Supergirl – Far from the Tree

By: Paige Zinaman

Alex (Chyler Leigh) and Kara (Melissa Benoist) are discussing her and Maggie’s (Floriana Lima) bridal shower that Eliza (Helen Slater) is throwing for them. Alex admits to Kara that she thought throwing a bridal shower would make her mother stop being cheesy and Kara tells Alex that gay or straight nothing would stop Eliza from throwing the best bridal shower ever. She says that she’ll love bridal bingo, which results in Alex jokingly telling Kara to “Kill me now.” Alex asks Kara how she’s doing, which results in Kara telling Alex that she’s fine and doing okay and that what’s going on with her has nothing to do with Alex and Maggie.  As the sisters talk they are interrupted by knock on the door. Kara opens it to reveal J’onn (David Harewood) who has come by to tell the girls that he is going to be leaving and he wants Alex to take the lead at the DEO while he’s gone. When Kara and Alex start asking questions he tells them that he’s going to Mars because M’gann (Sharon Leal) sent him a message. Alex tells J’onn that if he’s going to Mars then Kara is going with him. When he goes to protest Kara and Alex put a stop to it before he can continue telling him that he’s always there for them and that she’s going to be there for him.

J’onn leads Kara to a garage where she asks if they should call Winn (Jeremy Jordon) to turn on the transmit portal. J’onn turns it down telling her it wouldn’t work because there’s not one on Mars. He opens the garage and shows Kara how old the car shocks are in his car, which turns out to be his ship. J’onn tells Kara that his car is from a different era to which Kara adds “and a different planet.” As they take off the car transforms from into an actual ship. Meanwhile, Maggie, Alex and Eliza are eating dinner when Eliza tells them that she wishes Kara could be there even though she knows whatever she is doing with J’onn is important. She can’t help but worry about her though. Alex tells Eliza that its been hard, but Kara is working through it. Eliza tells Maggie she wanted to make a bridal board for her too, but Alex tells her she didn’t have any photos of herself from childhood and asks Maggie how long it had been since she talked to her parents. Maggie tells her that she hasn’t spoken to them since she was fourteen years old. Alex tries to change the subject, but Maggie tells Eliza the story about what happened with her parents. Eliza tells Maggie that the only thing that’s shameful about the story was the way her parents treated her. J’onn and Kara arrive on Mars and are greeted by M’gann who hugs J’onn, surprised he actually came. M’gann notices Kara behind J’onn and tells her she didn’t have to come, but is happy she did. They are introduced to Till’all (Dewshane Williams) and N’keyy (Louriza Tronco) who are white Martians and fighting along side M’gann. Till’all is less happy about J’onn and Kara’s arrival, expressing he didn’t ask for them to be there and that they wasted a day trying to get them there. Whereas N’keyy is very excited to meet J’onn after learning that he inspired M’gann to rise up and fight. After hearing what Till’all had to say, J’onn asks M’gann what is going on. She tells him they stormed a base where there was a camp for Green Martians and that he wasn’t the only one left before leading him over to a holding area. When Kara asks J’onn, who is clearly shocked, who it was he tells Kara that it’s his father.

J’onn is outraged and starts asking M’gann about his wife and daughters when she shakes her head no. Kara asks why they kept M’rynn (Carl Lumbly) alive and no other Martian; N’keyy and M’gann explain that M’rynn is the high religious leader of the Green Martians when N’keyy tells her that not even the worst of the White Martians would kill him. Till’all tells them that they will all be dead if they don’t hurry up, M’gann tells them that they think M’yrnn knows where the staff of Calar; J’onn tells them that it’s a myth and that his father used to tell him stories about it and that it isn’t real. M’gann tells him that it is real and the White Martians know where it’s buried and that if they get to it then they can use it to control the resistance fighters and they couldn’t do anything to stop it. M’gann tells J’onn that they think his father knows where they plan to dig but he has closed his mind off to them completely. M’gann pleads with J’onn to talk to his father so he can help them save the planet once and for all. Back on Earth, Alex and Maggie talk about how Maggie never told her the complete story about her father. Maggie tells her that before that day her father was the perfect father; Alex points out that it sounds like Maggie really loves him and asks if she’s thought about calling him. Maggie continues on saying her aunt told her that they removed all the photos of her from family photos and erased her from their lives. Alex tells her parents do stupid things when they don’t understand and that she should invite them to the shower, which causes Maggie’s defenses to rise and tells Alex, “Babe I love you but just drop it.”

J’onn goes into to speak to his father and tell him who he is, explaining he understands his anger and how he must be feeling. As his father reaches to touch his face M’rynn thinks the White Martians are using J’onn against him telling them that his son is dead and that his son never would have fled to Earth. As Alex is sleeping Maggie slips out of bed and goes to her phone and calls her father and talks with him about where she is and why she’s calling. She tells him that it’s not a man and that she knows he may not make it, but she’d like it if he could make it sending well wishes to him and her mother before hanging up. She looks over to Alex who’s awake and asks her why she just called him.

Till’all tells him that since J’onn couldn’t get through to M’rynn it was time to force the information from him which could end up killing him. J’onn tells everyone that he can and will break through to his father, which M’gann tells him to hurry because Till’all is right and they are running out of time and they will die. J’onn asks Kara if she ever thinks about what her parents would think of her and the person she’s become. Kara tells him she thinks about it every day and that they would be proud of her, which J’onn tells her that he thought that way too and he finally got ask only to have his father think of him as a coward. Kara tells him that his father doesn’t know who he really is because the man she knows devoted his life to making sure no other planets suffered the way Mars had and to go in there and show his father who his son really is. Maggie meets her father Oscar (Carlos Bernard) at the bus stop telling him she would have picked him up at the airport. As they walk they talk about Maggie and the cases she’s solved and that she remembers everything he’s taught her. J’onn goes back in and talks to M’rynn as he takes the form of a human while they discuss the cultures of the Green Martians and the history of the staff that M’gann has been looking for. M’rynn refuses to give the location of the staff to J’onn, which results in Till’all throws M’gann against the wall telling him he’s doing this for them all. Kara intervenes and goes to get J’onn and M’rynn while knocking others out as they leave.

As they flee what’s left of M’rynn’s home, he slaps J’onn who he still believes to be a White Martian and tells him that it’s one thing to take his son’s form but another to bring him back there. He continues on telling J’onn that he’s done what no other White Martian has done before and broken him. Back at Kara’s loft the party is in full swing, friends of both Alex and Maggie gather for the party as Eliza tells the couple it’s time for trivia and pulls Maggie to the “hot seat” first. James (Mehcad Brooks) tells Alex to not get to comfortable because she’s next. As the trivia is happening Oscar shows up and meets Alex who invites him in when he notices on the wedding board that a picture of Maggie isn’t there. So, he takes a photo from his wallet and places it on the board. When Eliza pulls them over for gifts she briefly introduces herself to Oscar and hands Maggie a present to open. When Maggie kisses Alex, it seems Oscar gets upset and leaves. Maggie goes after him asking why he’s leaving. Oscar tells her that he came to America to get respect and make a life for his children and explains that the world hasn’t changed and that she can live whatever life she wants but he’s not going to be a part of it. He leaves Maggie standing outside.

Kara goes to speak to M’rynn and tells him that she’s not a White Martian and he confirms this by placing his hand on her face. She tells him that she, like him, comes from a dead planet and from dead people. She says that it didn’t matter if he believed J’onn was his son or not since he wants to save Mars and asks him to open his mind to J’onn. He does as Kara asks and J’onn shows him his favorite memory of when his father left worship early and surprised J’onn on his birthday. Till’all, M’gann and the rest of the resistance show up and tell J’onn they are out of time. M’rynn tells them where the White Martians took the staff and they leave to find them. Kara drives J’onn’s car blasting Britney Spears asking for directions back to Earth. As she distracts the White Martians the Resistance fighters with J’onn and M’rynn arrive. As they fight, the staff starts to affect them. Kara fights before J’onn uses his car to help her out as she grabs the staff using it on the White Martians before handing off to Till’all telling him it belongs to the Resistance. Till’all tells J’onn and Kara to take the staff to Earth and bury it because it’s too strong for either side to have. Maggie confronts her father as he’s leaving handing the picture back telling him that she’s no longer the little girl wanting her father to come back for her and that she has people who love and value her. She then goes to speak to Alex telling her she’s all the family she needs. When Alex brings up children again Maggie says she sees their life together and it’s great, but she doesn’t see children. Kara, J’onn and M’yrnn arrive back on Earth as J’onn thanks Kara for coming with him and helping. Kara tells him that she’ll see him tomorrow welcoming M’rynn to Earth and takes off.  This leaves J’onn and his father to go home.