'Supergirl' Recap: 'The Faithful'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Faith is an important part of our everyday lives because it’s fundamental as to how we function. After all, we ALL believe in something, but what that is specifically varies from person to person. Some of us believe in ourselves and the notion that we forge our own way and our own luck while others, well they believe in a higher power, that something greater is out there in the universe that is trying to teach us a valuable lesson about our life and the world we inhabit.
 
Regardless of which school of thought you subscribe you, you’re not wrong by any means, and you should believe what you believe as long as it makes you whole, and doesn’t harm anyone else and it is that part of religion and belief that people truly fear, when it consumes someone to the point where others suffer because of their beliefs and oddly enough, that darker scenario when it comes to faith ended up being the subject of last night’s episode of Supergirl and tossing that theme into the mix, made ‘The Faithful’, one supremely fascinating episode.
 
Because in essence, Supergirl and Superman have always had a sense of Godhood floating about them, and in many instances and stories, they have both served as a loose allegory for modern Judeo-Christian beliefs by sometimes resembling Jesus Christ, but I personally cannot think of a story where either of them were outright worshipped as a savior of mankind, that is, until last night. Because as it turns out, a man that Kara saved on the night she became Supergirl, one who was supremely lost in his own right, decided he needed to dedicate his life to showing others a path toward salvation, and that path involved seeing Kara as a Messiah of sorts.
 
Of course, this quickly became more dangerous than hopeful since some of his followers committed crimes and put themselves in harm’s way to have Kara save them so they could properly join his little group of worshippers, but what made this episode so incredibly fascinating was the entire exploration of how Kara and Clark’s superhuman skills are perceived. Because Kara sees her abilities as a gift, and her timing as luck, yet even James Olsen, a practical man with a practical mind finds the beauty and miraculous nature of her and Clark’s abilities and while the show didn’t quite give us a direct answer as to whether or not they are gods, it was nice to spend a little time dissecting such a unique perspective on how superheros can be and are viewed.
 
Yet, while this in many ways seemed like a standalone episode, there were other important tidbits present when it comes to a few overreaching plot threads in that, Maggie and Alex’s relationship is now in serious trouble with Alex coming to realize how badly she wants to be a mother, yet the love of her life does not. It’s clearly creating a serious rift between the two, one that doesn’t bode well for their future and of course, one cannot forget that something sinister and Kryptonian in nature is haunting Samantha and I get the feeling those disturbing visions are only going to get worse as time goes on. Either way, this was another brainy episode from a series that refuses to give anything but its best in season three and kudos to the series for tackling the power of religion and doing so in the classiest of fashion. Until next time. 

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