Better Angels (Supergirl)
| "Better Angels" | |
|---|---|
| Supergirl episode | |
| Episode no. |
Season 1 Episode 20 |
| Directed by | Larry Teng |
| Teleplay by | Robert Rovner & Jessica Queller |
| Story by | Andrew Kreisberg & Ali Adler |
| Production code | 4X7620 |
| Original air date | April 18, 2016 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
"Better Angels" is the twentieth episode and the season finale of the first season of the CBS television series Supergirl, which aired on April 18, 2016. It is also the last new episode of Supergirl that aired on CBS as the show will be moving to The CW for its second season. The episode's teleplay was written by Yahlin Chang and Caitlin Parrish, and directed by Larry Teng.
Plot
Under Non's mind control, Alex prepares to fight Kara armed with a Kryptonite sword; Kara refuses to fight her sister. Just as Alex is about to kill Kara, J'onn speeds in to stop her. Eliza pleads with Alex to fight back, saying that her father believed in her. Alex is freed of Non's control and after apologizing to Eliza and Kara they return to the broadcast center. Supergirl addresses the city and begins to feel confident as she explains the importance of strength and hope. The plan works successfully, as the citizens of National City are freed of Myriad. Non is furious, believing he failed Astra; Indigo suggests they kill the humans and leave Kara behind before conquering other worlds.
At CatCo the next day, James and Winn both apologize to Kara and she hugs them, but at the same time feels guilty about the coworker who died, but they try to encourage her. As James is about to talk to Kara about the kiss, Cat interrupts their conversation for a meeting. Over at the DEO, an upset Lucy is visited by Sam and hugs his daughter, but can't figure out the status of Superman at the moment. At the same time he orders his soldiers to arrest J'onn, over Lucy’s objections because he's doing the same thing he's doing to Lois by pushing her away but J'onn tells her it's fine. In Alex's lab, Eliza learns from Alex that Jeremiah is still alive and a prisoner of Cadmus. They are then joined by Maxwell and informed them that the Myriad is now designed to kill everybody by amplifying their brain cells that can result in severe headaches, and have only four hours to stop it before it becomes fatal. As Alex and Lucy head to the armory, Maxwell informs Supergirl that this is a suicide mission, but he's not confident enough to trust Kara to go it alone. She makes Maxwell promise not to tell Alex.
Later on at CatCo, Kara gives Winn a little pep talk, helps Cat out with her lunch order and pours her heart out. In James’s office, the two finally finish the conversation, but Kara tells James that their moment was not meant to be, and they missed their chance. Kara wants him to find happiness with someone who appreciates him. When James asks her why she is saying this, Kara tells him that she cares about him a lot. As Kara returns to the DEO to see J'onn, who encourages her not to give up, James had already called Lucy to tell her that Supergirl was acting strange, but Lucy tells James that she's just being cautious. She promises to save the Earth, but she doesn’t know if she can get out alive. She didn’t say what she needed to before the end of Krypton, and that's why she is doing it now.
Maxwell has pinpointed the location of Fort Rozz, which Sam discovers is in Nevada. As Supergirl prepares to leave, J'onn, over Sam's objections, has decided to join her, and Alex tells them both to be careful. When Kara and J'onn arrive to Fort Rozz, they are ready to face off against Non and Indigo, who are ready to leave Earth with the spaceship while leaving the residents of National City in a serious and fatal headache that could kill everyone within six minutes. Indigo wastes no time going after J'onn, while Kara takes on her uncle; as Indigo is about to kill J'onn, he lifts her over his head and rips her apart, while Supergirl and Non match each other's heat visions, and Non abruptly collapses from the strain of Kara's forced vision that leaves him permanently blind. A damaged Indigo tells Kara and J'onn before she is deactivated that they won't be able to get Fort Rozz airborne as the Myriad signal is now on its own. With four minutes left, Kara tells the DEO that she is going to fly the prison ship into space herself, against Alex's wishes, but she tells her to promise their father that she loved being part of the family as she lifts the ship out of Earth's orbit until she gets far enough to hurl it away, but then she loses consciousness. Alex rescues Kara with her space pod and returns to Earth.
As Kara wakes up at the DEO, Alex gives her the news that she saved Earth and gives back a Kryptonian necklace that Kara had given her for safe keeping. Sam also has great news for J'onn: the President has agreed to pardon him and put him back in control of the DEO. He gives a speech, saying that he plans to work with Lucy. Unaware to the others, Sam also meets with Maxwell to give him a supply of the Kryptonian power source Omegahedron behind closed doors. Later on at CatCo, Kara gets a message from Clark, and is relieved. Cat then comes to Kara to ask her to clean out her desk, leading her believe she'll be fired, but instead surprised her with a new job. At Kara's apartment, they're setting the table for dinner and saves a seat for Jeremiah. James arrives to present Kara with a framed photo he took of her, then kisses Kara. But just as they're about to make a toast, they witness an object make a surprise landing. When Kara and J'onn go to check it out, Kara finds a Kryptonian pod like hers, and is shocked to see what's inside when she opens it.
Reception
This episode received good reviews, despite criticism of a few weak spots in the storyline.
Cliff Wheatley of IGN gave the episode a 7.0/10, stating "Coming off the somewhat disappointing 'Myriad', it wasn't likely that Supergirl's Season 1 finale was going to knock it out of the park. In addition to a rushed conclusion for that storyline, 'Better Angels' had to bend over backwards to make the rest of the finale work -- e.g., coming up with an even bigger (but not necessarily better) plan for Non, and keeping Superman incapacitated for the rest of the episode. Nevertheless, this episode ended strong, thanks to an emotionally charged climax and an intriguing cliffhanger."[1]
Caroline Siede of the AV Club gave the episode a B: "Given how uneven this first season of Supergirl has been, it only feels appropriate to end with a choppy finale. "Better Angels" has plenty of interesting ideas, strong character work, and genuinely emotional beats, but it weaves them together with an inelegance that has been a hallmark of this freshmen series. This episode—like most of season—isn’t greater than the sum of its parts. In fact, it feels more like a collection of fascinating, frustrating moments than it does one streamlined story."[2]
Stacy Glanzman of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 5.0 out of 5 stars.[3]
References
- ↑ Nicholson, Max (April 19, 2016). "SUPERGIRL: "Better Angels" REVIEW". IGN. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ↑ Siede, Caroline (April 19, 2016). "It's a bird, it's a plane... no it's the Supergirl season finale!". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
- ↑ Glanzman, Stacy (April 18, 2016). "Supergirl Season 1 Episode 29 Review: Better Angels". TV Fanatic. Retrieved April 19, 2016.