The CW's Supergirl - Episode 4.21 "Red Dawn"
Kara comes face to face with Red Daughter and the two engage in an epic battle. Determined to find a way to extract the Harun-El, Lena turns to an unlikely source for help - Lillian Luthor. Alex realizes she's missing parts of her memory. Brainy, Nia and J'onn set out to track down aliens who have been abducted by Lex.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of The CW's Supergirl.
"Red Dawn" was directed by Alexis Ostrander with story by Lindsay Sturman and teleplay by Gabriel Llanas & Eric Carrasco
Everyone is realizing the extent they've been fooled in this hour. The entire United States government is corrupt and supportive of Lex Luthor. Ben Lockwood has been in the dark about Lex actually pulling the strings behind everything he has done this past year. Alex finally remembers that Kara is Supergirl. Plus, there's the reveal that Lex's grand plan is to ultimately betray the Kaznian government in order to be billed as the hero and savior America has needed all along. He is so manipulative in that way. Kara is trying to convince her clone that she has been misinformed by the man who has taught her so much. And yet, that's a hard bond to break. Sure, it's awkward to watch as the show obviously covers Red Daughter's face so that Melissa Benoist isn't fighting an exact duplicate of her. That is annoying and more than likely a cost-saving maneuver. And yet, all of this is building to the apparent deaths of both Supergirl and the Red Daughter. Kara is surprised by just how powerful her clone actually is. She believes that they have the same powers. Kara even has an advantage because she has grown used to kryptonite and its effects on her body. She is still vulnerable but can escape before Red Daughter delivers that fatal blow. But Red Daughter has several upgrades as well that are surprising and truly make her seem superior. As soon as she pulls out those abilities, it no longer is an even fight. Supergirl is punched until her heart stops beating. Of course, this entire sequence is punctuated by Alex remembering that her sister is actually a superhero. Kara desperately wanted to tell Alex the truth again in order to protect her from this new threat. Red Daughter could infiltrate Kara's life and get close to any of her friends or family. That's exactly what happens too. Alex just isn't the immediate target. Instead, it's Eliza. It's always nice to see Helen Slater appear. It's just a brief return though. It helps put all of this into an even more personal context. Red Daughter truly believes that Lex is her Alex. And yet, he isn't. He is loyal only to himself. He plans on killing her in order to complete his full ascension as a god on this planet. He has been experimenting on aliens to harness their powers for this process moment. It's not just being injected with the Harun-El. That is too unstable as Ben Lockwood and James are finding out. Lena is teaming up with her mother to find a way to safely extract it from their systems. That's very dangerous and precarious too. It could signal even more death and destruction on the way. And yet, Kara doesn't die here. Instead, in a very blunt and overwhelming moment, her body absorbs the sunlight from the forest around her. She may have bled but she is still capable of coming back to life. The world still needs its savior. Red Daughter was just the latest pawn in Lex's master plan. Sure, it would be annoying and lame if she died offscreen. In fact, the entire Kaznian assault happens far away from the main characters. They are too distracted to deal with Lex. Of course, that's what he was counting on as well. But now, they truly are the only threats to his victory. But there is plenty to worry about when it comes to the protagonists as well especially with Brainy being tortured to the point of his ancestral basic coding kicking in. He no longer shows any emotion. It allows him to defeat his captors. But it makes him careless about Nia and J'onn as they head to places unknown. That too is a lingering threat that is bound to carry some massive consequences to it.
