Supergirl‘s Lena Luthor, played by Katie McGrath, is finally free in this week’s episode titled “Lost Souls.” By this, I mean she has taken a stand against her abuser who just so happens to be her brother, Lex Luthor. And by doing so, she set a precedent and drew a line in the sand at what she’s going to take from him and others. And I’m proud.
Lex has been abusive towards Lena for a while now. He’s tried isolating Lena, making her feel like he’s the only one that could understand her. He’s tried making her friends out to seem like the villains, so she could only trust him. And he’s made her feel like she needs to compartmentalize her emotions to survive, just like he does every single day.
All of this is classic abuser behavior, and I’m glad that Supergirl’s Lena is saying no more. No more listening to Lex and his lies. No more feeling like she is alone in this world and in this fight to make it a better place by herself. And no more feeling like she’s got to put everything that she’s feeling into little boxes instead of feeling it like Lex doesn’t want her to do.
Lena is not playing Lex’s game anymore. She is removing herself from the situation at Luthor Corp. and letting Lex self-destruct. Because she is right. His hubris will keep him in check because Lex likes to play games. And if he destroys everything, then how can he play his games? He can’t. And that rubs Lex the wrong way, to Lena’s advantage.
Walking away took an insurmountable amount of strength that felt great to see Lena display. She’s learned from her mistakes, like trusting Lex before. She isn’t hard on herself, despite the blunders she’s made in the past. And she loves herself more than she hates Lex, which is such a beautiful and important distinction that I’m glad she told Lex.
Not only did he need to hear it, but so did she. Because no matter how confident or brave Lena is, she’s still human. She still struggles with herself, her place in this world, and whether what she’s doing at this moment is the right move. And it was. Her abuser doesn’t deserve a second more of her time, and saying how much she loves herself in comparison to him is paramount to her future.
That’s why we love Lena Luthor and why we’re so proud of her. She’ll land on her feet, despite what Lex thinks now that she’s out of LutherCorp. And she’ll continue shining like a beacon of hope to those that need a reminder that they are not defined by their abuser. Freedom from them is real and tangible. Supergirl’s Lena Luthor is living proof of that.
(image: Screenshot/The CW)
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