‘Supergirl’ 3.12 Recap and Review: For Good

Supergirl

Although the concept of “fandom” has been in existence since the digital age, it is no doubt that the rise of the World Wide Web had erected an entirely new level of participatory culture. As a result, with the progression of technology, it is easier to see and spread negativity.

Similar to any other television program with a robust fan base, Supergirl is grounds for a ship war, and this week’s episode is a prime example as to how ship wars are perpetuated. A good chunk of the episode’s content was made up of one of its most popular ships, SuperCorp (which consist of Kara Danvers and Lena Luthor, if you haven’t got a clue who the ships are). There were, however, sprinkles of two equally popular couplings – KaraMel (Kara and Mon-El) and GuardianCorp (Lena and James Olsen) – much to someone’s dismay, I’m sure. Alas, as I scroll social media, Supergirl fans are already at each other’s necks in an online show of might, as they try to outdo each other on which side will carry the day. Clearly, this needs to be corrected. Can’t we all just get along?

Now, I’m not here to join in on the war. Yes, everyone should know by now which ship I’m on, but that does not mean that I cannot respect other ships. Shipping is supposed to be fun – it is supposed to be about enjoying the idea of characters together, on-screen, or in your head. A war need not erupt just because one disagrees over which characters should romance.

All that being said, I was satisfied with the KaraMel content, though platonic – these days, I’m actually enjoying their professional relationship more so than their “will-they (again)/won’t-they (again)” chicanery, and this coming from a hardcore shipper! It’s all about SuperValor now, and I’m not mad about it if it means I get to see Mon-El in his comic-book-accurate red suit, complete with a full cape, fighting alongside Supergirl. If that doesn’t sound satisfying, well … this may not be the show for you, I’m sorry to say.

Nevertheless, nothing is going to stop me from fangirling over what Mon-El had said – “I’ve got your back, I promise”; “We made a pretty good team”; “I’m committed to being the hero you taught me to be” – a shipper’s gotta ship.

On the other hand, KaraMel’s biggest “rival” ship, SuperCorp, had their own share of satisfying moments, especially when Kara carried Lena, bridal style, which fans surely milked dry. I may not view them romantically, but their friendship to me is one of the most appealing aspects of the show. I don’t dismiss why others ship them together … I have an open mind; therefore, I understand what they see from SuperCorp. I’m happy for those of you – you’ve just got a lot of good content. Hey, I enjoyed watching them myself!

As for GuardianCorp, let me just say this: I understand why you might feel that their new romantic feelings may be degrading or disrespectful to the individuals involved. I also understand that they’ve been underused or underappreciated, given how important they’ve been to the series. I strongly believe, however, that their romance can transcend their individual stories to lead more fulfilling, relevant roles to the overall story – especially James, whose story basically reset back to square one upon his failed romance with Kara. Hopefully, the writers can stick the landing and make up for their misuse of his character. At least, Mehcad Brooks and Katie McGrath have chemistry, and they actually make sense together, if you allow it to be so. I’m personally all for them.

By the end of the hour, each of the three ships won, and I’m totally okay with that. I’m not going to stomp on someone else’s love story just because mine isn’t turning out to be so rosy. (Isn’t that why fan labor exists, anyway?) We can all get along … I HAVE A DREAM.

Things to ponder:

  • I came across a theory that the Legion traveled back in time to save Alex from Reign. Given that Alex is the one helping Sam figure out what’s wrong with her, will Alex discover that Sam is Reign, and will Reign keep Alex from telling the DEO by killing her?
  • Sam is concerned about her daughter, Ruby – if something were to happen to Sam, who would care for Ruby? This just further solidifies my theory that Alex will adopt Ruby.

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