Stakes are high in the sixteenth episode of Supergirl’s third season, full of close calls and philosophical dichotomies

Kara (Melissa Benoist) and Imra (Amy Jackson) have a fundamental disagreement. No, it’s not over Mon-el (thank Rao) because this is Supergirl, where the issues go far beyond relationship woes. Here, the women are real, well-rounded heroes who have to deal with the repercussions of such a responsibility; specifically, when (if ever) is killing the villain justified?

Imra has personal stakes in this debate — Pestilence killed her sister. But then, so does Kara, because this week, Supergirl finds out that Reign, the most destructive worldkiller, is none other than Sam, who Kara considers a sister of her own.

RELATED | Supergirl Roundtable 3×15 “In Search of Lost Time”

Speaking of a fight between life and death, Winn (Jeremy Jordan) is quite literally fighting for the former this week, barely holding on life in the medical wing of the DEO. This scenario allows for one of the season’s most emotionally gripping scenes, in which James (Mehcad Brooks) sits at his friend’s bedside, bemoaning the idea that his friend might not make it. But, of course, Winn pulls through. Becuase it just wouldn’t be Supergirl without him!

Here to answer the episode’s biggest questions is our Supergirl roundtable!

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

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

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

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

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

[wp_ad_camp_2]

1. If you were a superhero, how would you handle the Worldkillers? Would you try to save them or kill them?

Mia (@dreaminofspace): I would try to save them and I’d try almost anything, but if it couldn’t be done then I would have to make the choice of sacrificing one life to save a billion others. It would destroy my soul and I probably wouldn’t be able to live with it, but I would do it.

Becca (@mysteryofslove): I would definitely try to save them all. I agree with Supergirl and with the majority of superheroes out there. Killing is not the answer. If they have to pay for what they have done, they have to pay differently, not dying. Plus, Sam and the others don’t have the power or control over the Worldkillers sadly, so I don’t think it is fair to kill them just like that– there are other ways.

Katie (@melszorel): That’s a very good question. I think I would try to kill them, eventually. Kara has a ‘no kill’ policy, but she has killed other aliens before. I understand that she wants to try and save everyone, and that’s one of the things I love about her. But the truth is she didn’t save Julia. She tried. And she tried with Grace. But sometimes people don’t want to be saved. And I think that’s a hard thing you have to learn when you’re a hero. Just because your motto or your morals are telling you that you have to do things a certain way, doesn’t mean everything is going to be solved like that. So I would probably first try to save everyone by not automatically trying to kill them, but then if time and time again proves that’s just not going to do it, I would do whatever it takes to save the people, the world.

Olivia (@atjogialove): I think I would want to try and save the people they’ve taken over. I can’t imagine myself just being to kill them without doing anything to try and save them.

Adam (@abnormallyadam): I can totally see both sides to this. On one hand, if I could save the human side of the worldkillers, I would. They don’t know what’s happening to them (well they do now) and they never asked for this. However I understand Imra’s point of view because there were mass graves and killings in the future, so they could potentially save all of those people. But definitely try to save them first.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

2. Imra revealed that she holds a lot of anger toward Pestilence for killing her sister. After learning that, do you think her intentions were revenge or to see justice prevail? 

Mia: I think her intentions were noble and that her sister wasn’t her only reason for wanting Pestilence dead. At least I didn’t get the vibe that revenge was her motivation.

Becca: I can see Imra’s point. Pestilence killed her sister, so I think her anger is fair. I still think her intentions were both– revenge and to see justice prevail. But I can see why. She lost her sister. That is a lot to handle. I can’t imagine how would I feel if I lost my sister or one of my family members in the way Imra lost her sister. That is why I can see her point

Katie: I still don’t believe it was truly revenge. Of course, she still wants her sister alive, and I understand that completely. But I do think it was about the Blight in general as a whole, which also included her sister. I think she was doing it for both reasons. For justice and revenge. And I think that’s okay.

Olivia: I do believe Imra wants justice and wants to keep the world safe, but I think revenge probably clouded her judgment and made it hard for her to see it any other way.

Adam: A little of both, I think. I mean, how could she not want revenge for her sister? Even if it’s a tiny bit. Her main objective is see justice prevail but deep down there’d definitely be a bit of revenge.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

3. Sam finally met her alter ego, and her alter ego clearly took over. Do you think that was the last we will see of Sam?

Mia: No, I don’t think it’s the last we’ll see of Sam. I think we’ll see her wage her own battle inside the shadowy place while Supergirl and the DEO fight for her on the outside. And I have hope she’ll be able to break through and take over sometimes, to deliver unique intel. I still have hope Lena will be able to find a way to separate Sam and Reign for good.

Becca: I don’t think this was the last we will see of Sam! Hopefully the team gets to save her at the end. Sam is innocent and she does not mean any harm… She does not have the control over Reign and I just feel sad for her.

Katie: I’m still hoping that Sam will end up okay, but I’m also slowly losing that hope. I think it will be the last we see of Sam for a while. But maybe we’ll get flashes like we did of Reign. I know with Ruby next episode, it’ll be hard to see just Reign.

Olivia: I hope not, I really hope we get to see Sam again and that they’re able to separate her and Reign in order to save Sam because I really do love the character.

Adam: I reckon we’ll see Sam again. There’s got to be a way to get inside that dimension where Sam’s being kept. Maybe Ruby will break through to Sam while she’s Reign? Maybe it’s Lena, Kara and Alex. Too many possibilities.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

4. Speaking of Sam, Supergirl now knows she is Reign! What do you think she’s thinking?

Mia: I think Kara’s brain is pretty blown right now. I can just imagine what it must be like to find out that your friend – someone you consider almost your sister – almost succeeded in killing you and has killed people in your city. Right now she probably feels very betrayed, but I’m sure Lena will explain how Sam had no idea she was Reign and that the two entities are completely different with different memories.

Becca: I know! I am happy to know that Supergirl and the whole team know that Sam is Reign. I think right now that Kara and the others are thinking are just ways to save Sam and defeat Reign by also saving Sam– and let’s hope Lena shares all the information she got while she was testing Sam, her information could be very important.

Katie: I think Kara might feel conflicted. But I also think she feels personally towards Sam and Reign, because of different things that happened. And I think this will be a test of whether or not she thinks someone needs to be saved or killed.

Olivia: I think she’s probably very confused and that it will make it harder for her to try and take her down but also give her a personal connection and even more reason to fight to separate the world killers from the people inside them.

Adam: So much happened in those last two minutes, I don’t think Kara has fully processed it yet. On some level it would have to make sense. But now that a worldkiller is someone that the team loves, it might be what they need to save Sam at all costs.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

5. Do you think it was wrong of Lena to hide Sam from Supergirl? Does that mean Lena doesn’t trust Supergirl?

Mia: I’m not sure Lena was purposely hiding it, but that she wanted to be sure before she passed on the information. I wish she had told Supergirl a bit sooner, but as of right now, I don’t detect any malicious intent.

Becca: I am 50/50 about this situation really. I mean, Lena and Kara are suppose to be best friends… but the fact that Kara has not told her that she is Supergirl seems weird to me. And also I still can’t believe Lena still hasn’t figure out that Kara is Supergirl— like… really? But I mean, Lena is a Luthor and she knows how to hide stuff. So I am not surprised she hide Sam from Supergirl.

Katie: No, I don’t think it was wrong of her. And I don’t think it means she doesn’t trust Supergirl. Everyone has their reasons for doing what they do, it’s not always black and white. I look forward to next episode with Supergirl and Lena arguing about what Lena did and I can’t wait to see Lena at the DEO. I don’t think Kara could hate Lena over this, so it’ll be interesting to see their interactions with Kara as Supergirl.

Olivia: Part of me doesn’t because Lena didn’t know how others would react and wanted to make sure Sam was safe. I think she does trust supergirl but she wanted to do what she could first before risking someone wanting to use her like a lab rat (not that I think supergirl would do that.)

Adam: No I don’t think it’s wrong at all. Lena just wanted to see if she could help Sam without making the situation worse. As Lena said, who knows what they would’ve done if she called for help. Lena still has some trust issues with Supergirl, so who knows at this point. If she knew Supergirl was Kara, it might changed her perspective…

[wp_ad_camp_2]

6. Who else thought Winn was going to die? How would you feel if he did?

Mia: I unfortunately managed to be spoiled by someone who watched the episode when it leaked, so I knew he would survive, but even still the scene with Winn and James really hit me hard. Winn is my favourite character after Kara (just ahead of Alex) and it would kill me if he died. He’s been through hell and he deserves to be happy and alive now. I love him so much, and I love his friendship with Kara and the others around him.

Becca: I felt so sad for Winn. I didn’t think he was going to die for real but his scenes looked like he was saying goodbye and I felt sad. I would be really devastated and angry if the show decides to kill him off. He by far one of my favorite characters and he brings so much fun and joy to the show. I really hope he stays forever.

Katie: I didn’t think he was going to die. But I’ll admit I cried when he gave his speech to James. He’s one of the OG characters, so I’d be pretty devastated if he left.

Olivia: I felt pretty strongly that Winn wouldn’t die (partly because he’s been on set recently) but mostly because I think right now he’s been a big comic relief on the show and we need that. I would have been sad if he died, I think Winn is funny and a big part of the team!

Adam: I didn’t think Winn would die. I had faith they’d find a cure by the end of the episode. That didn’t make the emotional scene between Winn and James any less emotional, damn! I cried. Winn is literally my child and if anything happened to him, I would sue lol.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

 7. Mon-El sided with Kara, causing a rift between him and Imra. As the events of last week and this week demonstrate, do you think him and Kara are getting close again?

Mia: I definitely think their friendship is strengthening again, and it’s become very apparent just how much Mon-El was inspired by and moulded his life and his values off of Kara. His admiration is clear as day and now he’s realised that his team – his closest friends and allies – have different ideas than what they let on and Kara (being his inspiration) is on the same page as him, so right now it’s easier to side with her.

Becca: YES! I still think Kara and Mon-El are endgame and I really hope will fix all this mess between them soon. It is clearly obvious they still love each other so much. And every episode shows that they are getting closer and closer. I can’t wait to see them together again.

Katie: There are a lot of things we don’t see on screen, but no I don’t think him and Kara are getting close again. I think they may have an understanding. And I don’t know if Monel essentially ‘sided’ with Kara, but he could have tried to understand where Imra was coming from too. His past feelings, whatever they are now, get in the way of things. And I don’t think it’s fair to a lot of the people around him. But I understand just from a personal side how it is to be conflicted with certain things.

Olivia: I do think him and Kara are getting close again but part of me feels like he was siding with Kara because he knew about Imra’s sister and also to show his character development from someone who was beating up others for money.

Adam: I think the writers are slowly going to cause a rift between Mon-El and Imra. She may even die in the finale, I don’t know. After last week, why would Kara take Mon-El back but to be honest, I couldn’t even predict what’s going to happen next.

[wp_ad_camp_2]

FINAL VERDICT: Supergirl works in dichotomies this week — life vs. death, right vs. wrong, do vs. do not, and Reign vs. Sam

Supergirl gets philosophical (and even quotes Yoda, the ultimate philosopher!) this week with a discussion over when (if ever) killing is justified. Despite their differences, Kara and Imra work together to try to defeat Pestilence but ultimately fail, allowing the villain to run free and set the future Imra describes into motion.

With Kara’s approach to worldkillers (appeal to their humanity) seemingly failing, is it possible she may be forced to compromise her morals by the end of the season? Here’s to hoping she doesn’t — Supergirl remains the least ambiguous of the CW’s heroes, always good, always right, and forever a symbol of hope.

Big thanks to roundtable guest Christine Cenon for writing this week’s roundtable questions!

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