While everyone saw this coming, no one was prepared – Maggie Sawyer has officially left the building

“Damage” was a episode for everyone. You don’t have to be a “shipper” to be reaching for the tissues this week. In one of the most unique breakup scenes in recent history, Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) ended things with Maggie Sawyer, marking the dissolution of Supergirl’s steadiest couple – ‘Sanvers.’ After deciding that their disagreement on children was irreconcilable, Alex and Maggie danced the night away (vertically and horizontally – if you catch our drift) before amicably going their separate ways. Although the narrative reason for the split was the kids disagreement, it’s no secret that Floriana Lima chose to exit the series. This episode wasn’t just the end for ‘Sanvers,’ but for Maggie Sawyer herself.

RELATED | Farewell, Maggie Sawyer

While Alex says goodbye to Maggie, Kara (Melissa Benoist), Lena (Katie McGrath), and Sam (Odette Annable) deal with Morgan Edge, who revealed his true colors this week. We knew he was a bad guy, but it doesn’t get more evil than poisoning children, and that’s exactly what Edge did. In order to frame Lena for the despicable act, Edge intentionally poisoned children by adding a chemical to the pool water they swim in. Although it all turned out alright, this episode marks significant developments in this season of the show. Firstly, we know what we are dealing with now. True evil often has human form. Secondly, we got to experience a closeness between Kara, Lena, and Sam that we hadn’t seen before. Kara and Sam were incredibly supportive of Lena during the ordeal, and although Lena doubted herself, Kara and Sam never wavered in their support of their friend. This episode ends with the three women labeling themselves as “sisters,” and they are now bonded in a seemingly permanent way.

Now that we’ve hit the highlights, let’s turn to our Supergirl roundtable to discuss the details of what exactly went down this episode:

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

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. Let’s start with the elephant in the room. Maggie is officially gone. Do you think there’s any chance she may someday return?

Becca (@karadanverss): I do think there’s a chance Maggie will be back at some point but I think that will maybe depend on Floriana’s availability though. Since she was the one that asked to leave the show… I think it will probably depend on her. But who knows, really. I want to believe we haven’t seen the last of her just yet.

Mia (@dreaminofspace): Absolutely. But maybe not as a regular again. Floriana seems pretty set on developing her career outside of Supergirl, and having a previous character return to being regular after a long time away from the show doesn’t happen very often. But cameos or guest starring, I definitely think that’s possible. For example if we get to see Alex become a mum on the show, maybe we’ll see Maggie come by with a gift to wish her congratulations. That sort of thing.

Katie (@melszorel): I guess “never say never”. I mean there’s always a possibility Floriana could come back for one episode or so, like Calista has. But I’m not sure. I feel like the way they ended it…. KIND OF, is an open ending?? At the very least I hope they don’t just forget Maggie ever existed and she’s never mentioned again.

Olivia (@atjogialove): I don’t think Maggie will make a return as anything more than a single episode guest star. I can see them bringing her back in the future, but I don’t think she’ll come back as more than that. I know Sanvers means a lot to both Chyler and Floriana but I also know Floriana wanted to leave the show and that makes me believe we’ve seen some of, if not the, last of Maggie.

Sarah (@sarahzorel): It would make sense to see Maggie again considered the DEO works closely with the NCPD but I think Floriana made her choice and if she does come back to guest star I don’t think it’ll happen very soon.

Tantoun (@littlemachine_): I think so yes. As long as the relationship ended well I think there is always hope that Floriana will come back at one point and maybe they will pick up the storyline again from there.

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2. Are you satisfied with the way they ended Sanvers? Do you think it could’ve been handled better, or was it done well?

Becca: To be honest? I am not satisfied. I think it could have been handled better. It felt random and rushed. We knew how Alex was feeling about the whole situation about having children or not but having them broke up the way they did in the first 10 minutes of the episodes was a big no from me. I think the writers messed up a little bit on that part, even though I still understand that they had to came up with something fast after Floriana asked to leave the show all out of sudden. But it still feel rushed.

Mia: I think it was done very well. It was very sad, but it wasn’t negative, if you know what I mean. It was a sweet ending. I appreciated that it was made to be a mutual agreement to split up, not that Alex threw Maggie out and Maggie was begging to stay. It was good to see Maggie understand how much having kids means to Alex. When you love someone, let them go. It was beautiful.

Katie: The fact that this episode alone has the most screentime of sanvers for season 3 than all the other eps combined says enough. I don’t like the way it was handled. I understand they had to do something because Floriana was leaving, but the fact is… Maggie barely had one or two lines in the first 4 episodes. Alex is my second favorite character, but I feel like Maggie deserved her side of the story as well. That being said… I was sad as hell for their scenes tonight. They both are amazing actresses and did a wonderful job.

Olivia: I think they handled it well. As I’ve said in previous weeks I think the reason they broke up is totally valid- having kids or not having kids is a huge deal in a relationship and I think that neither one of them should have to bend. I do think it may have been easier on the fans had they not gone into this season talking about a big wedding but I think overall it was handled well.

Sarah: I definitely think Sanvers could’ve been handled better. The choice to break up over the wanting/not wanting kids is a very real topic and that makes sense to me. It’s hard to change someones mind and I think that was handled well. But I personally don’t feel like the writers should’ve got them engaged if they knew Floriana was leaving. It’s so wrong to the fans and to the characters to have something great given and then taken away like that.

Tantoun: I think so. I know a lot of people might disagree with my opinion and I respect that. People want better representation and I understand that as well. I’m personally ok with it because the relationship didn’t end in cheating or Maggie dying and that opens the door for the character to come back and pick the storyline right up without complications.

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3. Speaking of love, do you sense a hint of a spark between Lena and James? Thoughts?

Becca: I actually did! James telling her to call him Jimmy was something unexpected but also exciting! I’m excited to see what is going to happen between these two in the next episodes.

Mia: Oh yes! Mutual attraction definitely seems to be there. They’re very impressed by each other! I think James is impressed by Lena’s calm and cool presence even though she has a lot of responsibility. And I think Lena is impressed by James in that he’s not afraid to speak his mind when he disagrees with her even though she’s his boss. It could definitely become something more than a work relationship down the line.

Katie: The end scene of them was a bit flirty. I don’t really want them together though. Even in this episode, he didn’t trust her. A lot of James and Kara’s scenes seemed kind of recycled from season 2 ‘Luthors’. I kinda think it’s lazy writing if they put them together.

Olivia: I think there are better pairings out there for both of them. I love both characters and I see why they’re going in that direction, but I also think there are better directions to go in. And I don’t think everyone needs a love interest all the time either.

Sarah: Um… I’d rather James and Lena not be a thing but sadly I have no choice over that. (and if they do end up being a thing, they better do them justice and not make it an unhealthy mess like they do with most of their m/f relationships on the show)

Tantoun: I really won’t answer this. The main reason is because James was shown to doubt lena seconds after thier first scene. This notion that if a man and a woman breath next to each other then they are ship-able is not my thing. We had kara defending lena for two seasons and Sam taking a bullet for her as well and yet no one saw that as romantic because they are two women. Im a fan of james but I want him no way near Lena mainly because he was one of the people who constantly thought of her as guilty in s2 and now in s3 rather than giving her the benefit of the doubt like Kara and Sam did he went “we she is guilty at one point” so no. Thats not love to me. Thats just heteronormativity.

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4. Lena Luthor got a heavy focus this week. Do you think she has it in her to kill someone, even someone as awful as Morgan Edge?

Becca: Yes. I think Lena has a good person but I think that at the end, she is still a Luthor and no one and nothing will ever change that. We all know from what family she comes from and what they are capable of and Lena has been a witness on all of that. So I think that the “Luthor” in her will be exposed sooner or later.

Mia: Deep down I think she does, actually. It’s not something that has come to the surface quite yet, but that scene with Lena pointing the gun at Edge, it definitely proved her boundaries might be further out than a lot of people. She’s not that way just because her surname is Luthor, she’s that way because that’s how she was raised. Nurture is a powerful thing. Your childhood will always affect you immensely.

Katie: I don’t think she would have killed Edge if that guy didn’t stop her. Also just like in the end when Edge was… edging on Kara. You could tell there was a part of her that wanted to kill him as well. But she didn’t. I think it’s the same with Lena. Kara’s ‘no kill’ code… I really wonder if that will get tested this season.

Olivia: I think Lena could kill someone if she had too, if she or someone she loved was in danger I think she could, but I think most people could. I don’t think she would feel good about it but I think in order to protect people she loved she could.

Sarah: Well to be fair Lena did shoot someone last season to try and save Alex. I feel like if she got pushed far enough over the edge she’d do it again but only in a situation to save people or her friends which I feel like a lot of characters on this show would do. Like I don’t think Lena would’ve actually shot Edge in his office but if he had threatened or hurt one of her friends she may think impulsively next time.

Tantoun: I think I agree with Kara and Sam on Lena acting tough but she is really nothing but a softie on the inside. I don’t think she is capable of killing anyone at the moment. I hope not ever if I’m being honest.

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5. Speaking of Morgan Edge – holy crap, that’s one bad dude. Can you believe he literally poisoned children just to wreck Lena’s reputation?!

Becca: I’m really liking Morgan Edge as a villian so far– with this, I mean that I’m liking hating him. He is doing an amazing job being a bad guy and I think Adrian Pasdar is an amazing actor (I love him in Agents of SHIELD by the way). Can’t wait to see more of him and what happens with him and the rivalry between him and Lena.

Mia: He’s a complete psychopath that one. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants. There are no grey areas with this man. There’s no ambiguity. He’s selfish, ruthless and unafraid. Definitely a good villain of this season. I wonder how long he will stay on the show. Soon we could have both a human villain and an alien villain both wreaking havoc in National City.

Katie: Honestly,  I think he’s one of the best villains we’ve seen so far. Because he has ZERO good inside him. I’m curious to see how he’s going to die or leave. He is really the lowest of the low.

Olivia: I was gonna say something about how I think some white men will do anything to bring women down but let’s not get into that right now… but yes. I can lol

Sarah: Morgan Edge is further proof that you can’t trust rich white business men.

Tantoun: I did predict that last week! He seems like an awful man who is welling to go to extreme lengths to get what he wants. I think he is going to fuck things up even more later.

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6. Kara, Lena, and Sam decided they were “sisters” tonight. It’s a sweet sentiment, but do you think it’s realistic how close they are with how long they’ve known Sam?

Becca: Lol. I think the Sam, Lena and Kara moment was very sweet but also unrealistic. They have meet for like 5 minutes and now they’re sisters? It’s a little bit confusing and unrealistic. But I give the writer’s point for writing female friendships on the show (we need those)– the bad news is that Sam will turn evil and so will Lena at some point… So now we just gotta wait for what happens…

Mia: Absolutely not. They’ve known her for, what, two months? To be completely honest, I don’t even think it’s realistic for Kara and Lena to call each other sisters either. Lena knows barely anything about Kara (the most important being Supergirl), and I’m sure there are stuff Kara doesn’t know about Lena either. This is what the writers have been doing all of season 2 and season 3 so far: they’re TELLING us they are best friends and inseparable, but they’re not SHOWING us any of that. It’s just not believable to me. Why are they friends? How did they become close? We don’t know, because we weren’t shown that. So no, I don’t think it’s realistic that they call each other best friends even, let alone sisters.

Katie: I kinda laughed when Sam said “how long I’ve known her” in reference to Lena. She’s known her for barely a month…. but I dunno. Sometimes people can become best friends within a week. It is a thing that happens. I’m just not sure if Kara is as close with Sam, as Lena and Sam are. I love the three of them a lot! But I think their threesome friendship is moving really really fast. But like I said, not entirely unrealistic. Just kind of a whirlwind to watch.

Olivia: It seems like it was implied this episode that Lena and Sam have known each other for a while, so I do think it’s realistic. Additionally I’ve become best friends with other girls in a day so I wouldn’t be surprised if I called myself someone’s “sister” after a couple weeks. I don’t think time always has the most to do with feeling connected to someone, sometimes it just happens

Sarah: Sam mentioned in the episode that she had know Lena for a while so I’m guessing they’ve had some sort of past together which is why Lena knew she’d be good at L Corp? But I think it’s totally realistic. You meet some people in your life that you automatically have this great genuine connection with and I love the friendship being formed between these 3 ladies. #powerpuffgirls

Tantoun: I did not like that line one bit. I think it’s an attempt to shut down anyone who ships either supercorp or reigncorp. That being said. I mean I understand Lena trusting her fast with her working with Lena and all but her and Kara? I’m choosing to believe that Kara trusts her by extension. That’s the only reasonable explanation I have honestly.

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7. Kara and Alex head to their hometown next week. It will be great to get some quality Danvers sisters time, as well as some back story. Do you have any predictions regarding next week’s plot?

Becca: YESSSSS!!!! I am so excited for next week’s episode! That is what I need right now– some quality Danvers sisters time. I am also excited to see more of Alex and Kara when they were younger. I am pretty sure next week’s episode will be one of my favorites ever. I have no idea what is going to happen on it but I am excited!

Mia: Ah, I’m so excited about this episode! The Danvers sisters have always been my absolute favourite aspect of the show and I cannot wait to see an entire episode of just them! Origin stories and flashbacks are usually awesome for character development and understanding the character, so the fact that we get to see Alex and Kara as teenagers is going to be a unique way to know these two women on a deeper level. I already feel that this could end up being one of my favourite Supergirl episodes!

Katie: I don’t have any specific predictions because I have had SO many headcanons of them growing up together that I’m just super freaking excited to FINALLY SEE IT. I haven’t been this excited for an episode in a very long time. I love them so much!

Olivia: I think next week while Alex is healing- or starting to heal- from her break up we might get to see Kara open up more about her feelings over losing so many people she loves- especially with it looking like there’s an Alura flashback (from the promo).  I think we’ll definitely get some good sister bonding which I’m looking forward too a lot!

Sarah: I can not wait for next weeks episode! Alex and Kara are my favorite relationship on the show and it’ll be so interesting to see a look into their past. I’ve always wondered how Kara dealt with being on earth when she first arrived and how Alex helped her. I really hope they show that and show some sweet family moments with Mama Danvers as well.

Tantoun: I’m really excited for that episode. I think we saw Alura in the promo tho I believe it Astra maybe? I have no idea what to expect. I hope we get to have scenes of her as a kid in school. That would be amazing. Im glad we are finally having a kara centric episode.

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Final Verdict: Departures are nothing new to Supergirl, but it remains to be seen just how heavily Maggie’s absence will affect the show’s dynamic

Maggie is far from the first series regular to exit the show, but she was a crucial part of Supergirl’s most newsworthy storyline. We are confident that the show will adapt, as it always does, but it remains to be seen how Supergirl will handle the aftermath – will they gloss over the importance of Maggie, and her relationship with Alex? Or will they allow Alex a proper grieving period after the dissolution of the most important romantic relationship of her life? Supergirl is at a crucial crossroads here, and the path they choose is incredibly important. So many fans have poured their heart into these characters, and they deserve for Supergirl to recognize the significance of that. It seems they are off to a good start – next week, Alex and Kara head to their hometown for some TLC. This is the perfect choice to follow an episode such as “Damage” and we can only hope they do it right.

SUPERGIRL returns MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13th at 8/7c on THE CW.