"Supergirl" Recap: "Falling"

​Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

The last time I sat down to recap and discuss the wonder that is Supergirl, I made mention of the fact that it seemed that the writing was getting stronger week in and week out and I meant it. This is a show that continues to find new ways to tell incredible stories and do it in magnificent fashion and once again, the show proved that point by putting together an absolute jaw dropper of an episode this week.  

Red Kryptonite was the focus this go round, an age old annoyance in the comics since it always brings out the worst in Kryptonians and good heavens did it bring out the worst in Kara. This was an episode that dealt with every single thing that has bothered or irritated Supergirl in ugly and angry fashion and consequences will no doubt resonate for weeks to come, but when all was said and done I think I'm ready to declare "Falling" the best episode of season one for so many reasons.

The first one is the obvious one, Melissa Benoist. You can't sell the fury that comes with Red Kryptonite without a quality actor and Melissa pulled it off in impressive fashion, completely transforming the character. For the most part we completely said goodbye to the mousey Kara Danvers and the humble hero that we know and love, replaced instead by a cocky and power thirsty individual, hell bent on doing and saying whatever she wants and while that was entertaining at first, it didn't take long for us to be completely uncomfortable with everything we were seeing. Her whole attempt to "win" James' heart was done in malicious and terrifying fashion and let's be honest, I don't think anyone recognized Kara at all by the end of the episode, especially after she threw Cat off of her own balcony.

But really, the two most heartbreaking moments of the night came by way of the DEO. There was nothing harder to watch than when Kara told her sister Alex exactly what she thought of her and the fact that eventually J'onn had to reveal his true identity and throw away his career as head of the DEO in the process. All of this led to what I mentioned earlier, consequences, and that's really what I loved the most about this episode. Rather than wrap everything up in a lovely bow and move onto next week, Kara has to face the repercussions of what she's done, regardless of the Red Kryptonite since a lot of her darkest moments came from someplace buried deep within and that's brilliant writing.

After all our perfect hero with her perfect life, one where she was able to stop a bully just by saying hello to a girl dressed up like her, lives in a shattered world now. Her friendships are hanging together by a thread, and those that believed in her, that little girl included have turned their backs on her...at least for the moment. Either way, this was truly a magnificent episode, one that surprised me at every single turn and I can't wait to see what next week has in store for us fallout wise from Kara's actions this week. Oh, and a quick round of applause for the show runners throwing in a little homage to Superman III with the peanut flicking scene in the bar. Until next time.

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