‘Supergirl’ Spoilers: Melissa Benoist Talks Kara’s Reunion With Her Biological Mom Alura

As revealed in the trailer for next week’s Season 3, episode 20 of CW’s “Supergirl,” Kara (Melissa Benoist) and Mon-El (Chris Wood) travel into deep space to find another piece of Yuda Kal rock, a solid mineral material that could theoretically be used to separate Sam (Odette Annable) from Reign. The former lovers are then shocked when they find out that the mysterious rock they are after protects Argo City, a portion of Krypton that survived when the planet exploded. While this discovery is shocking in its own right, the biggest reveal in the promo clip is that Kara’s biological mom Alura (Erica Durance) is alive and is actually one of the leaders of Argo.

Though the reunion between Kara and Alura is a joyful one, Benoist told Entertainment Weekly that there’s still a bit of sadness and melancholy about it.

“Because it’s been 12 or 15 years since they’ve seen each other, they both, for all intents and purposes, thought the other dead, so it’s a melancholy that has to inject everything, because they’ve missed so much time, and because they didn’t know that the other was alive, and they could’ve probably seen each other sooner,” the actress explained. “But other than that, I think all the changes she sees in her mom are really positive and she’s very proud of and impressed by, because [there were] things that we’ve explored in Season 1 where Kara was disillusioned by her parents and disillusioned by the decision they made, or not very proud of some of the decisions they made, so I think that’s gonna change.”

In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, Durance said that Alura is now “much more relatable” after learning a lot of valuable things following Krypton’s destruction. “Alura, because of the tragedy that she’s faced and the things that she’s lost, she has learned that not everything is black and white and easily disposable,” Durance said of what her character has learned since the death of her home planet. “People aren’t disposable, that things are gray, and things are difficult, and life is about love and forgiveness and all of those things. But she’s learned that at a great cost.”

Though it’s unlikely for Alura to give the mysterious rock to Kara because it’s the very thing that keeps her and other Kryptonians alive in Argo City, Durance said that her character finds a way to support Kara the best way she knows how. “She gets behind her, and they go on this journey together,” Durance said of Alura.

Elsewhere in the next episode, Alex (Chyler Leigh) is attacked while out with Ruby (Emma Tremblay), and Lena (Katie McGrath) considers how far she will go to keep Reign contained.

“Supergirl” Season 3, episode 20, titled “Dark Side of the Moon,” airs on Monday, May 28 at 8 p.m. EDT on The CW.