Supergirl season 4, episode 21 review: Red Dawn

The Red Daughter battles Supergirl, while disaster strikes the Super-Friends when Brainy and Dreamer are captured by the Children of Liberty.

Ben Lockwood injected himself with Harun-El on the previous episode of Supergirl and now has superpowers. Meanwhile, Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist) was captured by President Baker and his men. Now, Supergirl must face off against the Red Daughter, and the Super-Friends battle enemies within and without.

The Red Daughter and Supergirl

Kara is the wrong girl to mess with, as the President’s men and the Red Daughter soon find out in this episode. With the world crashing down around her, it’s no wonder that Kara is so desperate to get her sister, Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh), back by her side. Alex, on the other hand, is still suffering emotional distress after the rollercoaster of the previous episode, and she breaks down in front of Supergirl.

Heightened emotions and a full-on battle with the Red Daughter are probably not how the Danvers sisters expected to reunite again, but better late than never. The Red Daughter is the catalyst for Alex’s memories of Kara’s origins returning to her. It’s unfortunate that Supergirl, who is so inspirational, wasn’t able to convert the hate that Lex Luthor has sown into the Red Daughter, especially given how the episode ends. What does Lex have planned next?

A Wookie Gambit Gone Wrong

Supergirl — “Red Dawn” — Image Number: SPG421a_0068b.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Jesse Rath as Brainiac-5 and Nicole Maines as Nia Nal/Dreamer — Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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It seems like everyone on Supergirl has to love Star Wars (and why not?) and, in this episode, Nia Nal (Nicole Maines) decides to try the ‘Wookie Gambit’ so as to free captive aliens from Lockwood’s ICE-like facility. Of course, things go sideways when she and Brainiac-5 (Jesse Rath) forge ahead without J’onn J’onzz (David Harewood).

As if the two getting captured isn’t bad enough, the showrunners embrace Brainiac’s villainous history as well after Brainy is tortured by the Children of Liberty. Jesse Rath does a phenomenal job of showcasing the cold Brainiac-5, but it was tough to watch Nia and J’onn at the mercy of their friend’s transformation. The penultimate episode leaves these characters’ fates hanging in the air; here’s hoping for a good ending for them.

Uncomfortable Truths

Several characters ended up facing some uncomfortable truths in this episode of Supergirl. Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) confronted her mother about Lex’s plans and discovered that her mother might actually love her. Will this affect their relationship in forthcoming seasons? It’s hard to tell what the Luthors really feel, so one should not expect a loving reunion between these two characters.

Supergirl — “Red Dawn” — Image Number: SPG421c_0132b.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Katie McGrath as Lena Luthor and Sam Witwer as Ben Lockwood/Agent Liberty — Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

The character who was in for the biggest shock was Ben Lockwood. He’s been an arrogant bigot all season, believing his rallying cry as Agent Liberty has helped him succeed thus far. The realization that Lex Luthor has been behind everything, including Lockwood’s ascension to Secretary of Alien Affairs, is a huge blow to Lockwood’s ego. Considering the personal turmoil he’s suffered recently – his wife was murdered, his son has turned against him, and he is addicted to Harun-El – Lockwood is likely to play a formidable role in the season finale.

Super Sentiments

• Brainy’s belief that finally confronting his feelings for Nia would have helped him get his head in the game was equally charming and naïve. It’s such a pity that Nia and Brainy didn’t get to share a cute romantic moment in this episode. Will the showrunners allow them to patch things up in the finale?
• The Red Daughter’s insistence that Supergirl is the villain is a shocking turn of events, but it’s disturbing how many truths the Red Daughter speaks – the state of Supergirl’s America isn’t so different from the real world, and the show continues to amaze with its poignant reflection of reality.
• Some aspects of this episode felt out of sync with how the season has played out so far. Brainy’s torture and Supergirl’s recovery looked too campy to ring true. An unexpected misstep in an otherwise strong episode.

As the penultimate episode in the season, “Red Dawn” was not the show’s best. But plenty of loose threads were tied up (some a little too conveniently), while new twists developed. Now that Lex Luthor has played his hand and revealed himself to be a “hero,” what hope does Supergirl and the Super-Friends have against him?