Warning: spoilers ahead the fifth episode of Supergirl Season 3, "Damage."
Supergirl has put together a pretty great ensemble of characters who help Kara Danvers maneuver National City as a reporter and assist Supergirl in saving the day on a weekly basis. The cast has really gelled by this point in the series, but one member will be leaving as a regular after the events of "Damage." Maggie Sawyer is no longer going to be a part of the series, and her break from Alex was absolutely heartbreaking. Here's what happened.
The breakup has actually been a few weeks coming, after Maggie revealed that she didn't want to have kids once she and Alex were married. Alex at first said that she was fine with not having kids, but she broke down in tears in last week's episode when she finally revealed that she needs to be a mom someday. Neither woman was willing to compromise on the issue of kids, so it didn't come as a huge shock that "Damage" featured the former lovebirds going their separate ways.
We've actually known for a while that Floriana Lima was leaving Supergirl as a regular, so it didn't come as a huge shock that something was separating Maggie and Alex. Still, watching them break up for such irreconcilable differences as having children was tough to watch. They clearly still love each other very much. Supergirl executive producer Andrew Kreisberg expanded on why Maggie is leaving the series in a chat with EW, saying this:
We love Floriana, we loved having her on the show. When she first joined us, she was only willing to do a one-year deal. It was our fervent hope that she would sign on for more after having such a great year on the show, but she decided that that wasn't what she wanted to do. So we asked her to come for the first five episodes of the season so that we could properly wind down their story. We would've much rather have had -- as Alex put it -- the biggest, gayest wedding National City had ever seen, but unfortunately with Floriana deciding to move on, we had to tell a different story.
Well, the good news is that the Supergirl team decided to break Alex and Maggie up organically rather than kill Maggie off or just try to sell that they were still together, just always off-screen together. Maggie deserved a better sendoff than simply disappearing from the action. While her breakup with Alex was obviously sad, it happened in a way that respected both characters. There was nobody to blame in their breakup, and it was as good a way as any to say goodbye to a character who has made such a difference to the series.
Besides, maybe Maggie could come back someday. If Floriana Lima is willing to reprise the role, even for only an occasional guest shot, we could still see Maggie back in action in National City. Only time will tell. Tune in to The CW on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET to see what's next for Alex after saying goodbye to Maggie. The trailer for the next episode indicates that we'll see a road trip of the Danvers sisters, which should be fun. The Legion of Super-Heroes is on the way in Season 3 as well. Don't forget to take a look at our fall TV guide while you're here.
