This week on Supergirl, we addressed the Steel elephant in the room. A common question/gripe/concern/complaint among people is “Well, why doesn’t so-and-so just come help?” The question is rampant in the shared universe movies have and over on the little CWverse. So, in a world with both Supergirl and Superman, why doesn’t Clark come help Kara? How this question was handle may considered good or bad by many. Me? I’m more glad they actually addressed it with something other than “He’s busy.”
Anyway, Supergirl featured a villain from the Man of Steel himself in the form of Reactron. Reactron is definitely not the most prominent of Superman villains, but in this universe he’s gone toe-to-toe with big blue multiple times, with Superman not yet gaining the upper hand. Supergirl’s fight to take him down, and possibly bolster her public image along the way are set against Cat Grant deciding to write the piece on Supergirl herself. Surprisingly enough, the person who comes across as least helpful to Kara this week is Jimmy. His concern for Supergirl sets her self-esteem back a bit as Clark shows up to save the day, but eventually Kara is able to handle things with the help of her team, rather than her cousin.
Along the way, we get some weird dancing at a party, some slight history on Reactron, Maxwell Lord being all billionaire playboy, and some surprisingly forgettable DEO stuff. Yeah. That last one really just amounted to Supergirl’s sister convincing Henshaw to help.
Positives
Some find her grating, but I personally find Cat Grant to be hilarious. She’s a very aggressive personality who gets what she wants. But this is all offset by just how much accidental advice she gives to the aspiring hero that is Supergirl. I appreciated her scene with Maxwell Lord solely for the reason that it helped make her a bit more of a character than just “angry boss.” Winn was also enjoyable this week, even though he seems to be cast in the stereotypical “friendzoned ally” role. His enthusiasm and help are great, but his reaction to Jimmy spilling Clark’s secret was hilarious.
Not enough positive things can be said about Melissa Benoist. She absolutely owns the role of Supergirl. Her cheer and positivity make Kara so endearing throughout the whole episode. I have no doubt that she alone is a huge part of what keeps some people coming back. One of the more enjoyable scenes of the episode came at the end when we got an IM conversation between her and Clark. Logistics aside, (such as the fact that the history of that can be tracked and Clark using emojis, which I find fantastic) it was a heartwarming little interaction that helped set Supergirl more solidly on the path to becoming her own hero.
Negatives
First off, timing hurt this episode. Having Kara be upset about Clark helping her right after an episode about being stronger working together made her seem a bit hypocritical. Yes, it is entirely valid that she wants to be her own hero, but her overwhelming annoyance at his help was difficult to swallow given the previous episode and that she was legitimately in grave danger. I wonder if it might have been easier to accept this path as viewers had she not been in such danger and Clark just showed up. At that, the final fight with Reactron was an anticlimactic way for her to one-up him by actually stopping Reactron like Clark never had.
Mr. James Olsen just came off horribly this week. Sure, he risked himself at the end, but it really didn’t redeem him. He spilled Superman’s identity to a guy he’s known for like two or three weeks, and he totally went over Kara’s head in calling in Clark. For a guy that’s supposed to be the love interest, we are really left wondering why Supergirl wants to be with him at all, romantically.
Lastly, Maxwell Lord wasn’t too endearing this week. He wasn’t especially bad (except in that weird and awkward dance with Cat), but he definitely doesn’t have any of the gravitas one might expect from the guy who’s supposed to be a long-term villain.
The Verdict
Supergirl spent its third episode addressing Superman’s presence, but it didn’t quite stick the landing.
