Martin Carr reviews the twenty-first episode of Supergirl season 2…
Much touted through trailers and articles in the run up to ‘Resist’ has been the comeback of Cat Grant, news mogul, mentor and queen bee to CATCO worldwide media. With the return of a never more comfortable Flockhart we also get Lynda ‘Wonder Woman’ Carter as POTUS, Strong’s Lillian Luthor and Hatcher’s Rhea in full force. Essentially ‘Resist’ is all about some extremely strong women having a slapping contest.
With this sort of headlining quartet Supergirl was bound to deliver and thankfully it does not disappoint. Hatcher has fun going bat crap crazy from her mother ship while the invasion force get busy. Our beloved DEO is compromised, invaded, evacuated and then broken back into. There is carnage, casualties and more than a few bloodied bodies before everyone comes to their senses. Kidnapping is afoot, arranged marriages abound and allegiances are on and off quicker than you can say Jack Robinson.
What this gives us then is faith restored in a season which had been falling back on old tropes, less than threatening villainy and a reliance on relationships over drama. In a word Supergirl had been treading water since its three-week hiatus. I have said so and stand by my initial reaction as still valid. Thankfully what ‘Resist’ does is bring it all back together as a cohesive entity. Strong characters, reliable conflict and no easy out has made this episode the most enjoyable for some time. Flockhart shines throughout and reminds us what an asset both the actress and character are for this programme. Lillian remains underused but Hatcher continues to revel in her alter ego bad bitch to the bone persona.
This not only gives us something engaging to watch but also makes everyone else up their game for the penultimate show before the season closer. By dividing the main cast up into groups for various missions we almost get two for the price of one drama wise. Benoist and Strong make an odd couple along with Harewood in cyborg mode, while Leigh and Lima complement one another with their parts to play. For once Winn and James Olsen are not consigned to sidekick duties as well which makes for a rounded forty plus minutes of television before a final farewell. Effects work is heavy but consistently good while that show stopper reveal is guaranteed to keep people tuning in next week.
With a third season on the cards and greenlit some months back it is nice to think that the show can keep delivering. Ratings may not have been great of late, but then even flagship shows have bad weeks. Nonetheless however these things are measured remains academic when the creativity on display and passion for a project continue to shine through. Let’s just hope episode twenty-two can pack the one two punch needed to make people remember that fact.
Martin Carr – Follow me on Twitter
Originally published May 16, 2017. Updated November 29, 2022.
