Supergirl Luthors Television 

Five Thoughts On Supergirl‘s “Luthors”

By | February 14th, 2017
Posted in Television | % Comments

The return of the Luthors! After Lillian Luthor was put behind bars following an attempting mass murder of every alien, it’s time to check in with what’s been happening with America’s favourite alien-hating billionaires. Turns out: more alien hating. Who’da thunk it, right?

Read on below for our full Five Thoughts on Supergirl‘s ‘Luthors’, but as always: spoilers ahead.

1. A History Of Luthors

It was pretty brief, but I loved the glimpse back at Lex and Lena’s childhood. I’ve been wondering what version of the Luthors this show would go with. Would it be something like “Birthright” with them originating in Smallville? Would Lex be the brilliant mind surrounded by a family of farmers? Or would we see something like Smallville with Lex simply inheriting a corrupted legacy? Turns out, we get something kind of unique.

It’s clear that the Luthors have always come from money, that their parents have groomed Lena and Lex to be these brilliant, sociopathic minds and that Lex’s baldness is hereditary. This is pretty interesting because it makes the Luthor phenomenon more of a generational thing than simply Lex “going insane” as everyone claims. I mean, sure he did build a green and purple warsuit (which was an amazing touch of fanservice) to fight Superman, but it runs much deeper in the family. That’s something I hope the show touches on more.

2. Lena Plays Everyone

Even after this episode, Lena remains an enigma and I really need to give props to the show for pulling that off. It’s impossible to tell where her true allegiances lie, who she really trusts and who she’s double crossing. That’s pretty gutsy. I keep expecting some kind of reveal to finally plant her on either the side of Kara or the side of Lillian, but even at the end of this episode which put such an emphasis on that tug of war over Lena’s trust and support, it’s really ambiguous as to just what part she is playing.

Is she the loving daughter who is forced to distance herself from a corrupted mother? Is she everything everyone has said about the Luthors, twisting Kara’s trust to her own ends? Is she playing everyone to her own ends? I honestly have no idea. And while I believe chess metaphors to be pretty overrated, that final scene with Lena spoke volumes for how little it said. All the world’s a chess board for the Luthors and everyone is a piece to be manipulated.

3. Finally, Metallo Done Right

I was pretty disappointed in Metallo when he showed up in the opening episodes of the season. I feel like, even with two episodes of space, he wasn’t utilised as much as he could have been in order to make up space for all of the Superman stuff going and that’s fine. He was pretty much just used as a generic villain, even if I disliked the idea that CADMUS had a factory line of Metallos to fight Superman and Supergirl with.

This episode, I feel like he was used way better as a bodyguard for Lillian. The courtroom scene and the prison break leading up to the final battle with tension of the synthetic Kryptonite’s half life were all really well staged. Especially the prison break, which was a fantastic use of Guardian that didn’t crowd the narrative. It’s probably asking too much, but I do hope Metallo resurfaces in a later episode rocking his Terminator look.

4. This Is Why Kara Can’t Be A Journalist

So this bugged me. Like, a lot. Kara is a character who is routinely defined by her ability to see the best in everyone. She is, after, too good and too pure for this world. That’s fine when she’s a superhero. That’s kind of part of the job description. It’s what’s stopping her from just throwing Lena Luthor off a building just in case. That doesn’t translate to being a journalist, though.

A large part of this episode is dedicated to Kara believing that Lena could not possibly do any wrong that she pretty much refuses to do her job and tries to stand in the way of her editor just because she’s friends with the subject of the story. That should be grounds for at least some disciplinary actions, that is not okay. And even though Lena (and Kara) were vindicated, that doesn’t mean Kara was in the right for standing in the way of Snapper and James running Lena on the front page. As Snapper puts it, that’s the news cycle. You can’t just go easy on the subject of the biggest news story of the day just because you’re her friend.

Continued below

5. Based Mxyzptlk, Saving Me From This Garbage Romance

That last scene was so insufferable. I hate this romance so much. Kara spent this entire episode having more chemistry with Lena Luthor over eating donuts than she has ever had with Mon-El. Kara and Lena shared more chemistry in a look than Kara has ever once had with Mon-El, but I’m supposed to believe that suddenly she’s ready to have a relationship while being Supergirl with someone she’s noted to be, and I quote, “an arrogant dudebro?” CW, please.

The only thing that saved this scene was the interruption from Mr. Mxyzptlk (which I’m going to have to get way better at spelling for next week’s episode). Though, I do have to ask: there wasn’t room in the budget for a bowler hat? C’mon, guys.


//TAGS | Supergirl

Alice W. Castle

Sworn to protect a world that hates and fears her, Alice W. Castle is a trans femme writing about comics. All things considered, it’s going surprisingly well. Ask her about the unproduced Superman films of 1990 - 2006. She can be found on various corners of the internet, but most frequently on Twitter: @alicewcastle

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