Is it ever too late to celebrate Valentine's Day? No.*
*Please note we cannot predict how your loved one will feel about celebrating the holiday after it's passed.
That out of the way, let's talk about the feeling of romance in the air in the latest episode of Supergirl. Mon-El and Kara got this-close to kissing, but they were interrupted by Mr. Mxyzptlk in "Mr. & Mrs. Mxyzptlk." The rude imp showed up, got flowery, and professed his love and adoration for Kara Zor-El. He struck me as a Beauty and the Beast Gaston type immediately—you know, full of himself and persistent in a way that borderlines on harassment.
Though I don't approve of Mxy's methods (at all), he did bring an extra dose of lightheartedness and silliness to the show. He won the game of making grand gestures by doing things like dressing like Superman and fighting by Kara's side and making dozens of flowers blip into existence. He initially used his powers for more frivolous purposes, so it was hard to remember how dangerous those powers could be if he decided to use them for nefarious means (which he did). I was fully aware of Mxyzptlk's less than noble spirit, but I still found his charms to be, well, charming.
Kara's better than me. She didn't fall for Mxy's act, and despite the 5th Dimension imp being tricksy, she used her wits to figure out a way to get rid of him. She didn't rely on learning how to pronounce his name backwards.
And that's smart because have you seen his name? I'm still working on being able to say his name forwards, but I don't think it's going to happen. I'm going to stick with calling him Mxy. Anyhow, to banish him from Earth, Kara made the villain type his name backwards.
He was so arrogant he never saw Kara's betrayal coming. His lack of awareness was something special, actually. He thought he was so wonderful that of course Kara would do a complete 180 and marry him. Newsflash, ol' Mxy. You're not special. I don't care if you've been around in the comics since 1944's SUPERMAN #30 and fought Superman and Batman multiple times. Your history, your abilities—none of it matters if you threaten other humans and act like a tool. Pro tip: if you want to win someone's heart, don't threaten that person's loved ones.
With Mxy out of the way and Mon-El's jealous pouting gone, Kara and Mon-El got back to business. Can we get three cheers for them getting to enjoy a moment? Things don't seem to stay calm for long in National City, so I hope they enjoy the peace while it lasts.
Mr. Mxyzptlk is obviously the biggest #DCTV Secret in this installment of Supergirl, but he's not the only one. Lyra mentioned her homeworld of Starhaven. The planet introduced in the comics first came up in Supergirl in the season one episode "Truth, Justice and the American Way." Fort Rozz prisoner 2445, a.k.a. Alphonse Luzano, was from Starhaven. Kara's mentioned visiting Starhaven. Lyra said the planet isn't what it once though because the Blight ruined it.
In the comics, the Blight were introduced in LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS #2. As techno-organic beings, their bodies were comprised of technology and flesh—rotting flesh. Lyra did mention the air on Starhaven smells like death. The Blight drained the life energy from dozens of worlds in the pages of comics and were enemies of the Legion of Super-Heroes. At one point in their comic book history, the Blight sought Mon-El because they thought his powers would be the key to immortality. Hmm.
I'm not going to throw away my shot by not talking about another #DCTV Secret. When Mon-El and Mxy engaged in a duel, the latter re-created a scene from the popular Broadway musical Hamilton. I mean, if you're going to have a battle to the death, you may as well do it with some theatrical style, right?
How about one more little secret? DC Comics writer Sterling Gates co-wrote this episode with Jessica Queller. He's written titles such as SUPERGIRL and JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA'S VIBE and recently penned THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERGIRL, a comic series inspired by and set in the same universe as the television series.
What other #DCTV Secrets did you see in the episode? Um, hello atomic cauldron. What did you think about Mr. Mxyzptlk? Tell us in the comments.
Amy Ratcliffe covers Supergirl as a part of the #DCTV Couch Club. Look for Amy on Twitter at @amy_geek. Supergirl airs Mondays at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CST) on The CW.
