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Supergirl Recap: “The Faithful”

By Kelly Shanaphy

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Supergirl has succeeded this season by listening to some of the criticisms from last year and attempting to fix the weaker spots.

“The Faithful,” is a great example of writers hearing the fans request for more about Kryptonian religion and executing a fun hour of television. Carefully balancing the themes of faith with sisterhood, the series seems like it’s back on the right foot after an uneven Season Two.

Kara gets her weirdest mission yet when it turns out a cult in National City has been formed with Supergirl as its idol. Turns out it’s full of a group of survivors who were rescued by the girl of steel in various life-threatening situations. They’re led by Thomas Coville (Chad Lowe), a man who was on the plane that Kara saved in the pilot who sees this as a reawakening.

He encourages his followers to get into dangerous situations in order to test their faith, and preaches the teachings of Rao. Considering Kara came to Earth as a preteen, it’s nice to see the show touch on her Kryptonian religion. “The Faithful,” makes it clear that these people aren’t just blindly following Coville, they genuinely believe that Supergirl is a godly figure who has been sent to Earth as a guardian angel.

After a building is burned down by a fanatic follower, Kara confronts Coville about his encouragements. Turns out the preacher is actually aware of Supergirl’s identity because he “can see it in her eyes.” While Kara goes home to rethink those glasses as a disguise, Thomas begins working on an even bigger life-threatening event to help “save Supergirl.”

In the meantime, Lena, J’onn, and James all reflect on their own faith while Kara revisits Rao’s teachings with the memory of her mother. However, turns out she doesn’t have much time to linger because Coville is planning on blowing up a stadium in order to get new followers. While Kara goes to save the day, it turns out there’s Kryptonite inside the bomb which incapacitates the girl of steel.

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With their idol lying on the floor and bleeding, the cult members quickly flee leaving Alex to come in to the rescue. A group effort between the three leads to the bomb being stopped but Coville still knows Kara’s identity. It’s an interesting moment to see the man completely ignore her human persona and it’s reminiscent of the Joker choosing to ignore Batman’s alter ego for the sake of his own insanity.

In the meantime, Samantha continues getting more character development in “The Faithful.” This week the viewer gets to see her attempt to juggle a mother with being a CEO when Ruby has to hang out at the office after school. Begging her mom for some help with her talent show song, Samantha ultimately has to keep blowing her off in favor of work emergencies.

By the time she’s finished, Ruby is passed out on the office sofa and Samantha is breaking down crying to a sympathetic Lena. It’s great to see the blossoming friendship between all of the female characters but heartbreaking knowing the direction that Sam is headed in. Turns out that bomb that Kara dropped down into the Earth turns on Reign’s spaceship which awakens someone from inside. Also, it makes Sam have a vision of herself covered in symbols while being accosted in her bathroom before Ruby sees her mother cowering on the bathroom floor.

“The Faithful,” is a continuation of Supergirl’s hot streak of episodes that continues to rely on its female leads to carry the brunt of the hour. No complaints here, Chyler Leigh and Melissa Benoist have always been the best part of the series and its nice to see them back in the center of the show.

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Alex’s breakdown at the end of the episode about wanting kids is especially powerful and it’s a reminder of how strong her sisterhood with Kara is. Here’s hoping the series continues with these strong episodes for the rest of the season.

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