Supergirl Faces A Kryptonite Attack In A Preview Of Next Week’s Episode

 
With the DEO’s element dispersal system in the hands of the Graves, it was only a matter of time before they used it to unleash Kryptonite into the atmosphere and put Kara (Melissa Benoist) in danger. And as seen in this preview of next week’s Supergirl, dealing with the effects of the exposure will not be an easy thing her, Brainy (Jesse Rath) or Alex (Chyler Leigh). Meanwhile, it appears the next step in Agent Liberty’s (Sam Witwer) plan is a staged alien attack to further foment the tide of hate.

The episode will also feature an origin for Agent Liberty while continuing the theme of the season: weaponized prejudice. As it turns out, this is a pretty good antagonist for Supergirl and the DEO as the feelings of resentment and fear are not easily beaten out of people or solved with Supergirl’s brand of compassion. The only problem is that, much like in real life, toppling the opportunists who prey on people’s fear of the other never rids us of the underlying xenophobia. That hate-wave map Alex showed Kara is the truest representation of their real enemy and it will never be defeated as easily as a comic book villain. This is, after all, why the DC Comics superheroes stayed stateside during World War II (for the most part) and helped sell war bonds.
And though good-hearted, the show’s occasional clumsiness with contemporary issues continues to be a problem as the producers try to balance what they want to say with the needs of an action show. Hopefully, they find that balance soon.
Supergirl airs Sundays on The CW.