It was a weird time for DC TV. Honestly, back in 2016, nobody knew if Kara Zor-El would even survive the summer. CBS had the first season, and while the numbers were okay for a normal show, they weren't "massive CBS procedural" okay. So, the show packed its bags and moved to Vancouver. Supergirl season 2 didn't just change networks; it changed its entire DNA. It got scrappier. It got more political. And yeah, it finally gave us Superman.
Moving from a big-budget network like CBS to The CW meant some visible shifts. You probably noticed the sets looked a bit different, or that Cat Grant—played by the incomparable Calista Flockhart—suddenly wasn't around as much because she didn't want to move her life to Canada. That hurt. Cat was the soul of the first season. But the trade-off was a massive expansion of the "Arrowverse" that fans had been dying for.
The Superman Problem and the Daxamite Arrival
For a whole year, Clark Kent was just a series of blurry instant messages and boots on the ground. It was annoying. Supergirl season 2 fixed that immediately by casting Tyler Hoechlin. People were skeptical at first. He wasn't Henry Cavill. He didn't have that brooding, "God-among-men" vibe. But that was the point. Hoechlin played a Clark who actually liked being a hero. He was dorky. He winked at people. It reminded us why we love the Kryptonians in the first place.
Then came the pod.
We all remember the cliffhanger. Who was in it? It turned out to be Mon-El of Daxam, played by Chris Wood. This introduced a massive shift in the show's lore. Daxam was the "party planet" sister to Krypton’s more stoic, scientific culture. The rivalry between Kara and Mon-El wasn't just romantic fluff; it was a clash of worldviews. Kara valued duty and service. Mon-El valued, well, himself. Mostly. This friction drove a huge chunk of the season’s emotional weight, though some fans felt it took too much focus away from Kara’s own growth.
The Sanvers Revolution
If you want to talk about why this season still has a massive following on social media, you have to talk about Alex Danvers. Chyler Leigh’s performance in the "coming out" arc is arguably some of the best acting in the entire series. It felt real. It wasn't a "very special episode" trope. It was a messy, vulnerable exploration of someone realizing a fundamental truth about themselves later in life.
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Floriana Lima came in as Maggie Sawyer, a tough-as-nails detective, and the "Sanvers" ship was born. This storyline gave the show a grounded, human element that the alien-of-the-week plots sometimes lacked. It mattered to people. It still matters.
Project Cadmus and the Luthor Legacy
You can’t have a Super-show without a Luthor. While Lex was cooling his heels in prison, Supergirl season 2 introduced Lena Luthor. Katie McGrath brought a certain "is she or isn't she" energy to the role that kept everyone guessing. Lena wanted to redeem her family name. She wanted to be a force for good.
The primary antagonist, however, was Lillian Luthor and Project Cadmus. They were basically an anti-alien hate group with high-tech weapons. It reflected a lot of the real-world political tension happening at the time. The show wasn't subtle about it. At all. But Supergirl has always worn its heart on its cape. It’s a show about hope and inclusion, so having the villains be literal xenophobes made sense for the narrative.
Martian Manhunter and M'gann M'orzz
J'onn J'onzz got some much-needed development too. Finding another Green Martian seemed like a dream come true for him, but the reveal of M'gann (Miss Martian) as a White Martian added a layer of historical trauma to the show. It explored themes of genocide and forgiveness in a way that was surprisingly dark for a show that usually features a lot of sunshine and ice cream. David Harewood and Sharon Leal had incredible chemistry, making the Martian subplot one of the strongest parts of the year.
The Crossover Effect
This was the year of "Invasion!" and the musical crossover "Duet." Seeing Kara interact with Barry Allen (The Flash) is always a highlight because their energies are so similar. They’re both just... nice? It’s a refreshing change from the "everyone is angry at each other" vibe of the early Arrow seasons.
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The musical episode, though technically an episode of The Flash, relied heavily on Melissa Benoist’s Broadway background. "Super Friend" is a genuine bop. If you haven't listened to it recently, go back and do it. It’s pure joy.
Technical Specs and Production Shifts
Let's look at the actual mechanics of the season. The move to Vancouver changed the lighting. Everything felt a bit more "blue" and "cool" compared to the bright, Los Angeles sun of season 1. The stunt choreography also leveled up. Being under the same production umbrella as Arrow meant they had access to some of the best stunt teams in the business.
The season ran for 22 episodes. That’s a long haul. You can definitely feel the "mid-season sag" around episodes 13 through 15. The Mr. Mxyzptlk episode was fun, but it felt like the writers were stalling for time before the final Daxamite invasion.
Why the Finale Still Stings
The ending of Supergirl season 2 was a gut-punch. To save Earth from Rhea (played by the legendary Teri Hatcher), Kara had to release lead into the atmosphere. Lead is toxic to Daxamites. It meant Mon-El had to leave Earth forever, or die.
Kara had to choose between her personal happiness and the safety of the planet. She chose the planet. That final scene of her crying while she watched his pod leave? Brutal. It established Kara as a true hero who makes the hard calls, even when it breaks her.
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Actionable Insights for Your Next Rewatch
If you are planning to dive back into this season, don't just binge it straight through. There are specific ways to appreciate the nuance of what the writers were doing before the show became more ensemble-focused in later years.
- Watch for the Lena Luthor foreshadowing. Knowing where Lena's character eventually goes in season 5, look at how the writers planted the seeds of her abandonment issues early on.
- Track the "human" stories. The alien stuff is flashy, but the season is really about identity. Alex's coming out, J'onn's heritage, and Kara's struggle to balance "Kara Danvers" with "Supergirl" are the real pillars.
- Check out the guest stars. This season was stacked. Lynda Carter as the President? Teri Hatcher as the villain? Kevin Sorbo? It was a massive tribute to 90s and 70s superhero TV history.
- Don't skip the "Medusa" episode. It’s officially the start of the first four-way crossover, but it also handles a major plot point regarding Kara's father and his role in creating a biological weapon. It’s heavy stuff.
The best way to enjoy this era of the show is to appreciate it for what it was: a transition. It was the moment the series stopped being a CBS experiment and became a core part of a massive TV universe. It wasn't perfect, but it had a lot of heart and some of the best character work in the entire run of the series.
Go back and watch the season premiere, "The Adventures of Supergirl." It’s a masterclass in how to soft-reboot a show while keeping the fans on board. The chemistry between Hoechlin and Benoist is worth the price of admission alone. Seriously, they're great.
Once you finish the rewatch, compare the Daxamite invasion to the later "Crisis" events. You'll see how much the stakes evolved over time, but you might find yourself missing the simpler days of Kara and Alex just hanging out on the couch with some potstickers. That was the magic of the early years. It felt like home.