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“The House of L” attempts to build in the back story of all of Season 4 so far while building on the Harun-El storyline of Season 3. We get the full backstory on Red Kara who was created by the Harun-El and what Lex has been building her into. Oh, and we find out Lex is quite the prison artist!

The Red Daughter, AKA It was All Lex. All the time.

We’ve got one story title this week because this was a continuous flashback couched in a minute in the present at the beginning and end of the episode. As we pick up directly after last episode, Supergirl confronts Lex and Otis flying in the helicopter (which, I will say goes against my prediction that it was Red Kara meeting the ‘coptor. Sad face here). Lex jumps out of the helo and puts on a super suit that allows him to fly. Supergirl pounds him out of it on top of the Daily Planet building. Lex stops one of her punches and reveals that he indeed has Harun-El powers and picks up the iconic Daily Planet icon and “crushes” Supergirl under it.

Jump back to two years ago where Lex is on trial. Both Lena and James testify against him and he is representing himself – while taking notes writing in Kryptonian. Huh. His only defense is that Superman made him do it. We are as a society in a time of defining ourselves before Superman and after trying to point to himself as humanity’s only savior. It doesn’t fly (heh, fly…get it?) and he is sentenced to 31 consecutive life sentences as the judge and jury cough themselves out of existence. Perhaps the sentencing was a bit premature. Outside of the courthouse Eve Tessmacher gets Lex’s attention and she ends up visiting him in prison. She lays out her credentials which Lex already knows and he tells her that she needs to go to CatCo to be Cat’s assistant and he assures her that she will do much more important things over time. Lex then converses with the Warden while showing off his mural artwork of Hannibal crossing the Alps. It seems Lex has a call from the Commandant of the Kasnian Army. They have a copy of Supergirl, she has powers, and the Commandant knows Lex can build her into the weapon he wants to use. Lex tells the Warden he needs 72 hours and threatens his mother’s life if he won’t let Lex go. On his way out he can’t spend anymore time playing the five other convicts that he has ongoing chess games; so, he gives them the move that gives him checkmate.

Nine months ago, the first word from Red Kara? “Alex. Alex.” The Kasnian military begins to teach her vocabulary and about her powers. She is overwhelmed with her heightened senses and lashes out and they are able to contain her. At one point she super hears a boy in trouble, leaves the military compound easily and goes to save the boy and kills everyone else. In walk the military and Lex who introduces himself and she assumes he is the “Alex” she is looking for. Returning to the compound Lex assures her that he will teach her to use and control her powers. When she asks why he tells her that they were friends. She wants to know where she’s from but his 72 hours are up and he has to return to prison. He’s going to send her books to learn English. Eve explains to Lex that this must be a result of the Harun-El and Lena is working on it. This is wonderful news to Lex and he tells Eve she must help Lena get the answer on how to harness the Harun-El. The overall plan starts to take shape. Kasnia wants to attack the U.S. and Lex will “stop” the attack and be a hero with Red Kara under his control. He puts Otis and Eve on recruiting some philosophical idiot named Ben Lockwood to rise up tensions against aliens to seed unrest in the West. Kara reads the books. She reads “The Great Gatsby” twice.

When Lena sends Kryptonite into the atmosphere, Red Kara is disabled for the first time and Lex pierces her ears to help her look like Kara Danvers/Supergirl. He begins to educate and brainwash Red Kara into her history as a Kryptonian and why the West is so evil, and introducing her biggest foe – her “sister” Supergirl. They come to America to learn about the excesses of the society and Lex takes Red Kara to Kara’s apartment to show Red Kara the stark differences in their character. Alex comes in to water the plants because Kara is supposed to be in Smallville on vacation and Red Kara plays it off that she forgot her journal. Alex leaves and Lex has to report back in at prison. Red Kara -despite being told to get back to Kasnia immediately- decides to hang around the apartment and read Kara’s journal learning about her life and her being friends with Lex’s sister Lena. She even goes to L-Corp to see Lena where she is intercepted by Eve who calls Lex to tell him that his project has a mind of her own and she’s about to star spangled blow his plan for world domination. To solidify Red Kara’s commitment to the cause, he has an American missile come to destroy the cabin where she saved the boy earlier. They have grown close over the time. Lex meets Red Kara at the cabin remains where they both think the boy is dead (it turns out that Otis saved the boy – probably on his own decision – and warns him against bald guys) and Red Kara loses it. She goes to the U.S. Navy destroyer that launched the missile (where Eve took over and launched it – bad Miss Tessmacher!) and starts killing indiscriminately. Lex stops her and tries to cover it up because she can’t be seen as “Supergirl” yet. He is angry that she didn’t listen and he leaves her.

A few months later Red Kara nose bleeds and we catch up to the call that he is needed. Eve thinks the Harun-El is the cause of the sickness and likely the only way to cure her. In order to bring Lena over to sympathy he gives himself cancer. We’re caught up to the events of last episode. Supergirl goes to the hospital to warn Alex and James that Lex is out (so this is pre her confronting the helicopter) and after Lex crushes her with the Daily Planet planet he goes back to Kasnia he saves Red Kara through a blood transfusion. She awakes and he tells her that although he was angry he will still stay with her. She promises to follow him and destroy Supergirl. He also brought along a super suit (Honeeeeeyyyyyy?) and we leave the episode with the Official Red Daughter patrolling the skies of National City.

Closing Thoughts

Lex did it. Lex did it. Lex did it. There, I feel better. 🙂 Leave it to Jon Cryer to bring a broader range to Lex beyond what we were introduced to last week. Listen to his defense at his trial. Listen how he lulls Red Kara explaining that she thinks he is Alexander the Great but; in fact, he is Phillip and she is the one who will be forever. Here we see Lex playing his long con. Playing both sides against the middle. Playing with the “clay” that is Red Kara to shape her into the tool that Kasnia thinks it wants and more importantly what he needs. It is good that this episode fills in the holes that the Season has not answered to this point. Now the time has come to take all that they have built thus far and really come up with something spectacular. We have a great set up that has been laid out over the last two weeks. The only tie that they haven’t put together is Lex and The Elite. I am sill assuming that’s still coming. It would be great if The Elite were a variable that Lex was not counting on but we’ll see. Looking at the last two weeks as a whole I am anticipating a really great story moving forward. I hate that I’m only cautiously optimistic that it will actually happen.

Cougar’s Comic Corner

“Supergirl Volume 5 (2011-2015): Red Daughter of Krypton”
She’s done with people pushing her around, taking advantage of her and betraying her. She’s done feeling helpless, lost and discarded. She’s done with hope, faith and acceptance. Now, all that’s left is rage. And she’ll burn the universe down before she lets another person tell her who she should be. Supergirl’s journey as a Red Lantern begins here. The newest, most daring chapter in Supergirl’s history unfolds in SUPERGIRL VOL. 5: RED DAUGHTER OF KRYPTON!
Buy it on Kindle/Comixology here!

Next time on “Supergirl”!

Season 4, Episode 17, “All About Eve”
Supergirl must deal with the destructive aftermath of Lex’s nefarious plans. Shocked at what Lex has created, Supergirl faces her biggest challenge yet. (Written by Gabriel Llanas, Brooke Pohl, and Katie Rose Rogers, Directed by Ben Hernandez Bray)

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