'Supergirl' Season 5: Why a villain with psychic powers works so well for a series about lies, secrets and conspiracies
Spoiler alert for Season 5 Episode 5 of 'Supergirl'
It's not easy coming up with legitimate challenges for someone as powerful as Supergirl. The show has managed to do just that though, week after week, for five seasons now with varying levels of success.
As of the last episode of 'Supergirl', it looks like the show's big bad this season will have powers of mental manipulation. Not only is this a legitimate threat to Supergirl, but it's also perfect for the themes that have been propping up all season.
Ignoring the 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' for now (the show certainly has been), Kara's big bad is shaping up to be either shadow organization Leviathan, or former best friend Lena Luthor.
The first already has a foothold on people's minds, as Obsidian North's worldwide launch of 'Collective Dream VR Lenses' has drawn people in from around the world into a virtual landscape.
Considering Obsidian North CEO Andrea Rojas has connections to Leviathan, it feels like it's only a matter of time before more sinister applications for the VR lenses are revealed.
Alternatively, we have Lena Luthor, whose work has been about mind control all season. In the latest episode, her work with Malefic has allowed her to accomplish a way to do just that.
Either way, Supergirl is going to be going up against a villain she can’t defeat with a superpowered punch or heat vision. Invisible insidiousness has been everywhere this season.
Undercover reporters, a secret organization whose true intentions we've yet to discover, uncovered Martian mindwipes and Lena's own work behind the scenes to change humanity as we know it are all part of the show's evil angles.
Manipulation and lies are emerging themes of the show — especially as two of its greatest villains, Malefic and Lena, are most upset about a sense of betrayal regarding the greatest secrets of our show's heroes. A mental manipulator is the perfect villain for a season focusing on those themes.
The power of such a villain doesn't come out in an all-powerful brawl in the season finale. It's the little things, seeded here, a twist there, tendrils of lies and manipulations that maneuver our heroes into a position of weakness that the series villain can take complete advantage of.
Teased in the Season 4 finale, Leviathan and Lena Luthor are slow-burn villains, working in the background with Supergirl currently having no clue what she's up against.
Supergirl's greatest challenge this season is not going to be facing the obstacles in front of her — it's going to be that she can't defend herself, or her friends, against a hit she can't see coming.
The next episode of 'Supergirl' titled 'Confidence Women' airs on November 10 on The CW.
