TV Review: Supergirl – Season 1 Ep 15 “Solitude”

EPISODE 15: "Solitude"

SYNOPSIS: When Kara decides to quit working with the DEO, she is forced to go up against the villainous Indigo by herself. But with some help from James and Superman's Fortress of Solitude, it can't be too bad can it?

REVIEW:

While last week's episode was a slight bust and felt more like a filler episode than one that moved the story line forward, I'm happy to report we are back on track with "Solitude". We had a solid, powerful villain, who will apparently be returning with Non by the season's end, as well as a breakup, new romance, and the disclosure of a powerful secret. So let's break this down.

Throughout the episode, Alex is stuck in a guilt spiral. She can't forgive herself for lying to her sister about being Astra's true killer and letting Henshaw take the blame for it. It's obvious that she is going to spill the beans at any second, especially when her sister refuses to come back to work with the DEO. After all, Kara felt like she was close to turning her aunt back to the good side, and can't work with the :ahem: man that killed her. She wonders if she ever really needed the DEO? Maybe it's time to go out on her own.

When the villainous Indigo (played by SMALLVILLE's Supergirl, Laura Vandervoort) shows up on the scene, Kara gets her first dose of what it is like not having the DEO's intelligence on the creature, or, more importantly, Henshaw's advice in her ear during a fight. Indigo first appears as a hacker, who infiltrated the Ashley Madison-esque website "Diamond Disgressions" and wants CatCo to release the client names. However, when Cat refuses to publish, saying she won't "let the terrorists win", Indigo shows her true colors. She is actually an alien (aka Braniac 8), deemed the most dangerous prisoner in Fort Rozz, that has been dwelling in the world's computer networks since her escape from the prison. Now on Earth, she creates a cyber disaster that affects everything from stoplights to financial institutions. Similar to Livewire (who traveled around via the electrical grid), Indigo is able to travel throughout the world using computer networks. And she has some major staying power, especially since it is revealed she has a romantic past with Non.

So that Kara can learn about Indigo without involving the DEO, James introduces her to Superman's Fortress of Solitude. Superman must really trust this guy! There, the super cute Kryptonian robot Kelex briefs Kara about her new opponent. There must be something about being in a fortress and the cold weather because Kara and James' relationship escalates, too. The two share a particularly lovey dovey moment when he tells her she shouldn't fight alone. She replies that she isn't alone because she has him. Also, did anyone else notice the Legion Flight Ring in the Fortress? Wonder if that will come to play any time soon or was just an Easter Egg for fans. If memory serves, we also saw a ring in an episode of THE FLASH. Will this play a major role in the upcoming crossover?

With an increasing number of these blatantly romantic moments between Kara and James, it was only a matter of time before his relationship with Lucy went kaput.  Since Lucy started dating James, she feels she has to compete with superheroes for attention. First it was Superman, now it is Supergirl. While at the Fortress of Solitude with Kara, James forgets about a date night with Lucy. And to makes matters even worse, Kara (when trying to excuse James' behavior) tells Lucy a really personal story about James that she was never told herself. The fact James felt comfortable enough with Kara to tell her about receiving his first camera from his father before he died, but didn't feel comfortable sharing that with Lucy, is the straw that broke the camel's back. Lucy finally breaks up with James, but not before pulling a Baroness Schraeder and telling James that he really loves Kara and Kara loves him too.

Meanwhile, the team discovers Indigo's goal isn't cyber warfare, but is actually nuclear warfare. Through the computer networks, Indigo was able to uncover the identity of the General who commands an ICBM wing, whose arsenal she hopes to turn on National City. Using the General's cell phone network, she is able to infiltrate the silo. Even though Kara shows up to stop her, Indigo is able to launch the missile. In an incredibly silly, and sadly low-quality VFX scene, Kara tries to redirect the missile; but it readjusts to again target National City. With no other option, she turns to the DEO for help. Henshaw gives Kara a "kill code" that she inputs into the missile, causing it to slash down in the ocean instead of National City.

But the team still has to defeat Indigo and it takes more than Kara's super punches. Winn uploads the villain's system with specially created malware, causing her to break up. The end. Or is it? The last shot of the episode shows Non putting her back together, with the goal of using her for his future Myriad plan. And the fact that Indigo thought Astra's plan of human/alien cohabitation was too conservative can't be a good sign, right?

The standout performance of the night was again Chyler Leigh, who KILLED IT in the scene where Alex finally tells Kara that she was the one that killed Astra. The emotion and realism she brings to Alex is one of the highlights of the show. It takes a special actress to be able to pull off Alex's complex character arc, which transitions from badass DEO agent, to caring, emotional sister. Once again, her chemistry with Melissa Benoist, who should also be commended for her work in tonight's episode, brought me to tears. I am happy the writers broke from the norm, and instead of having Kara get mad at her sister for killing Astra and lying about it, she embraced her. What a nice break from the predictable! I am sure there will still be some underlying resentment with Kara, that may bubble to the surface in future episodes, but I love that her first reaction when hearing her sister killed her aunt was to embrace her.

The one issue I have had with SUPERGIRL recently has been its treatment of the Cat character. At the beginning, she was one of the most entertaining elements of the show. However, for the last few episodes, it feels like her character has been on the periphery. I realize there is only so much you can do with a 42 minute episode, but I would have liked to see a bit more out of Cat this episode as she dealt with a direct threat to her business and city, instead of being relegated to a few quips here and there. Let's be real, I would like to have seen more from her as opposed to that random Winn and Siobhan romance.

With everything building up for a final showdown between her Kryptonian life and earthly life, it's good that Kara is back on good terms with the DEO. After all, she is her strongest when she has a team behind her, especially now that a certain speedster will be joining the ranks of Team Kara in a matter of weeks!

FINAL VERDICT: