Myriad (Supergirl)

"Myriad" is the nineteenth episode in the first season of the CBS television series Supergirl, which aired on April 11, 2016. The episode was written by Yahlin Chang & Caitlin Parrish, and directed by Adam Kane.

Plot
The entire DEO compound is under Myriad's influence. Non orders Lucy to release all prisoners. When Maxima makes her escape, Kara tries stopping her but Lucy uses a Kryptonite bullet to slow her down. Kara destroys the computer terminal to prevent the prisoners from escaping and knock out the mind-controlled DEO agents. She flies to the Fortress of Solitude to find Superman, but Kelex reveals he is not on Earth. The image of Alura explains that Myriad is a mind-control system that once in effect cannot be stopped. Astra and Non had tried to use it on Krypton, which resulted in their conviction.

At CatCo, everyone is under Myriad control and watching Kryptonian code on computer screens. General Lane informs Kara that National City is under quarantine. Cat arrives unaffected due to her earrings containing technology that blocks Myriad; Maxwell later arrives wearing a similarly-built headset. Superman returns to Earth to help Kara, but as he arrives he becomes mind-controlled as well. Maxwell admits Non is using his satellites to broadcast Myriad, which works by shutting down the parts of brain that allow for optimism. Non visits CatCo to tell Kara that bringing the people of Earth together will save the world from Krypton's fate. Kara believes he betrayed Astra, so Non forces Winn, James, and Kelly to jump to their deaths. Supergirl only has time to save Winn and James; they tell her to accept defeat or die.

Alex and J'onn, posing as mother and son to elude authorities, arrive at Eliza's home. After transforming to prove he is not Hank, J'onn reveals the truth about Jeremiah and gains her trust after having a conversation over what happened. Eliza tells them about National City's quarantine and Kara calls Alex to ask about Project Cadmus. Alex wants to help in National City, but Kara disagrees. Since he is not affected, J'onn tells Alex to stay behind while he goes back. Without explaining to Eliza that Jeremiah is still alive, both Alex and J'onn return. Indigo is waiting for them; J'onn almost gains the upper hand in their battle, but Indigo fights back. Indigo grabs Alex and warns J'onn to stand down by threatening Alex's life. J'onn suddenly collapses and Indigo brings Alex to Non's lair.

Maxwell plans to drop a Kryptonite bomb, which is approved by General Lane under the President's orders. Supergirl initially goes along, despite the fact that it could wipe out Kryptonians and humans, but then Kara brainstorms a different idea. Supergirl convinces Maxwell to honor his parents by not involving weapons. Non tells Alex he wants to see her suffer like Astra did and Indigo devises a way to hurt Alex and Kara. Cat, Kara and Maxwell set up a counter signal to Myriad which would broadcast an old analog signal from a defunct television station. Alex, mind-controlled and wearing Kryptonite armor, challenges Kara in a fight to the death.

Ratings
The episode attracted 626,000 viewers for its British premiere, making it the 5th most watched programme on Sky One for the week.

Critical response
Cliff Wheatley of IGN gave the episode a 6.0/10, stating "This week's Supergirl didn't pack quite the same punch as the previous episode, especially considering it's the second-to-last episode in Season 1, but it wasn't without its moments. In terms of high stakes and character development, "Myriad" was on point, from Supergirl resolving to "just be Supergirl" (per Cat's advice) to J'onn going up against Indigo and failing. Even Max Lord, who was insufferable as usual, came around in the end here. However, Myriad itself felt passive and non-threatening, to include Non's "confrontation" with Supergirl. That's not to mention the constant info dumps and character debates throughout this episode, which were both silly and repetitive overall. Hopefully the season finale will build on the momentum of "Myriad's" final moments, which were more exciting than most of this episode."

Stacy Glanzman of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Caroline Siede of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B, stating, "'Myriad' is an imperfect effort that nevertheless has its heart in the right place. And despite some confusing plotting and a lack of action, “Myriad” does manage to weave together a whole bunch of this season's characters, plots, and themes, laying the stage for what could be a compelling finale. Let's just hope next week's episode aims a little bit higher."