Oh my god, this is exactly what I needed right now. After coming out of seeing Batman V. Superman feeling more depressed that I have in months (and that’s saying something, being someone who deals with depression daily), I desperately needed something to make me feel good about myself and about superheroes.
Well, along comes this gem of an episode that crosses over Supergirl with The Flash for a story so heartwearming I’m still smiling thinking about it.
1. Scream Of The Banshee
This episode pulls the ol’ villain team-up trick and while we’ve already seen Livewire (told you she’d be back), one of the focuses on this episode is about Siobhan’s transformation into Silver Banshee. This has been a few episodes in the making and I really appreciated how the show built up her hatred for Kara, Cat Grant and Supergirl, but I feel like her transformation here was… still a little sudden?
Let me explain: she starts off the episode freaked out by an apparent onset of superpowers and after getting a migraine, she learns about how she’s cursed and is all of a sudden ready to commit homicide with said superpowers. I know I said I appreciated the build, but the actual heel turn itself felt a little… convoluted, maybe? Still, the final product was worth it as Italia Ricci puts in great work as Silver Banshee to make her an actual threatening so I guess I don’t mind too much.
2. Barry Allen, Traveller Of Worlds
This is it, the moment we’ve been waiting for since this show was announced: the meeting between Supergirl and The Flash. And it was everything I wanted it to be. While BvS is busy focusing on ways to make the two title characters hate each other, this episode relished in the chance to make this meeting as adorable and nerdy as possible. The two of them are so excited to learn everything about each other from the origins to their powers to being able to save the city together, it just makes you feel good about watch it; something sorely missing from you know what.
It was also a really smart decision to have Barry’s appearance here feel entirely self-contained. There’s no indication of how this storyline affects what’s happening in The Flash and there doesn’t have to be. It’s way more enjoyable, especially for those not watching The Flash, for him to just show up and be The Flash with no questions asked. Well, okay, they do have to explain the multiverse stuff, but they at least are able to make that fun by having Winn geek about it.
It should be no surprise, by DCTV is kicking the DCEU’s ass in terms of just being fun.
3. Jealousy, Thy Name Is Olsen
Speaking of fun, this subplot wasn’t.
I’ve been quite the critic of the romantic subplots in Supergirl in the past because I feel like many of them are built on false tension. A lot of them require the characters to hide their feelings, act like sullen assholes and not actually talk to the people they have feelings for like adults. Funnily enough, this is exactly what Jimmy Olsen did all episode. After telling Kara to keep her feelings for him to herself because he “needs time”, he spent this entire episode acting like a dickbag every time Kara interacted with or talked about Barry.
Ugh. This is meant to be a show about adults, not high schoolers. Jesus.
4. This Is So Goofy, I Love It
In stark contrast to you-know-what’s strict adherence to seriousness and grittiness and realism comes… well, this:
I know I said Italia Ricci put in a lot of work as Silver Banshee and I’ve said before that I love this version of Livewire, but admit it: this looks pretty goofy. And you know what? There’s nothing wrong with that. This is a superhero show after all! This is a story where an alien survivor of a dead planet with superpowers and a cape is teaming up with a dimension-travelling speedster to stop a woman comprised of living electricity and an actual banshee from Ireland from killing their boss.
Continued belowThis is super goofy, but the show manages to be super earnest about it and that’s why it works so well. Supergirl isn’t ashamed of being about superheroes.
5. The Power Of Supergirl
Which moves me onto my final point: I was surprised at just how much this played into Supergirl’s story arc since the Red Kryptonite episode. If you remember: Supergirl’s angry rampage through National City turned the citizens against her because they didn’t know if they could trust her to be their hero anymore. Gee, what does that remind you of? Cat Grant remained Supergirl’s only steadfast supporting her, reminding her that she’d have to win back the peoples’ trust over time.
This episode sees Supergirl putting her life on the line to save a helicopter from one of Livewire’s blasts (which is one of those hilariously endearing moments of goofiness in the episode) before the civilians gathered around her Spider-Man 2-style once they saw that she really was trying to protect them. It was an overwhelmingly emotional moment to see a superhero story in 2016 showing people protecting their hero from the villain.
That last moment, of the fire fighter helping Supergirl up and saying “Now it’s our time to help you”, it still brings tears to my eyes when I think about it.
That’s why this is the DC Universe I care about.
