"You are not your people."

Last week's Supergirl saw J'onn have an epiphany about M'gann being different from the White Martians who enslaved and slaughtered his people, and he had her back in "The Martian Chronicles."

I mean, it took him long enough. When the White Martians showed up to try to take M'gann and punish her for her "crime" of assisting Green Martians, J'onn fought the intruders alongside her. He kind of acted like he didn't keep her imprisoned for no real reason for weeks and didn't incorrectly blame her for the actions many others of her species took (she actually resisted those actions). His lack of being overly apologetic bugged me, but then I asked myself: Does it matter?

J'onn did say he was sorry after he learned what M'gann sacrificed in order to work against her people and free Green Martians. He let her out of her cell at the DEO and said he believed in her. She forgave him. I guess there's no use in him continuing to grovel. He stands behind M'gann now, and they can move on from the prejudice J'onn had against her and his extreme actions. Done and done. Right? I'm not sure.

I am sure J'onn and M'gann were one hundred percent aligned against the White Martians in the latest episode. M'gann considered handing herself over to them in order to keep her new friends safe, but J'onn put his foot down with comforting and inspirational phrases such as the aforementioned, "You are not your people."

Supergirl, Alex, Winn—everyone doubled down to protect M'gann and National City from the White Martians. They don't question the danger. Well, no one besides Winn questions it. They jumped into action. It's what they do. I point out this obvious fact because by doing their jobs and also showing kindness to M'gann, they inspired her. J'onn inspired her.

By working together, M'gann and the DEO were able to defeat the White Martians. They eliminated the threat of M'gann being kidnapped or anyone else being harmed. M'gann could have called it a day, got a well-deserved night of rest, and gone back to her work tending bar. But she chose to fight for change.

She knows the White Martians will never really leave her alone. She'd have to stay on the run in order to keep herself and those around her safe. It would be a lonely life. So, she made the unexpected decision to return to Mars and be an activist. She wants to make her people understand they don't have the right to decide who lives and who dies. There have to be others who believe as she does, and hopefully she can find them and fan a spark of change into a flame. Yes, I just intentionally referenced to fire.

M'gann showed herself to be the bigger person. I wouldn't have blamed her if her experience with the DEO made her bitter and untrusting. She had every right to be angry. Instead, she opened her arms. She let selflessness rule her heart instead of selfishness. Given that, I probably shouldn't have been surprised by her choice to leave Earth.

Let's review some important lessons we all should take away from "The Martian Chronicles."

• Honesty is the best policy, whether it's with your sister, your girlfriend, or the alien boy you really like.
• Always keep an eye on Winn. He gets himself into trouble but is usually the one you need to save the day (he's an unsung hero, but we'll talk about his work some other time).
• Barenaked Ladies are still a thing.
• We're all missing out on the apparent deliciousness of club soda (unless you already drink club soda—then you're ahead of the curve).
• The time to have a heart-to-heart is not while you're tracking dangerous aliens.

And now for #DCTV Secrets! Well, secret. M'gann used the name Armek for one of the White Martians. In the comics, Armek (the big guy above) was introduced in JLA #1. The story featured the White Martian Armek as a member of the Hyperclan, a team of White Martians supposedly assembled for the purpose of saving other planets. After they caused some harm on Earth, the Hyperclan was defeated by the JLA. Armek and the others had their minds wiped by Martian Manhunter and lived in their human forms with new identities.

Did you catch other #DCTV Secrets in the episode? Share with the class in the comments.
 

Amy Ratcliffe covers Supergirl as a part of the #DCTV Couch Club. Look for Amy on Twitter at @amy_geek. Supergirl airs Mondays at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CST) on The CW.