For some Supergirl fans, the most important question in the season 6 mid-season finale, “Fear Knot,” was answered when a rescued Kara raced into her sister Alex’s embrace. However, far more questions than answers remain after this intense episode marking the end of the show’s initial final season run.
Supergirl was the perfect choice to slide into Superman & Lois’ Tuesday night time slot when the latter was behind in production due to forced COVID-19 shutdowns. It offered seven singularly focused episodes that served as a sort of placeholder while setting up the show’s final season story. The episodes showcased a stellar supporting cast while waiting for series star Melissa Benoist to fully rejoin them filming following her maternity leave. Supergirl's final episodes will return in late August.
Supergirl’s family and friends were intent on rescuing her from the Phantom Zone in this shortened first half of the season. Characters got to stretch and grow while slowly moving the pieces into place for the series’ final farewell. The episodes quite possibly introduced the major villain of the final season, while also raising a multitude of other questions that must be addressed as the series comes to its conclusion.
One of the biggest questions Supergirl’s mid-season finale raised surrounds the havoc Nyxly will create on Earth-Prime after escaping Supergirl's Phantom Zone. The fifth-dimensional imp is set on revenge against her father but not before having a “little fun” on Earth before returning home. She could prove doubly as dangerous if her revenge includes Supergirl, who thwarted her earlier escape. Visits from another fifth-dimensional imp, Mxyzptlk proved troubling for Kara and her friends, and when they inevitably call him to help with Nyxly they’ll be surprised to learn his marital connection to their problem if comic book canon plays out.
The Phantom Zone itself is the source of a number of issues that lay ahead for Supergirl. So many questions still surround her unexpected Phantom Zone reunion with her long thought dead father, Zor-El. This Phantom Zone is the post-Crisis's rewritten remnants of many universe’s prisons so how can she truly trust anything or anyone she found there, even her father, if that’s who he is? Just because she’s been rescued, it does not mean Supergirl’s Phantom Zone ordeal is over; the show must address the trauma she endured. The fact that Alex brought Kelly along because she wasn’t sure what condition she’d find her sister in is a sign that Supergirl may not immediately bounce back to her bubbly self after being rescued. She was tormented by visions of her friends dying and betrayed by yet another friend in Nyxly. For the first time, although briefly, Supergirl literally lost her hope. Once home she could begin to doubt her own judgment or become overprotective of her friends. Then there are those feelings of abandonment she may once again face, which could cause her to lash out for not being rescued sooner. Thankfully, she will have Alex, J’onn, and now Kelly there to help her deal with her Phantom Zone trauma.
Supergirl wasn’t the only one affected by time in the Phantom Zone. Supergirl also has to address how the Superteam itself is affected by the fear visions they encountered. Still questioning her ability to interpret her dreams, Nia may reach out to her estranged sister. Kelly’s actions in the Zone could embolden her to take more drastic steps and consider following in her brother Jimmy Olsen’s Guardian footsteps. And reliving the trauma of her mother’s death could cause Lena to seek out her mother’s side of her family to connect with a less toxic arm of her family tree. But perhaps one of the most puzzling questions that remains to be answered in Supergirl’s final episodes is just where and when will the evil Lex Luthor strike again?