"Kara" is the series finale of the American TV series ''Supergirl'', based on the

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

character Kara Zor-El / Supergirl. It is set in the

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American superhero media franchise and a shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series on CW Seed. ...

, sharing continuity with the other television series of the universe. The twentieth episode of the sixth season, it was written by Rob Wright & Derek Simon from a story by showrunners Robert Rovner &

Jessica Queller Jessica may refer to: Given name * Jessica (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters with this name * Jessica Folcker, a Swedish singer known by the mononym Jessica * Jessica Jung, a Korean-American singer known by the m ...

, and directed by

Jesse Warn Jesse Warn is an American television director, film director, and screenwriter. He is well known for his work on the Starz drama ''Spartacus'' and for The CW's '' The Originals'', '' Arrow'', '' The Flash'' and ''Supergirl''. Warn also direct ...

Melissa Benoist Melissa Marie Benoist ( ; born October 4, 1988) is an American actress, singer and producer. Her first major role was Marley Rose on the Fox musical comedy drama ''Glee'' (2012–2014), where she was a series regular during the fifth season. S ...

stars as

Kara Kara or KARA may refer to: Geography Localities * Kara, Chad, a sub-prefecture * Kára, Hungary, a village * Kara, Uttar Pradesh, India, a township * Kara, Iran, a village in Lorestan Province * Kara, Republic of Dagestan, a rural locality in Da ...

, and is joined by principal cast members

Chyler Leigh Chyler Leigh West (pronounced ; ''née'' Potts), known professionally as Chyler Leigh, is an American actress, singer and model. She is known for portraying Janey Briggs in the comedy film ''Not Another Teen Movie'' (2001), Lexie Grey in the ...

Katie McGrath Katie McGrath () is an Irish actress. In television, she gained recognition for portraying Morgana Pendragon in the BBC One series ''Merlin'' (2008–2012), Lucy Westenra on the British-American series ''Dracula'' (2013–2014), Saskia in the ...

Jesse Rath Jesse Rath (born February 11, 1989) is a Canadian actor. He starred in the television series ''18 to Life'' as Carter Boyd and as Ram on '' Aaron Stone''. He also appeared on the Syfy series '' Defiance'' playing the role of Alak Tarr, on '' Bei ...

Azie Tesfai Azie Tesfai is an American actress. She is known for her television roles, including ''Jane the Virgin'' and ''Supergirl''. Early life and education Tesfai was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Eritrean immigrants who g ...

Peta Sergeant Peta Sergeant is a Malaysian-born Australian actress best known for her lead role in the Australian television series '' Satisfaction''. She graduated from NIDA. Career Her other television credits include the television series '' All Saints'', ...

and

David Harewood David Harewood MBE (born 8 December 1965) is a British actor and presenter. He is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in ''Homeland'' (2011–2012), and as J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter and Hank Henshaw / C ...

. The episode sees Kara being aided by several old allies in her fight against

Nyxly ''Supergirl (TV series), Supergirl'' is an American television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, and Andrew Kreisberg based on the characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the Superman (franchise), Superman franchise and ...

and

Lex Luthor Alexander Joseph "Lex" Luthor () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Lex Luthor originally appeared in ''Action Comics'' #23 (cover dated: Apr ...

. Several former series regulars make guest appearances, including

Mehcad Brooks Mehcad Jason McKinley Brooks (born October 25, 1980) is an American actor and former fashion model. He is known for his roles as Matthew Applewhite in the second season of ABC's series ''Desperate Housewives'' (2005–2006), Jerome in '' The Gam ...

, Chris Wood, Jeremy Jordan, and

Calista Flockhart Calista Kay Flockhart (born November 11, 1964) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for portraying the title character on the Fox television series '' Ally McBeal'' (1997–2002), for which she received a Golden Globe Award in 1998 ...

. "Kara" premiered in the United States on

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

on November 9, 2021, and was watched by 0.49 million viewers with a 0.2 share among adults aged 18 to 49.

Plot

After being mortally wounded, Lillian Luthor tells

Lena Lena or LENA may refer to: Places * Léna Department, a department of Houet Province in Burkina Faso * Lena, Manitoba, an unincorporated community located in Killarney-Turtle Mountain municipality in Manitoba, Canada * Lena, Norway, a village in ...

to fully own her power and dies. Kara Danvers / Supergirl reassures the people of humanity and they reclaim their power, weakening

and

. The Superfriends, joined by

Acrata Abel Abin Sur Abra Kadabra (character) Abby Holland Ace the Bat-Hound Acrata Acrata (Andrea Rojas) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics who was created as part of the ''Planet DC'' annuals event. Sh ...

, Orlando Davis,

Mitch Mitch is a short form of the masculine given name Mitchell. It is also sometimes a nickname, usually for a person with the surname Mitchell. It may refer to: People * Mitch Altman (born 1956), hacker and inventor * Mitch Apau (born 1990), Dutc ...

Eliza Danvers ''Supergirl'' is an American television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, and Andrew Kreisberg based on the characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the Superman franchise and Al Plastino and Otto Binder's character Sup ...

, Mon-El,

Winn Schott ''Supergirl'' is an American television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, and Andrew Kreisberg based on the characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the Superman franchise and Al Plastino and Otto Binder's character Sup ...

, and

Jimmy Olsen Jimmy Olsen is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Olsen is most often portrayed as a young photojournalist working for the ''Daily Planet''. He is close friends with Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and has ...

, fight Lex, Nyxly, and manifestations of Overgirl,

Red Tornado Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondary ...

Metallo Metallo () is a name used by multiple supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly as an adversary of Superman. Metallo is usually depicted as a cyborg with a kryptonite power source in his heart, which he ...

Parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

, the Hell Dragon, and the Nightmare Monster. Lex opens a portal to the Phantom Zone. Since they feed on fear and their supposed victims stand strong, the Phantoms drag Lex and Nyxly in. Days later, the Superfriends attend William Dey's funeral and reestablish the DEO. Mon-El tells Kara that he will no longer be able to return to the past to see her, due to his responsibility with The Legion. Three weeks later,

Cat Grant Catherine Jane Grant is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was played by Tracy Scoggins in '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'' and Calista Flockhart in the Arrowverse tele ...

re-buys CatCo and offers Kara a job as her

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

Alex Danvers Alexandra "Alex" Danvers Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D. Doctor of Medicine, M.D., also known as Sentinel, is a fictional Character (arts), character from the Arrowverse television series ''Supergirl (TV series), Supergirl'', portrayed by actress Chy ...

and

Kelly Olsen ''Supergirl'' is an American television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, and Andrew Kreisberg based on the characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the Superman franchise and Al Plastino and Otto Binder's character S ...

get married, and Brainy decides to stay in the present with Nia. Winn hints that J'onn and M'gann have a son in the future. Cat and Lena convince Kara to accept the job and end her double life by revealing her identity as Supergirl to the world so she can live a more full life as one person.

Production

Development

In late October 2021, it was announced that the series finale of the American TV series ''Supergirl'' would be titled "Kara". The episode, which is the twentieth episode of the sixth season, was directed by

, and written by Rob Wright & Derek Simon from a story by showrunners Robert Rovner &

Casting and filming

Main cast members

Nicole Maines Nicole Amber Maines is an American actress and transgender rights activist. Prior to her acting career, she was the anonymous plaintiff in the Maine Supreme Judicial Court case '' Doe v. Regional School Unit 26'', in which she argued her school ...

Julie Gonzalo Julieta Susana "Julie" Gonzalo (; born September 9, 1981) is an Argentine actress. On television, she has played Parker Lee on ''Veronica Mars'' (2006–2007; 2019), Maggie Dekker on ''Eli Stone'' (2008–2009), Pamela Rebecca Barnes on the soap ...

and

appear as Kara Danvers / Supergirl, Alex Danvers / Sentinel, Querl Dox / Brainiac 5,

Nia Nal Nia Nal, also known by her code name Dreamer, is a fictional superhero from the Arrowverse television series ''Supergirl'', portrayed by Nicole Maines. The character is based on, and is depicted as an ancestor of, the DC Comics character Nura N ...

Lena Luthor Lena Luthor is a fictional comic book character in DC Comics. She is the sister of Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor. She was played by Cassidy Freeman in the television series ''Smallville'' and by Katie McGrath in the Arrowverse series ''Supergirl ( ...

and J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter. Former regulars

, Chris Wood, Jeremy Jordan and

guest star as

, Mon-El,

and

. Benoist said it "would not have felt right" if Brooks, Wood and Jordan did not return. The additional guest cast includes

Jon Cryer Jonathan Niven Cryer (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor, writer, director and producer. Born into a show business family, he made his motion picture debut as a teenage photographer in the 1984 romantic comedy ''No Small Affair''; his bre ...

Brenda Strong Brenda Lee Strong (born March 25, 1960) is an American actress. She began her career in television, including guest starring appearances in ''Twin Peaks'', '' Party of Five'', ''Seinfeld'', '' Scandal'', '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', '' ...

as Lillian Luthor,

Helen Slater Helen Rachel Slater (born December 15, 1963) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She played the title character in the 1984 film ''Supergirl'', and returned to the 2015 TV series of the same title, this time as Supergirl's adoptive mot ...

, Matt Baram as

, Mila Jones as Esme, Jhaleil Swaby as Orlando Davis and Crystal Balint as Secretary Brown. Filming on the episode began in late July 2021, and ended in early August. As per the original filming schedule, Benoist would be the last actor to shoot, but she, Leigh and Harewood pushed for rearrangement so that all three of them would together finish the final filming day.

Reception

Ratings

"Kara" premiered in the United States on

on November 9, 2021. It was watched by 0.49 million viewers with a 0.2 share among adults aged 18 to 49.

Critical response

Amelia Emberwing of ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' gave the episode a rating of 9 out of 10, saying despite the lack of action, "it ends on the exact note it was always meant to. It leans leans into every aspect that show's detractors ever called it weak for, and it's all the stronger because of it". Caroline Siede of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' gave the episode a B rating, saying it "stumbles through some messy plotting before delivering a pitch-perfect farewell". Michael Patterson of ''Bam Smack Pow'' gave the episode an A rating, saying, "''Supergirl'' bows out on a heartfelt note, revisiting its past to move into the future (and bringing back a few familiar faces in the process), and it all ensures that Kara Danvers’ moving story ends on the highest of highs".

References

External links

* {{Supergirl (TV series) 2021 American television episodes American LGBT-related television episodes American television series finales Supergirl (TV series) episodes Television episodes about same-sex weddings