Recap: Supergirl 2.8 "Medusa"

It's a Jolly Thanksgiving in the Super-verse.

Kara is hosting the whole gang for the holiday while both Alex and James contemplate coming out during dinner, as a lesbian and a vigilante, respectively. More importantly, and just because I love sneaky background moments in film and TV, at one point Alex surreptitiously snags some Wild Turkey from the freezer while Kara and her mom are talking and then tip-toes away like a cartoon character.

Liquid "coming out" courage?

However, Alex and James don't get the chance to come out. On the other hand, it seems that Kara and Mon-El have mutual crushes, because they keep making googly eyes at each other.

Kara then goes on an undercover DEO assignment to interview Lena for a "puff piece," while secretly trying to gather intel on Lena's evil mom. Sadly, the interview is too short for any meaningful flirting to occur and Kara isn't able to get much info. When Kara leaves, Lena knows something is up, so she calls her evil mom. Hmmm.

In villain news, Cadmus launches a terror attack at Close Encounters by releasing a gas that kills only aliens. Mon-El is exposed to the gas and gets sick. From this, Supergirl figures out (somehow?) that Cadmus used her blood to get into the Fortress of Solitude. She flies to Greenland or Antarctica or wherever and her hologram dad tells her that he created a bio-weapon called Medusa to be used against non-Kryptonian aliens. Supergirl does not approve.

Kara's mom stays in town to help study the virus. While she and Alex are working in the lab together, Alex ends up coming out to her, and it goes about as well as such things can go. It's very non-dramatic, which is nice.

Alex and her mom also deduce that L Corp has developed an isotope that could spread the Medusa virus throughout the city. Supergirl zooms off to L Corp, where she encounters Cyborg Superman (aka - original evil Hank). There is a moment in the fight where Supergirl heroically saves Lena by jumping in front of a beam that Cyborg throws her way. (YES now kiss!)

But then, ALERT, we have a TV Lesbian In Peril moment. I repeat, we have a TV Lesbian in Peril: The police show up with Maggie leading the charge. Cyborg shoots a laser at her and she falls down. Back at the DEO, Alex stitches her up. Cancel Alert. Maggie seems to be okay. Tragic Lesbian Trope averted. But, I have my eyes on you, Supergirl.

At the L Word, I mean L Corp, Supergirl informs Lena that her mom is the head of Cadmus. Lena gets upset and says she doesn't believe it. Supergirl says it's true, but that it doesn't make Lena evil. But then, the plot thickens. When Lena later confronts her mom, Lena gives her mom the isotope needed to unleash the Medusa virus. What NO! Supergirl believed in you, Lena! She BELIEVED IN YOU!

Lena and her mom then unleash a missile that contains the virus. But, unbeknownst to her mom, Lena switched isotopes. So, the virus is ineffective. AND, she called the police on her mom.Oh good. I'm glad Supergirl won't be disappointed in Lena.


While all of that was going on, apparently Alex's mom Eliza had been working to create an antidote to the virus, thus saving Mon-El's life. She also apparently created a cure that stops J'onn from turning into a White Martian. All of that happened in about 30 minutes because science.  Relatedly, I have no idea why Dr. Eliza Danvers is not the head of science at the DEO. This woman works miracles.

FINALLY, Maggie goes to Alex's place and confesses that she likes Alex and says that life is short so we should "kiss the girls that we want to kiss." And so then they kiss and my work here is done, goodbye.


Deep Thought of the Week: The episode ends by teasing the four-way Supergirl crossover with Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow. I'm not typically all that excited about DC-verse male-led/dominated superhero shows. In my opinion, male-led Marvel TV/film like Luke Cage and X-Men are more interesting, often because they are about heroes who seem more subversive, reluctant, or outcast than the alpha-hero prototype.

However, I recently started Arrow. I'm reserving judgment about it until I watch a few more episodes. But, do any of you watch these other shows. Thoughts?


 [Note: In November 2017, CW/Supergirl Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg was suspended after allegations of sexual harassment.]