Five Shocking Moments from Supergirl – “Last Children of Krypton”

The theme of tonight’s episode of Supergirl was “change”. Whether it was Cat leaving CatCo or Supergirl starting her new job at the news desk, almost every character on the show experienced some sort of major life-altering change or big career move. “Last Children of Krypton” didn’t have the big story feel of last week’s episode, but it did feel important, as if it were setting the tone for the entire season.

Without further ado, here’s our five favorite moments from this week’s episode of Supergirl.

Enter Cadmus

Cadmus has lurked in the background of Supergirl for a few episodes, but tonight’s episode served to bring the organization out of the shadows and in direct conflict with our protagonists. Not only does Cadmus have a serious hatred of aliens on Earth, they also have no problem with collateral damage, even when it’s one of their own men. 

After encountering Metallo for the first time, Superman and Supergirl quickly learn the source of Metallo’s kryptonite fuel: the DEO. It seems that even the DEO, an organization vetted by Martian Manhunter, had a Cadmus double agent. Alex quickly sussed out the mole’s identity with the help of Winn, but her “trap” quickly went awry and nearly ended with another Danvers in Cadmus’s custody.

My real question about Cadmus is this: what exactly are they? Are they a government organization gone rogue? A group of mad scientists? Or is the US government okay with one of their shadow organizations outing themselves and actively attacking innocent citizens? Hopefully, a future episode sheds a little more light on exactly who Cadmus reports to…or at least gives us the name of Brenda Strong’s evil scientist character.

Metallo

Supergirl‘s Metallo was pulled straight out of the comics. Not only did Metallo have the exposed kryptonite heart and gnarly scars, he also had the cool metal skeleton, even if we only got a glimpse of it when Supergirl heat visioned his skin off. 

But the big “twist” in this episode wasn’t that Metallo showed up to fight Supergirl and her slightly more famous cousin, it was that Cadmus had multiple Metallos in their arsenal. After Superman and Supergirl fought Metallo (John Corben) to a draw, Cadmus decided to “recruit” one of their own scientists and transformed him into a second Metallo. 

At the end of the day, neither Metallo did much besides shoot Kryptonite beams and punch Supergirl and Superman in the face, but their appearance did give the show an excuse to recreate one of the most famous covers in DC history, the cover to Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. If you’re a comic fan, you had to love that little homage. 

Cat’s Skipping Town

While Superman and Supergirl were off fighting kryptonite powered bad guys, Cat Grant was busy shaking up her entire organization. Not only did she leave Kara in the (very grumpy) hands of Snapper Carr, she also announced that she was taking an extended leave of absence to try “something new” in life.

While the show framed Cat’s departure as a happy moment, I’m sure Supergirl will miss Cat in upcoming episodes. Cat was Supergirl’s biggest ally, even if she didn’t have superpowers or knew her secret identity. Cat gave Supergirl her name and never stopped believing in the young superhero, even during Supergirl’s darkest hours.

Considering the rumors that Calista Flockheart was quitting Supergirl because the show moved production to Vancouver, temporarily shelving the character and giving her a “happy ending” seems a much better compromise than killing her off or permanently pushing her off the show. If/when Flockheart wants to come back, CatCo will be waiting for her, but Supergirl won’t need to suffer any emotional fallout or change course because she’s not a full time cast member.  

At the end of the episode, we found out that Cat put Jimmy in charge of CatCo during her absense, so it looks like CatCo will remain solidly on Supergirl’s side. 

Stronger Together

Supergirl and Superman defeated the Metallos not with brute strength, but by relying on the strength and support of their friends. After Winn gave them special harnesses that would absorb kryptonite radiation, Superman and Supergirl drew the Metallos out by returning to their respective cities.

The harnesses were only temporary stop gaps, but they did give Superman and Supergirl an opportunity to draw the Metallos in, so Alex and the Martian Manhunter could go for the kill. Martian Manhunter managed to phase through one Metallo and pull out the kryptonite, while Alex (wearing her kryptonite battle suit) through a metal pipe through Corben’s chest to incapacitate him. 

As Metallo started to shut down, Supergirl delivered a chilling warning to Cadmus: she’s coming for them next. The war between Cadmus and Supergirl is officially on. 

While Supergirl’s fight with Cadmus heated up, Superman and Martian Manhunter finally buried the hatchet. While Superman and Martian Manhunter nearly came to blows over the DEO’s supply of kryptonite, Martian Manhunter eventually turned it over to Superman after fighting alongside him in battle. Hopefully, this means we’ll see more Superman later this season, because two episodes of Tyler Hoechlin just isn’t enough.

The “Mystery Alien” Awakes!

Last week, Supergirl revealed that the Kryptonian pod that crashed into National City last season contained a young mystery man in a deep coma. The DEO put him under observation at their base, but he still didn’t wake up last week or for much of tonight’s episode.

While he wasn’t awake, the mystery alien still had an effect on the DEO as he was somehow funneling energy from the base. Kara still felt a connection to the man (probably because she thinks he’s a Kryptonian), and promised him at the end of the episode that he’ll never be alone. That seemed to jolt the man awake…but instead of greeting Kara, he immediately grabbed her by the throat!

If you were following the casting news over the summer, you know that the “mystery alien” is Mon-El, a classic DC superhero. But what and why he’s on Earth remains a mystery…at least for a little while longer.