Supergirl 4x21 : Red Dawn review

Be warned there will be *SPOILERS* involved in this review. With that being said let's get into it. 

The penultimate episode of Supergirl's fourth season has come and gone and with it we're given revelations, re-connecting between sisters and much more. Beginning with a very much welcome of Young Kara & Alex from season 3 we see the two attempting to clap and sing along to a song. They stand over a ledge and as Kara claps again she destroys a part of the cliff leading to both girls falling off. But we don't see the outcome until a bit later as almost instantly as Kara claps her hands together Alex is seen waking up. With Kelly by her side again she says that it feels like a part of her is missing and that her dream was about Kara. Could her memory be attempting to reconstruct itself? as earlier in the season we seen Jonn completely wipe it and later he reassures Kara that there is nothing she can do. If she tried to tell Alex that she is Supergirl it's almost like she would be taking a sledgehammer to her mind. At the end of last week's episode we saw Kara go meet the President to tell him of Lex's incoming plan. Of course the President was working with Lex all along and the last thing we saw was a bag being put over Kara's head. Well at the White House we see Kara again and she is bound to a chair. The security tell her that she is to stay here until the President declares that she is no longer a threat. Oh foolish security..as not seconds later Kara takes out the security, breaks the chair she was bound to and says they messed with the wrong girl. As she goes to walk out of the room she is greeted by Red Daughter (Finally!) who just so happens to have Kryptonite in her possession. Kara gets bound to a chair again and is questioned by Red Daughter. She tells her that she fights for the corrupt and those who only use her. As Red Daughter gets closer to Kara the kryptonite begins to rub off on her. Kara says there is one difference between them. Red Daughter has only been dealing with Kryptonite for a mere few months, while she has been doing so for 15 years. She breaks free of the chair she is bound to once more and dives out the window before flying off into the distance. A genuinely brilliant beginning to the episode that set the mood so well. 

At Jonn's house him and Kara talk like I mentioned earlier. And as Brainiac-5 enters he mentions how Alex has begun looking into the Red Daughter situation. This leads to Kara rushing off to see Alex at the DEO (where she's not welcome I might add) but Brainy has a request for Jonn's help. He needs him and Dreamer's help with evacuating Alien's under Ben Lockwood's and his crew's control. Back at the DEO Kara infiltrates the building by pretending to be a part of security. She changes back into her Supergirl outfit and talks with Alex who helps her re-gain her power through sunlight and radiation. Supergirl says it's too dangerous to take on Red Daughter alone and as she says this Colonel Hayley enters the room. Immediately questioning Alex's reason for bringing Supergirl to the DEO the three ultimately agree to work together after Supergirl tells the Colonel that the President is working with Lex. More on Jonn, Brainy and Dreamer now and after arriving at the location where various aliens are being held Jonn says he will go ahead to scout before they do anything else. Brainy has something he wants to tell Dreamer but keeps on getting interrupted. What he wants to tell her? well basically that he is in love with her and thinks she is amazing. As again he attempts to tell her he gets interrupted by her as she says they should go ahead and try to get inside. They both come up with using the image inducer and Brainy walks up to the guards as none other then Ben Lockwood. With Dreamer apparently captured he says to open the gates so they can go inside. Of course he is found out almost immediately and sent inside to be interrogated. What follows is one of the most interesting scenes this season. While being questioned and asked of his powers Brainy is badly beaten to the point where he gets rebooted. But before being fully rebooted he has some big things to say. He mentions how his ancestor's are powerful, emotionless people. He also says that they are collectors and rulers of worlds. It's odd how around the same time last season episode wise Brainy mentioned his race and now again just before the finale he mentions them again. Could the almighty Brainiac truly be the villain for season 5? I'd love to see it happen. Once he says what he has to say however Brainy is reduced to his factory setting almost and easily breaks free before taking out the guards. He goes to find Dreamer but inside says that she is to follow all the aliens through the portal find a location inside and then let him know. Completely taken back by this Dreamer calls out to him but he doesn't seem to care. Soon after he meets up with Jonn and says that two will be better than one and with Dreamer he will find the location beyond the portal so that they can pass it onto him so he can help liberate the alien camp. Brainiac-5 has now become the supreme version of himself. Emotionless, diabolic, controlling, cold and downright scary at times. 

The episode draws to a close as Supergirl finds Red Daughter's apartment. And it turns out she is stalking Kara Danvers. Even going as far as to get an apartment right across from Kara's as Alex says that she can see Kara's loft across the way. Alex then gets a call from her mom who says that Kara is there with her. But how can she be if Supergirl is right next to her?? well of course it's Red Daughter is Kara's place. Supergirl rushes off leaving Alex behind to get there herself, inside Supergirl comes face to face with Red Daughter who says she is better than her. This leads finally to the battle I and I expect many others have been waiting for since the ending of season 3. Supergirl V Red Daughter, light vs darkness. Supergirl gets the upper hand very early on but it soon turns into a bloodbath almost. As Red Daugher has evolved and possesses the power of energy through her hands. She turns day into night and absolutely pummels Supergirl. Alex shows up and tries to stop her but it's no use. Before flying off Red Daughter listens closely to Supergirl's heart beat which only slows down which each second before stopping. Red Daughter is soon seeing flying overhead as below Alex's memory begins to kick in moments earlier with each hit on Supergirl. We see young Kara again, moments from past seasons, minutes before Jonn wiped her mind and even the plane that Kara helped from going right into the ocean during the pilot episode. She runs to her sister's side and tells her to wake up. She tells her to keep fighting, that she can't go out like this. All she needs is sunlight to keep going and there is sunlight in everything. Yes..yes there is as not seconds later sunlight begins to pour out of everything as Kara draws it all in. Kara wakes up but is badly hurt from the beating she endured. Red Daughter flys off after hearing something and the episode ends with what she heard. As the Colonel tells Alex and Supergirl to turn on the TV we see the President talking. He says that Kaznia were attacking the US. With Supergirl in tow. But he says one man has stood up and defended his country. And that man is Lex Luthor. The final thing we see is Lex in his Exo-Suit flying high above the ground with Red Daughter is his arms motionless. Lex's plan all along was to use not only her as a sort of scapegoat but also Kaznia. He was going to use them as a paper tiger. He gained their trust and then right as they look set to take control he swooped in and fought them back, thus becoming a hero to the American people. Say what you will but this version of Lex is complete genius and captured incredibly spot on. This episode was absolutely fantastic. It had drama, it had excitement, it had betrayal, it even had some trust gained in the form of Ben Lockwood who learned that Lex has just been using him this entire time. This is Supergirl at it's best and is now easily the best DC show on TV at this moment in time. It's cheesey at times sure but it's compelling and such a joy to watch as a fan. This episode set up next week's finale in such a big way and now I really look forward to that. Until then Kara, keep flying high!

★★★★★