Supergirl Season 2 Episode 8 “Medusa” Recap: Be Your Own Hero

Three TV Series Later, Chris Wood Finally Gets a Reasonably Happy Kiss (And So Do Both Danvers Girls!!)

It’s a jolly Thanksgiving in National City this week. All of Kara’s friends and loved ones gather at her apartment to celebrate. Even Barry and Cisco try to show up in the middle of dinner, but, oops, guys, your crosssover event doesn’t start until the end of the episode!

Alex, Winn, and James argue over who gets to come out first over dinner. No, Winn and James aren’t announcing that they’re dating, like I keep hoping, just telling Kara that James is The Guardian and Winn is his handler (why don’t handlers get cool names too?). Alex wants to tell her Mom that she’s interested in dating women. Unfortunately, dinner and the confessions are interrupted by the premature crossover event Vibe bubble. James and Winn will have to wait until another episode, but Alex and Eliza get to have their heart to heart later at the DEO. Eliza is as warm and accepting as ever, immediately figuring out what Alex has been trying to tell her and boosting Alex’s confidence the way only a mom can.

Meanwhile, Mon El at least avoids getting kidnapped or beat up this week, but he gets infected with a deadly virus created by Kara’s father instead. Chris Wood makes an adorable damsel in distress, with trouble always finding Mon El no matter how tame his activities are. He and Kara are so cute dancing around each other throughout the episode, playing monopoly and kinda, sorta flirting. “You don’t want to mate with me do you?” Real smooth, Kara. The shy denial going back and forth between them says that they both really like-like each other and don’t want to blow it. It’s a huge relief when they finally share a kiss. (Spoiler Alert: Especially after watching Chris Wood in both Vampire Diaries and Containment. He was too evil in VD to root for him to even have a love interest, and his relationship in Containment was tragic, with a kiss that foreshadowed death, not happiness. Mon El had better survive the season.)

Supergirl has been amazing with portraying female relationships this season. “Medusa” gives us an excellent contrast between the mother-daughter relationships in the show. Eliza’s relationships with Alex and Kara are tender, respectful, and loving. She treats them like the adults that they are, while still giving them motherly advice and love when they need it. On the other hand, Lena and her mother, Lillian Luthor, are cold, distant, and duplicitous. Lena resorts to playing double agent against her mother tonight to save Earth’s alien population from Cadmus’ latest evil plan. The closeness between Alex and Kara also gets focus tonight, as well as the growing friendship between Lena and Kara/Supergirl. While I miss Cat Grant, Lena is an intriguing, complex character to help fill that void. Hopefully she and her relationship with the rest of the cast will continue to develop. The DC Berlantiverse shows are often so frustratingly focused on father-son and brotherly relationships that the female characters are all but unnecessary to the plot. It gives the number and depth of the female relationships in Kara’s world that much more importance.

Alex realizes that she’s now truly come to terms with being gay, and is comfortable with that being her new normal. Maggie, after getting shot, has an epiphany of her own, “Life is too short. We should be who we are. We should kiss the girls that we want to kiss. I really just…I wanna kiss you.” She’s ready to date Alex! Eeeeee!! They get a huge kiss scene with Coming Home by Sigma ft Rita Ora playing through it. It’s a perfect song for the scene:

I need that home, I’m coming home, I’m coming home
‘Cause this life that I’ve been living ain’t my own
Home, I’m coming home, I’m coming home
‘Cause I’m tired of being out here on my own
I’m coming home, oh yeah yeah yeah
I’m coming home, oh yeah
And all of this time I’ve been living it up
And all I’ve got left is rubble and dust
Oh oh, I’m coming home

I know if I can find my own way back
There’s a life I always knew but never had
I’m tired of fighting things that I can’t change
Letting me go so I can finally find my place

We end with Barry and Cisco successfully breaking through into Kara’s apartment to ask for help with their alien problem. Barry introduces Cisco as his friend, and Cisco corrects him, telling Kara they merely work together. Uh-oh. Maybe Kara can work some of her magic on those two over the next three days and help mend their relationship.