Supergirl Season 6, Episode 10 recap: Still I Rise

The following article contains SPOILERS for Supergirl Season 6, Episode 10.

After last week looked to be introducing one-off characters and allegories, it appears that Supergirl Season 6 will be telling some long-term stories. The systemic issues addressed in Episode 9 look to be a running theme and a prevalent issue within the near future for the last daughter of Krypton.

However, like most of The CW Arrowverse shows, what this television series does well is making sure every character plays a part in the main story or a subplot. So let’s break down Supergirl Season 6, Episode 10, and how well it maintains a strong foundation of stories.

Supergirl Season 6, Episode 10: Nia finally gets some answers

The main thing I was looking forward to playing out from Episode 9 was Nia Nal’s conundrum and internal struggles about her mother. This has been going on for quite a bit, but now she has the 5th dimension Imp princess in Nyxly.

As I have been saying since Supergirl returned from their pandemic hiatus, this mischievous and ever-growing antagonistic character has been using Dreamer for her own gain, but I think Nia Nal knows this.

Actually, the two are basically using each other for their own personal gain, but Nia does not fully comprehend how dangerous Nyxly is and could be. Regardless, Nia gets what she wants out of their deal, which is 24 hours with her deceased mother.

These scenes between Nia and Isabel Nal (played by Kate Burton) are successful in their heartwrenching and emotional nature. Isabel aided Nia in decoding her dreams, but she did it in a very indirect way in typical TV show fashion. Momma Nal directed Nia into thinking about her daughter’s past mistakes while teaching her to learn from them and be empowered by them. Isabel rightfully scolds Nia for not embracing her powers and Naltorian duty.

This is exactly what Nia needed to hear and exactly who she needed to hear it from. Because of her mother’s assistance, Nia discovers her guilt and anguish are rooted back in her sister Maeve and the fact that Nia thinks she stole her sister’s legacy. I am pleased that Nia’s story is finally picking up the pace and receiving some well-earned developments. I am looking forward to seeing how this show handles Nia processing her emotional trauma.

Supergirl Season 6, Episode 10: Will Kelly ever be ready to be Guardian?

Kelly Olson does the thing that all of us idealistic folks tend to do; she has the idea to become the new Guardian, begins the process, and realizes it is harder than just speaking it into existence. We see Kelly training with her girlfriend and ultimate combatant in Alex. Although Kelly isn’t doing exactly what she is being instructed, she is still succeeding with hand-to-hand combat. I knew right from that first training scene where Kelly’s episodic arc was going to go.

Eventually, audiences see Kelly speak her truth, and although it is stereotypical, that does not make it any less impactful. Due to her being on a team of Super Friends with folks from other planets, other time periods, or highly experienced members, the meer mortal feels like she isn’t enough.

The shared scene between Kelly and Kara is the perfect way to end Kelly’s story for this episode. Supergirl is the paragon of hope, so it makes sense that the Kryptonian is the one to reassure the Olson sister about her well-deserved place on this team. If Kelly’s self-doubt continues past this episode in the same way, then I will be upset. However, I want to see Kelly improving in her skills and confidence before the likely climactic battle in the season finale.

Supergirl Season 6, Episode 10: Kara takes on systemic issues

The main story throughout this episode revolves around both of Kara Zor-El’s personas attempting to fulfill her promise to the Davis brothers from the last episode. The main issue Kara is trying to correct is affordable housing and improving formerly incarcerated folks’ lives. The root of this mission from Orlando Davis losing his right to an apartment due to his exploitative imprisonment tenure and inability to get a job.

Kara Danvers wants to take a serious and journalistic approach to this issue, while Supergirl is trying to flex her public image to lobby National City’s City Council in maintaining their affordable housing building and not turn it into a tech company’s headquarters. Danvers is derailed by Andrea Rojas’ obsession with going viral and getting likes, and Supergirl hits some roadblocks with prickly and rigid legislators.

Although this detail of “poverty assistance ruined by capitalism” is a little too on the nose for a nuanced allegory, I do not think it ruins this story. Even though so many struggling folks in the real world are uprooted from their homes for the sake of the latest economic institution, I am very shocked to see Supergirl cover such a heavy topic.

Although both Reporter Kara and Superhero Kara have to find a way to accomplish their goal, she goes about it through the same path. After failing to fabricate any true heart (against her own judgment), Kara Danvers and Supergirl use genuine emotion and honesty to complete her mission.

The final scene might be one of my favorites from an Arrowverse show in a while. Nyxly spent the whole episode gaining momentum and executing her plan to trap Supergirl. Early in the episode, the 5th dimension Imp princess needed the Kryptonian’s heat vision to get her powers back finally.

Then in the concluding shot, we see Nyxly encase Kara in a frozen substance, and it looks like the last daughter of Krypton is done for. Then she utters a name that I somehow did not see coming.

For his assistance, and likely some hijinks, Supergirl yells out, “Mr. Mxyzptlk,” and Thomas Lennon’s adorable face appears looking flustered. This character (and the hilarious actor) has always been a bright spot for me, so I am very much looking forward to his future involvement.

Many developments occurred throughout this episode to the point that it felt more like a transitional episode than a substantial one. I do not have any issue with that because there is a lot of potential greatness that might occur throughout the rest of this season.

Supergirl Season 6 returns to The CW next Tuesday, September 14th, at 9 p.m. ET.

Are you looking forward to Mr. Mxyzptlk? Do you think Lena Luthor got lost? Let us know your thoughts on the episode in the comments below!