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After last week’s episode brought the show’s immigrant and refugee themes to the forefront, focusing on the legislative side of one of America’s most current conversations, “Survivors” develops the idea further by focusing on what lies beneath the surface. A mysterious alien murder leads to the discovery of an underground alien fight club, and what follows is most certainly an opportunity for some superpowered ass-kicking, but it’s also an exploration of how immigrants and the likes are taken advantage of and turned against one other in the face of corporate greed. And yet, despite tackling conversations that have us weighed down here on Earth Prime, Supergirl still manages to be the joyful, even inspirational reflection of ourselves we need right now. Oh, and this episode also ranks at about a “hella” on the “How gay is it?” scale.

Picking up where they left off last week, The D.E.O.’s Alex Danvers and FBI agent Maggie Sawyer begin working cases together, with Sawyer’s invitation of “Wanna see a dead body?” being met with a hint of a smile. The duo’s rapid-fire rapport is too quick for even Supergirl to keep up with, and before she knows it, Alex and her new friend are already half way to solving the case. The next thing Alex knows she’s playing dress-up and waltzing into an alien fight club hand-in-hand with her gorgeous “gal pal.” There’s no time for sparks to fly just yet however, as Supergirl drops in to break up the festivities, where she’s met not only by Martian Manhunter’s fellow lone survivor M’gann, but a fearsome alien gladiator from the far reaches of the universe.

The woman running the underground brawling ring is played by Dichen Lachman of Dollhouse, and her more recent work on The 100 and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. allows her to arrive on the National City stage as something of a television genre queen. Her Roulette/Veronica Sinclair is a fearsome presence, despite being the least superpowered being in any given scenario, and she makes for a truly reprehensible reflection of the zeitgeist. She sneers at Supergirl’s compassion for the alien outcasts, claiming to offer them a sense of purpose in a world that isn’t made for them. She even goes as far as to reference known dog-fighter Michael Vick, a deep ideological cut that disguises itself as pop culture reference. Where Vick’s mistake was taking advantage of animals that people cared about, she gets away by goading the despised alien castaways, a comparison all too familiar for people of colour who remark, often silently, that there are those even on their ‘side’ who seem to care more about dogs than violence against people who look like them. What’s worse (though perhaps better for the show in the long run) is that she’s the type of villain to get away scot-free thanks to money, power and influence. The pitfalls of a broken system incarnate, taking advantage of outsiders who haven’t yet had the chance to be “legalized,” embodied here with an enigmatic ferocity.

Roulette’s prizefighter M’gann (Megan, also dubbed Miss Martian) becomes somewhat of an obsession for J’onn. He believes them to be the last of their kind, the Green Martians having been encamped and wiped out by their White Martian persecutors, and it’s for this reason he hopes to form a connection with her, one best described as psychic but one that also extends to bonds that are emotional and cultural. A history made real in a foreign land, preserved in their shared memory. M’gann refuses, but tells the story of how she escaped with the help of one of the “good” White Martians, a member of their savage race who broke rank. J’onn backs off on the advice of his friends (his dynamic with Kara and Alex is proving to be especially paternal off late; they behave like concerned daughters!), because while a common cultural connection could be vital to one person, it may not be a defining factor for someone else. Though of course, part of M’gann’s reluctance stems from a secret she still keeps from J’onn. She’s the White Martian from her story, and her people were responsible for the genocide of his.

The tumultuous cultural dynamic between Martians Manhunter and Miss isn’t the only gap that needs bridging. More immediately, Chris Wood’s charming Mon-El, a former Daxamite Royal Guard, must figure out how to navigate his new Earthly circumstance where he’s at the mercy of a Kryptonian. We get a glimpse into his final moments on Daxam, a riveting scene where Mon-El’s prince saves him so he can die with his people. Mon-El owes a debt, as does Supergirl – she never got the chance to raise and teach Kal-El, who was already Superman by the time she arrived – and so both find purpose within one another, though not before Mon-El sneaks out with his new buddy Winn! Mon-El learning Earth customs is an utter joy, and Wood’s chemistry with Jeremy Jordan is off the charts (hovering somewhere near “hella” too, for all the shippers out there). Mon-El knows just the right buttons to push, taking advantage of the fact that Winn is essentially a fanboy, offering him the opportunity to name and design his superhero identity. James has his Superman, why shouldn’t Winn? Though of course, the highlight of the episode is Mon-El respectfully calling Supergirl’s late mother a “babe” because that’s what Winn teaches him to call beautiful women. God dammit, Mon-El. And God dammit, Winn!

Elsewhere, Kara continues learning the ropes of her new career at the hands of her moody, unpleasant boss who, once again, happens to be right! Snapper Carr gives Kara the hardest time possible, but he’s spot on about her lacking approach, be it vetting her sources or getting in touch with the right people for follow-ups. And while Kara does slyly get around one of these the same way her reporter cousin would (listing herself, or rather Supergirl, as the source for her fight club story), what’s wonderful about this frustrating dynamic is Kara's eagerness to learn. It’s a dichotomy that could’ve easily gone astray, painting Carr as unreasonable or overtly dismissive, but for the second week in a row it proves to be a learning moment for young viewers interested in journalism.

As the weeks go by, this season of Supergirl is proving to be a momentous call to empathy and understanding. Not only is it unafraid to be direct about its immigrant and refugee parallels, fulfilling the purpose of the superhero as a contemporary reflection, it’s unafraid to demand better of us in the process. It’s certainly setting up a challenging confrontation between Manhunter and Miss Martian (we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it), but this week it united members of two warring nations, forcing them to look past their histories and their learned contempt for one another (like an Indian and a Pakistani) so they could begin to work together. Between that and Supergirl’s appeal to the other aliens, asking them not to succumb to the divisive nature of Roulette and her rhetoric, the show’s message is very clear, and very necessary right now.

These wounds and divisions can heal. We just have to be willing.