Thanks for reading my weekly recaps of Supergirl. To read about past episodes, click here.
Let me be frank for a moment: I would be 100% okay if Supergirl dedicated itself to only telling stories about the female heroes, villains and friends that were featured in their show. Why not? The rest of the DC television slate is so heavy on male representation that it would simply balance the scale and at this point it still feels that the writers are having trouble with Winn and James’s characterization, nevermind the atrociously heavy handed manner that Kara’s new boss is, who I don’t even care to find the name of because he means that little to me as a character thus far. However, since I do enjoy Hank and his relationship with the Danvers sisters I can’t be bothered too much for an all female cast, but to rectify this the show needs to solve it’s James/Winn problem and quick.
Because otherwise this was a pretty superb episode of the series, from the allegorical takes on diversity to the introduction of Maggie Sawyer and utilization of Lena Luther, the episode felt fast paced and character driven, employing a comic book vibrancy with a pace that slows the plot down after last weeks send off for both Cat and Superman (for now). Here are my favorite things about the episode.
* While I’m still not pleased at all with Kara’s new boss I am happy that they’re taking a more realistic approach to her wanting to become a reporter. Because (here’s where I dust off my soap box), since I studied journalism to potentially become a reporter, few things irritate me more than characters who suddenly decide one day that journalism is a thing they can do with little nuance or education to their name about the craft (looking to you Daredevil/Karen Page’s laughable article in the season two finale). So while I do roll my eyes at the idea that Kara could just up and choose to take on a profession with little experience I am glad that they’re showing her having to work at it. Speficially, her being told to take the bias out of her piece regarding Lena Luther in order to tell the news, meaning the facts, was a well achieved moment.
* Speaking of Lena Luther, Katie McGrath continues to be a welcomed addition to the show, even if I can’t help that they’re playing her iminent switch to the dark side a bit too pointedly. Obviously it would be excellent if the series was able to subvert my expectations and allow Lena and Kara to become polar opposite best friends, but until then I’ll remain wary. However, this doesn’t take away from the chemistry that Melissa Benoist and McGrath share, able to imbue their scenes together with an air of both of them trying to figure the other one out. They’re a pairing I’d like to see a lot more of especially now that Cat is seemingly out of the picture, giving a vacancy to a much needed female rapport for Kara.
* The talk about representation in the episode was killer, from Hanks pointed message to Kara about how much harder it is to live as an alien who can’t hide their true identity to then how he adds that he knows both as an alien and as someone whose worn the identity of a black man that humans fear what they don’t relate to. Later after Maggie introduces Alex to a bar where aliens can wear their true idenities and feel a sense of community she talks about being a lesbian and WOC which has caused her to live her life fighting to help others who feel discriminated against and it shows Supergirl actively tackling intersectional feminism, maybe not always gracefully, but with an earnest nature that it’s easy to forgive its misteps. This is a show trying desperately to be a voice and call to action for anyone who has been told that they can’t be what or who they want due to who they are, and giving young girls a sense of hope. The best comic books have always been allegories for representation and this is Supergirl simply continuing that line of narrative.
* Which leads me to my favorite bit of story this week which came in the form of Maggie Sawyer aka hopefully Alex’s future girlfriend. There is no denying the electric chemistry that surged between the two characters in their first meeting and the way the dynamic grew over this one episode promises some great things ahead. I am not one for “shipping” but this is a romantic duo that I would very much be on board for.
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I mean.
How do you deny THAT chemistry?
What did you think of this weeks episode? Let me know in the comments below!
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(Apologies about the late review!)
Rating: 9/10
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