TV Review: SUPERGIRL: Season 2, Episode 17: Distant Sun [The CW]

Supergirl: Distant Sun Review

The CW’s Supergirl Season 2, Episode 17: ‘Distant Sun’ became an episode that started out a little strange but carried on strong on it’s own. However, it didn’t necessarily fit in with the layout of the season. Out of all the superhero shows on the network, Supergirl has been the less focused regarding it’s direction on the show. It’s still hard to tell how the second season will end, so having only a few episodes left for the season doesn’t help showcase how much more the show can do with so little time.

One of the positives that came out of this week’s hour was the return of Kevin Smith as director. This marks Smith’s second episode for the season, which also had the return of Lynda Carter as President Marsdin. You can hardly tell that this was an episode directed by Smith, which is just how good it really was. Carter’s comeback was most welcoming, even if she only had two scenes through a conference call with J’onn Jonzz (David Harewood). The only problem with having a guest star like her on the show is that she isn’t shown frequently after one appearance. It may have been disappointing, but it did add an extra layer of mystery to her character as we see her as a full alien. We don’t know what she’s up to, but our guess is that she may be working for somebody like Lillian Luthor and Cadmus.

Last week’s episode didn’t show enough of Kevin Sorbo and Teri Hatcher as Mon-El’s (Chris Wood) parents. However, this episode made up for that by putting the King and Queen of Daxam into the forefront in their plan to get their son back. We got to see Hatcher’s Queen Rhea place a bounty on Kara’s (Melissa Benoist) head in a plot to reclaim her son. We even had Kara fighting against a mind controlled Mon-El, which was fun to watch. There was lots of family drama going on when Kara faces against Rhea as the Fortress of Solitude.

Rhea turned out to come out as a villain this week, and having her try to get Mon-El and stop anyone who got in her way proved that she will do anything to make her family come together again. Seeing that makes Rhea a formidable foe for Kara since she has a relatable reason to go after her. Plus, it’s fun to see someone who once played Lois Lane on TV switch it up to play a backstabbing villain from another planet.

We did get to see some more romantic drama between Kara and Mon-El as well as Alex (Chyler Leigh) and Maggie (Floriana Lima). With Kara and Mon-El, these two seem so sweet together and their scenes are always cute. It seemed a bit rushed when Mon-El quickly decided to sacrifice himself in order to save Kara. It does raise some concerns that we may be entering some really dark material here once we reach the season finale. It’s hard to see these two still ending up as a couple next season.

As with most episodes, the subplot with Maggie and Alex didn’t connect with this week’s installment. It is a little weird seeing them living in their own little bubble, but it’s their relationship that keeps it so appealing to see them work out their differences despite the bigger plot taking place in the episode. There’s something sweet and innocent here in the scenes that the two characters share that really fit into the show really well.

The fight between Kara and Mon-El’s parents came together really well. We got to see Mon-El making a choice between his new family and his old one. It was even better seeing J’onn in action outside the DEO. The problem is that the show inching closer to the finale, and it’s difficult knowing who will be the biggest villain of the season. It can either be Lillian, Lena, or even President Marsdin. Even the conflict this season has been unknown as it went into different directions as we step aside from Cadmus and focus more on Queen Rhea. Having Lar Gand getting killed by the hands of Rhea doesn’t give us an idea of what Rhea is up to. All this mystery can drive viewers crazy with all this uncertainty.

Supergirl this week had a lot going on. For instance, the show had more usage for Teri Hatcher and Kevin Sorbo than last week’s episode. We also got to see some great and unforgettable loving chemistry between both Kara/Mon-El and Alex/Maggie. There’s still that feeling of dissatisfaction as ‘Distant Sun’ brought in another big hiatus until the last batch of episodes release next month. Even if we are getting closer to the finale, we still have no idea what the second season’s endgame is.

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