Supergirl introduces new worldkiller Purity, providing a clearer glimpse into the mythology behind these Kryptonian creations

On this week’s episode of Supergirl, the DEO locates Julia, a kind woman who recently jumped in front of a car for her friend. Although Julia seems an unlikely suspect, she’s the vessel for Purity, a worldkiller much like Reign. Unfortunately, Julia has no idea about her alternate identity, and is downright terrified when Supergirl and company bust into her home. In the midst of the chaos, Purity takes over, and she’s not nearly as nice.

Throughout the episode, Kara (Melissa Benoist) works to break through to Julia. Alex, however, has a different approach. While her sister takes an optimistic standpoint, Alex (Chyler Leigh) thinks Purity is just too dangerous. In the end, Alex saves Kara by appealing to Julia’s humanity. Julia takes back control, just in time to be kidnapped by Reign.

RELATED | Supergirl Roundtable 3×12 “For Good”

Speaking of Reign – while all this is going on, Sam takes Ruby out for a girls day. The girls play hooky and head to the ice skating rink, and Ruby is thrilled. But since this is television, and no one can be happy for an entire day, Reign takes control and Sam vanishes. Terrified, Ruby calls Lena, who slowly begins to piece together this season long puzzle. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, and we will have to wait until April for confirmation that Lena (Katie McGrath) knows that Sam is Reign.

On the romance front, Mon-el (Chris Wood) admits to Jonn (David Harewood) that him and Imra didn’t marry for love. While Mon-el was still mourning Kara, he wed Imra for political purposes, in order to unite their planets. Although they fell in love along the way, it’s never been as passionately “illogical” as his relationship with Kara. Unfortunately for Imra, she’s seen this in his eyes. Near the end of the episode, she directly asks him if he’s still in love with Kara. His answer? “I don’t know.”

Here to discuss the ever-complicated lives of our favorite heroines is our Supergirl roundtable:

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

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

Christine (@christinecenon) – Supergirl reviewer at FanBolt.

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

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

1. We were introduced to Purity tonight. Purity is an interesting name, any idea why the worldkiller would be called that?

Becca (@karadanverss): I know! It thought the same thing. When I first heard her name I was like… “why does her name does NOT sounds like a villain?” Lol. To be honest, I’m still not sure why a worldkiller would be called that… I am a little bit confused by that really but I am sure the writers of the show have an explanation for that name and maybe we can get to know later on.

Katie (@melszorel): Well she was talking about spreading light etc. It’s funny because I actually met someone named Reign a couple of weeks ago, and of course had to say something about it, and you know what she told me her name meant? Purity. Light. That’s something to think about.

Christine (@christinecenon): Purity is an interesting name, for sure! I don’t even remember there being a Purity Worldkiller in the comic books — I don’t think there was! But, my one theory as to why she’s called Purity is because she’s the one who caves easiest when it comes to her pure, human heart and morale.

Olivia (@atjogialove): My theory on her name is that it’s “Purity” because they’re trying to purify the world by getting rid of what they (the worldkillers) don’t think belongs.

Adam (@abnormallyadam): Hmm, that’s an interesting question actually. Maybe there’s a plot twist and the world killers are actually good? But they’ve been brainwashed? Maybe they can be saved? Oooh, so many questions.

2. Sam unintentionally abandoned Ruby at the ice skating rink. At what point do you think it’s fair to consider that Sam is possibly not in the right state to be in charge of Ruby right now?

Becca: I was so sad for Ruby. Ruby is a smart kid and as Lena said, Ruby knows something is wrong with her mom. I think that Sam is not in the right state to be in charge of Ruby since she started being Reign. It is sad because I know Sam is a good mom but now she is Reign and there will be a point where she will not be able to control that anymore.

Katie: Wow. Okay, this question hit me right in the gut because I hadn’t even thought of it that way. For Ruby herself, I don’t think she thinks that her mom can’t take care of her. I think she’s incredibly worried, as one would be. Especially considering that, before Lena, Kara, Alex; Sam was all Ruby really had. Sam wasn’t in contact with her adoptive mother. Ruby (as previously shown) has acted out in classes. I feel like Sam is really the only person she has(had). But those scenes with Alex before, and then the scene with Lena. If anything happened where Sam (God forbid…died) wasn’t able to take care of her, Ruby does have people who love her and will care for her. The whole situation is really sad to think about.

Christine: To be honest, I already don’t think it’s fair, but what is she to do? Sam has no idea what’s happening to her, and if I were a mother, I wouldn’t give my child up that easily either. It’s true that Ruby needs protection, but I just feel so bad for Sam that I don’t want her to easily give up.

Olivia: As much as I would hate to see them separated I think as they figure out what’s going on with Sam, Ruby should be in someone else’s care for her safety.

Adam: To be honest, abandoning her child should definitely be the point where Sam needs to realise she’s not in the right state of mind. The other times she became Reign, Ruby was safe. But this time, anything could’ve happened to Ruby. This, in my opinion should be a turning point for Sam.

3. Tonight, we learned that Mon-el and Imra didn’t marry for love. Did you expect this reveal?

Becca: Yes. Based on spoilers that I read before, I already knew that Mon-El and Imra didn’t marry for love. So I was not surprised by that to be honest.

Katie: Okay so here’s the thing. From the second they were both introduced, you could tell something was off. Not just with their marriage, but in general. And then thinking back to what Psi may have sensed in Imra’s mind… I don’t know, man. There’s so much going on. They have so many secrets. But I do believe Mon-el, when he said that he grew to love her. You can tell there is a sense of caring and admiration and love. Just maybe not the kind either of them want.

Christine: I did expect this, actually! I’ve always had a theory that she manipulated him somehow, given her comic book counterpart had some something similar. She didn’t necessarily manipulate him, for they chose to marry to unite their respective people, but I totally knew the marriage wasn’t for reasons of love at the start.

Olivia: On some level I did. Partly because of the spoilers I’d seen and partly because I figured they wouldn’t get rid of karamel that easily.

Adam: I had a feeling there was more to their marriage, but I didn’t expect it to be that. I genuinely thought they loved each other deeply. It’ll be interesting to see how Kara reacts to this once she finds out.

4. Mon-el answered that he “didn’t know” whether he was still in love with Kara. Is there hope for “karamel”?

Becca: HELL YES. There is always hope for Karamel. I will always be rooting for them. I understand why he is so cold and has been trying to keep his dance towards Kara. He doesn’t want Imra to get hurt and hide things from her. It’s understandable. I’m sure they will be back together later this season. I am so excited!

Katie: Honestly, at this point… I just want Kara to move on. She’s been trying so hard. She keeps trying. She even said that in the scene with Alex. And yeah, she had said it before. But the way she was talking about it… I feel like it’d be best for both of them to appreciate what they had, and move on. Because they’ve proven to be better without each other. (in 7 years/6 months). And it is possible for people to move on from each other, and still be okay with one another. There doesn’t always need to be lingering feelings.

Christine: Yes! I do think there’s hope for Karamel, for sure. There have been breadcrumbs all season, and this episode just confirmed that their story isn’t quite over. Given that Mon-El actually loves and cares for Imra now, I don’t see them getting back together anymore without someone getting hurt in the process — too bad, too, because I really like Imra. I just hope the blow isn’t too bad, if and when the time comes.

Olivia: To be honest? Probably. As much as I think it’s a cheap storyline and a backtrack for both characters I assume there’s still a chance.

Adam: Of course there is. I have a strong feeling by the end of season 3, Kara and Mon-El will be back together. Although, I think Kara should focus more on herself than have to be with Mon-El, but hey, if she’s happy I’m happy.

5. Purity gave us some insight on how the worldkillers operate. Do you think there’s any chance this Reign storyline ends happily, with Kara just breaking through to Sam like Alex did with Julia?

Becca: There is always hope. I think that it could be possible that Sam can be saved. I want to try to stay positive about it but also there is this another part of me telling me that Reign will take over Sam at some point and I am not sure how Sam will be able to escape that. Still, even if this happens… there is always this hope that maybe Kara or any other person can save her from that.

Katie: Is there a chance? I hope so. Is it something I really really want? As much as Kara is probably missing potstickers since she’s gone a season without them! So yes… I would really love a believable redemption arc for Reign. I want Sam’s friendships and relationships to play a part in that.

Christine: I do think there’s hope for Reign to return to just being Sam, yes. She clearly doesn’t know what she’s doing when she’s Reign, and if I remember correctly, she was just so against being a “villain” — all she wanted was to be a hero like Supergirl. I think that, one day, she’ll be fighting alongside Supergirl and fighting for good.

Olivia: I definitely think Reign/Sam will get a redemption arc and I really hope I’m right- I love Odette and would hate to see Sam not get a happy ending.

Adam: I don’t know if this will happen, but maybe there’s a way of separating the worldkillers from their human hosts. Sam and Julia are innocent girls and I want to protect them so badly. Right now, all signs are pointing to a bad ending for Sam/Reign ,but I have faith there’ll be another plot twist coming our way.

6. It was left slightly ambiguous – did Lena put the pieces together and figure out that Sam is Reign?

Becca: Hmmm. I definitely saw something on Lena when she told Sam that she was going to help her out… but I really did not get the vibe that she figured out that Sam was Reign… or maybe I missed it. I’m not sure. But I can’t wait to see what happens next now that Lena wants to help Sam on this whole situation.

Katie: If Lena does figure it out, it’ll make me wonder why the hECK she hasn’t realized Kara is Supergirl? At least Reign is wearing a mask! Kara apparently uses a Kryptonian curling iron to curl her hair and takes off her glasses and now she’s Supergirl! But really … I don’t know. That WOULD be the logical guess right? But if they’re going to continue with Lena not being smart in (ONLY) that area, then maybe not.

Christine: I don’t think Lena’s figured it out quite yet. I’m not even really sure if she fully noticed when Sam’s eyes flashed red. I am, however, no longer certain as to who’ll figure out Reign’s true identity first, if it’s Lena or Alex. It might actually be Lena, given the possible foreshadowing in the episode. I just hope that if and when Lena figures it out, that she doesn’t get hurt in the process.

Olivia: Possibly? If she does I hope they’re able to help Sam so that Reign doesn’t take over forever. And if she does I still don’t know how she doesn’t know Kara is supergirl and James is Guardian.

Adam: It wouldn’t surprise me if Lena figured it out. She’s one of the smartest women on the show. That being said, if she knows Sam is Reign… then how does she not know Kara is Supergirl?? Anyways, moving on. I think it was made to look like Lena figured it out, but in reality she didn’t. I hope I’m wrong though.

7. Alex seemed really on-edge this episode. Is it residual heartbreak over Maggie, or could there be something more going on?

Becca: I definitely think that it’s residual heartbreak over Maggie. I mean, they were going to get married. Alex loved Maggie and Maggie loved Alex. What they had was special and it was an amazing first time experience for Alex. So it will not be easy for Alex to get over her.

Katie: My feelings on Alex this episode are very complicated. I feel like I could probably write an entire essay just on Alex from tonight. So, to spare us all… This is my answer: Why have they not shown Alex being upset before tonight? That’s why when she was acting out of line, and out of character, I didn’t put it together at first that it was about Maggie. It all suddenly built up into explosive, non-Alex, actions. And hey, those reactions are realistic! But what I don’t think is realistic is we haven’t even seen a smidge of it at all, before tonight. Alex has dealt with SO much just this past year. I’m sure she has a lot of pent-up feelings ranging from so many different things. I’m glad we finally saw her vulnerability. And I want them to explore that more.

Christine: I think it’s just the fact that she hasn’t had the chance to cope with what happened between her and Maggie. She has been so busy at work that she hasn’t had the time to just deal with the pain, and so she took it out on Purity. Alex just needs time and she needs to let herself heal.

Olivia: I think Alex is struggling with what she wants in life, especially after spending time with Ruby and having Maggie reach out for her passport. I think she’s trying to figure out what most important to her and that it’s getting to her in other parts of life.

Adam: I found Alex’s behaviour this episode kind of weird. I could totally see where she was coming from, but Alex took her feelings to another level which surprised me (and a lot of others). I don’t know if she was just having a bad day or if there is something she isn’t telling us? Going through a breakup, the emotions come in waves, so who knows… maybe it was residual heartbreak. I have so many questions.

FINAL VERDICT: “Both Sides Now” had a finale-esque tone to it, and rightfully so – with the show taking a two month hiatus, 3×13 was a finale of sorts

Rumor has it that Supergirl is using this hiatus to make some major rewrites. If that’s the case, “Both Sides Now” may truly be a finale – the end of Supergirl’s third season as we know it. The show has a chance to take a big turn now, and the writers have the unique opportunity to listen to fan input before the end of the season. While some are hoping for this, others recognize just how quickly a show can spiral when the fandom is too involved in the storyline construction.

One thing is for sure, Supergirl can’t take back the decisions it made this week. For one, it is possible to reach the human beneath the worldkiller. That’s sure to come back into play. Secondly, Mon-el is confirmed to have at least some lingering feelings for Kara, enough that he’s not even sure if it qualifies as love. With the show ending practically mid-sentence, it would be easy for Supergirl to back out of Lena solving Sam’s mystery. However, we desperately hope that’s not the case. Lena deserves to win one – she deserves to use her obvious intelligence to at least see the truth about one of her friends alter-egos.

SUPERGIRL returns MONDAY, APRIL 16th at 8/7c on THE CW.