Supergirl season 6, episode 4 review: Going through the super motions

Supergirl season 6 finally made a major story move in this week’s installment, but how did the episode hold up?

Supergirl flew itself back onto our screens a few weeks back, holding the line for spin-off Superman and Lois while its off on an unexpected hiatus. The veteran Arrowverse series kicked off its sixth and final season with a premiere that acted as both that and a finale to the previous season (which was cut short due to the production shutdown of last year).

So far, season 6 has done a solid job of shaking off some of the lacklustre story elements of last season, but it hasn’t entirely managed to take the show back to its glory days either. That could be down to the constant leaning on Lex (who is brilliant but overexposed at this point), the fact that Kara is still trapped in the Phantom Zone or perhaps it’s just that the dull aesthetic pales in comparison to the beautifully warm colors the show once possessed.

Nonetheless, “Lost Souls” does attempt to solve one of those problems as the Girl of Steel and her new partner team up to find their way out of the Phantom Zone, along with Zor-El. Did it pull it off? Let’s find out.

Supergirl season 6, episode 4: What went down?

There were a lot of facets to Supergirl‘s latest installment but the fundamentals of each one were the same: Rescue Kara from the Phantom Zone and stop the loose Phantoms. Then again, that’s pretty much what the plot of the last two episodes have been and it has all resulted in much of the early part of the season feeling a little, well, samey. We’ll get to that shortly, because we need to talk about those facets first.

The episode’s primary narrative consisted of the Super Friends attempting to juggle both of those missions. However, things went awry when one directly conflicted with the other, forcing Alex to make a choice that Lena struggled to understand. Meanwhile, on the other end of things, Kara tried to find her own way out of the Phantom Zone with the help of her father Zor-El and the magical Nxly. And Nia was struggling to focus as she kept having visions of Midvale in 2009.

Here we go again

Everything about Supergirl season 6, episode 4 was fine. The story was fine, the plotting was fine and, for the most part, the execution was fine. However, much of the narrative felt, for lack of a better term, underbaked.

It feels like the Super Friends have been going round in circles with the Phantoms in the real world that it’s actually a little hard to figure out what their episode-to-episode missions are because they’re starting to feel the same. Even though this does ultimately put an end to their reign of terror on earth, it only occasionally felt like it carried the stakes that it should have. And, to be honest, when Alex Danvers and Lena Luthor weren’t talking about it, it wasn’t carrying those stakes.

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Kara’s attempt to return home was upended when it was revealed that Nxly attacked Zor-El from behind, wounding him so that Kara wouldn’t be “held back” by her father like she was. And all this would have been so much more effective if the attack wasn’t predictable to begin with. The fact that it took place off-screen along with the quick cuts, as Kara quickly arrived at the scene to find an injured Zor-El, backed the writers into such a corner that the only way out was the predictable route. And, like other plot developments on the show, it just happened so fast that it left you feeling like you had whiplash afterwards.

That’s not to take away from what happened because, predictable as it may seem, this is solid conflict because it’s an innovative way of keeping Supergirl in the Phantom Zone for just that little bit longer while also keeping her in the show as well. The problem, however, is that it often feels like the show doesn’t know what pace it wants to move at. The narrative itself is beginning to drag (understandably so given the creative way of using Supergirl this season) but the episodic pace often speeds up without warning, making it hard to take in information.

All of this undercuts the emotional impact of the story and it results in everything adopting a very going-through-the-motions kind of approach, furthering that emotional undercutting.

Super friends with the Super Friends

To say that the emotional core of this episode was anything other than bringing Kara home would be a lie. That’s been the overriding heart of the previous two episodes and it certainly continues into this one. That said, Lena Luthor’s official debut as a full-time member of the Super Friends gave it a run for its money this time around. c

It’s true that much of “Lost Souls” feels rushed but Lena’s arc doesn’t fall victim to that. Instead, it allows Katie McGrath to do what she always does as she delivers a powerful emotional performances that really captures how much this inclusion truly means to Lena. It also goes a long way in continuing her redemption arc as she struggles with the decision that Alex had made (which would see them use their one shot to save Kara on protecting the world from the Phantoms instead) in spite of the fact that she knew that it was the right one to make.

It’s always a joy to watch McGrath perform because she effortlessly reels viewers in with her powerhouse performances and you truly could feel the joy and love radiating from Lena every time she appeared on-screen. The character felt refreshed and it does leave one wondering as to why the show wasted so much time having her run around in circles as she intermittently avoided darkness and gave into it at the same time.

Super Sentiments

• This was a really good episode so don’t let the critiques fool you. The problem is that we know Supergirl can be better than this and, unfortunately, the radical pacing changes and going-through-the-motions style of handling things undermines a really great story.
• It was wonderful to hear the “My name is Kara Zor-El” intro again. It’s not as good as the more triumphant original but it was a welcome dose of nostalgia nonetheless.
• I cannot sum up how great it was to finally see Lena Luthor accepted as part of the Super Friends. It’s all she ever wanted!
• It pains me to say that Supergirl is no longer an aesthetically-pleasing show to watch. The writing is fine and the cast are fantastic as always, but where are the beautiful sunny days in National City and the wonderfully bright CatCo offices? Everything is so dull and dimly-lit and, visually, it pales in comparison to the show’s earlier seasons – take this from someone who is currently rewatching the magnificent first season.
• Nia and Brainy are heading to Midvale 2009 in next week’s episode and the teases here really paid off.

Supergirl season 6 returns to The CW with its fifth episode next Tuesday, April 27, at 9:00 p.m. ET.

What did you think of Supergirl season 6, episode 4? Let us know in the comments below!