Supergirl Season 5 Episode 19 Review: Immortal Kombat
Sarah Little
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Supergirl had just one episode left to get the show back on track to its roots, and it somehow did just that.
Supergirl Season 5 Episode 19 was a jam-packed hour of action, heart-to-hearts, revelations, hope, and everything that makes Supergirl, Supergirl.
There were conclusions to a lot of the storylines that filled Supergirl Season 5, but unfortunately, there is one last loose end to tie up. And if the past has shown us anything, it is that he doesn't go down easy.
Lex has been a nuisance since he returned during the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, and he has always been five steps ahead of Supergirl.
After all the wins Kara and the Super Friends procured during the season's final hour, one might have thought that they would have caught up to Lex. They would be wrong, though.
You know I pride myself on seeing things. Connections where others only see coincidence. Pathways where others see only walls. I anticipate everything. But I must admit, I did not expect you to live in a casino.
Lex
It really is no surprise that Lex would have predicted that Brainy would take care of Leviathan before they had a chance to kill Supergirl. Supergirl Season 5 Episode 17 proved that he has accounted for every single possibility in his plan.
Lex did not come to play after The Monitor gave him a second chance, and he is determined now more than ever to kill Supergirl.
And Brainy unknowingly played right into Lex's hands when he used that device to shrink and contain the Leviathan gods. Now Lex has all he needs to take down Supergirl, with a little help from his mother.
Lex, while a great villain, has stolen too much of the spotlight from Leviathan since his return.
There are still many questions left unanswered about the evil organization -- especially regarding whoever it is that Gamemnae answers to. And Gamemnae is, unfortunately, looking too fried to tell us.
There were two other gods -- Tezumak and Sela -- that we never got a proper introduction to, who never got fleshed out as characters.
Leviathan had major potential to be a thrilling adversary to Supergirl and friends, as seen throughout the battles between them on this finale. They just never got a chance.
Given the fact that we never found out about the mysterious "her" that Gamemnae mentioned, maybe Leviathan will return on Supergirl Season 6 and step out of the shadows.
However, we still have to deal with Lex and now Lillian. Now that they have Brainy's shrinking device, they are seemingly unstoppable.
Thankfully, there is another powerful duo that, when on the same side, can take on anything and anyone.
I know you must feel like there's no way out. But it is when things feel their most hopeless that we have to dig down deep to do what's right. Otherwise the bad guys win.
Kara
The only way that Supergirl can make more stories featuring Lex Luthor interesting is if Kara and Lena are working together to stop him.
In a way, it is almost like a full-circle moment. When Lex first got introduced on Supergirl Season 4 Episode 15, he betrayed Lena when she tried to help him. Then, Lena and Kara/Supergirl worked together to take him down.
A death, a betrayal, and a Crisis later, Lena and Lex were a team. Finally, Lena came to her senses and ditched Lex to join Kara in taking him down one last time. Okay, so maybe it is more like a neverending rectangle.
Lena appeared to be truly sorry as she tried to get Kara to forgive her throughout the hour. It would now be out of character for her if she ever turned her back on Kara again.
You can't help but feel sorry for Lena as she is human and she does make mistakes. All she wants to be is good and do good, and she, like the rest of us, struggle with just how to do that.
It took her a while, but Lena, at her very core, is a good person who just wants to help people. Honestly, she would be a boring character if we never questioned her actions and saw her as perfect.
Lena is quite complicated and does fall sometimes, as does Kara. But I am so glad that she and Kara are no longer on opposite sides.
They both just need to be able to see things from the other's perspective, and if they can do that, they will be an unstoppable team.
As Kara pointed out, she and Lena have been through so much this season and have hurt each other. It is going to take a lot more than one episode for them to get back into being the best of friends.
They proved during their takedown of Leviathan that they can push their feelings aside and do what they need to do to save billions of people's lives, but where does that leave them when the dust settles?
Lena: Please Kara, I'm sorry. Okay, I truly believed what I was doing was helping people.
Kara: I told you I don't want to talk about the past.
Lena: Oh, come on, you can scream at me if you like. I know I deserve it. I know now that working with Non Nocere was a mistake. That working with Lex was a mistake.
Kara: This isn't about Lex! This is about J'onn and Alex and all the other people that could've been killed today because they are on my team. Don't you understand that?
Lena: No, I do. Of course I do.
Kara: No you don't. You have never understood what it means to share a secret identity with someone. How much danger that puts them in. You never even understood that I kept my identity from you because I wanted to protect you! And I know, I know that I hurt you by waiting so long to tell my truth, but what about all the ways you hurt me? You pretended to be my friend for weeks just so you could manipulate me. You stole from me. You convinced me to steal for you. And then, then you even, you used Kryptonite on me. I made one mistake, one mistake that was only ever meant to protect you, and in return, all you did was hurt me in every way imaginable.
Lena: I'm sorry.
Kara: I know you are. But if you came to me looking for absolution, I can't give it to you.
After they undoubtedly defeat Lex, they will need to work to get their friendship back to what it once was when Lena did not know Kara was Supergirl.
They can get there, of course, but we need to see them put the work in.
Elsewhere during the finale, Andrea and Brainy both received redemption -- kind of.
It was another moment that came full-circle when Lena talked Andrea down from killing Kara. The fact that Lena and Andrea used to be great friends is more understandable now than ever as they are so much alike.
They both would do anything terrible things in the name of love, but Lena now understands the downside of that.
I have done terrible things to protect myself and the people I love. But it has never kept me safe from pain. It's just brought me a new kind of misery. And I moved further and further away from the person I was until one day I woke up and I was utterly alone.
Lena
It was a beautiful moment that showed the development of both of them as characters, and I hope Andrea sticks around for the next season.
Meanwhile, Brainy did just about the craziest thing he could do to make up for working with Lex.
Brainy's not dead yet, but it is not looking good for the Coluan.
He subjected himself to Leviathan's radiation shield to stop them and save all his friends -- which is just about the noblest thing anyone can do.
Female Brainy: But if you enter the ship without Lex's anti-radiation pin, you'll die.
Brainy: I pushed away everyone I love because you told me I must. You were right. This planet, my friend, it's worth it. I called you here simply because I don't wanna die alone.
Ever since Brainy took off his inhibitors, he has not been the best ally to the Super Friends or the best partner to Nia.
Him sacrificing himself would not be the worst way for Brainy to go out, and honestly, I would be at peace with his death if it happens.
However, he and Nia make too good of a team to throw it all away. Plus, she knows that he is in trouble, and there is no doubt in my mind that she will be able to save him.
There were many hurdles to jump over this season -- Kara and Lena's fight, Brainy's betrayal, the Lex Luthor of it all, and so on.
But taking into account that this forced finale was supposed to be the penultimate one, I would say that they did a pretty great job of tying up some of the stories. It felt like an actual finale.
While the opposition between Kara and Lena was an annoyance at times throughout the season, it looks like they are going to come out of it even stronger than ever.
And because of that, I am not even mad that Lex is still in the picture.
All of this sets up Supergirl Season 6 quite nicely, and I am choosing to have hope that it will be a great season -- even though we might have to wait a year to watch it.
What do you think Supergirl Fanatics?
Are you happy that Kara forgave Lena? Is Brainy going to survive?
And how do you feel about Alex becoming a vigilante? I bet we can all agree on how awesome her new suit is, though.
Let me know in the comments, and do not forget that you can watch Supergirl online right here via TV Fanatic!
Supergirl airs on Sundays at 9/8c on The CW.
Sarah Little was a staff writer for TV Fanatic.She retired in September 2021.
