8 Things Supergirl's "Medusa" Reminds Us to Be Thankful For

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Now that we’ve had a few days to clean up the leftovers, kick out our relatives, and cure ourselves of all that turkey-related indigestion, it’s time to take stock of everything for which we’re truly thankful. Sure, our families and friends may not be perfect, but it’s always nice to have a team full of superheroes to remind us that our Thanksgiving drama could be much, much worse. Here are the top eight things that last night’s Supergirl reminds us all to be thankful for.

1. Local Customs
Celebrating the holidays away from home can be tricky. Trying to fit in with those cousins who insist on setting a formal table (seriously, what am I supposed to do with four glasses?), surviving intimate get to know you sessions, and playing the cat-and-mouse game that is post-election conversation with your new sister-in-law’s uber-“insert political fringe group here” uncle can all result in more anxiety than any one person should have to live with. Still, after it’s all over, you’re generally left with some pretty ridiculous stories, like that time your sister’s alien pseudo-boyfriend was told to bring stuffing, and proceeded to deliver the contents of his mattress. No sense of irony. Genuinely thought we were going to eat his mattress stuffing. We would’ve been upset, except we all realized no one eats stuffing anymore anyways.

2. Family Drama
Yeah, yeah deny it all you want, but there’s a certain level of telenovela behavior that accompanies the gathering of every family, and you enjoy it. Maybe only a little, maybe only ironically, maybe only because you’re sure this year will be the year that someone finally lays into your passive aggressively racist aunt Tracy who really has it coming. However you look at it, family drama keeps things interesting.

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So raise a glass to your cousins Winn and Jimmy, who are planning to announce that they’re joining the army or becoming vigilante superheroes against mom’s wishes. Take a few sips as your sister lives in denial about the super hot guy who has no reason to be here except for his obvious crush on her. Then hope you’ve gathered up enough courage to shout out your newly discovered sexuality fast. Because you’ll only have a few seconds to say something before an interdimensional wormhole kind of ruins your moment. But if you don’t get to it, don’t worry, because there are two constants at a Danvers Thanksgiving: red wine and Alex needing to get something off her chest.

3. Your Mom
No mom is perfect. You may not get along with yours at all. You may still blame her for ruining your life. Or, you might not even know who she is. Your mom could be a microcosm of all that is evil in this world, but it could be worse. She could be attempting to spend the holiday executing a global genocide. A poorly planned one, if you really think about it, because Kryptonians would consider Earthlings aliens, so Medusa should really kill… all of us.

Plot holes aside, be glad your mom isn’t in on that.

4. Your Dad
See “Your Mom.” Jeez, Kara.

5. Your Evil Doppelganger Having Plans
If you’re locked in a battle to the death with your clone this holiday season, maybe consider reaching out to them for a truce until New Year’s Day. If they say no, consider introducing them to Amazon lighting deals, a sure-fire way to distract anyone from the job they should be doing. Since they’re evil, you’ll need to be proactive about securing evil plans before the holidays really heat up. Remember: A bored evil twin is an evil twin that may go off and ruin your favorite bar with homicide, so if the worst yours does is marathon Xbox games and egg your car, consider that a win.

6. Super Nosy Cousins
They maybe annoying, but at least they show up when you need them. Come on Kal-El! The Fortress of Solitude is your thing. You don’t have some kind of “security breech” alert on your phone?

7. Awkwardly Timed Makeouts
The holidays can get a bit lonely when you’re single, so a stolen kiss or two here and there can really help take the edge off. Maybe it’ll prove to be the big romantic gesture you’ve been looking for, and put you on the path to being with the love of your life. Maybe it’s just a quick snog in the bathroom with your long time significant other after someone finally lays into Aunt Tracy. Maybe it’ll be a super awkward coma (read: drunk out of your mind) kiss that both you and the guy you didn’t even know you were crushing on deny later, only to have it fester and drive you slowly insane. Anyway, you can get it, a little romance will at least keep things interesting.

8. The Limits of Scientific Advancement
When I was a kid, I remember wishing Star Trek was real. Not for any of the social issues or adventures, but because I was lazy and transporters seemed like a much better option for traveling from house to house to visit relatives and friends. Now that I’m a bit more mature, I’ve come to realize that having anyone appear on your doorstep at anytime, is not quite the straightforward win it appears to be. Sure you could save some time on driving, but it could also result in inter-dimensional friends arriving without warning to pull you into a crossover episode. And it’s really hard to say no to someone who just broke the laws of physics to come find you. Rude, even. So they’ll just need to be thankful for your good manners at that point.

Katherine Siegel is a Chicago-based writer and director, and a regular contributor to Paste. You can find out more by checking out her website at www.KatherineSiegel.com or follow her on Twitter.

8 Things Supergirl‘s “Medusa” Reminds Us to Be Thankful For

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