supergirl season two, episode twenty-two: “Nevertheless, She Persisted”

“The thing that makes women strong is that we have the guts to be vulnerable. We have the ability to feel the depths of our emotion and we know that we will walk through it to the other side.” – Words of wisdom from inimitable Cat Grant

Oh my Rao. Oh my Rao. There’s so much to discuss from the Supergirl season finale! Where does one even begin?

On the heels or “Resist”, “Nevertheless, She Persisted” starts off with a bang of Super proportions, as Rhea trots out a Silver Kryptonite-affected Superman. He battles Supergirl in epic fashion because the kryptonite makes him see her as Zod. Why he doesn’t question Zod working with Daxamites, I’m not sure, but Superman goes along with it like a drugged up angry puppy. I don’t know how much of their yearly budget the CW spent on the fight sequence between the Supers, but it had to be a lot. It’s wonderfully choreographed and tense in all the right moments with plenty of civilian destruction to justify Batman being angry.

And it’s a moment Supergirl needed to show. So often when Supergirl runs into trouble in National City, fans ask, “Where is Superman? Why isn’t he helping?” And now the show can point to this moment and say, “At full strength, Supergirl beat Superman.” It doesn’t mean he won’t be around, but it helps set the tone that this is Supergirl and not Superfamily. Also, Tyler Hoechlin is perfect as Superman, so he can fly in to visit whenever he wants.

Supergirl wins the battle, natch, though not without draining herself almost completely. Watching the House of El cousins duke it out is always an exciting prospect in a Super world, but I have to wonder if Rhea actually thought this move through. It’s clear the effects of silver kryptonite aren’t permanent and within seconds of fighting, the pair smash through the hull of the Daxamite ship down to National City again. Escaping their prison cell and reuniting the cousins once more.

The true miracle is that Alex managed to drag/carry/magic the Supers to the Fortress of Solitude, where they both healed and then flew off yet again to fight the Daxamites.

Trial By Combat and A Not-So-Sorry Goodbye

In the computer at the Fortress of Solitude, Kara and Kal learn that they could invoke an ancient Daxamite trial by combat. If Kara beats Rhea in a fight, the latter would have to leave Earth for good. If Kara loses, she has to stand by as Earth is made into New Daxam. It’s a classic showdown and one that isn’t all that surprising given the tone of the show, but I’m happy that this fight is reminiscent of the one between Kara and Astra from season one.

Of course Rhea cheats because you can’t expect the woman who murdered her own husband to really follow the rulebook, now can you? Thankfully, SuperFriends have a backup in the form of an alien device re-engineered by my girlfriend, Lena Luthor, to make the atmosphere inhospitable for Daxamites. It’s not an easy decision for Kara to make, having to say goodbye to the frat boy poster child, but it’s one she makes anyway because Kara is ultimately a good person and she will always put the safety of the people of Earth first. Unless it means risking Alex’s life. Then she’ll choose Alex. Obviously.

The goodbye between the (ugh) star-crossed was sorrowful enough, I guess, but I couldn’t be bothered to feel emotion where they were concerned. IF Mon-El had remained a friend that Kara sought to protect, if he hadn’t lacked faith in her, chided her decision making, and generally just been a sexist spit wad, then maybe I would have shed a tear. Maybe I would have understood Kara sharing her mother’s necklace, as a show of good faith between their two races. As it stands, however, I still hate Mike and he doesn’t deserve to have a memento of Kara or her family with him as he gets sucked into the phantom zone.

Kara: “It was my mother’s. She gave it to me the day I left Krypton. I had just watched little Kal-El get launched into space. Her world was falling apart around her and even in the middle of that she looked at me and smiled and said as long as I had this I would never be alone. She’d be with me in my dreams.”

TIME FOR A RANT-FUELED INTERLUDE:

Enter Exhibit AAAAA in the “Case Against Mon-El”:

Supergirl: “She’s (Rhea) not gonna win.”
Mon-El: “But what if she does? Do you know what will happen?”
Supergirl: “I just have to beat her, and I will.”
Mon-El: “What about Superman? Isn’t this his fight, too?”
Superman: “It’s everyone’s fight, but Kara just defeated me. She’s the champion of Earth.”

WHERE’S SUPERMAN?! I’M SORRY. WHERE ARE YOU, YOU SOGGY PIECE OF OATMEAL? ISN’T THAT YOOOOOUUUUUR MOTHER IN THE SKY SHOOTING LASERS? This arrogant sonovvabeeeeee gonna act like he has zero cards on the table.

I’ve said all along that Supergirl needs a voice of reason, a voice that doesn’t implicitly agree with every one of Kara’s decisions just because she’s the hero. That animosity between characters is what makes Legends of Tomorrow so compelling. However, Mon-El has NEVER believed in Kara’s ability to win in a fight. I’ve said it so many times that it actually pains me to type it out now. Why do we hate Mon-El? Because not once has he ever said, “Go get’em, Supergirl.” Or “You’re my hero.” Or “I’m proud of you.” Or “I’m humbled by you.” I don’t believe that even as her boyfriend (ugh), Mon-El should blindly support her every move without voicing his opinion, HOWEVER, he only supports her after she has saved the day. And it’s frustrating to watch, knowing that he’s a selfish pretend hero who wants to make this fight everyone else’s instead of owning up and saying, “Hey actually, this is my fight, too.”

Here’s what other characters had to say about Supergirl fighting Rhea to, you know, SAVE THE WORLD:

Cat: “What do you think, Kiera? Do you think Supergirl is ready for this?”
Kara: “She told me she is.”
Cat: “Well, great. Then I put all of my chips on the Girl of Steel.”

Without an ounce of hesitation, Cat Grant, mother of practically and logic, believes that Supergirl can win. Nay, she KNOWS Supergirl will win.

And when Lena and Winn had finished the device to make the air inhospitable to Daxamites:

Lillian: “You said it worked.”
Lena: “Oh, it does. I just gave Supergirl the remote. Only she can turn it on.”

Both Lena and Cat have the utmost faith in Supergirl’s ability to succeed AND her ability to make the tough decisions. Mon-El’s hesitation may come from a place of fear but that doesn’t mean that Cat and Lena and Alex and LITERALLY EVERYONE ELSE aren’t also afraid to lose Supergirl. They just know what she’s capable of and instead of casting doubt on her, they bring her up. Supergirl’s strength doesn’t just come from the yellow sun of Earth, but also from her friends. They are the heroes she needs to succeed. They are the ones she holds to heart when Rhea cheats and attacks the city anyway, when she bleeds kryptonite and Kara has to power through the pain. Not Mon-El, the unsupportive douchecanoe.

Someone Write Lena A Damn “Thank You” Note

It’s not just the SuperFriends’ faith that gets Supergirl through the tough times, it’s their ability to sacrifice when necessary. When Clark and Kara approach Cat about the upcoming trial by combat and ask Cat to slow reporting so that they could save innocents, Cat takes a step back and agrees. Even though it hurts her business to stop reporting, because the media is fueled by “on the minute” updates, Cat makes that sacrifice for the hero she believes in.

Lena, riddled with guilt over bringing the aliens to National City in the first place, works with Mama Cadmus (Lillian) to put a stop to the invasion, even though it’s clear the work causes her pain. Surrounded by memories of Lex and his descent into darkness, Lena has to push past her involvement in the current attack and be the hero National City needs. Despite the end result of her time with Rhea, Lena did learn one good lesson from the Daxamite Queen: she is capable of doing great things. Lena doesn’t have to be tainted by what her brother did or didn’t do. Just because he created a device to rid the world of aliens doesn’t mean it can’t also be used for good later on. It’s Lena’s ever-present good intentions that will see her become a hero. And she, like Kara, has consistently sacrificed her happiness for the good of the world.

Now if only someone in this damn universe would thank her for saving the world for a second time. Lena is looking for validation, any validation, and no one even at the DEO can muster up a damn fruit basket or bouquet of flowers? COME ON.

SUPERCORP INTERLUDE BECAUSE I HAVE TO.

Lena: “And they could never return, even Rhea’s son.”
Supergirl: “Mon-El would have to leave earth.”
Lena: “Did you know he was dating Kara Danvers?”

I know that logically she’s just angry that Kara Danvers, actual ray of sunshine, would be involved with an alien whose race has just attacked her planet, but I cannot help but read into the moment and slather it in subtext. Lena loves Kara. Pass it on.

ALSO: I just want to add that I think it was misstep in the writing to not mention Lena at the end of the episode at all. Yes, I know, she never gets thanked for her work, but at the end of the day, Kara Danvers is supposed to be Lena Luthor’s best friend, her ONLY friend. In that moment, Kara MUST know that Lena is in her office drinking scotch, thinking about how all of this is her fault, thinking how, she too, is all alone. Kara is grieving, of course, so I’ll give her a pass, but it’s unlike Kara to so completely ignore Lena’s feelings, too, even just as a friend.

Romance in Unexpected Places

M’gann’s arrival was a definite surprise in the season finale. Given her sudden return to Mars, I wasn’t sure we’d see her for the rest of the season, but thankfully, we’ve been good this year and Santa CW has seen fit to bestow upon us the gift that is M’gann. With her return comes a happy J’onn and while their reunion was brief, I’m beyond ecstatic we got it. J’onn hasn’t had the best year in terms of screen time and story arcs (though not as rough a go of things as James), so the least they could do was let him be happy in the finale.

And then there’s Sanvers. Sanvers, my beating heart. We didn’t get much in the way of Sanvers romance in the finale, but we did get one breathtaking moment at the very end. Just as the world starts to celebrate, Kara has a low moment with Alex. Heartbroken, Kara tells her sister to “Never let her (Maggie) go” and Alex, sharing in Kara’s pain acts on that impulse.

Maggie: “I know the Danvers girls. You don’t break easy–”
Alex: “Marry me.”
Maggie: “Excuse me?”
Alex: “Seriously, marry me? Please?”

Early in the season, Alex struggled with herself, struggled with who she is, who she loves, and now her she is, a proud girlfriend who wants nothing more than to be with Maggie forever. Sure, the emotions are heightened by Kara’s grief and Alex’s need to act quickly (and rashly), but it doesn’t diminish the sweetness of Alex Danvers and how at the end of the day, she’s still this innocent looking for someone to love her. I don’t doubt that at the beginning of the season we’ll see Maggie doubt this engagement, want to run and give Alex a chance to explore her feelings more, but for now, I’ll just be happy. I’ll be happy that in that moment, Alex is happy and in love and Sanvers can do anything as far as I’m concerned.

Random thoughts

Winn remains the most adorable character on the show. He is the fanboy in all of us as we watch Supergirl and if anything bad ever happens to him, we riot.

Also, Winn and Lena need to work together more next season. His dorkiness and her snarkiness would mesh so wonderfully, and let’s face it, home girl needs more friends.

If these last two episodes don’t prove that Supergirl needs Cat Grant, I don’t know what to tell you.

There’s no real point for this gif set other than I love Alex Danvers and everything she has done this season.

Go get em, Supergirl.