Superman on Television

Supergirl: Episode Reviews

Season 6 - Episode 14: "Magical Thinking"

Originally Aired: October 5, 2021
WRITTEN BY: Karen Maser and Derek Simon
DIRECTED BY: Simon Burnett

REGULAR CAST:
Melissa Benoist (Kara Danvers/Supergirl)
Chyler Leigh (Alex Danvers)
Jesse Rath (Brainiac 5)
Katie McGrath (Lena Luthor)
Nicole Maines (Nia Nal/Dreamer)
David Harewood (J'onn J'onnz)
Azie Tesfai (Kelly Olsen/Guardian)
Staz Nair (William Day)

GUEST STARS:
Julie Gonzalo (Andrea Rojas)
Peta Sergeant (Nxylgsptinz)
Matt Baram (Mitch)
Mila Jones (Esme)

Rating - 4 (out of 5): This was a much more balanced episode. The writing was strong, and all of the characters got to have at least a moment where they looked really cool. J'onn's moment came when they had him use his phasing powers to reach into the van and pull the carjacker out. It looked really good, even with the unnecessary damage of the window getting busted.

It's weird that I'm at a point in my life where thinking, "I wonder what the conversation was like between that woman and her car insurance agent when she called to file a claim on that window? Are insurance adjusters in National City used to this sort of thing? Would her policy cover damage caused by a super-hero saving her son's life?" is perfectly normal.

I mean...it's a fair question.

The character that got the best boost this week was William. William getting embedded with The Super Friends not only gives him something to do but it also feels organic to the characters. I appreciated that they explored the idea of what the general public needs or doesn't need to know about a potentially catastrophic situation. The transparency versus not causing a panic versus not revealing secret identities debate played out nicely and I liked that William was the winner in the end. It served his character well.

My favorite moment in the episode was the argument that Lena and Kara had about doing something extreme in the name of heroism. The look on Lena's face when Kara said that she wanted to go through with her plan because of the greater good was amazing because it was rooted in the history of those characters. All of the times Lena gave the exact same argument and Kara had to stop her boiled up to the surface. It was well written and well-acted.

It was also nice to get some good Kara/Lena scenes. I missed the dynamic of those characters.

The rest of the episode was fun. Kara's struggles to contain the emotions she was feeling because of Nxly worked and I loved seeing Nxly going through her own struggles. The overall plot got on firmer ground and I enjoyed myself. This was a strong episode with some fun fight scenes and good character moments.

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