Supergirl (TV Series)

Hope for Tomorrow (2021)

Chyler Leigh: Alex Danvers, Sentinel

Photos 

Quotes 

• Alex Danvers : Esme, these are my co-workers. This is Lena, and this is William, and this is Brainy. Everyone, meet Esme.

  Lena Luthor : Hello, Esme. It's very good to meet you.

  Esme : You're very pretty.

  Lena Luthor : Thank you. So are you.

  Alex Danvers : Hey, uh, I was wondering, Brainy, if you could spare a little bit of time to help me out. Um, Esme is a Dyralian, and Kelly and I are looking to get her to feel a little more comfortable with her mimic powers. Um, off the record.

  William Dey : Of course.

  Brainiac-5 : Well, lucky for you, I used to be old friends with a Dyralian. This one time, the Dyralian and I were socializing with a Winathian friend of ours, and the Dyralian unknowingly taps into the Winathian's ability to de-power the gravity in the room. It took us three hours to get down from the ceiling.

  Esme : He's funny.

  Brainiac-5 : [leading her and Alex onto the elevator]  Tell me, how familiar are you with Coluan quantum mechanics? Hmm? Have you been trained in hand-to-hand combat?

• Esme : But I'm still tired.

  Alex Danvers : I-I know that you're tired, Esme, I do. But I really think if we try again and you just pushed through, you're gonna feel a lot better about yourself, okay? And then you won't feel so overwhelmed by your powers. And so, look, I even brought you Supergirl to mimc.

  Esme : [looking at her curiously]  She has the same powers as your sister Kara. You're the same person, aren't you?

  Alex Danvers : Um, listen, Esme. Sit down, sit down. Listen, um, not everybody can know that. Okay? So... so, that's a private matter that we don't really talk about, all right?

  Esme : Am I in trouble?

  Alex Danvers : No. No, no, no, no. Of course not, of course not. Now, since you're going to be seeing Kara... well, Supergirl, a lot more, I want you to feel more comfortable around her powers. All right? So, what do you say? Will you give it a go?

• Alex Danvers : That was awful. Oh, my God, she was so embarrassed and so scared.

  Kelly Olsen : I mean, she's just coming into her powers and-and doesn't know how they work. Must be so overwhelming.

  Alex Danvers : I just... all I want to do is just protect her. You know what, I feel like I'm completely out of my depth here. I don't want to say the wrong thing. And I-I don't want to make her feel worse.

  Kelly Olsen : Yeah, I'm on pins and needles, too. But being able to have a family with you is such a blessing. And being able to bring that little girl into our family... I just want to give her everything that she's missed in her life.

  Alex Danvers : Yeah.

  Kelly Olsen : And I think that she's especially lucky that we are the ones who are adopting her. And you can help her figure out her powers and help her feel comfortable experiencing them.

  Alex Danvers : Yeah. Yeah, I can do that.

• Supergirl : So, remember, Esme, I'm an alien just like you, only I'm a Kryptonian, and the thing about Kryptonians is we get our powers when there's a yellow sun around, like there is here on Earth. We can fly. We have heat vision, which some people might think is scary, but let me tell you a secret. It really comes in handy when you want to make a cup of hot chocolate. We also have this thing called super-hearing, which can get a little overwhelming, but you just have to take it slow. Do you want to try?

  [Esme nods] 

  Supergirl : All right. Okay, I want you to close your eyes...

  [Esme does] 

  Supergirl : ...take a big, deep breath...

  [demonstrating] 

  Supergirl : ... and listen really closely to Alex's heartbeat. Do you hear that?

  Esme : Yes, her heart is beating so fast.

  [hearing a jackhammer drilling] 

  Esme : Ow! That hurt!

  Alex Danvers : Oh, hey, it's... it's okay. You're okay, you're okay.

  Supergirl : It's just some construction outside. It's all right.

  Alex Danvers : Just... just don't let it distract you, okay? Just keep breathing...

  [inhaling] 

  Alex Danvers : ... and search for something new. Okay? Okay.

  Supergirl : [listening to wings flapping]  Do you hear that?

  Esme : Yes.

  Supergirl : That is the sound of a butterfly flapping its wings. That's one of my favorites.

  Esme : [hearing a car crash]  What was that? Make it stop.

  Alex Danvers : Just relax. All right? I just want you to just, um, push through and focus on what you want to hear, okay? You-you really need to be able to control these powers. And-And I feel like if you... if really try, you're gonna get it. Okay?

  [Esme nods] 

  Alex Danvers : Okay, okay. You're doing great.

  Supergirl : Deep breath, try again.

  Esme : [to Alex after hearing various scary noises]  Why'd you make me listen to that? You're horrible!

  [she runs out] 

  Alex Danvers : I, uh... I'll-I'll go after her.

• Supergirl : I don't know what I'm gonna do. When I accessed the totem's gauntlet at the Hague, it said I needed to inspire a hope that burns longer and brighter than the sun. But it didn't give me a starting point like last time, and I can't afford to try and fail. I mean, you saw how bad things got when I didn't pass the Courage gauntlet. I-I try to provide people with hope all the time, and what can I do differently now?

  Lena Luthor : Well, on the bright side, if it's a race between you and Nxyly to prove hope for a Hope totem, I know where my money is going.

  [Alex gets off the elevator] 

  Lena Luthor : Is Esme all right?

  Alex Danvers : Uh, yeah. Yeah, she's okay. Um, I had her mimic Brainy, and then I asked her to solve the Coluan equivalent of Einstein's theory of relativity, but she got a little overwhelmed with the calculation, so we stopped. Do you think maybe you could give a little hope to some little girl who's down in the dumps? I mean, I know if she just keeps trying, she's gonna get it.

  Supergirl : Well, for that little girl, anything.

  Lena Luthor : El mayara.

• Kelly Olsen : [Esme accidentally phases through a wall]  Sweetie, are you okay?

  Alex Danvers : Hey, hey. It's okay. It's okay. It's just your powers. Listen, so you can mimic other aliens' powers, and sometimes without even knowing it. Well, this time you mimicked J'onn's powers, and-and... he's a Martian. And I-I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you he was an alien. I-I-I'm so sorry, Esme.

  J'onn J'onnz : Esme, what you just did is called phasing.

  Esme : I'm sorry. I won't do it again. I promise.

  Kelly Olsen : Oh, sweetie, you're not in trouble.

• Kara Danvers : Esme's not here yet, right? I didn't miss it?

  J'onn J'onnz : Uh, no, no, you're safe.

  Kara Danvers : Okay.

  Alex Danvers : No, Kelly's still on her way. Did you really have to bring the whole store? I mean, she's just one little girl. One really little girl. God, she's so cute.

  Kara Danvers : I had to make a good impression. And don't judge me. You guys are painting an entire wall.

  J'onn J'onnz : Uh, excuse me, that mural represents hope and dreams, with a guardian protector to keep all who enter safe. My father painted something similar in my daughter's room back on Mars. I thought it was important to continue the family tradition.

  Kara Danvers : Well, so do I. I stopped by Eliza's and this is every stuffed animal and blanket she ever got me to make me feel more comfortable when I first landed.

  [holding up an animal in adoration] 

  Kara Danvers : Look!

  J'onn J'onnz : You're gonna make a great Aunt Kara.

  Kara Danvers : Thank you, Grandpa J'onn. And Mama Alex. I can't believe this is actually happening.

  Alex Danvers : I know. I mean, I'm just... it's like I can't breathe. You know, I'm so excited, and then I'm just terrified, you know? I-I... I just can't believe it happened so quickly with Esme. It's emergency hearing, and then it's provisional custody, and six months fostering and she's... she's ours, permanently.

• Alex Danvers : Hey, Esme. Um... I am really sorry that I pushed you to practice so hard today.

  Kelly Olsen : We got you another present, but you have to come with us to see it. Do you want to?

  Alex Danvers : [Esme nods]  Okay.

  [leading her a few feet away] 

  Alex Danvers : Here.

  Kelly Olsen : I'll hold your hand, too.

  Alex Danvers : So, he's more like a pet, really. He's called a Truth Seeker. Anyone who touches it, they can only tell the truth. So that means when you're around him, you have his powers, too. So you can be 100% absolutely certain that everything we say to you is the truth.

  Kelly Olsen : We have something important to tell you. Do you want to try it out?

  Alex Danvers : [Esme nods again]  We are never, ever gonna send you away. Okay?

  Kelly Olsen : No matter what you do, no matter what you say. Even if your powers get big and confusing, even if you never want to use your powers again. We're your family now, Esme.

  Alex Danvers : And we're gonna grow together. And you're gonna make some mistakes, and we're gonna make mistakes. And I've... I made mistakes earlier today. But we're gonna learn from one another.

  Kelly Olsen : And the most important thing... through it all, we'll do it together.

  Esme : I had a family before, but bad things happened to them... and I was alone.

  Kelly Olsen : [sharing a glance with Alex]  Do you wanna know what new your family does for a living?

  Alex Danvers : [Esme nods]  We're superheroes. Yeah. So that means that you don't have to worry about us. 'Cause it's our job to face all the bad things. And you know what? We're really good at it.

  Alex Danvers : Mm-hmm.

  Esme : [glancing at the Truth Seeker]  I believe you.

• Alex Danvers : I really screwed up, Kelly. When Kara's powers overwhelmed Esme, I should have realized that she needed a break, but I just kept pushing her to keep going. It was like these instincts took over, and all of a sudden I'm acting more like a DEO drill sergeant than I am a mother. And it was exactly the wrong thing to do. Growing up, my mom with Kara, she was so kind and-and understanding, and it was exactly the mom that Kara needed. And that's everything that I want to be.

  Kelly Olsen : You're being really hard on yourself. Your mom and Kara fought all the time. You even told me that once, Kara got so angry with Eliza that she almost burned the house down with her heat vision.

  Alex Danvers : Well, Kara was a teenager, okay? Not some innocent little ball of cuteness.

  Kelly Olsen : My point is, they worked it out and Kara thrived. And even your mother needed that grace period. So cut yourself some slack. And this morning, when Esme was scared, I... I wanted it to be about her powers, because that would have been an easier fix. But it's not about that. It's... it's us.

  Alex Danvers : Okay, so I was right.

  Kelly Olsen : No. She just told me that she thinks it's best if we take her back. And it wasn't because you pushed her. I think she is terrified of getting close to us because she thinks we're gonna abandon her like everyone else did. And I'm a therapist. I should have realized that this morning.

  Alex Danvers : [taking her hands]  Hey. Mm-mm.

  Kelly Olsen : I just... I want to do better for Esme.

  Alex Danvers : I know you do. I just wish we could make her see that.

  Kelly Olsen : We can figure this out. We just gotta figure out a way to get her to see the truth.

  Alex Danvers : [getting an idea]  The truth.

• Kelly Olsen : No one tells you how being a mom brings up all of your past struggles.

  Alex Danvers : Yeah. Or your worst insecurities. But... well, the truth is... it's so much better than I ever would have imagined.

• Alex Danvers : [tucking Esme into bed]  Okay, so we showed you the Truth Seeker so that you would know that we're always telling you the truth. But we also know that he didn't solve everything.

  Kelly Olsen : We're here to help you. We want you to work through all the feelings you're feeling.

  Esme : [looking around]  I love my room.

• Esme : This is really my room?

  Alex Danvers : Yes, and, um, and we hope you like it. But, you know, if-if-if you don't, we-we can... we can change anything, or we can change everything. You know, if there's a game that you don't like, we'll just ditch it. You don't like the bedspread? Totally fine. The-the desk and...

  Kara Danvers : Alex.

  Alex Danvers : ...the rocket ship, if there's...

  Kara Danvers : Alex, I think she's got it.

  Alex Danvers : Of course she does. Um, Esme... this right here is my sister Kara.

  Kara Danvers : Hi, Esme. It's very nice to meet you. You know, I was adopted, too, by Alex's mom and dad. And look, I actually brought you the things they got me to make me feel more at home when they took me in. Do you like stuffed animals?

  Esme : [nodding, she takes a stuffed zebra from her backpack]  I already have one. Her name is Lovey.

  Alex Danvers : Well, our home is Lovey's home, too. Very cute.

  Kelly Olsen : And this is J'onn. He's been like a dad to Alex since forever.

  J'onn J'onnz : Hi.

  Esme : It's very nice to meet you, J'onn.

  J'onn J'onnz : It's wonderful to meet you, too, Esme. Um, would you like me to help you find a spot for your Lovey?

  Esme : I think I can find a place for her myself.