Welcome back to my weekly review and recap of “Supergirl.” To catch up on previous coverage, click here.
Jeremiah Danvers is still alive and everything is being turned on its side for Kara. Besides James being forced to play secretary for Cat for a moment, here are the three highlights from this weeks episode of Supergirl.
A look into the past
If there’s one flashback that doesn’t land entirely it’s unfortunately J’onn J’onzz. The scenes themselves are nicely played, immediately riding any animosity between the two characters instead portraying Jeremiah as a gentle, kind hearted soul who wants to help J’onn in any way he can. The problem is that we already heard this story in “Hero for a Day” and it had a greater impact without the visuals. If the point was to make sure we recognized Jeremiah’s face by the end of the episode reveal, it makes sense, but it’s a portion of his background that could have worked better shrouded in mystery.
Kara and Alex on the other hand benefit from their background being explored in greater detail.
Alex has seemed to be a divisive character amongst fans but I’ve always enjoyed her and her dynamic with Kara but she’s needed fleshing out since the start. Delving further into her feelings of inferiority due to Kara as a jumping point into her recruitment to the DEO ties nicely with her and Kara’s talk last week.
With Kara we don’t so much learn anything too new but what we do gain is some insight into how hiding her powers could make her internalize other pain. From her accidentally hurting Alex while using her powers to save a mother and daughter, she’s told by Jeremiah that she doesn’t need to user her powers. He says that the world already has a Superman and all she needs to do is be Kara. This transitions to Kara interviewing for her job and getting the role because she sells just how “ordinary” she is. How often does it take of telling yourself not to be “special” until you believe you aren’t.
If anything the flashbacks sell just how Hank, Kara and Alex would have come together.
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Bringing back Lucy Lane
Supergirl unabashedly celebrates its female characters and so it seemed a little out of character to see Lucy leave on such a sour note. This allows for her return to become satisfying because despite some honest discomfort around Kara and James her storyline no longer needs to revolve around the latter. Now in the know of who Supergirl is, Lucy can move forwards being a character more greatly engaged with the main story-and more women in Kara’s corner is always a good thing. On top of that, with Hank and Alex on the run, bu the end of the episode Lucy is the new head of the DEO.
Consequences are real
The episode is busy enough not to dwell on it but at the start of the hour we’re given a frank reminder that Kara did some damage to her public image last week. The city still doesn’t truest her and it’s taken a toll on her spirit.
Buy beyond her own mood, there’s also the fallout for Hank who revealed himself last week as his true Martian form and is now imprisoned for it. Alex is seen as an accessory and both were about to be moved to a test lab before being rescued by Kara and Lucy.
Then there’s Siobhan (who has screaming powers we learn) who intriguingly doesn’t have it out for Supergirl, but Kara. All of this works well thematically raising Kara’s stakes naturally and all in some way stemming from her actions. By the end of the episode she’s two allies short (and her greatest ones), she’s gained a new enemy and she’s not closer to gaining the public’s trust.
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Kara is as alone as she’s ever been, and now, with the knowledge that her father is still alive and that she has to wait and let Hank and Alex handle it, she has to decided how to move forward.
Not as strong as last weeks phenomenal episode, it’s still on a strong run of episodes, just in time for Central City’s The Flash to swing by.
Guess how excited I am?
7/10
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