Survivors (Supergirl)

"Survivors" is the fourth episode of the second season from the The CW television series Supergirl, which aired on October 31, 2016.

Plot

In a flashback to Daxam's destruction, Mon-El and Daxam's prince find a pod, but when Mon-El steps into it, he is sent off-world alone. On Earth, Mon-El explains Daxam's destruction to the team, but things are still tense between him and Kara. He wishes to experience freedom, despite being under orders to not leave the DEO. J'onn continues to talk to M'gann in hopes of finding out how she survived Mars, but she doesn't want to open up to him.

Recently there has been a series of alien on alien violence in National City, which gives Kara a story idea; Snapper demands sources and other information before he'll call it a story. Alex and Maggie investigate an alien body and track down the alien responsible, who flees when confronted. This man is abducted into a van before they can question him. After Maggie gets a tip, she and Alex attend an event, where they mingle among the elite; it is an underground fight club where the patrons bet on aliens, hosted by a wealthy socialite, Veronica "Roulette" Sinclair. Among the fighters is M'gann, who transforms, but before the fight starts, Kara arrives as Alex's back up. Kara takes on Draaga, an alien gladiator who proves too much for her, giving Alex and Maggie time to arrest spectators. As Kara is treated at the DEO, she and Alex tell J'onn M'gann is among the fighters.

Meanwhile, Winn and Mon-El start to bond, with Mon-El convincing Winn to go out for a drink; Winn agrees to only one drink, but it later turns into many more. Mon-El almost causes mayhem after patron attempts to punch him out, prompting Winn to suggest they leave. J'onn visits M'gann to talk her out of fighting, but she tells him she's doing it for her own reasons, and gives him the promoter's name. Later that night, Kara confronts Roulette to warn her to stop the activities. J'onn goes back to speak with M'gann, where he is ambushed by Roulette. When they don't hear from J'onn, Kara and Alex track down the location with Lena's help. There Martian Manhunter and Miss Martian are forced to fight to the death, but after a change of heart, M'gann refuses and infuriates Roulette; she unleashes Draaga on them. Supergirl arrives and defeats Draaga, thanks to advice from Mon-El, while Alex and Maggie round up the spectators to arrest them. Supergirl convinces the aliens that Roulette really isn't on their side, and they turn on Roulette. Although she is arrested for the illegal fighting ring, Roulette is released shortly thereafter on a technicality. Alex asks Maggie to join her for a drink, but Maggie already has a date planned with another woman.

Kara tells Mon-El that the DEO agreed to letting her train him and they agree to work together as a way to settle their differences; at CatCo, her story is approved by Snapper after she mentions Supergirl is her source. J'onn talks to M'gann about being the only Green Martians left and wishing to work out their differences. After he leaves, M'gann changes form to reveal that she is a White Martian.^[1][2]

Reception

This episode received good reviews, but noted some weak spots.

Cliff Wheatley of IGN gave the episode a 7.0/10, stating "Supergirl's second season had a strong start, but some of that momentum was lost this week. Neither the debut of new villain Roulette nor the concept of an alien fight club did much to generate an exciting conflict. The good news is that the show still has rock-solid character dynamics to fall back on, whether that involves Kara's new friendship with Mon-El, the Alex/Maggie partnership or J'onn's efforts to bond with his fellow Martian survivor."^[3]

Caroline Siede of the AV Club gave the episode an B.^[1]

References