Review: Supergirl 5×13-“It’s a Super Life“
[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Director: Jesse Warn
Writers: Derek Simon, Nicki Holcomb, Robert L. Rovner & Jessica Queller
Starring: Melissa Benoist, Chyler Leigh, Katie McGrath, Jesse Rath, Nicole Maines, Azie Tesfai & David Harewood
Reviewed by: Sean Blumenshine
Summary
Mxyzptlk returns with a proposition for Kara; Kara must decide if she wants to change history to become friends with Lena again.
Positives
I love the whole idea of this episode. It’s taking the clip show idea and turning it on its head. The episode is very creative and fun. I loved seeing all of these different timelines. The best aspect of this are the returning guest stars. Chris Wood and Odette Annable had a lot more screen time than I expected especially the latter. Reign is my favorite villain of the show so it was a treat to see her in action again. And I appreciate that the writers gave a scene to Sam as well since she was a major part of this show. Sam Witwer had less screen time than them but made the most of it.
My favorite of the alternate realities is the final one where Lena is evil. It’s a lot of fun to see her fully embrace the dark side which pretty much confirms that Lena won’t turn in the show proper. But this what if scenario is cool. I liked all the heroes banded together taking on Reign and Evil Brainy. Katie McGrath is fantastic in this. She has to play a variety of different Lenas with different perspectives and she nails every single one.
Kara’s big lesson in this is that she has to own her mistakes. She can’t undo them; she needs to find a way to live with her choices and face the consequences. The scene between her and Mon-El is one of the episode’s highlights. Kara is allowed to mess up; she’s a person. She needs to go forward and not back.
I appreciated that Mxy also got some character development. He essentially has to learn the same lesson Kara does and that’s a nice parallel. It was really charming to see his genuine attempts at being better and I loved that Kara called him a friend by the end.
The last scene between Kara and Lena is great. It’s something I’ve been waiting for all season and it was so cathartic. Kara finally stands up for herself and calls Lena out on her crap. Lena has every right to be upset and it’s understandable if she doesn’t want to be Kara’s friend. But she is an adult making awful decisions that will harm not only herself but the entire world. And she can’t blame Kara for those choices. I loved this scene so much.
Negatives
There are no negatives worth mentioning.
Verdict
This is an amazing episode and potentially one of the show’s best. It’s a look at the past but in a way that is creative and fun. It’s nostalgic but the episode wants to put new spins and perspectives on things. We get to revisit old scenes and characters in entirely new contexts. The old cast members are all utilized well; my favorites are the two villains because they are two of my favorite things from the show. The episode is entirely focused on Kara and her journey. The episode manages to be both exciting and personal; I loved it.
