Welcome back all you Supergirl fans! After last week’s (well-done but difficult to watch) departure from the usual formula, we’re back with monsters, mayhem, and some genuinely moving scenes? So far, despite some rocky moments, this is shaping up to be the strongest season thanks to a mix of tackling topical social issues, a focused series of plots, and an increased focus on the supporting cast. Is that all here this week? Read on, intrepid fans and as always, spoilers ahead.
1. Black Leather, If You Please
If we didn’t already have a John Constantine in the CWverse, I could have believed that David Ajala was filling that role for Supergirl’s Earth. Sure, the coat was the wrong color but the demeanor, the britishness and the penchant for lurking in the dark corners of other people’s apartments were the same. Instead, I got the surprise of my life when he introduced himself as Manchester Black! I’ve kept my nose out of the promotional materials as much as possible so I’d forgotten he was joining this season. While he doesn’t seem to have his psychic powers (on display yet), he’s a formidable ally to have.
I don’t know how I feel about Fiona being used to motivate Manchester’s inevitable turn to evil though. It felt. . .not quite fridge-y but pretty close. Or maybe it is and I’m just a bad judge of where that line is. Regardless, her death did not further her plot nor did she have much agency in it. Heck, we all thought she was already dead before being revived for this episode and then killed again. It brought Manchester into the plot, which is a positive, and it wasn’t a distasteful or overly sadistic death, as many of these tend to be, but it still felt out of place and like they picked the “easy way” to set up his fall from what little grace we saw.
2. They’re Lena and the Brain. They’re Lena and the Brain. One is a Genius, the Other is a Twelfth Level Intellect.
This scene was the absolute highlight of the episode. It was tightly acted, tightly written and perhaps more emotional than anything I’ve seen from the show in a while. It has earned Brainy’s tears and it has earned and set-up Lena’s compartmentalization, thereby developing her character a bit more, and giving us two stellar performances. I keep saying that Brainy is the breakout favorite but Lena is climbing back up that ladder after last season’s fall from grace. It is a fantastic dynamic because here we have two people who use logic to solve everything but only one has figured out how to shunt powerful emotions to a deep, dark corner.
I have the feeling that this conversation will play into future character moments for both Lena and Brainy as Brainy struggles with all these soon-to-be-buried emotions and Lena is forced to confront all that she has been hiding as she and Kara and Supergirl rebuild their relationships.
3. Super Suit Riot
Supergirl. Supergirl. Why do you continue to get on your high horse? Be open to being wrong! Please. I know she’s the main character and that the Supers tend to be positioned as always right but what makes them so compelling is their humanity and their humility. Supergirl didn’t demonstrate this at all last season, nor has she done so in this episode. She doesn’t listen to her sister and almost gets herself killed and I just. . .much of Kara this episode feels phoned in, which might be because it literally was but that’s no excuse.
The worst part is that it isn’t even part of Kara/Supergirl’s arc – it’s here for Alex’s. It’s here to demonstrate Alex’s clinging to the rules, to have the president threaten her and to act as a foil to Jimmy’s own decision to fight, to parallel his statement that heroes fight, no matter the personal cost. Yet it only rings true for him. He is discussing it in the abstract, about going out to help on the street level. Supergirl’s risking of life and limb is to be a part of what is supposed to be a professional governmental organization. What she is doing may be heroic but it is not considerate to her sister’s worries about her safety.
Continued belowThe worst of it is that Supergirl’s attitude is one of righteous indignation, “how dare you not let me fight?” which is understandable for her character but it no less frustrating to watch nor any less galling when she has zero personal revelations, while it is Alex who must acquiesce. It is always Alex who acquiesces and I want to see Kara grow as a character on screen more than off. She is not always right and even when she is, the show shouldn’t keep framing it as an inevitability.
4. Whispers in the Dark
I have a feeling that this “oversight” wasn’t the decision of Commander Sherridan — I mean, President Boxleitner — I mean, President Baker. I don’t know what the game here is but I’m liking that the writers are having multiple competing plot threads that drop in and out instead of the singular one like previous seasons. The flow is more organic and I’m interested in seeing where each one will go, how they will intersect and what they all are leading towards. We’ve got Red Son Supergirl, Manchester Black, Parasite (a monster of the week I bet), Agent Liberty (who’s much more chilling now that he’s been properly introduced), and Colonel Haley.
And that’s not even getting into the actual issues at play. It’s gonna be a full season and while I don’t know if they’ll pull it all off or pull it off effectively, it’s at least going to be interesting to talk about.
5. From the Cradle to the Graves
One other thing that shocked me was that they killed of Otis and Mercy Graves already. I didn’t particularly like them but wow! I don’t know if I like this development or not. After the first two episodes over-saturated the show with their particular brand of lunacy, they finally found the right balance and now they’re dead and gone. . .I think. I don’t know if they confirmed it in show so you never know — they kept Fiona alive after very obviously killing her. Regardless, they’re gone and so is the super suit which is another thing I don’t know how I feel about.
I’m glad Supergirl is back in full but having her take a few steps back allowed for the rest of the cast to breathe. To develop. I only hope that she continues to do so as well.
That about does it for now! Join me again next week (I checked, unlike with Riverdale) for the appearance of another big bad from the Kryptonian rogues gallery and the fallout from James’ newfound status as a hero for all the wrong people. Let me know what you all thought in the comments! Did you see the death of Fiona as out of place or did you feel it fit the narrative? Until then, stay super y’all.
Best Line of the Night:
Brainy: “These are tears of logic.”
