Supergirl 4x16 "The House of L" Episode Review

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review. Please read with caution.

Lex Luthor is the answer to what’s been going on this season. He’s the reason the plot is a mess and appears to fill in the gaps as best as he can. Red Daughter, Ben Lockwood, Lena’s research, and Eve Teschmacher are all Lex’s manipulations to make the world see how evil Superman—and Supergirl—really are. Okay, this is a complicated move that sort-of works, but at the same time, feels short. Explaining Ben Lockwood in one line in one scene, without even a picture of him on the brochure, was disrespectful to his character.

I don’t like how Ben Lockwood, Agent Liberty, our main antagonist, is not the one pulling the strings. He was set-up somewhat okay too, but I guess he was a misdirect, or the show changed their minds last minute… or the whole Lex twist was planned this whole time? These are the questions that shoot through my mind while I watched the episode.

Red Daughter was done beautifully in my opinion. Lex Luthor made sense regarding this storyline, and all the random cut scenes throughout the season were pieced together quite organically. Adding Lex Luthor and making him this copy’s “Alex” is a fantastic juxtaposition / parallel on how the people in their lives can make lasting impressions.

Otis Grave sparing the kid is the go-to “this will come back to save the day” cliche. Otis Grave was portrayed as a typical villain up until this point.

Eve Teschmacher’s origin story was amazing, but how she was sent to spy on James Olsen and Cat Grant, then her employment for Lena was confusing to follow… but Supergirl got insanely better all of the sudden, and it’s crazy how I’m seeing a balance of good and bad instead of just plain bad.

So… refreshing.

OF COURSE, LEX LUTHOR KNEW SUPERGIRL’S SECRET IDENTITY. I’m glad they dropped this bomb on us like it was no big deal. Lex and Red Daughter causally entering Kara’s apartment while Kara was off doing the Elseworlds crossover was a great scene. This makes Lex so much more dangerous, and this ties into Kara’s struggle to reveal her identity to the world.

Overall, the episode and the season might get overshadowed by Lex’s shadow because Jon Cryer is too amazing, which is taking away from the show’s overall plot. Red Daughter and Supergirl are rumoured to meet next week. I’m ready for it.