Supergirl: Is “The Fanatical” An Allison Mack Allegory?

Supergirl’s “The Fanatical” episode draws strange parallelisms to former Smallville actress Allison Mack’s life.

Of the four Arrowverse shows, Supergirl has been known to be the most lighthearted one. The plots are cheesy and the emotions are more saccharin than a Nicholas Sparks novel. But last night’s “The Fanatical” episode was one of the most symbolic stories from the Girl of Steel.

They always say that great sci-fi is a reflection of the current zeitgeist and, of course, the characters reacting to it. With Allison Mack’s present situation, due to her involvement with NXIVM, Supergirl‘s latest episode can be considered great sci-fi.

A Rising Star

For those who aren’t comic book or superhero fans, or aren’t old enough to remember Smallville, let us give you a brief history tour. Smallville, a pre-Superman series that ran from 2001 to 2011, featured the adventures of Clark Kent from his high school years. The ten year span saw Clark grow from an awkward teenager to the Man of Steel we’re all familiar with.

Clark wasn’t alone in his journey to become a hero. He had family, friends, and enemies. Among his most trusted allies was Chloe Sullivan, a character created solely for the series and played by Allison Mack. As the show progressed, her character garnered a large following. No one could resist the bubbly, inquisitive Chloe.

Misguided and Misled

However, Mack was yearning for more. She wanted meaning in her life and show business wasn’t filling that void. Mack was soon introduced to NXIVM by fellow cast member Kristin Kreuk, who played Lana Lang. At the time, NXIVM was billed as an “executive success program” (yeah, whatever that means), and its most nefarious rumor was that of being a pyramid scheme. Kreuk, who has not been part of this organization for years, has responded about her time in NXIVM—that the current indictments of sex trafficking and slavery (more on that later) were not even an idea during her short stint with the group.

Mack, whose desire to become more, only deepened with her time in NXIVM. And the organization’s leader, Keith Raniere, saw that as a perfect opportunity to exploit that into a vulnerability and brainwash her. Mack was indoctrinated quickly into the group’s beliefs and saw Raniere as some sort of genius (one of the funniest comments I saw on YouTube was someone calling Raniere a “lame, stupid-ass version of Lionel Luthor”). She also completely gave up acting, funneling her reaming life-savings into the cult.

Through the years, Mack didn’t just become a devout follower of NXIVM—she rose through the ranks and became Raniere’s right-hand woman. Her tasks included recruitment of other women and forcing them to perform menial tasks while blackmailing them. Within NXIVM, another group was created by Raniere called DOS (Dominus Obsequious Sororium, Latin for “Master Over the Slave Women”), and he had Mack lead it.

The Downfall

And lead it she did—supposedly with an iron fist. Her only world was Raniere, so satisfying him was her number one priority. As this story has unfolded, we’ve learned that members were branded with Mack’s and Raniere’s initials—among other atrocities like starving themselves because Raniere liked thin women; being forced to run head-first into a tree; and having sex with Raniere. Yeah, this Keith guy sounds like a real winner.

Fast-forward to the present. Both Raniere and Mack have been arrested and indicted on federal charges involving sex trafficking, child sex trafficking, and forced labor, and both are facing a minimum of 15 years to life. Mack’s best chance is to take a plea deal and hope for some leniency. Many say that she’s so far gone that she’ll actually take the fall for Raniere. It’s just a strangely fascinating sad story.

Uncanny Coincidence?

This brings us to Supergirl‘s “The Fanatical.” The episode revolved around a woman, Tonya, who has escaped the Cult of Rao (a cult formerly dedicated to worshipping Supergirl and led by a man named Thomas Coville). In Tonya’s possession, is a book containing instructions on how to create a new World Killer—the powerful Kryptonian villains who are the main basis of Season 3’s story arc.

When the cult members find Tonya, one of the followers, Olivia, attempts to trick Tonya by gaining her sympathy. It’s soon revealed that Olivia, now the group’s second-in-command (like Mack before she was arrested), is leading the charge. Olivia is just as fanatical as Coville (who is said to be missing in this episode) and uses extremist methods to attain her goals.

It’s difficult to not see a parallelism with the characters of Coville and Olivia to that of Raniere and Mack, respectively. Olivia, during the final standoff with Supergirl, also makes the statement that she’s looking for more and wants an identity, much like Mack’s original reasons for joining NXIVM. Now, this can be said of most cult members, but explicitly voicing it in this fashion is something that just can’t be ignored.

Supergirl has definitely dived into some deeper territory with “The Fanatical.” And it seems to be more than mere coincidence that this episode contains a character with a situation that is that closely related to the machinations of an actress from another “Super” series.

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Sadly, real life isn’t clear-cut with a happy ending. Olivia, in the final scene, was able to apologize and be forgiven. We doubt Mack will be given that much mercy. Even if she does serve minimal time, her persona and image are forever damaged with no chance of returning to normalcy, let alone the adulation she received during the height of her career.