Supergirl Recap: “Far From The Tree”

Supergirl has done a great job downplaying the romance after the criticisms from last season but “Far From The Tree,” has a bit too much.

The real problem is the two storylines this week both deserve the bulk of screen time but end up competing with each other. With neither getting its fair share of time, the episode ends up being a bit lackluster compared to the beginning of this season. Nonetheless, the acting this week rises above the writing (as it usually does) to make a relatively enjoyable hour-long break from the overarching season plot.

After M’gann called J’onn back to Mars last week, “Far From The Tree,” starts out with him telling the Danvers sisters that he’ll need to leave. However, Kara isn’t going to let him face whatever danger awaits him on Mars by himself, so the two embark together. In a particularly funny moment, it’s revealed that J’onn’s vintage car is actually his “shapeshifting” space ship that at least gives the two a ride with style. However, the trip is more enjoyable than the arrival when they’re met by a rag-tag group of resistance members. Turns out, J’onn’s father survived the decimation of green martians and knows the location to a “mythical staff” which would destroy the remaining rebels. However, the elder martian has no interest in revealing the location to any of members of the resistance because he believes them to be mind tricks, including the arrival of his son.

With time running out, the rebels turn against the group in favor of using torture to speed up the process. Of course, J’onn and Kara won’t allow this to happen so the two grab the former’s father to escape to his childhood home. After a bit of praying and a pep talk from Kara, the elder J’onzz finally allows J’onn to show him a memory which confirms their relationship. After their reunion, the resistance shows up and the group manages to get to the staff just in time to stop the white Martians. M’gann chooses to stay on Mars and help create a better world but the two heroes get to return back to Earth with J’onn’s father for a happy ending of sorts for “Far From The Tree.”

Unfortunately, not enough time is spent on Mars, most likely because of the budget, but it never felt like the plot was fleshed out enough for the show to earn that ending. J’onn’s father, the resistance, martian mythology, and religion are all introduced but they all feel so irrelevant now that Mars is a “safe” planet due to the staff.

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Back on Earth, Maggie gets her own share of parental problems in “Far From The Tree.” She’s planning an engagement party with Alex and Eliza but it comes to light that neither of her parents will be there. Turns out, her father dropped her off at an aunt’s house at fourteen when he found out she was interested in women. With a bit of pushing, she ends up inviting her parents to come to the party even though she hasn’t spoken to them after that fateful day.

While her dad tentatively agrees to come, her mother opts not to which isn’t that surprising when Maggie reveals that the latter took all of the pictures down of her daughter. However, it isn’t a happy reunion when her father ends up storming out of the engagement party due to his homophobia and gives Maggie an earful on the street below. Turns out, he thinks that her being a lesbian is spitting in his face because of how hard he worked to have his children be respected not hated. It’s such a powerful speech, made only more impactful when Maggie finally gives him a piece of her mind at the bus stop before saying goodbye.

It’s a shame that “Far From The Tree,” chose to pair these two stories up this week or that Supergirl didn’t make this a two-hour long episode. Mars needed more setup than what it got to make a coherent story that made it as emotional as it should have been. Meanwhile, Maggie’s storyline is so incredibly moving and powerful that it would have been nice to see more interactions with her father.

Next: Supergirl Recap: “Triggers”

The credit goes to Floriana Lima for taking the little time she had this week (and last year) to make Maggie into such a strong character on this show. While it’s very well-known that she’ll be leaving Supergirl soon, episodes like “Far From The Tree,” highlight just how fortunate the show was to have her for as long as it did.