Supergirl’s third mid-season premiere featured a little Streaky, a lot of Brainy, and even some Bon Jovi! Oh, and the Legion of Superheroes.

After what felt like an endless hiatus, Supergirl returned and officially introduced the Legion of Superheroes. While Kara is in a coma (thanks to Reign), Mon-el (Chris Wood) enlists the help of Braniac 5 (Jesse Rath) to retrieve her from her slumber. Meanwhile, Mon-el and Imra (Amy Jackson) debate over whether to help our 21st-century heroes in their fight against Reign. Imra pleads with Mon-el to step up and fight, but Mon-el is protective of the Legion’s DNA. Apparently, it is encoded with information that is vital to the future. Eventually, the Legion decides to help out, and Kara emerges from her coma just in time to swoop in and defeat Reign (Odette Annable) with a kryptonite injection.

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While Kara is stuck in her futuristic coma, Lena (Katie McGrath) becomes concerned about her absence. A conversation with James (Mechad Brooks) leads to a worried Lena headed to Kara’s apartment with soup. James, in a hilarious fumble, implied to Lena that Kara was sick. He quickly calls Winn and enlists J’onn’s help in covering for Kara. In the funniest moment of the episode, J’onn impersonates Kara as Lena engages in girl talk, sparing no detail about how incredible James is at kissing. The scene is a testament to Melissa Benoist‘s acting ability – she manages to convincingly play the role of J’onn pretending to be Kara, and if we didn’t know any better we’d be certain that David Harewood had donned a Supergirl mask! The storyline ends with James and Lena kissing, again, and it seems a new Supergirl power couple has officially been born.

Here to discuss Brainy, Streaky, and maybe Bon Jovi, is our Supergirl roundtable:

Becca (@karadanverss) – College Student. 22 years old. LA. Way too attached to some fictional characters.

Mia (@dreaminofspace) – newly graduated scientist, huge nerd who loves all things superhero, space or supernatural

Katie (@melszorel) – lover of DC Comics, writing, and pizza!

Olivia (@atjogialove) – avid tv watcher, bread eater and Melissa Benoist fan

Adam (@abnormallyadam) – TV enthusiast, YouTube reactor and huge fanboy!

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1.The first half of the season ended with a bang. With Reign nearly having killed Kara, where do you see that conflict going from here? Is it even possible to top that fight?

Becca (@karadanverss): Gosh, it’s really hard to say. I can think one thing but the writers might go another different way. The only thing I know is that Kara will recover from this (on one side, she already did) and plus, SHE IS NOT ALONE. She has The freaking Legion by her side.

Mia (@dreaminofspace): Oooh, the best conflict of the whole show so far. This is going somewhere big, but I don’t have the fantasy to imagine where. I do think it’s possible to top that fight. The odds are gonna be more even. I do wonder how this storyline will end. Redemption, death or Reign sent off somewhere (Another planet? The past? The future?) or something else?

Katie (@melszorel): Since it ended with the news of bringing more world-killers, I know that we are going to get more amazing fight scenes. But I don’t think anything will top the Reign/Supergirl fight in the mid-season finale. Just everything about it was great. I am looking forward to Supergirl getting Psi and Livewire to help her and fighting along with Imra too. I think that fight will be great!

Olivia (@atjogialove): That fight was epic! As hard as it was to watch Kara get hurt I loved the dynamic between Supergirl  and Reign and I loved that they weren’t afraid to get gritty with it.

Adam (@abnormallyadam): At this point, Supergirl v Reign was the best fight on the show so far. It’ll be pretty hard to top it. I feel it’s only going to fuel Reign more to make sure she actually kills Supergirl next time they encounter. I’ve really enjoyed Reign as a villain so I kind of hope she goes darker.

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2. What do we think of Braniac 5?

Becca: Braniac 5 was just too adorable. He was so funny and dorky. He’s honestly such a comic relief and I love that. His scenes with Kara were fantastic and I can’t wait to see more of him.

Mia: I love him! He’s super cute. The half machine, half human thing makes him so awkward and I have a thing for awkward characters. But he has this lowkey sarcastic humour as well? Love it. Also, he signed Alex’s cast with a smiley face IN BINARY. C’mon, that’s gold.

Katie: I loved Brainy! He was everything I hoped for. Even better than I imagined. Jesse’s comedic timing was spot on.

Olivia: I love him! He’s hilarious and adorable, and he and Kara have great chemistry. I’m super interested to see how he will continue on in the show- I hope he sticks around.

Adam: I thought he was an interesting character. I’d definitely like to know more about him and his origin. I’d also like to see his powers a lot more. Let’s hope he hangs around.

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3. Has the Legion of Superheroes lived up to the hype so far?

Becca:  I’m going to be honest about this. The answer is no. I mean yes… but I just wish we could’ve gotten to see a lot of more members. I’d really love to see more members and I hope we get to see them maybe in the future.

Mia: Not yet. They haven’t really done much. They’re still enigmatic and we barely know anything about them. I want to see more of their team dynamic, to see what they’ve trained for during the years they’ve been working together. And basically, I just want the show to explain them better to viewers who aren’t comic savvy. I think they have massive potential and I have faith in the writers.

Katie: I think it would be cooler to have more Legion members. And I was kinda surprised (in a good way) that they mentioned Ayla! They’re certainly showing the characters they have in a different light, and I’m not sure yet if that’s a good or bad thing.

Olivia: I think they’re pretty awesome. I’m all for them adding more female superheroes into the mix and I think Irma is a great addition as well as the guys.

Adam: Yes and no. I thought there could’ve been more of a fight, and more powers being used against each other. The outfits looked awesome, I really loved it. And the scene when the three of them out their rings on was cool.

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4. What was your favorite moment this episode?

Becca: My favorite moment was J’onn pretending to be Kara when Lena arrived to Kara’s place (Kuddos to Lena for being such a good friend and worrying about Kara— that was very sweet). I couldn’t stop laughing at how adorable J’onn was! Lena talking about her romance with James meanwhile J’onn was dying inside it was just TOO funny. I also loved Melissa’s acting there— she portrayed J’onn amazingly!

Mia: Oh, to choose just one… Can I pick a top three? J’onn-as-Kara talking to Lena (it seems to me like Melissa has so much fun playing this scene), Kara with Streaky in the mindscape where she explains how the cat was her gateway to feeling human, and the Danvers sisters moment on the sofa at the end. To see Kara truly laugh and enjoy herself like that again was so heartwarming and made me so happy.

Katie:  I liked the mention of Streaky. And I like the fact that it was Alex to wake up Kara again. I really miss them. I also liked the scene with Ruby and Sam.

Olivia:  Kara with her cat was so adorable and came in second only to J’onn’s impression of Kara with Lena- that was amazing! I love seeing Melissa plus J’onn playing Kara she always seems to be having a good time.

Adam: I personally loved Lena telling J’onn (as Kara) about her kiss with James. The funniest moment for me this episode. Also, Alex, J’onn and the DEO agents teaming up against Reign was pretty awesome.

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5. Who was the MVP this episode?

Becca: The MVP was probably Brainy. I don’t know why but he was adorable and I really enjoyed his scenes. He cared about Kara even when he hadn’t met her before. That was cute!

Mia: Kara is always the MVP, how she never gives up ever and keeps fighting on. Honourable mention to Alex, for being the key to bringing Kara out of her coma.

Katie: (Melissa as) J’onn as Kara!

Olivia:  I think Kara was. She not only was able to rediscover and save herself but she came through at the end and saved everyone. And I’m always a sucker for that girl.

Adam: Kara for sure. She literally woke up from a coma and went straight back into battle despite being weaker than usual. A hero.

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6. What are you most hoping to see in the second half of season 3?

Becca: What I hope to see for the rest of the season is more Danvers Sisters moments, fix Karamel once and for all so they can be finally together again and more girl power!

Mia: I hope to see Legion action, Sam/Reign struggling with the two personas and having them find out about each other (interesting dynamic) and I want to see Kara embrace her humanity again, like she has started to now. I also want to see more of Coville because he has surprised me by becoming one of the most interesting new characters this season and now that he’s on Reign’s team, what will happen there? And as always, just some good ol’ character development for all of these characters that I love so much.

Katie: I love the Reign storyline, so I’m just interested in that. But I’m also interested in Sam’s side of it as well. I want to see Alex more. Honestly, I’m just glad Supergirl is back! I really missed the show. And I missed Kara!

Olivia:  I’m hoping to see more of Brainiac 5 and more of the Danvers sisters! I loved their little bit at the end of tonight’s episodes and now that Kara seems to be finding herself as Kara Danvers again I’m excited to see them more.

Adam: More character development for Kara and Alex. I’d like to see Kara properly move on from Mon-el and get back to the roots of who she is. She seemed to be having an identity crisis in 3A so hopefully this episode got her back on track. And Alex I’d like to see how she handles life without Maggie. Her dating women and seeing those cute Danvers sisters moments we all love.

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7. Over hiatus, news broke that Supergirl will take a 9-week break to clear some room on the schedule for Legends of Tomorrow. Does this worry you? Why or why not?

Becca: At the beginning when I heard the news I got worried (not going to lie). I really thought either Supergirl or Legends of Tomorrow were getting cancelled (I still don’t know if Legends is though), but after reading that The CW said about Melissa and the show a couple of days ago I’m not really worried. I have faith this show will go on for more seasons because Melissa and the rest of the cast really deserves it.

Mia: It doesn’t worry me, but it sure makes me sad! 9 weeks is a long time in the middle of a season, and it’s not ideal, but I have faith that Supergirl will get a fourth season. The show is well-loved by the network and the audience. Of course there are the production issues, and I think they want to use some of Supergirl’s popularity to boost Legends. Whether it will work remains to be seen. I hope it does because I love Legends of Tomorrow. Still, I wish the hiatus would be shorter than it is.

Katie: I wasn’t worried one bit when that was announced. I know there are a lot of factors as to why that was the case. I just hope the result of it will be great, and we will get a stronger show and the cast is happy.

Olivia: Not really? I have a feeling this is to make room in the schedule for Black Lightning- which I’m very excited about! I’ve also seen someone from the CW say that supergirl fans have nothing to worry about I hope he wasn’t lying!

Adam: Yes because it seemed like such an odd thing to do. The ratings haven’t been doing that well this season so I think The CW has pushed the season to finish after May sweeps to kind of let the season be. Although I’m afraid if the show gets renewed for season 4, it’ll be a shorter season.

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Final Verdict: A perfect follow up to the mid-season finale, Supergirl 3×10 brought a fantastic balance of comedy and sincerity

This episode’s personality was just as split as Samantha’s, but that’s not a bad thing. Sometimes light and fun, and at other times earnest and sincere, the episode managed to further the plot while delivering more than a few laughs.

This week, we get a Streaky the Supercat shoutout, as Kara describes her childhood friend and how he taught her gentleness. We also got a string of comments centering around Bon Jovi lyrics, followed by a climactic moment featuring Reign and the Legion, set to “Livin on a Prayer.” The moment is a perfect blend of the entire episode – it’s a bit silly, but still completely epic, and marks what feels like the true beginning of Supergirl‘s spring season.

On the romance front, James and Lena’s relationship, albeit awkward, is gradually becoming more endearing. It’s hard to see the pairing as anything but a convenient coupling of two characters that Supergirl simply didn’t know what to do with, but the talents of Mechad Brooks and Katie McGrath might just make it work.

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Braniac 5’s introduction brought a levity that the show desperately needed, and Jesse Rath is easily the episode’s scene stealer. He brings a charm to the character that makes Brainy instantly lovable, and manages to make the controversial makeup choices somehow adorable.

Supergirl‘s crew did an amazing job on this hour of television, as well. The scene in which Kara attempts to forcibly leave her coma-loft, by way of laser vision, is exceptional both in writing and in effect. The aforementioned “Livin on a Prayer” scene is also notable for its perfect balance – the song played at the perfect time for just the right amount of time to make the whole thing work.

Overall, “Legion of Superheroes” did an admirable job following up an episode that simply cannot be topped, and if this episode is any indication of the way the rest of the season is headed, those nine Supergirl-less weeks are going to be torture.

SUPERGIRL returns MONDAY, JANUARY 22nd at 8/7c on THE CW.