Supergirl 3×02, “Triggers” digs in deep by confronting our superfriends’  darkest fears

Supergirl 3×02 is a doozy. Jane the Virgin’s Yael Grobglas stops by and wreaks absolute havoc on both National City and Kara’s mental health. Psi’s power comes from her ability to manipulate fear, so she couldn’t have come at a worse time. With Kara (Melissa Benoist) already in recovery mode from sending Mon-el (Chris Wood) away, she easily falls victim to Psi’s mental attacks, having flashes of herself trapped in a small spaceship. Kara quickly admonishes the idea that she’s claustrophobic – “claustrophobia is a human problem.” She later says the same thing about anxiety attacks. This anxiety-focused episode comes at a perfect time, when much of the Supergirl cast is focused on normalizing mental illness through the ‘I Don’t Mind’ campaign. The episode did a great job of showing that even someone as super as Kara can have a panic attack, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

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Meanwhile, it’s Lena’s (Katie McGrath) first day at the CatCo office (which she now owns). Things don’t get off to a great start. James (Mehcad Brooks) is clearly taken aback by Lena’s presence, and offended when she attempts to take over. We don’t totally blame him – although Lena has given him no reason to dislike her, it can’t be easy going from the highest ranking at the office to second in command. Lena also has tension with Kara, who is constantly running off to mysterious places (being Supergirl) rather than doing her job. With no rational explanation for these absences, Lena assumes that Kara is still upset over Mon-el, which isn’t entirely inaccurate. There is so much to discuss about this episode, so let’s turn it over to some of Supergirl’s biggest fans.

Without further ado, 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 (@katieLzorel) – lover of DC Comics, writing, and pizza!

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

Sarah (@sarahzorel) – would like to apply as Lena Luther’s personal assistant.

Tantoun (@littlemachine_) – Self-taught artist, collector, and fan of superhero movies and tv shows. Huge fan of Lena Luthor, as well as Kara Danvers.

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1. Who (aside from Kara) is your favorite character on Supergirl, and what do you think their worst fear would be?

Becca (@karadanverss): My favorite character aside from Kara is definitely Alex. And I think her worst fear would be probably losing Maggie… which I think it’s gonna happen soon… based on the spoilers for the upcoming episodes which makes me sad because I don’t want to see Alex going through her worst fear. Alex deserves to be happy. Always.

Mia (@dreaminofspace): I can’t choose my favourite between these two: Alex and Winn. For Winn, I bet his worst fear is him ending up like his father somehow – a mass murderer. For Alex… Losing Kara? Losing Maggie? Probably something that has to do with loss. Or maybe something connected to her borderline alcoholism.

Katie (@katieLzorel): My favorite character besides Kara, is Alex. This is an interesting question to me because if you asked me in season 1, and season 2 my answers would be different. I would say that throughout Alex’s life, she has been afraid of losing the people she cares about the most and not being good enough. And having no control over saving them. In season 1, I feel like her fears would have been more about Jeremiah and Kara. Season 2, probably Kara, Maggie, and J’onn. And now… there’s only been 2 episodes this season. But I honestly feel like, even with the new tension with Maggie, Alex’s biggest fear would be losing Kara. When Alex shows the most emotion and most fear, it’s when Kara is hurt/going to die. When Kara pushed her away for probably months after Mon-El was gone, Alex probably felt helpless. And that’s not a feeling that Alex likes at all, especially when it comes to Kara.

Olivia (@atjogialove): This is such a hard question- I love everyone so much. But this episode I really loved Sam. She’s new and reminds me so much of my own mom. We’re already seeing how strong she is and how much she loves her daughter. I can’t wait to see what she does next. I think her worst fear would definitely be losing Ruby.

Sarah (@sarahzorel): I can’t decide between Lena and Alex so I’m gonna do both! For Lena, I feel like her worst fear would be becoming like the rest of her family. We saw a bit of that last season after Lena had to basically kill Jack. She confided in Kara about how loss does “strange things” to her family and that she’s very afraid to feel things again. And I think she just has this fear that she’ll lose something/someone and that it might push her over the edge. For Alex, I think that it’s very clear that her worst fear would be losing Kara. Her sister is the most important person to her and she’s spent most of her life with Kara trying to keep her safe and protect her and she’s seeing that she can’t also protect her and that scares her.

Tantoun (@littlemachine_): Lena is definitely one of my favorites. I was hoping we would get a scene with Lena and Psi mainly because I wanted to see what her fear would be. I mainly think it would be a scene of her brother Lex or maybe her mother since she doesn’t know much about her. 

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2. How are we feeling about the new additions to the cast? Do you like Samantha and Ruby?

Becca: I love Samantha! I think Odette is a great addition to the cast and her character keeps getting more and interesting with every new episode! Sam brings a different and new spirit to the show and I’m glad we are getting to know her little by little. I’m just sad to know that Sam will end up being a villain and that makes my heart break into pieces. She’s one of my faves already! I like Ruby too! That girl is fearless! She put herself in danger in order for her mom to save her and also to show her that she has, indeed, superpowers. What a girl! I wonder what could’ve happened if Kara didn’t save them? Was Sam going to be able to use her powers again or not? Gosh, so many questions.

Mia: I LOVE them! I love the relationship they have and their dynamic. Ruby seeking out danger to prove her mum has superpowers isn’t a good habit to form though, even though we as viewers know that of course, Sam has powers. Mainly I just love that the villain is nowhere near a villain at the moment, that she’s just a single mum trying to raise her daughter and earn money.

Katie: I absolutely LOVE Sam! That scene at the end when she tried to bend the crowbar and then shook her head like ‘yeah that’s what I thought.’ I thought that was cute, but also kind of sad. I’m really really curious about her story. How does she not know who she is? Who raised her? What happened to the little alien baby and how did she become Samantha? As for Ruby, she was a little shit… Sam said that too! But I understand her reasoning. And their relationship makes me want to tear up. Sam loves her daughter SO much. I’d be really sad if something happened to either of them.

Olivia: I love them! As someone who grew up with a single mom, Sam and Ruby’s relationship is very near and dear to my heart. I think Odette and Emma have great chemistry and I can’t wait to see more of them!

Sarah: I adore Sam and Ruby! I love their dynamic! I never really had the best relationship with my mom growing up so to me I really get invested in characters that have such a lovely mom/daughter thing going on. It’s especially so wonderful to see Sam being a single mom but still achieving so much in her life and how she does everything with her daughter in mind.

Tantoun: I am loving their sotryline so far. I mean I did get frustrated with Ruby’s behaviour but then again she is just a child and her behaviour is understandable. I really would love to see more of those two.

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3. Things got a little tense between Lena and James, and then later between her and Kara. Was this just a first-day issue, or is this going to be a problem in the long run?

Becca: I’m gonna be honest. I loved the dynamic between Lena and James! They keep bumping into each other and having misunderstandings which I think will lead them to being closer and closer later on. So this new relationship will be interesting to see and I can’t wait to see what the writers do with these two. I also think that from what happened with Lena and Kara… Kara will have to be more careful with being a superhero and a reporter at the same time if she doesn’t want Lena to know that she is Supergirl because Lena will be seeing Kara more around now.

Mia: Bit of both. They say you should never work with your friends, and I think there’s truth in that. Of course, there has to be some setting of ground rules and things are always tense when a new boss comes in. With James and Lena, I think there’s a mutual secret admiration between them. They both seem quite impressed by the other. For Kara, having Lena so close around at all times is definitely going to be an issue when she has to dash off to be Supergirl. Sooner or later she will either have to tell Lena her secret or get Lena away from the CatCo offices.

Katie: I get from Lena’s POV, that she might feel like Kara wasn’t taking her seriously at first. Which actually brings me to a thought… I think it’s funny because even though Psi only really affected Kara… all the other characters were going through their own fears. James was afraid that Lena was going to take over something he had worked hard for the past year. Lena was afraid that no one was going to take her seriously, including someone she really cares about, Kara. Sam thought she was going to lose Ruby. And Ruby thought she was going to lose Sam. Alex and Maggie are starting to disagree about things, and I’m sure they are both scared that these bumps in the road might be something more serious. I think Lena needs to find her footing. But by the end of the episode, things were okay with both James and Kara. So I think she’ll be just fine.

Olivia: I’m hoping it’s just a first-day issue- I really just want them all to be friends without drama for at least minute. I think Kara is still getting back into her groove and having a boss who doesn’t know she’s Supergirl- and why she’s always running off- is going to prove to be difficult. It will be interesting to see how long Kara can go before the secrets start coming out.

Sarah: I see this as being a recurring issue. Lena and James are most definitely gonna be butting heads. James is very protective over CatCo because he’s worked so hard running it after Cat left. And Lena is used to being the one in charge and in control so it’ll be interesting to see how they balance that. And Kara is basically never at work, I’m sure someone at Catco has caught on to this.

Tantoun: I actually really liked that. I don’t know, it might be an unpopular opinion, but I always wanted to see how Lena handles her professional life and how she deals with employees. I’m not sure on the James/Lena arguments because those could last more than just one episode. If Lena is the CEO now what does that make James? I think her not including him in meetings was her way of showing who was in charge from here on out. In my opinion, James doesn’t trust Lena mainly because she is a Luthor so I hope that get addressed at one point. As for Lena and Kara’s work relationship, I think they will adapt slowly like they did by the end of this episode. 

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4. Is it realistic for Lena to still be in the dark about Kara being Supergirl?

Becca: I’m going to be honest. If Lena and Kara really claim to be best friends. Why doesn’t Kara come clean and tells her that she’s Supergirl!? I mean you don’t hide things from your best friends! I think Lena has the right to know. At the end, Lena will be discovering the truth from herself and it’s going to get ugly.

Mia: Honestly, no? How on Earth can she still not know? Cat Grant figured it out, and if Lena is as intelligent and analytical as they say she is, she should have figured it out by now, too. How long has she known Kara in canon now? About a year, maybe? But if she somehow doesn’t know yet, that won’t last long, I don’t think. I feel quite certain she’ll know for sure at some point this season.

Katie: Is it realistic for there to be a GIANT hole in the ceiling of the elevator that she uses? And Kara’s personal items on the ground? And for no one to notice that? Nope. But I guarantee in that world, everyone else covered it up before Lena even blinked an eye. I don’t think it’s realistic, and I think it’s just going to cause unnecessary drama of Lena feeling betrayed by her best friend. Especially since they’ve been putting so much emphasis on that lately. And also the ‘we’re not just friends, we’re family’ that they keep subtly teasing.

Olivia: Honestly- I think it’s ridiculous that all of CatCo doesn’t know already. I mean Kara is constantly ripping her shirt open and saving the day from work. And the way Kara always leaves just before supergirl shows up seems like it should give Kara away to Lena. That and the fact that she’s been up close with both of them and they, you know, look exactly the same minus the glasses.

Sarah: It’s ridiculous that she doesn’t know that Kara “I flew here on the bus” Danvers is Supergirl. Glasses aren’t much of a disguise I’m surprised with how smart she is that she hasn’t caught on yet. (Plus busting out of the top of the elevator isn’t the best way to stay hidden Kara.)

Tantoun: At this point, its not but then again we are talking about a comic based show. If I remember correctly Lois didn’t know that Clark and Superman were also the same person for a long while but that just might be my little supercorp heart making connections. I think it was kind of realistic before since they ran into each other every once in a while but now that Lena works at CatCo too. I feel like she is bound to find out. I mean if the hole in the elevator didn’t tip her off that is.

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5. We got a smidgen of “sanvers” tension tonight, with them seemingly disagreeing on having kids. Do you think this will ultimately be what leads to their downfall?

Becca: Yes! The topic about having kids or not will be definitely the start of the downfall for Sanvers. Alex seemed really confident about having kids and Maggie clearly seemed not so comfortable with the topic. I still hope they get to a reasonable understanding at the end but I guess we will have to see what happens in the next episodes.

Mia: I’m not sure it is the issue of kids itself, but the fact that they will now slowly realize they might not know each other as well as they thought they did. Their relationship progressed really fast, from first meeting to dating to proposal. I feel like they will get to a point where they will both just put their hands up and say “You know, this isn’t the right time for us to get married. We don’t know each other well enough to promise to stay together forever, let’s take a break.”

Katie: I feel like Alex and Maggie could make a great couple that ends up together. If they talked more about their problems and fears and doubts. I know it’s been shown that they have. But they’ve mostly been related to other people. They should be able to talk to each other… about each other. When Alex clearly lied and said ‘Yeah that’s fine’ when Maggie said she didn’t want kids… you have to be able to talk. If she’s lying now… when the truth comes out, it won’t lead to anything good. I’m really sad that they may be ending over something like this. But I do know they care and love each other.

Olivia: I do think it will be part of it. Kids is something that most couples have a hard time bending on and Sanvers hasn’t really had a chance to talk about that yet. I don’t think Alex was completely honest about being okay with not having kids and I think that will come out in the next couple of episodes.

Sarah: I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what leads to the break-up. It’s a very touchy subject but I think it’s also a very common problem couples face. Some want kids, some don’t and it can honestly be detrimental to a relationship.

Tantoun: I have seen other shows who used that same plot only for them to eventually make the couple stay together so for them to break up over that seems unrealistic to me. But if Alex does want kids that much then I guess it will be understandable on some level.

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6. We finally got some quality Danvers sisters time in this episode! Do you think the Supergirl writers are responding to complaints about season 2?

Becca: It could be that the writers listened to the complaints about not having enough Danvers sisters moments in season 2. I understand why there weren’t many Danvers sisters moments in season 2 though. They tried to built new relationships for both sisters so I guess the writers focused more of their time in their separate relationships during the past season. Either way, I’m glad we got to see those Danvers sisters scenes because seeing those two spending time together makes my heart happy and complete.

Mia: I have no idea how much the Supergirl writers know about fan opinions and I don’t really care about it (there are complaints I pray they never hear about), but I so incredibly happy we’re returning to having Kara and Alex really close. Sibling relationships are my favourite relationships to watch on tv and Kara and Alex remind me of my sister and me. Their movie nights, their heart-to-hearts, Alex helping Kara through the panic attack – these are all things that my sister and I have in common with them. I hope the Danvers sisters get to keep being in the centre of the show this season. I love them so much. (PS: Also just have to mention how happy I was to see Kara and Winn get a little bit of screen time together too)

Katie: I SURE HOPE SO! Because the moments between them in this episode were incredible. Alex has always grounded Kara. And Kara has always done the same for Alex. I want more focus on them. I’m looking forward to the roadtrip to Midvale episode. And just more scenes of them in general.

Olivia: I do! One of the biggest complaints I saw last season, regardless of what people ship is there was a huge lack of Danvers sisters scenes. I am SO glad to see these two back supporting and loving each other. I have always been a firm believer that they have the most important relationship on the show and I think last season we lost that with all the romance.

Sarah: The writers better be listening! All I want is to see my two favorite girls just being sisters again. I’m so happy we got that in this episode and even got a movie night! Kara and Alex are the heart of the show and they need to get back to that!

Tantoun: So far it seems so. I loved the little moment with Alex dragging herself over to Kara’s side. I have missed that part of the show the most.  I think the writers are slowly going into the right direction.

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7. We keep getting flashes of Kara’s mother. Since Supergirl made a point of recasting her, rather than just leaving her out, do you think she will have a bigger role later on in the season? If so, any predictions?

Becca: I didn’t think about that before to be honest. But now that I do, I could be that the writers will have Alura play a big role this season! Remember Sam’s nightmare from the season premiere?! It was Alura! So yes, Alura could maybe be connected to Sam after all in any way. I’m not sure what’s going to happen but either way, I’m excited to see what happens!

Mia: I think so. I think there’s a bigger role for her coming up, maybe flashbacks, maybe hologram, maybe something else. I’ve read rumours but I won’t list them here as they could be spoilers. I’m really happy with Erica Durance so far though. I loved (and still love) Laura Benanti, but since they had to recast Alura, I’m glad Erica is the one who got the role!

Katie: I actually think Alura might have something to do with possibly bringing Mon-El back or for Kara to realize he’s okay/not dead. Because both of her scenes so far, somehow involved Mon-El. Tonight’s he wasn’t physically in the scene with Alura, but the pod that Kara’s parents sent away, turned out to be Mon-El’s in Kara’s fear. And in the first episode, he was in the dream with Kara and so was her mom. So I kind of think they may be connected somehow, especially since he (most likely) still has her necklace.

Olivia I hope so, I think Kara’s relationship with, and feelings about her mother are something that should be explored more. We’ve seen that Kara has a lot of strong feelings about losing her mother and I don’t think she’s fully had a chance to deal with it. I would love to see more scenes of Kara really talking about Alura (with Alura possibly?). I think introducing Sam and Ruby and having Ruby be around the age Kara was when she lost her mom could be a way to further bring up Kara’s feelings about Alura.

Sarah: I think we’ll be seeing more of Alura. Kara seems to be dealing with a lot of issues so far this season, most of them pertaining to her family and leaving her planet. So I think we’ll be seeing her a lot in Kara’s dreams and flashbacks. I’ve also heard a rumor going around that her parents had something to do with “Reign”? Not sure if that’s true at all or not (I didn’t read the comics) but it’ll be interesting nonetheless.

Tantoun: I think she will have a bigger role later on. Aside from her being a hologram. I think it also maybe related to Reign since we saw her as Reign in Samantha’s nightmare. I personally don’t think those are just dreams. I think they might be more than just that. 

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Final Verdict: We are already loving this season’s dynamic – Sam and Ruby are fantastic additions to the cast, the Danvers sisters are back in action, and Kara’s continued struggle to balance work and superwork makes for compelling television.

This episode was all about fear, and as one of our insightful roundtablers pointed out, many of our characters faced theirs this week. Aside from the obvious (Kara), Lena dealt with feelings of inadequacy in her new position – if her best friend can’t take her seriously as a boss, how could she possibly make this work? James fell victim to similar thoughts as he watched Lena take over the company he has poured his heart and soul into over the past year. Samantha (Odette Annable) faced her fear of losing Ruby, as well as her fear of being super – which we suspect will be addressed more in the coming season as she becomes Reign. Even Alex (Chyler Leigh) and Maggie (Floriana Lima) began to embark on a scary journey as they begin to discover their opposing opinions about parenting.

We aren’t sure how Supergirl is going to handle the whole “hole in the ceiling” issue at CatCo, but we’re hoping the writers address the increasing obviousness of her secret identity soon. It’s getting a bit ridiculous.

With Lena now working so closely with Kara, we hope we see her discovering the secret soon. Our money is on a finale – maybe the winter finale, but most likely the season finale. Either way, it seems likely that Lena will discover the truth about Kara and Supergirl sooner rather than later.

SUPERGIRL returns next MONDAY, OCTOBER 23rd at 8/7C on THE CW.