Kara Danvers has always found solace and meaning while leading a double life. Her friends and family have given her strength in the 15 years she’s spent on Earth. The first episode of Supergirl Season 3, though, “Girl of Steel,” opens on a Kara (Melissa Benoist) without any meaning in her life. And it’s tearing her apart.
This post contains spoilers for Season 3, Episode 1 of Supergirl, “Girl of Steel.”
After Kara tragically lost her boyfriend and one true love, Mon-El (Chris Wood), in the Season 2 finale, life as plain-old Kara Danvers became a little too much for her to bare. Apparently, beating down bad guys and passionlessly saving lives in National City is better than game nights and bar crawls with her friends and family. At the beginning of Season 3, Kara has abandoned her role as a mild-mannered reporter for CatCo Worldwide Media and seems more than happy to leave her life behind.
“Kara Danvers sucks right now!” Kara tells her sister Alex (Chyler Leigh), losing her cool halfway through the premiere episode. “Supergirl is great,” Kara continues, demanding to know why she would choose to be Kara — the broken girl who lost the love of her life — when she could be the amazingly powerful Supergirl instead.
“Kara Danvers was a mistake,” Supergirl says.
“Kara Danvers is my favorite person,” Alex replies fiercely. “She’s saved me more times than Supergirl ever could, so just think about that while you’re trying to get rid of her.”
In the next scene, after Kara has donned her Supergirl suit again, J’onn J’onzz (David Harewood) finds her and tells her that if she tries to rid herself of her human life, “you will lose something essential.”
By the end of the episode, Kara has started to regain some of her humanity after losing Mon-El. She joins her friends at the bar; she’s trying to emerge from the shadows of her grief. It will take some time, but maybe Kara will be okay after all.
In the middle of all this is Kara’s latest mission with the Department of Extra-Normal Operations (DEO). Kara goes up against Bloodsport, aka Robert DuBois. Bloodsport’s, er, blood sport is funded by Adrian Pasdar’s Morgan Edge, a blatantly sexist real estate mogul who complains about unfair treatment in the media. The oddly familiar-sounding villain is clearly being set up as a longer-term thorn in Kara’s side, especially considering Edge’s grudge against Kara’s bestie Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath).
As Kara slowly begins to recover from her grief, she’ll need Lena and the rest of her family at her side. Kara’s strength comes from her love of humanity and her relationships with the humans (and martian father figure) in her life. Clearly, losing any of them is detrimental to Kara’s ability to be a true hero and to hold onto herself. She better hold on tight.
Oh, also, Lena bought CatCo before Edge could. That’s probably pretty important.
Supergirl airs on the CW on Mondays at 8 p.m. EST.
