BWW Recap: SUPERGIRL Tries to Fight Myriad

This week's cliff-hanger episode of SUPERGIRL was the first part of the climax the show has been working toward the whole season. Non and Indigo are using Myriad to control all of the people in National City and SUPERGIRL, with the help of Cat Grant and Maxwell Lord, must try to find a way to stop them. But when Max offers a dangerous solution, will Kara choose to risk people's lives or to keep fighting with hope?

Non has taken control of the DEO through Lucy and is having her release all the prisoners, other than the White Martian. Lucy releases Maxima, an alien queen who wanted to marry Superman, and invites her to join Non in his plans and become a ruler of the world. SUPERGIRL arrives in time to fight her and stop the prisoner releases.

Kara goes to the Fortress of Solitude looking for her cousin, but instead finds the little robot helper. The robot won't talk about Myriad, but when Kara freaks out, the hologram of her mother appears. (Anyone else just super happy to see Laura Benanti again?) She explains that Myriad is mind controlling technology created to force everyone to Astra's way of thinking in order to save the planet. "Once started, Myriad cannot be stopped," Alura warns.

Kara goes to Cat's office and finds everyone typing in Kryptonian. Neither Winn nor James will acknowledge Kara's presence. She calls General Lane and finds out that National City has been quarantined to keep the Myriad problem from spreading. She asks him to make sure that no one enters the city until she can figure out how to solve the problem.

Cat walks into the office, completely unaffected. (She tells Kara to tell Harrison Ford that she's not interested in dating older married men, which might just be the best joke of the season because Calista Flockhart is actually married to Harrison Ford.) Superman tells Kara that he's on his way, but when he reaches National City, he too is affected by Myriad.

When Maxwell Lord shows up, Cat quips, "What is it that they say? That only cockroaches will survive the apocalypse?" Max explains that his satellites are being used by Non to project the Myriad signals. He has designed devices to block the signals, which he built into a pair of earrings that he sent to Cat the night before. He further explains that Clark Kent was affected because he was raised as a human. Max just seems to have all the answers.

Meanwhile, Non and Indigo discuss the fate of Supergirl. When Indigo insists that SUPERGIRL must die, Non responds, "Like Astra, you overestimate her strength." Non's one redeeming trait seems to be his respect for family bonds.

Alex and J'onn J'onz are on the run disguised as a blonde woman and her young son. They show up at Mrs. Danvers's house to restock and she and J'onn bond. She asks him if he was with her husband when he died and J'onn tells her, "His only thought was for you and the girls." She also asks him tons of scientific questions about shape-shifting and he is amused at the resemblance between her and Alex. When Mrs. Danvers tells them what's happening in National City, J'onn says that he's going to help but tells Alex to stay behind with her mother.

Kara insists that "Killing is never the solution," but Max says that killing Non is the only way to stop him. Non walks into the office and tells Kara, "I don't want to fight you, child." Kara tells him that this isn't what Astra wanted and that they forgave each other in Astra's final moments. Non explains that they are implementing their plan in order to save humankind and says that it's already starting to work. "Thanks to Myriad, there are no more racial divisions, no Republicans, no Democrats," he states.

Non begins to talk through Winn and James as he explains how he's harvesting the brain power of everyone in National City to save the planet. He tells Kara, "I have lived with loss; allow me to return the favor" and sends Winn, James, and another woman to jump off the building. Kara is able to save Winn and James, but has to watch her co-worker die.

Max explains that he has created a bomb that could kill all the Kyrptonians in the area. There are only two problems: Kara wouldn't be able to return to National City for fifty years and 8% of the population would be killed. Cat is against the idea and Kara hesitates to sacrifice that many lives, but Max convinces her it's the only option.

Anyone else notice that when General Lane skypes Max to tell him they have the president's approval to use the bomb, the president is a woman? Way to go, SUPERGIRL writers! Max tells Kara that his parents died because of faulty hazmat suits from the government. Marx warned them about the suits, but they didn't listen. He says that he no longer waits to act when he can protect people because of that loss. We finally got some more background information about Max, but I kind of expected something more dramatic based on his character, honestly.

When Non tells Indigo that he let SUPERGIRL live so that she could experience the agony of losing everyone she loves, the creepy blue lady is impressed. (I just can't get used to Indigo, alright.) Non explains his plans to infiltrate other cities, but Indigo tells him he could take over galaxies with Myriad.

Cat joins SUPERGIRL on the balcony (where all important emotional conversations take place) and tries to persuade her not to go forward with using the bomb. Kara is clearly at a loss and explains, "My mother was faced with this situation on Krypton: to act or do nothing. And she chose wrong." Cat reassures her that it's alright to be afraid, but that she has to take action anyways. She says that SUPERGIRL has taught her to have faith in people instead of acting out of fear. "If you've taught me anything," she says, "you have taught me that hope is stronger than fear." Cat has always impressed me with her strength and wit, but I love that she's taken on a mentoring role to both Kara and Supergirl.

Alex refuses to let J'onn go to National City on his own and insists that he can protect her from Myriad's effects. My heart broke when she said that the worst day of her life was watching her father walk out the door, not knowing if he would return. J'onn takes her with him, but it's clear as soon as they enter the city that he's using much of his energy to protect her mind.

Indigo shows up to fight J'onn and threatens Alex's life to ensure he surrenders. "I do love wiping out a species," she tells Alex, "and you're next, human." Clearly Indigo and Non are not on the same page with their evil plans...

Indigo brings Alex back to hers and Non's home-base. Alex tells Non how Astra let her go when she had the chance to kill her and insists, "Astra didn't want this."

Cat and SUPERGIRL present Max with a new plan: to save the city through hope. Cat brings them to her first TV station with plans to share a message with the people of National City. Max explains that the station is old enough that it uses broadcast technology instead of digital so they can "piggyback" on Non's signal.

When there's a strange noise outside, Kara goes to investigate. (Seriously? This seems like an old horror movie trope.) Non has turned Alex into a super-opponent for SUPERGIRL to fight and tells her that either Alex or she must die. Alex even has the sword that she killed Astra with, in an ironic twist. The episode ends with them beginning to fight each other and then the biggest cliff-hanger of SUPERGIRL history. Seriously, that was NOT okay.

Do you think Kara will find a way to save Alex and herself? Will Max and Cat be able to help save the people of National City? Are Winn and James going to be saved? I don't know how we're going to wait a whole week for the answers to these questions.

Don't forget to comment below or tweet me at @nicoleackman16 with your thoughts and predictions for next week's episode.

Photo Credit: CBS