Kara has to decide whether Lena Luthor can be trusted in this strong installment of Supergirl…
Supergirl season two has been juggling a huge number of subplots and one of those that has suffered from lack of room is Kara’s burgeoning friendship with Lena Luthor. It was about time that this was brought back into focus and thankfully ‘Luthors’ did that with aplomb.
As the title suggests, this episode explored the Luthor family more deeply than before. The best part has to be the flashback which saw the first appearances of Lionel and a teen Lex on the show. It’s a real shame that the episode didn’t adopt an Arrow-like structure to allow for a better look at the Luthors back in the day. Though the slight reprise at the end was very interesting, as it suggested that there is still some classic Luthor in Lena, after all.
For anyone who used to love Smallville, the exploration of whether Lena really will turn evil recalled Lex’s character arc on that show. Not least because James referenced Clark and Lex’s once-upon-a-time friendship. Still, I am hoping that Lena doesn’t go down the same road as Lex – it would fit in with Supergirl‘s more hopeful tone if Kara was able to keep Lena from crossing over to the dark side.
Moreover, Lillian Luthor has never impressed me much as a big bad, but this episode added a great deal of shade to the character. It turns out that she is only so distant with Lena because she is the product of an affair Lionel had with another woman – every time she looks at her she is reminded of her husband’s unfaithfulness. Her talk about how the world judges a Luthor before they know them also explains why she is so ready to play the supervillain. Metallo, unfortunately, gets no such shade and he, with his kryptonite heart, was little more than a plot device.
Kara practically admitting her feelings to Mon was also welcome, as last week suggested the show was going to contrive to keep them apart for the long term. Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood have good chemistry so they might as well pair them up already. Though the sudden arrival of Mr Mxyzptlk might put the dampers on that…
Overall, it might be my fondness for Smallville talking, but the focus on the Luthor family this week provided the strongest episode of Supergirl for a while. That’s not to say that the show’s heroes are in any way lacking but the centralized storyline just packed more punch than the less focussed approach of the last few weeks.
Krypto-Notes:
- Nice easter egg with Lex’s vault containing his green and purple armour from the comics.
- It was a bit of an underwhelming return for Cyborg Superman – and a waste of David Harewood’s talents – to only use him as a secondary lackey for Lilian.
- Given the reveal of Lena’s true parentage here, I’m guessing that Teri Hatcher’s upcoming guest role is as Lena’s real mother.
Rating:
Fandom Factory 