Supergirl season 2, episode 8, “Medusa,” started off the four-night Heroes vs. Aliens crossover. It was also the mid-season finale.
“Medusa” saw multiple characters dealing with identity struggle, continuing a season-long theme. And when Cadmus gets its hands on Project Medusa, a Kryptonian chemical agent that will kill all aliens but Kryptonians, the fate of countless aliens ends up in Lena Luthor’s hands. It’s a good thing she’s a Luthor — she’s a good actor.
Kara, for her part, has a couple of struggles in this episode. At Thanksgiving dinner, Eliza Danvers drops a bombshell: Mon-El has feelings for Kara. Kara rejects this before starting to read the signs and recognizing the truth in Eliza’s words. And when a dying Mon-El kisses her, she’s even more confused. After he recovers, Mon-El says doesn’t remember what he did and Kara doesn’t fill him in, but his longing look tells a different story.
I’m not entirely sure how to read Kara’s response to Mon-El. She’s definitely confused, as she’d never considered Mon-El as a potential romantic partner. It’s a bit reminiscent of her reaction to Winn when he revealed his feelings for her except Kara doesn’t take the opportunity to shut Mon-El down the way she did Winn. Does this mean she might be interested in him?
I hope not, though things seem to be moving in that direction. It’s frustrating for the show to suddenly break up Kara and James after a season building toward them getting together and then introduce Mon-El as a new love interest, as though romance always needs to be part of Kara’s story.
I’ve appreciated that romance hasn’t defined Kara; it’s been on the back burner compared to the other relationships in her life, particularly with Alex, but with Alex finding some romance, it seems like things might change. I was hoping that if Kara was going to break up with James, she would be taking the opportunity to work on herself, as Cat advised her to do. Jumping from James to Mon-El seems to fly in the face of that.
Kara’s other identity struggle comes when she discovers that Zor-El, her father, was behind Project Medusa. Once more, the pedestal Kara placed her parents crumbles before her very eyes. J’onn has a lovely sentiment in response, though, telling Kara that she is her parents’ legacy, not Fort Rozz or Project Medusa. And Kara is proving herself a true force for good, as she once believed her parents to be.
Lena deals with a similar identity struggle; after Kara not-so-subtly starts asking about Lillian, Lena gets uncomfortable and we see a very telling conversation between mother and daughter: Lillian admits, without an ounce of shame, to loving Lex more than Lena. And when she says she loves Lena as well, Lena realizes her mother is up to something. How sad.
When Supergirl reveals that Lillian is the leader of Cadmus, Lena takes matters into her own hands. She appears to give into the idea that bearing the Luthor name means she must become a villain and joins her mother, giving her the isotope she needs to launch Medusa over National City. But Lena replaced the isotope, making Medusa inert, and called the police on her mother.
Not all heroes wear capes, and Lena certainly earned that mantle in this episode. However, the ease with which she fell into her act of villain — it’s not clear whether she was truly upset during her meeting with Supergirl or if that was also part of the act — worries me. If she can fool everyone, including her mother, so well, that does not bode well for Kara if Lena ever does turn.
Meanwhile, Alex struggles to come out to Eliza in this episode. Her attempt to come out at Thanksgiving dinner is interrupted by one of Cisco’s failed breaches, so Eliza confronts her later at the DEO. Eliza is quite perceptive and has figured out what Alex has been struggling to tell her. And her reaction to her daughter being gay is nothing short of loving and supportive.
This is quite an episode for Alex, as not only does she get her mother’s support, but she also gets the girl. Maggie is shot by Cyborg Superman and Alex, while stitching her up, reveals that she didn’t come out just for Maggie and she feels good about who she is now. This causes Maggie to reassess her feelings, and she comes to Alex’s apartment with pizza and beer and, well, kisses Alex.
It’s lovely and sweet and I am so happy for Alex. She deserves happiness, and she can really find some now that she has embraced who she is. Plus, Maggie is fantastic and they make a great pair. They push each other but can also keep up with each other, which in itself is pretty impressive because they’re both exceptional women.
Finally, J’onn is dealing with his transformation into a White Martian. The symptoms seem to flare up at random times, as J’onn’s face partially contorts into that of a White Martian while he’s talking with Kara. However, he embraces it when he comes face to face with Cyborg Superman; he transforms fully for the fight. And when it appears that he is about to die, he accepts it peacefully; he is ready to join his family.
Luckily, Eliza is able to create an antidote, which she gives to Mon-El. But she is able to use it to cure J’onn of his White Martian transformation as well. I thought he would be dealing with that for a bit longer. But now what’s left is for him to deal with M’gann.
The episode closes with Barry and Cisco from The Flash showing up in Kara’s apartment to ask for help on their Earth. This sets events in motion for the big crossover that will continue on The Flash, Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow.
Watch a promo for the next part of the crossover
