Myriad (Supergirl)

"Myriad" is the nineteenth episode in the first season of the CBS television series Supergirl, which aired on April 11, 2016. The episode was written by Yahlin Chang & Caitlin Parrish, and directed by Adam Kane.

Plot

At the DEO, the entire compound is under Myriad's influence. Non orders Lucy to release all prisoners except for the White Martian. When a prisoner named Maxima makes her escape, Kara arrives to stop her but Lucy uses a Kryptonite bullet to slow her down. Kara destroys the computer terminal to knock out the mind-controlled DEO members and prevent the prisoners from escaping. She removes the bullet and flies to the Fortress of Solitude to find Superman, but Kelex tells Kara that he is not on Earth. She turns to the image of Alura, who explains that Myriad is a mind-control system that Astra and Non had tried to use on Krypton that resulted in their arrest and conviction, and once in effect it can't be stopped.

In National City, Kara notices everyone is under Myriad control and watching Kryptonian code on computer screens. General Lane informs Kara he is placing the city under quarantine. Cat arrives to her office unaffected due to her earrings (a gift from Maxwell) containing tech that blocks Myriad; Maxwell later arrives wearing a similarly-built headset. Clark is coming back to Earth to help Kara, but as he arrives he becomes mind-controlled as well. Maxwell reveals that Non is using his satellites to broadcast Myriad with the intent kill all Kryptonians. Non plays a visit to CatCo to tell Kara that bringing the people of Earth together will save the world from Krypton's fate. Kara believes he betrayed Astra, so Non forces Winn, James, and Kelly, another employee, to jump to their deaths. Supergirl rescues Winn and James, but is too late to save Kelly. A mind-controlled James and Winn tell her to accept defeat or die.

Meanwhile, Alex and J'onn, posing as mother and son to elude authorities, arrive at Eliza's home. After a moment to calm her down (J'onn transforming to prove he isn't Hank), they reveal the truth about Jeremiah. Eliza informs the two about National City under quarantine; J'onn gains Eliza's trust after having a conversation over what happened. Alex gets a call from Kara, who asks about Project Cadmus; Alex wants to help in National City, but Kara warns her not to come. J'onn agrees, and since he is not affected, tells Alex to stay behind while he goes back. Without explaining to Eliza that Jeremiah is still alive, both Alex and J'onn return to National City. Indigo is waiting for them with a surprise attack—J'onn almost gains the upper hand but Indigo fights back. Indigo manages to grab Alex and orders a weakened J'onn to stand down or she will kill Alex. J'onn suddenly collapses and Indigo escapes with Alex, back to Non's lair.

Maxwell plans to drop a Kryptonite bomb on the city, which is given the green light by General Lane under the orders of the President. Supergirl initially goes along with this plan, which could wipe out Kryptonians and humans. Cat opposes the idea and is upset with Supergirl for going along out of fear; Kara comes up with a different idea. At Lord Technologies, Supergirl convinces Maxwell to honor his parents (and hers) by not involving weapons.

Indigo and Non greet an alert Alex, and Non says he wants to see her suffer like Astra did. Alex insists Astra lost her interest in Myriad, but Non isn't convinced and Indigo devises a way to hurt Alex and Kara. Meanwhile, at an undisclosed location, Kara, Cat and Maxwell are setting up a counter signal to Myriad which would broadcast an old analog signal from a defunct TV station. Alex, mind-controlled and wearing Kryptonite armor, arrives to challenge Kara in a fight to the death.

Reception

Cliff Wheatley of IGN gave the episode an 6.0/10, stating "This week's Supergirl didn't pack quite the same punch as the previous episode, especially considering it's the second-to-last episode in Season 1, but it wasn't without its moments. In terms of high stakes and character development, "Myriad" was on point, from Supergirl resolving to "just be Supergirl" (per Cat's advice) to J'onn going up against Indigo and failing. Even Max Lord, who was insufferable as usual, came around in the end here. However, Myriad itself felt passive and non-threatening, to include Non's "confrontation" with Supergirl. That's not to mention the constant info dumps and character debates throughout this episode, which were both silly and repetitive overall. Hopefully the season finale will build on the momentum of "Myriad's" final moments, which were more exciting than most of this episode."^[1]

Stacy Glanzman of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.5 out of 5 stars.^[2]

Caroline Siede of the AV Club gave the episode a B, stating "“Myriad” is an imperfect effort that nevertheless has its heart in the right place. And despite some confusing plotting and a lack of action, “Myriad” does manage to weave together a whole bunch of this season’s characters, plots, and themes, laying the stage for what could be a compelling finale. Let’s just hope next week’s episode aims a little bit higher."^[3]

References

External links

• "Myriad" at the Internet Movie Database