We’re now past the halfway point of Supergirl‘s first season! It’s been pretty good so far, yeah? Well, it’s only getting better from here if this episode is any indication. With one of the strongest episodes of the series so far, let’s dive into our thoughts on it, shall we?
1. Ugh. This Winn/Kara Stuff Needs To Go
You know, last episode finally got me to like Winn. It gave him an emotional arc and something to do in the story that wasn’t just being the group tech nerd. And then they went and spoiled it by doing something stupid like having him profess his love to Kara. This episode picks up on that thread by having him be in two scenes where he and Kara barely talk to each other because the feelings are just too raw.
This is dumb and it needs to stop. I don’t care if Winn and Kara get together or not, but I need them to move past their angst and actually do something. Then again, with Kara apparently dating Cat’s son now, it seems like this will they/won’t they angst will be stretched even further. This is more CW than anything in either Arrow or The Flash
2. Cat Grant Continues To Be My Favourite Thing About This Show
Speaking of Cat Grant’s son, I don’t care about him. You know who I do care about, though? Cat Grant. And that means I care about this storyline only because I love any time the show explores Cat’s emotionality and allows Calista Flockhart to really act. This episode we got to see a really different side to Cat as the actions she had to take and the personal life she had to give up in order to be where she is in her career comes back to haunt her and Flockhart pulled that off perfectly. That mixture of grief, regret and anger at herself that boiled over and ended up being directly at Kara was so perfectly acted that I felt bad for the character at the same time as I wanted to sit her down and get her to stop taking her anger out on everyone.
It was a surprising case of the show doing a storyline that was entirely unconnected to what was happening with Supergirl and still getting me to care about it.
Kinda sad the kid is sticking around, though. We don’t need any more boring guys, Winn had that covered for a while.
3. How To Do Anti-Alien Right
So, one of the main things that’s been bugging me about Batman V. Superman is the very anti-alien stance the world has taken in response to Superman’s appearance. While it makes sense for the world to react to the end of Man Of Steel in that way, I think it shows a failing in that film’s third act that Superman, y’know the hero of the film, has been painted to be the bad guy with the resounding response of the world being fear and rejection.
Here, Supergirl has something of a counter to that theming with Senator Crane holding an anti-alien rally that had some very clear parallels to the anti-immigration rallies that many American Republicans have held. I mean… if it takes a dome? That’s not exactly subtle, is it? And yet the entire point of the episode is to take that character and show her why Supergirl is such a benefit to the city, that she is a hero. Crane’s change of heart at the end of the episode feels natural and keeps Supergirl firmly in a heroic position in the show.
Zack Snyder could learn a lot from this show.
4. One Quarter Irish, German and A Half Scottish Martian
The most surprising thing for me this episode was seeing Tawny Cypress for the first time since, I think, Heroes, but what a pleasant surprise it was because her turn as the disguised White Martian brought a lot to this episode. She’s intimidating, insidious and for one of the first times this season, the episode had an action setpiece that really impressed me. The White Martian was a genuinely intimidating villain throughout the episode not just because of its physical presence (which was actually some pretty good CGI, I was pleased by that), but because of the emotionality it brought out of J’onn and, by extension, Kara and Alex.
Continued belowSpeaking of J’onn…
5. Where’s Martian Manhunter’s Spinoff Show?
You know how I used to say that Calista Flockhart is Supergirl‘s secret weapon? I’m running that back. David Harewood is Supergirl‘s secret weapon. Holy shit, did he put it all on screen this episode. Bringing all the pain and rage and survivor’s guilt built into the character and embodying it with such a brutally honest and pain-stricken performance, this is the kind of thing I would never have expected from a Supergirl show and yet here we are.
While I don’t necessarily expect it to happen, I would love for Harewood to get his own show with the Martian Manhunter character. He’s provided such a commanding performance here and showed that he can just own any scene he’s in that I think you could easily build a show around his portrayal of J’onn.
Please, God, just give me this one.
