Everybody has their something and “Triggers” brings fear to the forefront in the most brilliant way. The villain in this episode is female and she uses fear to rob banks and, while fear is a human emotion, Kara finds herself affected and unable to fight her without succumbing to literally, crippling fear. While Kara tries to figure out how to defeat a villain who uses everything that scares her against her, Maggie and Alex are going toe to toe on how to beat plan their wedding, often using their friends as tie breakers and sounding boards. Triggers also shows how the work/life balance can be when your best friend is your boss… at both of your jobs and, we dig deeper into the rise of Reign.

This episode is extremely well written and even though the writers cram so much into a very psychologically draining episode, there is no shortage of action or connection. We get to see Kara getting close to her Kryptonian roots as she goes old school to meditate and get her panic attacks in order. Giving Kara these human fears and feelings that lead the way to a torturous existence in ones own minds, makes Kara more relatable especially with her character turning away from her friends and lashing out against her allies. It was nice to see the writers taking a moment to address even the tiniest bit of depression and terror in such a way that it didn’t seem cliched or like an unnecessary emotional manipulation was amazing. It was nice to see fear taking hold of a wide array of people regardless of gender, race, sexuality, age or superpower and shedding a light on it.

We also got to see Lena in full boss lady mode. She played nice until she felt like she didn’t have a choice but, laying down the law. Her actions with Kara seemed so real because it is 5e dilemma that most women in power feel, especially when working with friends. There is often a sense of a need to be nice and cordial so that people like you, a lesson that men don’t get. There was a nice parallel between Lena’s fear of losing her friend , or feeling like the bad guy at work and Kara dealing with her fear of absolute isolation, especially following the loss on Mon-El. Triggers shows two very powerful women dealing with fears without making them seem weak or heartless and I love it.

In addition to the humanization and building upon their already complex character development, the writers also treated us to some light heated bickering and tender moments between Alex and Kara as well as Alex and her fiancé Maggie. I love that the show showcases their relationship in a way that shows the couple for what they are, normal. The writers never play the couple for shock value or as a cliched storyline and they show them in a way that carries into the homes of people who never see LGBTQ representations in real life. I also loved the episodes resolutions and reveals, which you I will not spoil and thoroughly encourage you watch and enjoy.

Overall: 8.9