Supergirl’s second Season is underway and it looks like we get a little more Superman before things get back to normal… or will they? This episode set up and addressed the return of many series staples, but also shook things up with some massive changes coming to the cast and story. And if that wasn’t enough, this season is wasting no time in revealing the Season’s big bad and setting up future turmoil, crossovers and … spinoffs?

Oh my! It looks like we need to take a Closer Look at this week’s episode of Supergirl “The Last Children Of Krypton”.

The Last ____ Of Krypton – Episode Meaning & Extinction:

As my usual readers will know, I’m kind of a huge fan of the old Superman: The Animated Series and love pointing out similarities between this and that show. So when I first saw the title of this week’s episode, I immediately saw it as a twist on “The Last Son Of Krypton” – the initial episodes of that series which themselves were based on the novel by the same name by Elliot S. Maggin which tells the story of Superman‘s origin and early life. Changing the word “Son” to “Children” here is obviously to open things up to Supergirl and Superman – as well as the msyerious pod boy; but beyond the Easter Egg reference, the title “Last Of” is meant to make us focus on the two ideas of this episode: “extinction” and “unity” in that loss.

The extinction part comes with the new threat of CADMUS who wants to eradicate all aliens and all those who side with them on Earth. When they look upon Superman and Supergirl, they see them as “the last” of an alien species that have to be eradicated before their job is done. J’Onn expresses these feelings as well – albeit from the other side as he is already the last of his species and has had someone trying to finish the job on him for a while (The White Martian). Though regardless of the dire connotations being “the last of” something conveys, it also gives a sort of camaraderie to those who share the title. This title helps Superman and Martian Manhunter find common ground, but more importantly being “the last children of Krypton” is what binds Kara and Clark together so tightly and will eventually help bind them to the mysterious pod person.

Teamwork Where It Really Counts – Supergirl, Alex, Superman, J’Onn:

As I began to mention in the last section, being “the last” of your kind really brings you together and that was in full view for Kara and Clark for a lot of this episode. Since the episode began we saw them in perfect sync with each other. So much so that their teamwork started to overshadow any previous team-ups – *cough* Kara and Alex. Never to leave the audience waiting too long, the episode immediately addressed these concerns as Alex confronts Kara about how she’s inviting Clark to everything – even Sister Night. Kara feels close with Clark because they are the last of Krypton. Though as Cadmus unleashes a pair of Metallos onto Metropolis and National City, we see that maybe Supergirl and Superman aren’t the needed team ups right now.

Kara and Alex were the dynamic duo of last season, and even though they teamed up last episode, they didn’t actually fight TOGETHER. In fact, Alex had more of a team up with Ms Luthor than she did her sister. So when the final fight began, having Alex join Supergirl in her Battlesuit was perfect on two fronts. The first is because it once again unites these sisters and show they can stand side by side. The second is that the last time we saw this suit was when Kara and Alex fought each other in the Season Finale. This is the first time the sister’s are back fighting side by side, with the instrument that almost ended their sisterhood.

On the other front, we have Superman and Martian Manhunter, whom any comic/ animated series fans should see as a duo since they’re both members of the Justice League. Though here we see J’Onn and Clark divided because even though they are the last of their kind, they go about protecting in different ways. Clark can’t trust J’Onn and J’Onn can’t trust anyone because he’s seen what happens when you’re not prepared. Unlike Clark, J’Onn’s witnessed the end of his people; but does that make him smarter or more stubborn? Regardless – like Kara and Alex before them – Clark and J’Onn put their differences aside and are able to take down Metallo #2. The episode might have begun with Superman and Supergirl, but the episode couldn’t be resolved until we saw them forge different partnerships to take down this new threat.

Up, Up & Away – Easter Eggs, Quotes & Other Notables:

• Favorite Quotes: Winner – Superman
  • “See… now, if the bullets don’t work… right… why the punching… never understood that” – Superman
  • “Now we’re going to give you a little time out and you’re going to think about what you did” – Clark to Metallo #2 after his Kryptonite heart was ripped out.
  • “Watching Clark Kent walk away is like transcendental meditation…” – Cat Grant
  • “Before I channel my last divorce and break you emotionally…” – Snapper Carr snapping at Kara
• “Kryptonians tried to kill you, we salvaged you, modified you and resurrected you”…. The head of CADMUS really needs to get her facts straight. Ms Luthor almost killed him, not the Kryptonians. Evil pass the buck politics 101
• One of Superman’s biggest fears is losing control so adding in that even though Alcohol doesn’t affect Kryptonians, Clark doesn’t drink was a nice nod to this.
• If you’re wondering why Supergirl struggled to push that car during the first Metallo fight, it’s because she was already exposed to so much Kryptonite. It’s actually amazing her Heat Vision lasted as long as it did.
• If you’re wondering, the scenes of Superman leaving with the Led-encased Kryptonite and then changing back into Clark Kent are NOT sequential. It’s quick, but as he lands you can see he is no longer carrying the cases. So no, he didn’t just leave the Kryptonite in a dumpster in the middle of Metropolis.
• When Superman says he won’t leave that long again, I guess that means if/ when he appears again it’ll just be for an episode and nothing longer. Then again, I think we can all agree Superman just earned himself a spinoff. #TooMuchFun

• If Metallo was Phase 1 and Metallo #2 was Phase 2, it really makes you wonder what they have in store for Alex’s dad. Is he a researcher or is he a test subject #CyborgSuperman #MyTheoryLivesOn
• Continuing the theme from last week, it is now Cat’s turn to take “the dive” and try something new. I’ll miss Cat’s words of wisdom week in and out. And this week’s was some tough love with her reminding people to stand up for yourself and prove you can do it instead of blaming others or asking for a bailout.
• With so many changes coming, at first it was hard to determine if they were indeed preparing to have Supergirl leave this universe (into the Arrowverse) or if they were just preparing for a new shift of characters (ie: James in charge, Kara teaching mystery guy, etc). As of the moment, it looks like #2.
• The episode began with Cadmus revealing itself and thus ends with Alex and Kara sending a message back to Cadmus. And so this season long battle begins!
• Let’s see. Revealing Cadmus. mystery guy waking up. Big changes at Cat Co. Metallos #1 and #2. This episode and Season are wasting NO TIME!

Next week we’ll see how this human vs alien rights evolve as the DEO is tasked to protect the President (played by former Wonder Woman Lynda Carter) against an unknown aggressor. Is the aggressor the mystery man (aka Mon-El) or someone else? From the looks of things, I’m guessing it’s the villainess Volcana but we’ll just have to wait and see.

So see you all next week for the next episode of Supergirl “Welcome to Earth”