Supergirl Season 4: 5 Ups & 4 Downs From ‘Crime And Punishment’

3. Power Of The Press

When the Girl of Steel predictably informed Alex and Lena that she would be temporarily stepping away from the limelight, this episode was about to get another major 'down' - after all, how many superhero shows must recycle the temporary retirement trope? However, when she revealed that she had the intention of prioritising her role as Kara Danvers, things changed altogether and, suddenly, it became clear what this episode was trying to address.

Using Supergirl's fight with Metallo 2.0. a.k.a. Otis Graves, the writers highlighted that she was weak and that, when all was said and done, the only way out of the fight was through Kara Danvers. Using her secret identity to dodge Graves' attack, Kara ended up running into prisoner Steve Lomeli (who had already previously rebuked Supergirl) and realised that his sudden change in reception (he was happy to meet the Kara Danvers) highlighted how much of an asset her humanity was and how it could play a major role in the fight against bigotry.

The episode was very much about Kara's journey to remembering how powerful the written word could be and, in doing so, the writers managed to highlight another important and relevant issue in today's world - the power of the press.

It's as said, the pen is truly mightier than the sword.