Supergirl Season 6 Episode 1 Review: Rebirth
Sarah Little
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It's been a while since we last saw a new Supergirl episode, and the show definitely didn't hesitate to get in the swing of things.
Gamemnae still needed to be defeated, and Brainy was in desperate need of saving after Supergirl Season 5 Episode 19. But the ultimate mission of Supergirl Season 6 Episode 1 was to stop Lex from becoming the Anti-Monitor.
This goal set forth a series of actions that saw Supergirl and her friends working together -- all of them, finally -- to do whatever necessary to take down Lex. And there were plenty of heart-to-hearts that have come to define the show.
Overall, it felt like a season finale at its finest. It had the right balance of action, sentimental moments, conclusions to storylines, and proper setup for the future.
Ever since the Crisis, the House of El's infamous villain has been deadset on fulfilling the Anti-Monitor's master plan of "fixing" every planet in the universe.
And thanks to Lena and Obsidian, he was very close to achieving his goal.
His "I Heart Lexie" protocol intended to make the entire universe love him and abide by his rule. Everyone who opposed him would get obliterated.
Lillian: And your sister. You can't kill her either.
Lex: Why not? She killed me first.
Lex quite literally embodied the definition of god complex throughout the hour.
He has always been bloodthirsty for power, but this plan brought it to a whole new level. Thankfully, every villain has a weak spot, and Lex's is his dislike of Kryptonians.
Lex's downfall was always going to be his arrogance and his blind hatred of Kara. But we never thought that he would succeed in taking down the Girl of Steel.
First, he killed Kara. But then, when Lena's protective suit healed her, he got a second chance at taking her down. Since he couldn't kill her himself, he sent her to a place that could kill her.
In Lex's eyes, he believes he was semi-successful in the end. Even though he is rotting in prison, at least Kara is as well.
The Phantom Zone is not a safe place to be for someone from the House of El. There are going to be beings and phantoms there that would love the chance to kill Kara Zor-El.
And Lex is the one who sent her there. This man is the epitome of annoying.
As much as I believe that Supergirl overused the character of Lex, Jon Cryer's portrayal of the infamous Luthor was outstanding from beginning to end.
I mean, how great was Lex's victory dance in the Fortress as "We Are the Champions" played in the background?
Kara: I want you to disable the satellites. You do that, I'll give you what you've always wanted.
Lex: What's that? And don't say hair. That's low-hanging fruit.
But since Lex Luthor is defeated, what now?
We do not know much about who the Big Bad is for Supergirl Season 6 or the threats that the Super Friends will face. Of course, we know that part of their journey will be rescuing Kara from the Phantom Zone.
Perhaps when she undoubtedly leaves the prison, someone will accidentally be released as well.
It's not surprising that Kara was willing to sacrifice herself to save humanity. What was shocking, however, was that she was so willing to accept her doom.
The Kara we know is a hero who considers every single option before making a final decision. She should have known that she could use Lena's protective suit to save herself from Lex.
So why was she so sure that she would die or disappear? Kara would not have recorded her knowledge and her legacy at the Fortress for no reason.
Lena: You trust me? Even after everything...
Kara: You want to help people. Whatever else that's happened, I know what's in your heart.
It might be that I'm missing something or that there's a hole in the story. Or it could be that Kara was hiding something from her friends and, subsequently, the audience.
Whatever the case may be, the Phantom Zone is an intriguing direction for Supergirl's final season. There are so many possibilities for the show now, and I look forward to seeing how it all plays out.
In Kara's absence, it appears that Alex will be taking over the role of National City's hero. And there is no one better for the job -- except Dreamer, of course.
But it is worth noting that Alex was the one to take down Lex in the end. Plus, she spent the majority of Supergirl Season 5 proving she can be a badass vigilante.
During the final minutes of the season premiere, J'onn even gave her a code name -- Sentinel.
I knew that this alias had to have significance in the comic books. And after some research, I discovered that Alan Scott -- AKA the first Green Lantern -- used Sentinel as an alias.
This could mean nothing and is just a cool new name for Alex. However, Green Lantern has been teased for some time in the Arrowverse, most notably concerning John Diggle.
While the action and overarching plot took up a lot of space on the episode, "Rebirth" also took the time to slow things down and examine Supergirl's various relationships.
From talks between J'onn and Alex to Brainy and Nia's reconciliation, it's clear that Supergirl knows how to nurture its relationships.
Nia, you should hear this. I had to work with Lex to destroy Leviathan. Pushing you away, hurting you...it was to protect you. I love you.
Brainy
They appear to be learning from their mistakes -- AKA Kara and Lena's fight that spanned almost the entirety of the last season.
The various dynamics among the Super Friends are what makes the show interesting and fun to watch. And I hope to see more development of these relationships as Supergirl continues.
If you were looking for redemption from Lena, you got it.
While Kara rightfully was hurt by Lena's actions, she knows that Lena is a good person underneath it all. And this knowledge allowed Kara to trust her best friend again.
Even though they are apart, for the time being, there is no doubt that they will be able to get back to the friendship they once had.
Brainy: What do we do now?
Lena: Try to cope with the mistakes of the past. And appreciate that we still have friends that believe in us.
But I do expect that we will continue to see Lena and Brainy face the consequences of their actions. They made big mistakes. You can't get forgiveness in just two episodes for hurting the ones you love.
We need to see both of them work towards repairing what they broke. However, it looks like Brainy and Nia will become stronger as a result of this divide.
In a very small corner of the hour, Andrea did something that will most likely have consequences for the future of CatCo.
Her father is going to be furious once he realizes what she's done. And as a powerful man, he won't go down without a fight.
Andrea was not thinking of what would happen in the long term when she used her father's bank account to buy out the shares of Obsidian. She was only concerned about fixing her current problems.
The good news is that she stopped CatCo from going bankrupt, but who knows what the future holds.
My gut is telling me that Andrea's father will be coming for CatCo soon enough.
What did you think, Supergirl Fanatics?
Are you shocked by Kara getting sent to the Phantom Zone? Do you appreciate that the effects of Crisis are still being portrayed? How badly do you want to see Cat Grant again after that shoutout?
And how excited were you to see Nia use her powers more?
Let me know in the comments, and do not forget that you can watch Supergirl online right here via TV Fanatic!
Supergirl airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.
Sarah Little was a staff writer for TV Fanatic.She retired in September 2021.
