Supergirl season 5, episode 18 review: The Missing Link

It’s the penultimate episode of Supergirl season 5, and everything goes to hell! But, is there at least one silver lining to this dark cloud?

We now know that Lex Luthor (Jon Cryer) has several hidden agendas behind his actions post-Crisis on Infinite Earths. He’s been pulling at many strings in an effort to obtain absolute power. In the penultimate episode of Supergirl season 5, Lex gets the ball rolling to achieve his final goal of entering the Leviathan stronghold. It’s a pity he takes so many people down to get there.

What becomes of Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) and her Super-friends when the world that they know and love is destroyed while they stand helplessly by?

We’re in for a devastating and shocking ride before Supergirl season 5 comes to a conclusion.

Rama Khan is Back

Since Crisis, the main Leviathan players have been Gemma Cooper (Cara Buono) and Margot (Patti Allan), though viewers will remember that prior to the formation of Earth-Prime, Mitch Pillegi’s Rama Khan was the organization’s leader. He returns in this episode of Supergirl, but mostly as an asset who procures a valuable item for his people.

‘Crisis’ may have been a good opportunity to re-cast the actor to fit the origins of the character – something we have pointed out in the past. Despite that, Pileggi’s scenery-chewing performance lends itself well to the campier elements of this comic book show, complete with the sneering menace and gaudy costume. He’s little more than a plot device and if Rama Khan appears in the finale, he’s likely to be at loggerheads with both Gemma and Lex.

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The re-appearance of Rama Khan also demonstrates the internal turmoil within the organization. That’s a potential weakness that Lex can exploit, especially if he decides to pit the existing players against each other – Rama Khan and Gemma Cooper are far too powerful for Lex to take on by himself. He already killed off one of Leviathan’s stalwarts, what’s to say he doesn’t have similar, more devious plans, for the rest. But, will we see any new members of the organization? At least one other member was hinted at before the mid-season hiatus, will he make an appearance?

Researching Leviathan

‘The Missing Link’ brings Sean Astin back as Kelly Olsen’s (Azie Tesfai) friend, Pete Andrews. He had appeared briefly earlier in the season, and Astin returns to help Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) discover the history and evolution of Leviathan. But Leviathan has its finger in every pie, and before they know it, Pete and his family are in danger, as is Alex.

Pete is, unfortunately, not an essential cog in the wheel, though Astin is such a favourite for geeks that he’s a refreshing addition to the cast. Pete gets Kelly and Alex thinking about a possible new future for Alex. She’s been a vigilante since leaving the DEO, which makes her an easy target. In the closing scenes of the episode, Kelly suggests Alex wears a mask. Will she? One assumed that Alex would be back to leading the DEO once this business with Leviathan and Lex Luthor was finished. That’s assuming Supergirl and team win.

During the season, Alex’s insecurities about being a lone wolf have come to the fore. Her fantasizing about being a super-powered hero in Obsidian’s VR world was also a cathartic, escapist experience for her. But, putting on a mask could fundamentally change what makes this character so relatable to viewers.

Another Failed Experiment

Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) has been trying to save the world from itself, and she seemed to make leaps of progress during a controlled prison Non Nocere experiment earlier in this season. Of course, things were bound to unravel eventually, because you can’t mess with human psychology without it messing back.

In all honesty, Lena is a fabulous character and McGrath plays her with aplomb. The show hasn’t always done the character justice, but we once again see why this character is so loved. Lena is passionate about helping people, but she hates failing. Her immediate anger at Non Nocere reverting is palpable. The key to the success of her arc relied on Lena seeing right through Lex’s manipulations. She’s been skeptical of his actions throughout their partnership, and Lena finally sees Lex for exactly the selfish person he is when he tries to co-opt her failed experiment into an opportunity to control the world.

And it all leads to the best possible result – Lena goes running back to Kara Danvers. McGrath has always captured Lena’s emotions perfectly, but the brilliance of the Lena and Kara scene lay in Benoist’s stoic skepticism in the face of Lena’s tears. Hopefully Kara caves and gives her friend another chance. Lena needs it and fans deserve it.

Super Sentiments

• It’s so obvious that the showrunners know Lex Luthor like the backs of their hand. You can tell this character is the worst from his less significant actions. When he runs to save Steve Lomeli’s (Willie Garson) life, it isn’t an altruistic act. He’s doing it because Steve is important to Lena and Lex will do anything to get Lena on his side. Who doesn’t love that Lena doesn’t fall for it?
• J’onn J’onzz (David Harewood) and M’gann M’orzz (Sharon Leal) are rekindling their romance. That’s never a good sign – this means either the two characters will leave for a life on Mars, or one of these characters will perish by season end.
• Who was the mysterious Leviathan shooter? Could it have been Eve Tessmacher (Andrea Brooks) back to her old games following Lex’s rejection? We saw her being followed by William Dey (Staz Nair), and then he was captured. Either Eve’s back to being bad, or she has friends in high places.
• Brainy (Jesse Rath) is the worst! He’s been DEO Director for a hot minute and the entire building is now destroyed. It’s bad enough that he broke Nia Nal’s (Nicole Maines) heart, but his single-minded devotion to his ‘mission’ with Lex has been nothing short of a disaster. One wishes the showrunners would wrap up that plotline because Brainy’s been one of the weaker elements of this entire season.

There’s been such a build-up of ideas in this season of Supergirl, that we can expect only a few to be addressed and tied up in the finale. Lex appears to be tantalizingly close to getting what he wants, which is a seat at the Leviathan table. The worry is that he’ll somehow end up the leader as well. The character has been nothing short of genius, but we need the heroes to walk away with a win.

Did you enjoy the latest episode of Supergirl season 5? Let us know in the comments below!