SUPERGIRL 6.7

 

RECAP - SUPERGIRL  6.7:  "Fear Knot"  

It's the biggest test for the Superfriends yet, as they finally are ready to enter the Phantom Zone and rescue the Girl of Steel. And this test is daunting, because of the dangers the Zone presents to the team and their psyches.  But they will take the risk to save Supergirl, and bring her home.  And this week, each member of the team got to face their fears. 

Each member of the team had a job to do this week, as they made final plans for their trip into the Phantom Zone, ready to bring Supergirl home, now that they had the meteorite with her DNA on it to track here when they went in there.  But J'onn made everyone understand that they had---at best---2 hours to accomplish their mission, before their ship (which J'onn converted the Tower into), would be breached by Phantoms.  It appears the team had time to do this while Dreamer and Brainiac were in the past on THEIR mission---which took, apparently, 3 days.  Kelly, having combat experience and learning how to deal with fear, offers everyone on the team training on how to deal with those fears.  The team then departs into the Phantom Zone, and the fun begins.  Meanwhile, Kara and her father Zor-El are trying to find another portal to hop through to get closer to finding an exit, when they are attacked by Phantoms.  Kara gets hit, and becomes effected.  During the course of the episode, we see the Phantom's power begin to effect Kara, by having her fear the worst:  the deaths of her friends.

It doesn't take long once the team gets into the Zone that they begin to have problems.  The ship it struck, and there seems to be a malfunction somewhere.  With 1:50 left before they're trapped in the Zone, each member of the team gets exposed to their worst fears, and we get to see those fears play out in front of us.  Alex's fear is the fact that she may not be able to save Kara.  J'onn insists Alex stay behind, but with one of the Phantoms escaping the containment unit on the ship, they go fight it, only for Alex to be struck by the creature.  Alex traps J'onn in the unit, as she feels SHE is the only one to be able to bring Kara back because they're sisters.  They then realize that Alex being infected is drawing the Phantoms close to the ship, and she realizes that all she's done is make the mission WORSE.  So, she's willing to sacrifice herself so the team can save Kara.  She puts herself into the airlock, and gets sucked out.

Lena and Nia get a chance to bond over the loss of their mothers, and what they meant to them.  Lena discusses a book that her mother had left her about a creature from the deep.  We learned that Lena's mother had drowned.  A coolant leak leads her and Dreamer into the engine room to repair the leak, but soon, they are confronted by this water creature that goes out of its way to drown her friends, including Nia.  The creature then turns itself to Lena before she wakes up from the nightmare.  

Kelly responds to some kind of mechanical failure with the containment, and she goes to check it out, only to see Alex, Lena, and Nia possessed by the Phantom.  She begins to fear that she has no place on the team, and that she's not cut out for this.  However, Kelly uses her fear training to get through to Alex, and succeeds.  Her and Alex escape, only for Alex to tell her to take off and get into an escape pod, because she can't hold out much longer. Kelly refuses to go, and Alex succumbs to the Phantom again, and then the crew marches toward her.  

Dreamer's nightmare begins with her dreaming about the containment unit empty, and the Phantom being loose.  Brainy thinks she's overreacting to her dreams, because she can't interpret them properly, which is kind of a jab at her, and part of her fear.  But that fear is realized, as the Phantoms edge closer to the ship, and start tearing it apart. She tries to use her powers to seal a breach, but she's unable to do it as Brainy is about to get sucked into the Phantom Space. 

J'onn's nightmare begins as Brainy seems a bit off, and they find out the Phantom is loose from containment.  J'onn goes to face off against the creature, and---try as it might to overpower him---J'onn actually manages to fight him off and take him down.  Once he realizes that he's faced his fear, and that he's defeated the Phantom, it appears that everyone else is able to overcome their fears---Kelly steps up with the Guardian shield in her dream, Alex overcomes her fear and realizes that she doesn't have to have the onus on her shoulders to save Kara, and Lena embraces the water creature, as it morphs into her Mother...and Lena makes peace with the creature.  Dreamer seems to be the only one who still can't overcome her nightmares, but everyone is awake and in real time now.  And just in time, because they've managed to lock onto Kara's DNA, and have located her.

Kara is slowly succumbing to the Phantom's fear, and feels like all is lost, and that everyone will die if they  come after her.  Zor-El...who had been where she was, won't allow that fear to overcome her, and he promises they'll fight to get a way out.  Just as Kara comes out of it, there's yellow sunlight that suddenly radiates the landscape.  It heals Kara, and she gets her powers back, as she spots the ship.  Her and her father are saved, as she flies the both of them towards the ship....Supergirl is going home.  As the ship takes off, we see that Nixly has hitched a ride on the ship----she's going to escape herself...and THAT trouble is coming to Earth.  

This episode finally ended the Supergirl-is-trapped-in-the-Phantom-Zone arc. Which was good, because were it to drag on longer, this final season would've gotten BORING.  As it is, the show has KIND of been in some sort of cruise control.  While I'm glad other characters have gotten a bit more development, it STILL needs the Girl of Steel to make it work---SHE is the hero.  And we need to get as much Supergirl as we can before she flies off television for good.  I'm glad we got to see most everyone deal with their own personal fears in this episode as to what their place is on this team...except Dreamer.  It STILL seems like we're not getting any resolution to HER story unless she's able to find a way to mend the family fences, and learn to better control her powers.  They NEED to have that happen as well.  For her to grow as a hero, this is a necessity.  Lena and Kelly...the new members of the team, have now shown their worth, and now see their purposes filled.  Lena also got to make peace with her past, which is good going forward.  Now, the only albatross around HER neck is the Luthor name.  J'onn proved to be the strong leader we all expect him to be, and I think it serves well in the future for National City should Supergirl take off at the end of the series. For Kelly...we've inched one step closer to her taking over the role her brother James originated as Guardian.   As for Alex...well, she realizes that she isn't always the best option for a mission's success.  That J'onn's leadership on display, doing what is the overall best for the team is one of the team's greatest strengths.  I still think Alex is trying to find her way as Sentinel.  

Let's hear it for Zor-El stepping up and giving his daughter the encouragement speech this episode, when it seemed Kara was lost.  His own experience there in the Zone allowed him to give her the motivation she needed to fight off the fear the Phantom implanted in her.  Now, with her and her father out of the Zone, it'll be interesting to see how their father/daughter dynamic functions on Earth.  Especially now that he'll discover the same powers Kara has, he'll now possess.  And will he go back to Argo and be reunited with Alura?  Still some story to tell with Zor-El.  I think it would be EXTREMELY cool for Kal-El to see his uncle again, and have the boys introduced to him...as well as the boys getting to spend time with their 2nd cousin Kara. And, of course, we didn't HONESTLY think that Nixly was destroyed in the barracks explosion did we?  Naaaah....we KNEW she'd be back, and it will also be a fascinating story when  she starts creating ALLL sorts of trouble on Earth.  Makes me wonder if Mixy will actually reappear and help Supergirl defeat her?  There's some story to tell here, and hope we get some of it before the show closes out.  

Well...as we take an extended hiatus from the Maid of Might's final flight...what did YOU guys think of this episode?  Did it hit the emotional beats for you?  What could've been done better, and what do you see happening once the show returns?  Subscribe and leave me your comments below. 

Okay kids....Kara Zor-El is going to step aside for awhile, so that her cousin  Kal-El can finish HIS story this season.  We'll be back here in awhile for the final run of Supergirl's final flight.  So, don't fret...we'll be back.  So...until next time....Up, up and away!