Martin Carr reviews the sixth episode of Supergirl season 3…
Prepare yourself for an episode of teen angst with teeth in a week of backstory which is designed to bring Kara and Alex together. However what starts out as a glossy and polished throwback to Dawson’s Creek grows a backbone, develops cojones and offers up another rounded entry in the Supergirl ledger.
First off it’s worth mentioning how good those younger leads Izabeka Vidovic and Olivia Nikkanen really are, as minor versions of Alex and Kara. Bringing some solid acting chops to the table and raising expectations whilst dramatically tying things together. Without their striking resemblance and ability to carry off the emotion, ‘Midvale’ would have felt like a thankless flashback season filler. What we get instead are narrative high school tropes including outcast and cool kid who come together which still manages to resonant. Not the oldest plotline in history but definitely well used and knowingly employed here to good effect.
To what extent this deepens the relationship between Alex and Kara is questionable as Benoist and Leigh have done more than enough already, but at the very least this is entertaining stuff. High school bullies are bested, tentative friendships are forged and on only one occasion is a needless piece of incidental music inserted. There is no interference from National City or the DEO whilst a familiar face turns up just to remind us there are others outside of ‘Midvale’.
What this boils down then is a growing pains, rites of passage detour that seems to have no structural importance, yet gives the audience and writers a break from National City. Also it gifts the actors a week off from tackling pyrotechnic set pieces and in at least one instance hanging from harnesses. Helen Slater is also brought back into the frame and seems more at home here on her second go round than back in 1984. A chocolate box white picket fence home by the lake this maybe but life lessons, emotional growth and saccharine are never far away unfortunately.
Obvious narrative drives revolve around Alex’s break up from Maggie but ultimately this marks a first for Supergirl as we get to see how these two were raised. Meaning that moments of resentment and revelation are experienced rather than fleetingly glimpsed in flashback. That aside, what gives this episode its gumption remains those two younger leads Vidovic and Nikkanen, who provide substance, engagement and believability. Making ‘Midvale’ a seemingly fluffy episode which exploits the potential to morph into viable drama, before being neatly tied up with personal growth and home cooked hampers.
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Originally published November 15, 2017. Updated November 29, 2022.
