Supergirl – Survivors

By: Michelle Lopez

Mon-El (Chris Wood) and the Prince of Daxam (Ben Sullivan) run through complete chaos as Daxam falls victim to the same fate as Krypton. They stumble across an abandoned Kryptonian ship and partake in a high stakes game of selfless one-upmanship. Mon-El races to program a destination far from Daxam for the Prince to escape to while the Prince, ready to share the fate of his people, locks Mon-El into the ship.

Cut to the DEO where Mon-El is wrapping up the story of how he ended up on Earth as Winn (Jeremy Jordan) evaluates his abilities. Kara (Melissa Benoist) can’t help but throw in another dig at Daxam before Mon-El changes the subject asking if there was any reply to his distress signal. Alex (Chyler Leigh) and Winn stare at the ground as they confirm Daxam is truly gone. J’onn (David Harewood) adds a little more bad news into the mix informing Mon-El that for safety purposes he cannot leave the DEO until they’ve fully evaluated his abilities. He then gets a call from Maggie with an invite to check out a crime scene.

After an crime scene invite from Maggie, Alex arrives and gets the rundown. A dead alien was discovered in the trunk of an abandoned car. Much to Maggie’s (Floriana Lima) chagrin, Supergirl shows up. She identifies the alien as a Syvillian, a peaceful race that hardly even argues. The description doesn’t quite add up as the alien’s knuckles are bruised and covered in scar tissue like a fighter. Alex finds a thorn stabbed into the alien’s chest, which launches Maggie and Alex into a speculation spiral. Alex and Maggie have so much chemistry Kara looks absolutely baffled as they work together.

With Alex and Maggie handling the investigation, Kara actually has time to go to work. She stops by Snapper’s office to pitch a story about the murdered alien. Snapper (Ian Gomez) is less than impressed with the idea and Kara’s lack of sources and research. Snapper lives up to his name as he snaps at Kara and sends her off to put together an actual pitch.
J’onn stops by the yet to be named alien bar to interview M’gann (Sharon Leal) about her escape from Mars, a topic which she has no desire to discuss. After some more prodding, Miss Martian explains she was held in an internment camp until a White Martian broke rank and smuggled her off world. J’onn follows up this sad story by asking M’gann to “take the bond” with him and she walks away. Talk about moving a little fast J’onn.

After a quick stop at the DEO to ID the alien as a Brevakk and look up his address in the alien registry, Alex opts out of a DEO strike team to confront him with Maggie. The confrontation goes as well as can be expected when you’re calling out an alien for murder – they gets into a street brawl. As Maggie and Alex get the upper hand and prepare to arrest the Brevakk, Maggie gets tazed and Alex gets tangled up in a net like a cartoon character. A team of special ops thugs swoops in and kidnaps the Brevakk.

Back at the DEO, Alex brings J’onn and Kara up to speed on the kidnapping. Taking a page from Snapper’s book, J’onn snaps at Alex which does not sit well with the Danvers sisters. With the threat of a pouting Kara, J’onn relents and tells them about M’gann and his failed attempt to “take the bond” with her. Kara aptly points out that they just met, but J’onn explains that it’s a psychic bond where Green Martians link minds and share their dreams, emotions and memories. In Martian culture there were no secrets, resulting in a world not run by ego, lies and selfish desires. Kara marvels in the concept while J’onn sulks in the knowledge that M’gann doesn’t want to embrace Martian traditions with him. He’s thankful to have the Davners his life, but having another Martian and living like Martians were meant to live would add so much to his life. Kara suggests he apologize for being so forward and explain to M’gann why he was. We cut to Kara updating hologram Alura (Laura Benati) on her day. She brings up her failed pitch and the her insecurities in her ability to be a reporter. Alura cheers Kara up by reminding her to never give up on herself. Their conversation is cut short when a wandering Mon-El walks in asking what the room is and who the hologram is of. A slightly flustered Kara explains it’s a hologram of her mom and she occasionally stops in to talk about her day. Mon-El jumps in to point out that Alura is a “babe” and when Kara’s jaw hits the floor he quickly backtracks. Apparently Winn told him that “babe” is another way to say beautiful woman. Mon-El’s quickly learning Winn might not be the best person to get all his Earth knowledge from and asks Kara to help him out. An offer which she promptly declines.

After a quick call from Maggie, Alex meets her behind a warehouse and they shamelessly check each other out as they both dressed to the nines. After shooting a few flirty compliments back and forth, they hold hands and head inside to enter a masquerade party of sorts. Maggie explains that all the people in attendance are National City’s wealthiest, but the reason for the gathering is anyone’s guess. Cue a dramatic monologue and entrance by Roulette (Dichen Lachman). She explains that aliens didn’t come to Earth to invade, but to entertain humans. This event is alien fight club. The kidnapped and seemingly terrified “killer Brevakk” is thrown into the ring as Alex and Maggie piece together that the Syvillian was an unfortunate casualty of alien fight club. Roulette introduces the Brevakk’s opponent who is none other than M’gann. As the fight begins, Alex and Maggie realize they’re a bit outgunned with the commandos from earlier patrolling the crowd. Luckily, Alex called for backup and Supergirl crashes through the roof and into the middle of the fight. The Brevakk and M’gann flee while Roulette smirks and announces a new main event: The Girl of Steel versus Draaga. The seven foot tall behemoth is all about the chance to kill a Kryptonian and begins his assault. They tussle a bit, but Draaga has the upper hand flinging Supergirl repeatedly across the cage. While the fight continues, the police crash the party and Roulette escapes out the back. Alex sees Supergirl on the struggle bus and breaks into the cage ending the Draaga’s assault. Kara is injured, but not enough to stop her from still making jokes to comfort Alex.

Back at the DEO, Alex assess Kara’s injuries while she complains about getting her ass handed to her by a seven foot tall alien gladiator. J’onn walks up baffled by the idea of an alien Fight Club. Yes, humans have always exploited aliens, but fights to the death is some next level shit. The Danvers sisters gently break the news to J’onn that M’gann isn’t exactly who he thinks she is as she’s a fighter in alien Fight Club. J’onn takes the news well and storms off.

Back at Mon-El’s evaluation, Winn informs us that Mon-El can’t fly, isn’t as strong as Kara and has no freeze breath, but he can jump really high. Winn tries to sell him on the idea of being a superhero like Kara, but Mon-El is more interested in getting some fresh air away from the DEO. Mon-El busts out some pretty flirty banter about Winn turning him into a superhero. Despite seeing right through the ploy, Winn relents when Mon-El mentions conducting “field testing” of his super powers. Against Winn’s better judgement, he and Mon-El end up in a bar having a drink. Of course, one drink turns into many drinks. While Winn is passed out against a window, Mon-El manages to accidentally break a guy’s arm in a friendly bout of arm wrestling, effectively putting an end to their night.

Kara pops back into Snapper’s office with an updated pitch including the alien Fight Club. Snapper likes the idea and goes as far as to acknowledge this pitch as an actual story for the paper until he realizes Kara still has no sources to back up her claims. J’onn passes through the door of M’gann’s apartment to confront her about the alien Fight Club. She points out that how she spends her evenings is nobody’s business, but J’onn rolls right past that demanding information so he can shut the fight club down as he throws some more judgement at M’gann. She explains to him that she fights for herself and that they’re the last of their kind so she wants to forget her horrible past and move on while he wants to keep reliving it. J’onn doesn’t want to forget his wife and children, but M’gann coldly reminds him that they’re dead and gone. As J’onn storms out of her apartment in a huff, she warns him that Roulette is dangerous but relents and gives him her real name, Veronica Sinclair.

Armed with this new knowledge, Supergirl hunts down Roulette and stops her limo it dead in it’s tracks with a heat vision fire blockade. Supergirl starts off talking about shutting down alien fight club before Roulette counters with a monologue that leaves Kara speechless. Aliens are technically not people and have no rights so the fights aren’t illegal. Roulette is a hero to the alien fighters because she gives them a place to earn cash and feel special. Humans don’t care about what happens to aliens making alien fighting much more lucrative and sustainable than dog fighting. Supergirl can’t stop her because she’s giving aliens a way to survive the world. Roulette basically drops the mic and walks off.

Back at the DEO, Kara is seething and wondering if Roulette was right. Is she offering aliens something that nobody else can or will? Alex tells Kara that she can change the alien’s minds by offering something more powerful than the fear of rejection Roulette uses to control them. Cut to an extremely hungover Winn being interrogated by J’onn about an incident with a six foot tall alien attacking some men at a bar last night. After Winn folds in no time at all, J’onn snaps at Kara for not having explained to Mon-El the dangers of being out. One alien acting out could ruin the tentative peace between humans and aliens. Kara points out that J’onn isn’t talking about Mon-El but rather M’gann. He admits he spoke to her last night and Kara lectures him on being a judgemental jerk because M’gann has been alone after losing everything and he can’t treat her like a criminal for doing what it takes to survive. Kara then realizes she’s not talking about M’gann, but rather Mon-El and goes to talk to him. Mon-El apologizes for breaking the rules and realizes that he needs to stay at the DEO for the safety of humans. Kara comforts him with a stories of her adjustment to life on Earth and apologizes for being standoffish with him. She’s been acting cold toward him because he is a reminder that her parents weren’t perfect and did nothing to save Krypton and consequently Daxam. Mon-El tells her that it wasn’t anybody’s fault that their planets got destroyed and changes the subject to Kara’s fight with Draaga. He’d seen Draaga fight on Warworld when he was younger and recalls an injury to his right leg that left him strongly favoring his left. Just a little tip before Kara’s next bout with the behemoth.

J’onn shows up outside the alien bar to apologize to M’gann for his judgement earlier as Roulette’s special ops thugs taze and kidnap him. At the DEO Alex, Winn and Kara discuss J’onn’s disappearance and deduce Roulette has both Green Martians. Supergirl heads over to the warehouse where the previous fight took place to find it abandoned. In a last ditch effort to find the fight club, Kara rushes over to Lena Luthor’s office. She blazes past Lena’s frazzled assistant and demands an audience. Lena (Katie McGrath) smirks and tell her assistant to notify the building that Kara gets immediate entry to see her whenever possible. Kara explains how a friend of hers is in trouble and she needs to find Veronica Sinclair’s fight club. With a bit of flirting and no hesitation, Lena hands over the information and declines Kara’s offer to “owe her one” because she knows Kara will be there for her when the time comes. That is either adorable or extremely foreboding.

Over at the new fight club, Roulette amps up the crowd for the main event – a battle to the death for the right to be the last Green Martian. J’onn refuses to attack M’gann opting instead for defense until she gets the upper hand and is preparing for the fatal blow. Sensing some hesitation, J’onn tells her that she’s been fighting to punish herself because she feels guilty for surviving, but she has no need to because surviving is not a crime. M’gann relents and stops the fight yet Roulette’s prepared and drops Draaga into the ring to fight the Martians. As that fight starts up, Supergirl bursts in for her rematch. She easily knocks Draaga out after a hard hit to his damaged right leg.

The DEO and police, led by Alex and Maggie, bust the party as Roulette attempts another stealthy escape. They give chase and catch up to her as she hides behind a wall of her alien fighters. Supergirl steps in to ease the tension. She explains that fighting amongst themselves is reinforcing the oppression of aliens humans like Roulette want. With that the aliens turn against Roulette and Maggie makes the arrest.

Outside of the NCPD Alex walks up to Maggie as she uncuffs Roulette. A call from on high is forcing Maggie to release Roulette. I guess it pays to have friends in high places. As Roulette drives off, Alex invites Maggie out for drinks to cope with the crappy end to the day, but Maggie has to decline as her girlfriend shows up for date night. Alex plays it off like no big deal yet stares after Maggie longingly. Poor Alex.

Back at CatCo, Kara re-re-pitches her story to Snapper. This time she’s got the NCPD crime report, forensics and an on-the-record first person account from Supergirl herself. Snapper looks it over, criticizes her grammar, demands a rewrite and adds it to the official list of stories. Point for Kara.

Back at the DEO Kara checks in with Mon-El. She thanks him for the tip on how to defeat Draaga and offers to teach him how to live with his powers on Earth. Per her request, Mon-El’s been released into her custody because her reason for coming to Earth was to teach her cousin and keep him safe. Teaching Mon-El is her opportunity to fulfill that purpose.

J’onn shows up at M’gann’s apartment and she’s surprised to see him after the whole trying to kill him thing. J’onn is serious about leaving the past in the past. He’s happy knowing her with or without taking the bond. A relief to us all. After J’onn leaves, M’gann stares into a mirror and transforms into her true form which is not a Green Martian but a White Martian!