Supergirl season 4, episode 22 review: The Quest for Peace

Supergirl season four ends with an action-heavy finale with Lex Luthor gloating in the White House and Supergirl attempting to clear her name.

Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer) is the hero of National City after he stopped an alleged Kaznian attack on American soil and seemingly killed enemy no. 1, Supergirl. In reality, Lex incapacitate the Red Daughter, Kara Danvers’ (Melissa Benoist) clone, a person who implicitly trusted Lex. The Red Daughter had battled the real Girl of Steel in Lex’s honour, but Supergirl survived and now her sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh) remembers Kara’s real identity again.

There’s more trouble brewing for the Super-friends. Nia Nal/ Dreamer (Nicole Maines) and J’onn J’onzz (David Harewood) are being trafficked, along with other aliens, by Brainiac-5 (Jesse Rath). Brainy was tortured by Luthor’s goons, and his brain re-set to his evil side as a result.

In the Supergirl season 4 finale, viewers find out how Lex orchestrated the events that allowed him a seat in the Oval Office.

Lex Luthor, American Hero

Supergirl — “The Quest for Peace” — Image Number: SPG422B_0195b.jpg — Pictured: Jon Cryer as Lex Luthor — Photo: Robert Falconer/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Jon Cryer may have been a surprising choice for the role of Lex Luthor, but he perfectly captures the arrogance and idiosyncrasies of the ‘Man of Tomorrow’, especially in the finale. It helps that this version of Lex accurately represents the source material, and shows how Lex is always one step ahead of everyone.

More details about Lex’s machinations come to light – he engineered Baker’s rise to Presidency with the aim to get a seat in the White House and gain easy access to aliens. Why does Lex need aliens? To fuel satellites that will allow him to defeat his nemesis – Superman.

Lex’s obsession, however, is his undoing. He misses the forest for the trees, believing Supergirl and her Super-Friends will be unable to defeat him. But defeat isn’t necessarily bad news for Lex.

The Luthor Women are Incredible!

Supergirl — “The Quest for Peace” — Image Number: SPG422A_0323b.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Brenda Strong as Lillian Luthor and Katie McGrath as Lena Luthor — Photo: Colin Bentley/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Lillian Luthor (Brenda Strong) and Lena aren’t passive characters waiting for Lex to trip up, or for a saviour to help them escape. Lillian poisons Lex’s tea and then she and Lena combine brain and brawn to escape Eve Teschmacher and Lex’s goons. Despite Lena and Lillian’s strained relationship, seeing them join forces was a particular highlight.

The best moment in the episode was undoubtedly Lena taking on Lex. For a character who was given short shrift for the majority of the season, the finale was as much a continuation of Lena’s arc as it was an end to Lex’s (for now anyway). Lena is smart and determined, but she isn’t governed solely by her emotions. Lena’s eventual actions are dictated by her good heart and it’s the best characterisation for her. Of course, Lex having one last ace up his sleeve is a critical blow that sets up Lena’s arc for next season. Will we see her turn bad?

Tying Up the Threads

Supergirl — “The Quest for Peace” — Image Number: SPG422B_0053b.jpg — Pictured: Melissa Benoist as Kara/Supergirl — Photo: Robert Falconer/The CW — © 2019 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Season finales are always rushed because they need to tie up so many disparate plot lines. So far, all the Arrowverse shows have been guilty of speeding through the finale, but that doesn’t mean these episodes haven’t been impactful.

Seeing Ben Lockwood (Sam Witwer) get his comeuppance was a delight. He is another myopic character who uses his anger about being used by Lex to fuel his hate for aliens and Supergirl. Lockwood watching his son turn against him quickly wiped the smirk off his face. It’s going to be hard to get another antagonist who is so incendiary.

Now that the Harun-El is out of commission, the characters can go back to their regular lives. Hopefully the showrunners have some interesting plans for James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) next season, since he’s often left out of the main storylines.

Plenty happened on the romantic front, though one hopes that Brainy and Nia’s relationship will be given some space to grow in the next season. They’ve had curtailed on screen time to develop their romance as it has been strictly business with them for most of this season, so both of them have lots to learn about each other still.

Super Sentiments

• With one throwaway line of dialogue, the showrunners try and explain why Lex looks so much older than Lena. In reality, it’s a bit disconcerting that Cryer is closer in age to Strong, who plays his mother, but at least the creators bothered to address the issue.
• Time to make #Kalex (Kelly and Alex) a thing! Kelly Olsen (Azie Tesfai) and Alex may have started off on the wrong foot, but their relationship has built naturally. It was obvious that these two characters were developing a bond and it’s wonderful for both the characters.
• Colonel Lauren Haley (April Parker Jones) was destined to be an antagonist, but the showrunners subverted our expectations and made her a powerful ally, giving yet another female character a well-rounded arc and personality. Here’s hoping she returns next season in some capacity.
• It’s great that the Red Daughter’s arc was also completed and that she’s came into her own, albeit belatedly. It was a good send-off for a character who was misled by Lex.
• Despite being an action-heavy finale, Supergirl still snuck in powerful messages about the power of the press and the epidemic of fake news. Even when it’s entertaining, the show continues to be politically relevant.

Plenty of clues have been dropped for what Supergirl season 5 will be about. Without giving away spoilers, looks like the Super-Friends will have to deal with a world-wide and insidious criminal organisation, while J’onn J’onzz has another personal battle to face. But will the showrunners be able to create another hard-hitting and relevant season? We’ll have to wait to find out this fall.