Supergirl 3×09 Review (Reign)

Warning: Spoilers for Supergirl season 1-3.

Supergirl has had a solid beginning to its season. Kara has been different, felling less human and more like Supergirl. She has dealt with heartbreak with Mon-El, who is back but married. J’ohnn met up with his father and brought him to earth. Alex broke up with Maggie. Samantha became a Reign in the last episode.

Summary

The episode opens up with Samantha having a nightmare. She has no memory of the trip she took. Meanwhile, Mon-El tells what the 31st century is like. Imra, Mon-El’s wife says that he banded together a group of heroes named the legion. They exist because Kara inspired Mon-El and Imra. Their ship crash landed back in time. They want go get home with the help of the DEO. Kara is hosting a party, with all of her friends. J’ohnn’s dad enjoys Christmas and hot cocoa. Samantha arrives late and Alex talks to Ruby about Supergirl. Kara and Samantha gang up on Lena and want her to kiss James. Kara is grateful for her best friends. J’ohnn leaves the party with Supergirl to a clear field. It’s a symbol, that looks like the Supergirl symbol but way more sinister. Kara talks to her mom about the symbol. She recognizes it from her childhood. The symbol appears throughout the city throughout the night. Lena talks to Jimmy at work and she thinks that it is Morgan Edge. They visit Edge but he denies the allegations and they deny his gifts. Kara goes to the alien bar but Mon-El and Imra are there. Kara is called in to visit the guy who worshipped her. He says something that Kara doesn’t recognize. There is so much she doesn’t know. He mentions the worldkiller that predates the book of Rao. He says that Reign is a devil. He mentions three steps: mark of the beast, deaths and the reign of the beast, when the worldkiller comes for the end of time. Samantha bought her daughter a Supergirl necklace to symbolize that they’re stronger together. She apologizes for being so behind on her work. Irma offers to help with the symbol and she talks to Kara. She mentions that she knows about her previous relationship with Mon-El. Mon-El didn’t think of anything but Kara until he realized he wouldn’t get back. James and Lena are going on a mission and are attacked by a man with technology. James saves them with his shield but Lena doesn’t notice. When then see some gangsters selling drugs of something like that. Something starts taking them out. It’s revealed that they were murdered. Samantha goes into the elevator and rips her shirt open to reveal the Reign logo. Kara mentions that she isn’t happy and how this is worse than anything she could’ve imagined. Edge calls Lena and says how sorry he is for her being attacked. Then the lights go out in his office. A woman walks in with the glass shattered around her. She uses her x-ray vision to no avail as Edge hides behind a lead wall. Kara burns a Supergirl logo on top of CatCo. Edge blames Supergirl for attacking him. Lena kisses James. Imra is practicing with Mon-El and punches him, real mature. Kara sees this and becomes sad. Alex tells Kara to embrace her kryptonian side, to be cold and alien like. Reign says that she has been dispensing justice because the world is full of sin. They fight. They crash a Christmas party while Rocking Around the Christmas Tree plays. Reign has all of Kara’s powers from strength to speed. They fight on a transport ship and then on a city block. Kara gets knocked down and starts bleeding. She keeps taking hit after hit. She then gets heat blasted up into a roof. Reign holds Kara over the edge of a building and drops her. She crashes down, bloodied and beaten. People surround the girl of steel, including Alex Danvers and Morgan Edge. Paramedics rush to try and save her. Ruby runs down to celebrate Christmas but is met by her mom, who isn’t her mom… but Reign.

Analysis

This episode of Supergirl may be the best Supergirl episode to date. Let’s start off with Melissa Benoist’s performance. She nails it as we see Kara deal with an unimaginable situation. She isn’t ok but she has to be because it isn’t anyone’s fault. Lena and James have some nice scenes despite their kiss scene. Reign was so freaking cool. She entered into the show like Zoom entered The Flash season 2, or how Dark Archer entered Arrow season 1. She absolutely dominated Supergirl in their fight. She’s already a better villain than Non, Rhea and Lillian Luthor. She feels threatening, unbeatable. This may be the darkest thing that Supergirl has ever done.

Easter Eggs

• The Legion of Super Heroes is references in this episode by Winn.
• Winn references a Star Wars Holiday special which J’ohnn responds too by talking about how Empire Strikes Back is the best sequel ever.
• The man who worshipped Kara says new god. DC’s new gods are characters like Darkseid, Steppenwolf, etc.
• Samantha mentions that she had a job in Central City. She isn’t the first Samantha to have been to Central City, Samantha Clayton.
• Supergirl and Reign fight on the streets gives off a Superman II vibe.
• This villain entrance isn’t the first time that a bad guy has beaten up the hero. Zoom and Malcolm Merlyn did it.

Written by: Neil Sharma

Follow The Observeman on Twitter for comics and sports as well as GeekMotivation to help change the world one at a time.