Review: Supergirl 5×03-“Blurred Lines“
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Director: Eric Dean Seaton
Writers: Lindsay Sturman & J. Holtham
Starring: Melissa Benoist, Mehcad Brooks, Chyler Leigh, Katie McGrath, Jesse Rath, Nicole Maines, Azie Tesfai, Andrea Brooks, Julie Gonzalo, Staz Nair & David Harewood
Reviewed by: Sean Blumenshine
Summary
Kara tries to mend her relationship with Lena; J’onn J’onzz takes a deep dive into his memories; Kelly tries to help an old friend.
Positives
The highlight of the episode is the backstory about J’onn’s brother, Malefic. I appreciate that we got it this early and it’s not being dragged out. And it is always great to see Carl Lumbly as M’yrnn; he’s a terrific actor and gives a great performance as always. David Harewood is also incredible in this with several stand out scenes. This story is heart breaking. I’m not crazy about J’onn keeping it a secret from everyone as well as swearing Nia into secrecy but we’ll see how that plays out.
Sean Astin guest stars in this which is awesome. Malefic takes the form of an old friend of Kelly’s so Astin essentially gets to play Malefic. He’s great and I loved seeing him.
The villain of the episode is pretty cool. She has spider tattoos that come alive and go inside people. So there’s no trace of the killer unless the person investigating happens to have x-ray vision. There’s not a lot to the character; I’m pretty sure she only has one line of dialogue. But she furthers the mystery of whatever is going on with Andrea and William.
Negatives
This is probably going to be a complaint with every episode but I still don’t buy Lena’s behavior. Obviously, the writers know that they’re taking Lena down a dark path. She’s manipulating Kara and refusing to treat people as people. That’s fine but I don’t think her motivations line up. They could use her killing Lex; that would obviously be traumatizing and could push her to the brink. But she just seems mad about the secret. Kara’s reasons for secrecy don’t matter; all that matters is that she lied. But Lena has never been about absolutes; there has always been more of a complex nature to her. She doesn’t see things in black and white. That’s why I think this story is so frustrating; it feels like the writers are simplifying her.
Verdict
This is a solid episode. The villain is a little generic but still fun. I love everything with J’onn and Malefic; that’s a fascinating story that adds new shades into the former’s character. My only complaint right now as it has been is Lena who feels like she’s on a different show and not a very good one.
