“The Last Children of Krypton” picks up immediately where “The Adventures of Supergirl” left off. Not only in story, but also in tone, in feel, in every wonderful way. Many, ourselves included, already consider “The Adventures of Supergirl” to be one of the best episodes of any comic book show in TV history. Well, “The Last Children of Krypton” matches it moment for moment. It does not feel like a continuation, or even the second half of a two-part story. It feels like one seamless episode/movie.
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While Kara struggles to impress her new boss, Snapper Carr, she and Superman are forced to deal with the first direct attack from Cadmus, who send a villain powered by kryptonite after them. Complicating matters is the continued disagreement between Hank and Superman about kryptonite, leaving Kara stuck in the middle of the battle between her cousin and her DEO boss.
Can we have a moment to just relish how wonderful Melissa Benoist is as both Kara and Supergirl? One frequent complaint about both female characters and superhero characters is that they are often one-dimensional. That is not the case here, as we see more of the young hero we fell in love with last year. Whether joyously enthusiastic, scared, frustrated, or once again on the verge of losing that dangerous temper of hers, Benoist is always very real, and beautifully human, despite her character’s alien origins.
We have made no secret of the fact that we consider Cat Grant to be the best character on television. However, even we are surprised to inform you that this week, she is also the very heart of Supergirl. Don’t worry, she is still the same quippy Cat we have come to know. But the vulnerability and caring that she has allowed to peak through the surface now and again is given the chance to really shine. So much of the show’s strength comes from the relationships Cat has with both Kara and Supergirl, and in “The Last Children of Krypton” we get to the very heart of both.
Okay, we are all Winn and he is all of us. About 93% of the episode’s humor comes from Jeremy Jordan this week and it could not be more charming, fun, or geeky. He is the fan we all are, and we hear so much of it this week in his pop-culture references, enough in this episode to rival even Cisco, as well as his open and honest reactions to the amazing things around him. Now that he is working full-time for the DEO, hopefully there will be plenty more of Winn.
And the other last child of Krypton, Clark/Kal-El/Superman. Tyler Hoechlin is the embodiment of perfect casting. While it would be easy to attribute elements of his performance to those who came before him (Christopher Reeve’s awkward charm, George Reeve’s heroic confidence, Melissa Benoist’s pure enjoyment) he is very much doing something of his own. Every moment he is on screen is delightful. Furthermore, his chemistry with Benoist is stunning and real. We see Superman supporting Supergirl, and partnering her, but never outshining her. That’s tough to do, especially with such an iconic character, but Hoechlin makes it look easy. Both through the writing and his performance, it was never in doubt for a moment that this was the same man who was texting Kara all last season, and who called her “my hero.”
If the episode has one flaw, it is that we do not get to see any of the infamous friendship between James and Clark/Superman. Indeed, James is barely in the episode, now that Winn is no longer at CatCo and Kara is working on a different floor of the building, there is little opportunity for James to even appear. Though as one recently released and very spoilery picture shows, that will not be an issue for long. Still, it would have been nice to see some of the friendship these two characters have had in so many books, shows, and films given new life. It seems pretty likely they will just have to find a way to bring Superman back in order to make that happen.
Supergirl has had an amazing start to its second season and the ball does not drop in episode 2. If this is what we have to look forward to for the rest of the season, we should be very pleased indeed.
