Supergirl season 4, episode 10 review: Suspicious Minds

Supergirl returns from its midseason hiatus with an episode celebrating and destroying the bond between the Danvers sisters.

The fourth season of Supergirl went on hiatus with Agent Liberty (Sam Witwer) being put behind bars, but this seemed to only fan the flames of hate among the people that Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) was trying to protect. To place an additional dampener on celebrations, the new American President (Bruce Boxleitner) instituted a new law demanding all aliens and superheroes reveal their identity to the world, or hang up their capes. And the first person to come under fire was none other than Supergirl.

In episode 10, Supergirl continues her heroics despite being dismissed from the DEO. This leads to additional strife between Director Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) and Colonel Lauren Haley (April Parker Jones). Haley appears to have a vendetta against Supergirl, but there is more than meets the eye with this character.

When Supergirl teams up with J’onn J’onzz (David Harewood) to investigate a massacre at sea and a possible cover-up of it, secrets old and new emerge. Team Supergirl will not escape them unscathed.

For Alex and Kara, it’s Plan S, Always

Alex and Kara’s relationship has been one of the highlights of Supergirl. It’s still hard to find positive sisterly bonds in popular media, but these two have eclipsed occasional bad writing to feel authentic. In episode 10, it was comforting to see Alex vent to Kara over the phone about her boss and wanting to resign from her job. We’ve all been there.

But all their interactions with each other in this episode had a purpose – as a lead up to a heart-breaking denouement where both sisters had to make a huge sacrifice to protect Kara’s identity. The scene is beautifully played out with Alex playing the calm, older sister, while Kara breaks down. How will the Danvers recover from making this life-changing decision? Is there any coming back from it?

Supergirl — “Suspicious Minds” — Image Number: SPG410a_0064b.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Jesse Rath as Brainiac-5 and Nicole Maines as Nia Nal — Photo: Shane Harvey/The CW — © 2018 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Brainiac’s People Skills Still Need Work

Supergirl’s inability to work with her sister and the DEO doesn’t mean she can’t back them up whenever possible. In fact, it’s pretty much a given. So much so, that Brainiac-5 (Jesse Rath) decides to enlist as many super-friends as he can to rally around the Girl of Steel and assist her continued heroics. The trouble is, his people skills need plenty of work.

Brainy’s awkward exchange with J’onn was charming, but his phone call to Nia Nal (Nicole Maines) was positively endearing. And then he goes and ruins it all by turning their date into a meeting. The fact that Nia doesn’t bop him on the head still is a surprise.

However, it is great to see that Brainy and Alex are finally getting along and that the writers of the show have developed their friendship organically. They are definitely going to need each other after this episode.

Lena Luthor, Playing God Never Pays Off

Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) has been placed on the backburner this season, but she has continued to tinker away in her lab. What she has achieved becomes clear in this episode, and it is worrying. Lena is on the cusp of changing the face of humanity, but playing god is not a good look for anyone, least of all a Luthor.

And the writers of the show know that, because the first thing that Lena tells James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) when she reveals the truth about the experiments to him is that she needs him to be the ‘angel on her shoulder’. What an elegant way to build the trust Lena has in James. The only question is, does James trust Lena?

Super Sentiments

• The Red Daughter storyline has been teased since the first episode of the season, but we’ve yet to see it take off. From the looks of it, evil Supergirl’s villainy may only surface in season five.

• John Jones, Private Investigator – this is definitely the best way forward for Martian Manhunter’s character. David Harewood has been excellent as the father figure on this show, and John’s recent foray into helping aliens in dire need has been a welcome development for his character.
• There’s a new superhero on the horizon, and she’s been a long time coming. Nia Nal’s superpowers have already saved lives, but it’s time for her to embrace being the hero she is. Her badass costume has already been released online, so we can’t wait for her to don it and take on her superhero mantle.

The first half of Supergirl season four has been its strongest so far. Dealing with poignant and relevant topics like anti-immigration and white supremacy, while adding to its inclusive cast of characters with Nicole Maines’ Nia Nal, the show has been well ahead of the curve. The midseason return is another strong start setting up more central conflicts for the upcoming episodes.