Hello and welcome to the recap of another female-centric episode of Supergirl. I know that sounds like it should be a given, what with the name of the show being Supergirl and the second most important character in the show being her sister, but we got a little off track for a while there. But I have hope that these past two episodes are a sign of good things to come.
Okay, onward!
Previously on Supergirl, Lena threatened Edge the Shitticket, whose name I forget literally every time he leaves and come back until someone says it out loud, like my brain refuses to retain any information about him because he’s not worth my energy. Also, Sam admitted to Alex that she’s been losing time, Reign and Supergirl both separately found out that there were more worldkillers afoot, and one of them was activated.
We begin in Kara’s nightmares, where Reign is floating out of a cloud of angry red enemy with a new beautiful worldkiller by her side. Disturbed, she goes to the DEO to explain that she feels uneasy just waiting around for them to strike again and wants to know where they came from and why they’ve been dormant. They know Reign isn’t pure Kryptonian the way Kara is, and Kara remembers Reign saying she came from Krypton before it exploded, so the DEO decides they’re going to try to track down things that came from the sky as Krypton was destroyed.
Cut to a lab in L Corp, where Alex is going to give Sam an MRI to figure out why she keeps having blackouts. Alex drops a little line about her past life when she went by Lexie instead of Alex, assuring Sam they’ll figure out what’s wrong. Sam is worried but Alex’s voice remains calm and comforting the entire time.
![Alex comforts Sam](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-1-Alex-comforts-Sam.png?resize=800%2C449)
“You are hereby banned from WebMD for life.”
Out on the street, Lena is taking James out for breakfast when they run into Edge, who is just a walking rusty barbed wire, but Lena stands fierce and unwavering in the face of his insults. He tells her she’s wasting away in her ivory tower and she tells him to burn in hell. It’s pretty satisfying, to be honest.
![Lena glares at Edge](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-2-Lena-tells-Edge-off.png?resize=800%2C449)
“Now go before I slice you open with my cheekbones.”
He takes off, smug and self-satisfied — that is, until his car goes into autopilot and starts speeding him toward the river. He manages to get out through the trunk because cockroaches have a very annoying survival instinct but he is NOT pleased with this turn of events.
At CatCo, Lena comes in talking about a benefit Gala she wants her favorite reporter to cover.
![this is a picture of Lena and Kara making eyes at each other because SUPERCORP IS REAL OKAY](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-3-lena-loves-kara.png?resize=800%2C450)
No comment.
Just then, Edge comes storming in and whips his keys at Lena’s head in frustration. Kara catches it easily and both her and Lena stare Edge down as he accuses Lena of trying to kill him and ranting that he won’t rest until she’s taken down. Lena once again remains unflappable in the face of him going off.
![Lena stands off against Edge](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-4-lena-is-unmoved.png?resize=800%2C449)
“I am rubber, you are glue…”
Kara stands up for Lena, so he eventually storms off, and as soon as it’s just Lena, Kara and James in her office (his office? I’m actually not sure whose office it is anymore…you know what…CAT’S office), Lena looks a little stressed.
![lena pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-5-lena-is-stressed.png?resize=800%2C449)
BIG MOOD
Lena is worried Edge won’t rest until she’s dead and she’s tired of this cycle of violence. This is exactly the kind of Luthor bullshit she’s worked so hard to avoid getting sucked into. But Kara assures her that she has something her mother and brother never had – friends. Good friends. Best friends. And they’ll help her, no matter what.
Back at L Corp, Alex reviews Sam’s brain scans and can’t see anything immediately wrong with her.
![Alex and Sam look at the results screen together](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-6-alex-checks-the-scans.png?resize=800%2C449)
“For some reason I have Anna Nalick’s ‘Breathe’ stuck in my head…”
Sam asks what’s next and Alex remains as calm as ever, saying they’re going to send the images and some bloodwork to people with more focus on human biology than alien. Sam is still so stressed; she really wants to know what’s wrong because she hates lying to Lena every time no one can account for her absence. She’s starting to feel like a burden on everyone – on Lena, on Ruby, on Alex.
Alex draws some of Sam’s blood (easily; she’s not always steel-skinned like Kara) and reassures her that she’s not a burden. Lena is her boss, sure, but she’s also her friend. Kara is her friend. Alex is her friend. Alex says that she gets the impulse to put walls up, to keep people out and to deal with things on your own, especially if you are used to doing just that, as Sam is, as Alex was. But Alex says that after she and Maggie broke up, Kara busted down those walls and refused to be shut out, and it’s helping her tremendously.
![Alex looks supportively at Sam](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-7-alex-reassures-sam.png?resize=800%2C449)
How could you not trust that face? I build emotional walls like it’s my job but I have a big ol’ door marked ALEX DANVERS EXCLUSIVE ENTRY built into one.
And so she’s going to do the same for Sam, and keep those walls from keeping EVERYONE out. And then she gives Sam a lollipop. It’s very cute.
![Sam eats her lollipop](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-8-sam-lollipop.png?resize=800%2C449)
Okay this still makes it look WAY more sexual/sultry than it was on the show. I’m not MAD but also I like the idea of a lesbian and a straight woman having an uncomplicated friendship on TV.
Back at CatCo, Eve gives Lena a coffee and she immediately passes out and starts foaming at the mouth after sipping it. James runs after the source of the poison and Kara kneels by Kara’s side. Outside, James chases down the faux barista but someone else out of sight shoots him down before James can find out who ordered the hit on Lena.
Meanwhile, Kara, secret identity be damned, flies Lena to the DEO faster than a speeding bullet.
![](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-9-kara-lena-flies.png?resize=800%2C449)
Just some business casual gals doing some business casual commuting like some business casual pals.
At the DEO, Alex sniffs Lena and realizes it was cyanide in her coffee. She needs to induce hypothermia to slow her heartrate so Kara blows a gentle breeze onto Lena until her condition stabilizes. Relieved, the sisters remember that they are better together and hopefully vow to stop going on missions without each other.
![Kara rests a relieved hand on Alex's shoulder](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-10-danvers-sisters.png?resize=800%2C449)
“That slogan? Better together? I think it applies to us.”
Later, J’onn finds Kara out on the balcony and says that Lena will wake up soon and probably she should be at CatCo when that happens. He mentions about how she risked her identity to save her, that it didn’t go unnoticed. Using his Space Dad instincts, he can tell it’s not just Lena’s fate that’s bothering her. Kara admits that she hates that they’re just waiting around for Reign, that she feels useless. But J’onn says that there’s power in being the calm in a storm. A beacon of light in the dark. Hope.
![Kara stands all beacon-like on the DEO balcony](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-11-supergirl-is-hope.png?resize=800%2C449)
If I can be frank, I was having a really, really hard day and this show was indeed that beacon of hope for me this week.
When Lena wakes up on the couch in CatCo, and says she had the strangest dream that she was flying and Kara was carrying her. Kara nervously laughs and is like I WISH.
![Lena holds her head and closes her eyes](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-12-lena-also-wishes.png?resize=800%2C449)
:take me back to that dream, take me back to that dream:
And okay, so I have a theory that Lena knows, but she’s just waiting for Kara to tell her herself. Like how sometimes a parent knows their child is gay, but doesn’t want to force them to tell them before they’re ready. So they’ll drop hints like “I had a dream that,” or “hey weird Supergirl finished a thought you started” but won’t ever ask outright.
But also, even if that’s not true, she should examine why she was having dreams where her gal pal is rescuing her like a knight in shining armor JUST SAYING.
Anyway, Lena is feeling like maybe Reign has the right idea and they should just take Edge out, but Kara and James say all they need to do is find someone who could make a futuristic disappearing bullet and then they’ll nail Edge the right way. Lena pretends to agree and for some reason her friends can’t see the gears turning in her head.
Once out from under the watchful eyes of her friends, Lena follows the clues to a place called ThunderCorp (which feels like a Black Lightning/Supergirl crossover fic waiting to happen) and there she finds the person who killed the person who tried to kill her: Lillian Luthor.
Lena asks what the heck she’s doing here, and Lillian says she’s here to take care of the scum trying to kill her daughter. And the thing is, she seems genuine. Because the mother/daughter relationship is complicated at best. Lena explains that if she wanted to “take care of” Edge, she would do it herself. And Lillian recounts a time little Lena exacted revenge on her fifth grade nemesis, and says if she channels that fiendish savviness now, she could be great. Lena sneers at her mother and says, “I am great.”
![Lena looks at her mother defiantly](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-13-lena-is-great.png?resize=800%2C449)
The fact that Lena never raises her voice or loses her temper during this conversation is so impressive to me.
Lillian thinks Lena is wasting her talents but Lena isn’t LIKE her. Lena wants to be her own person, without her mother putting all her shit on her. But, knowing her mother, Lena understands that it’s easier to just agree with her and then do her own thing anyway, which gives Lena the opportunity to scope out her mother’s evil lair.
When she leaves, she goes to Kara to tell her everything immediately, but before she can, Alex and Sam come in and want to have a Fearsome Foursome meeting. They explain what’s been going on with Sam and Sam’s been afraid to fall apart, but Kara says it’s fine to fall apart when you have friends to pick up the pieces.
Sam says the thing is, she has Ruby to think of, and she’s scared to think about what will happen to Ruby if something happens to her.
![Alex and Sam sit gaily on the couch. Well Alex sits gayly. Sam is also there.](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-14-alex-sam.png?resize=800%2C449)
Alex your gay is showing. (Not a complaint, for the record.)
But Kara says that nothing will happen to Ruby, because Sam isn’t alone anymore. Ruby has three badass aunts and a fierce af mom, so no matter what, there will be a village to help raise her baby girl.
![Lena watches Kara reassure Sam](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-15-lena-kara.png?resize=800%2C449)
“Commune-style! It’ll be fun!”
Having these friends means so much to Sam, and hoo boy do I hope the power of three will set Sam free of Reign’s grasp without having to kill her.
After Alex and Sam leave, Kara asks Lena what she was about to say, and Lena admits to that one time she had a loaded gun and came thiiiiis close to blowing Edge’s brains out. Kara is a little stressed about it but Lena says that after her encounter with her mother, she realizes that her cunning doesn’t necessarily have to be a force used for evil, but instead can be turned against it. Kara is like pssh I could have told you that I’ve counted all your chess trophies and memorized the dates in case it ever comes up in casual conversation. Lena says she needs her wit and Kara’s help to foil her mother’s evil plan.
![Lena looks mischievous](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-16-Lena-is-clevre.png?resize=800%2C449)
Listen I know Lena already runs two companies but COULD SHE BE PART OF THE DEO SOON PLEEEAAAASE
Which, using the convenient media footage on the office TV, she now knows in detail.
And so, Lena and Kara get dressed up, presumably together, zipping each other’s dresses and tucking the final strands of hair up into their neat little buns, and head to the gala together.
![Lena and Kara clean up NICE](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-17-kara-lena-gala.png?resize=800%2C449)
Okay sure this is fine :faints:
Kara immediately struts off to distract the security guard with her quirky charm and Lena is impressed and knows she brought the right girl for this mission.
![Kara dorks away while Lena leers](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-18-kara-being-kara-and-lena-leering.png?resize=800%2C449)
This screenshot right here is at least 72 reasons why I love this show.
After Lena walks through, Kara tries to follow, and when the guard tries to grab her and calls her sweetheart, Kara lays him out and puts him in his place.
Lena approaches Edge and tries to explain that she’s trying to save him from his mother, that a drone is coming for him, but he’s arrogant and disbelieving. She quirks a perfect eyebrow at him and tells him that her offer to help expires any second now.
![Lena's eyebrow is raised and it's A Lot](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-19-lena-eyebrow.png?resize=800%2C449)
I also might expire at any second because EYEBROW.
But he still hesitates so the drone starts to attack. Lena struts after his scurrying form, tape recorder in hand, and Edge admits to everything. Once she has her tape, Lena takes his badge and throws it, removing the target from his person.
But Lillian won’t be thwarted quite that easily, and when she appears some of the drones lock around her like she’s some kind of Iron Woman. Supergirl appears to fight her, but the suit comes with a Kryptonite blade. She gets some help from the DEO, and Guardian shows up to stop Edge from running off with Lena’s tape, and good gives evil a swift kick to the face yet again. (Literally, Lena kicks Edge. It’s amazing.)
Edge and Lillian are arrested, and Lena tells Kara that it’s friends like her that keep her from murdering everyone. And honestly, same.
![Lena looks very very very very very attractive](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-20-lena-isnt-a-killer-but-she-SLAYS.png?resize=800%2C449)
Lena might not kill but boi does she SLAY.
James appears to chat but Lena just laughs him off, tells him he missed all the fun, and bounces. She goes and tells her mother about her plan to use her Luthor genius for good, but Mama still isn’t convinced she won’t come over to the dark side eventually.
The Fearsome Foursome gather together again at the Loft and Alex gets the call that there’s nothing medically wrong with Sam. Which, on one hand, is great news.
![Alex is perfect pass it on](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-21-alex-is-happy.png?resize=800%2C449)
I don’t have anything clever to say because her perfect face is perfect.
But, on the other hand, can be extremely frustrating. Because if the doctor’s don’t know what’s wrong, but something definitely is wrong, what does that mean? Hopefully this group of humans who regularly deals with out-of-this-world issues will turn to a supernatural explanation next instead of twiddling their thumbs until someone sees Sam’s eyes gleam red, but honestly who knows. All they do know is that they’re in this together, which Sam is extremely grateful for.
![Sam puts her hand on Kara and Lena's knees](https://www.autostraddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Supergirl-312-22-super-duper-reign-corp.png?resize=800%2C449)
SuperReignCorp somehow being gayer than the literal lesbian across from them.
Kara goes back to the DEO to find that they’ve uncovered some women who have survived impossible things, and Kara immediately recognizes one of them from her nightmare, so they’re off to find her.
And that’s all she wrote. Literally she. Now, my only source is Wikipedia, but I believe this is only the 8th time (in 54 episodes) a woman has directed an episode, and the third time a woman has directed an episode AND two women were credited for the teleplay. I think this is a step in the right direction for this show. And I’m so here for women doing more shit in 2018.
The four main women on this show were everything this week. They were strong, they were sassy, they were talking to each other about things that weren’t their desire for a love interest, they were sharing things instead of keeping secrets, they were working together, they were They were being vulnerable and smart and kind and strong and sassy and they were working together and leaning on each other and not keeping secrets and asking each other for help. And the way that Kara helped the most in this episode had as much to do with her being Supergirl as it did with her being Kara Danvers. Kara was there for her friends, Supergirl just helped out with a little flying and punching here and there. Both were important. I loved every scene with any combination of the four women. I loved seeing adult non-romantic friendships. Friendships like mine.
Now, listen, the show is not without its flaws. It still has some problems and 99 of them start with M and rhyme with “hell.” But this show is better when it focuses on its women, and I think it’s finally starting to understand that. And the more it leans into it, the better the show is getting. Because Space Dad was right, Supergirl is more than just a superhero who fights bad guys. At least, it could be. It has the potential to be a light in the dark abyss we’re currently trudging through. It should be, at least in broad strokes, a window into the world as it could be.
I think you’re right. Lena knows. Lena has to know. She barely blinked at the sudden reappearance of Beardo. If Cat Grant could put two and two together after half a season of coincidences, surely the smartest person on Earth 38 has, too.
Speaking of Cat, why didn’t James ask Winn to give him a visor that can turn opaque to conceal his identify? Maybe he can learn a thing or two about secret identities freedom
Oops. Hit the submit button while typing…
Maybe he can learn a thing or two about secret identities from Black Lightning.
Yeah, that Guardian scene with Edge wasn’t well-thought-out. “Gee, a tall black guy in a mask threatened me about Lena, shortly after I’ve confronted Lena twice while she was with a tall black guy who I know associates with superheroes. What a mystery!”
Plus, that open eyeslit’s just asking to be maced.
So, Wynn did all the work in that fight with the drones right? Like, Mon-el grabbed hold of it while Wynn controlled it, definitely making it harder to control, and then he got credit at the end. Seriously, WHY IS HE HERE? I get why they wanted to un-kill him off, but like, all hes done since he arrived is mope around in the background and occasionally chime-in in a brainstorming session. So seriously, WHY IS HE HERE?
Was so pumped to see an episode where the writers realized that they were benching Lena MFing Luthor and decided to use her in the story. Was also pumped to see the power armor being worn by Lillian, they used quite a bit of the episodes budget on the suit, it looked really cool. This show is almost like supernatural now, in the sense that I am almost on the verge of giving up on it when they put out a good episode and pull me back in. I just hope they dont do the same shit that supernatural did and kill the best character on the show off screen or something just as stupid. I used to have a lot of faith in the writers of this show but like with almost everything else my faith in them too is wearing thin
I spoiled myself for this episode by reading your recap first, but I’m still glad I did, because so much that I love about this show is written in between the lines.
It’s probably due to too much fanfiction, but I can’t stomach Kara’s “deep and unabiding love” for Mon-El anymore, I can’t deal with Lames.
The women just work so much better with each other, and I mean that literally, too.
I’m glad Supergirl’s remembering its strength, at least sometimes, when it’s not off gallivanting to cater to some imaginary teen girl audience with Mon-El or trying to desperately come up with a storyline for James.
Supergirl is like the young baby butch trying to wear a dress, trying to fit in:
It’s a show about women, where the ladies do the cool things and hold the power and run companies and lead double lives. Trying to make it into a teen romance drama or shoehorn hunky men is just discordant,involuntarily comical at best and distracts from the very special grrrl power kickass show it has the potential to be.
Just come on mysterious people in charge, *cough,cough* look at Star Trek Discovery*cough,cough*, be brave, be different, be super.
P.S.: Time’s Up.
– I don’t know. There were just some feeling about this episode that kept me from really enjoying it.
– Alex referencing being Lexie Grey?
– So all that Kara had to do to save Lena was blow her?
– “But I know you.” You know her better than Kara? Kara, who’s been her best friend for at least a year and a half before you even met her? I hate how shows downplay F/F friendships to be less than romantic relationships. “Faking It” did the same thing, and I hated it then.
– Man, they are plugging that Alex adopting Ruby thing SO HARD. I hope that it’s all a fake out, but none of their other apparent bad ideas have been a fake out yet.
– Lena’s face when she talked about her dream about Kara.
– Lena bouncing around in that dress for Kara.
– I did enjoy Lilian coming back, and I’m really hoping that this provides an evolution in Lena’s character.
– It was nice to see a Luthor suit, even if it wasn’t the war suit, and Lena wasn’t wearing it.
– That recording is not going to stand up in court. It was made under duress, and I doubt it would even be admissible.
@Kristana, I’m with you. I didn’t really enjoy this episode.
I felt like this episode was a bit of a catch-all…like the writers decided to address everything that they haven’t talked about in a long time. Haven’t seen Edge in a while? Here’s Edge. Thought we’d forgotten that James used to pretend to be a superhero? Nope, here he is. Remember that time we mentioned Lex doing his best Tony Stark impersonation? Here’s his Lexosuit.
(Also? Lillian was so upset about Edge trying to kill her daughter that she tried to kill him and killed the guy who tried to kill Lena with the coffee…but didn’t actually try to stop Lena from getting the poisonous coffee?)
It just felt all over the place.
It’s getting ridiculous, just let them be in love.
Also remind me why is Kara not telling Lena at this point? Seems like a dick move, Kara! Did you not learn anything from the ‘actively lying about who I am for an unacceptably prolonged time’ thing from last season???
I feel that that is better than Flash’s policy of tell everyone in the world.
Yeah, but it’s weird that Lena isn’t in the inner circle at this point.
“I like the idea of a lesbian and a straight woman having an uncomplicated friendship on TV”
Has it ever been stated that Sam is straight though? I mean, she has a child so she probably slept with a guy, but technically you don’t even necessarily have to be androsexual for that.
BTW, speaking of the kid, I wondered how they’ll handle the fact she has a child with human, since if I’m not mistaken in most comics about Superman it was established that Kryptonians can’t have children with humans, being from different species. It seems like they made Sam normal human except for the time she goes Reign. Perhaps they used the idea from the comics that worldkillers were created from various (non-Kryptonian) alien species, so maybe in the show she is supposed to be created from human DNA.
They’ve gone back and forth over the years about whether Superman and Lois Lane can have kids. I remember comics from years ago where they even had twins. I don’t know what the current thinking is. The show has departed from the comics on a lot of stuff so I don’t think you can go by that.
Sam apparently could have a kid with a human since it happened–or Ruby’s father might not be human either, which presents interesting possibilities. The “normal when she’s Sam” thing bothers me for a couple of reasons, one of them being that she has demonstrated powers as Sam, another being that would mean one solution to defeating Reign is to kill her as Sam. I’m not comfortable with that possibility and I hope Sam can be redeemed.
Regardless, it doesn’t seem Samantha is a Kryptonian (or created from Kryptonians) — she had MRI and blood test which apparently contained genetic testing for certain diseases, none showed anything “non-human”. I know the writers suck at the science of biology part (vide last episode’s ‘Y chromosome is universal attribute of male sex’ when it only exists in mammals), but it felt like this time they intentionally played with viewers’ expectations. Kryptonians being completely identical to humans even in their microbiology requires just too much suspension of disbelief.
The show already established that any serious injury (getting shot, boiling water, or with the new worldkiller, getting crashed by a car) apparently selectively activates her power even when she remains herself, so I don’t think that’s where they’re going with it.
Speaking of playing with viewers’ expectations, I was one of those folks who was waiting for the needle to break or the MRI to show something wonky and now I’m more confused than ever. Sam’s physiology seems to be based more on magic than anything else. She’s not human but she’s not Kryptonian either, and it’s impossible to tell the difference between her and a normal human. But she has superpowers whenever she needs them or whenever the Reign personality is dominant. Plus, she can mate with a (presumed) human even though biology shouldn’t allow it. Honestly, it beats the heck out of me where they’re going with it.
Oh yes, a lesbian woman and a woman who has never shown any interest in either men or women and who happen to love the same kid have an in depth conversation about their lives and hardship => uncontroversial friendship.
A woman with a boyfriend who according to this very episode has had boyfriends since 5th grade and a woman who has been pining after a married man for months now have a conversation => omg the show is so good and remembering what made it so good, all hail Supergirl.
The double standard is astounding.
The show by now has attributed straight interests to Lena 4 times now (her long term relationship with that computer scientist guy, the one night stand story she told, the relationship with James, the childhood story Lillian told in this story), but yeah, let’s label Sam who has never had a relationship with a man on screen or ever talked about having one (Ruby’s father is not in the picture for all we know Ruby was immaculate conception or rape) or expressed physical interest in a man straight.
It’s true she’s not necessarily straight! I just meant to imply that if she is, it would be a fun dynamic for them. But it’s true we don’t know.
Well, in TV reality the chances for having two non-straight female characters when they’re not involved with each other are virtually non-existant so it’s not like I really have any hopes in that matter, but it’s a good rule for real life to not assume that everyone is straight unless proven otherwise.
Though in real life if Sam was gay or bi she would probably already mention it to Alex, but then again, in TV reality LGBT people are usually straight-washed. They don’t have any sense of community, never bring up any LGBT-related issues, they only have straight friends and the only queer people they know are (temporal) partners. Unfortunately that describes Alex as well.
I do so wish they’d find something for James to do. His constant macho, “Stay away from my woman!” crap the last few episodes is annoying, especially when the woman in question is perfectly capable of taking care of herself.
For all Lena’s concerns about going over to the dark side, James doesn’t seem particularly concerned about doing the same. If he’s supposed to be a “hero,” he doesn’t need to be threatening to kill people, even people like Morgan Edge.
I hope when Legends of Tomorrow comes back it will get half the support on autostraddle that this show does. People are stretching way too hard to pretend this show is more and better than it actually is. When will people finally stop making excuses for Supergirl? It’s just not that good of a show and just being denial about parts of the show you don’t like doesn’t change that they are there. Same for inventing stuff that just didn’t happen on screen. It kills me that people try so hard to STILL talk up Supergirl when there is so much better lesbian stuff on tv.
A few weeks ago I showed up at a friend’s place to make lasagna with her seven year old twins.
When I opened the door, the girls immediately yelled,”Supergirl!” because I was wearing my blue sweater with the crest on it.
No matter how it’s covered on here, it’s still important somehow.
To cover it is one thing. To try to sell it as better as it is by talking up the questionable good parts and giving people the wrong impression that the bad parts are smaller than they actually are in the show is imo unconscionable. This is not “covering it”, this is making excuses for it and advertising it beyond what it deserves. How about we actually go and reward the shows that actually give consistent lesbian content with coverage rather than sucking up to shows whose position (and the position of some of the actors) towards it often extremely questionable?
People are praising an alternate universe version of the show that does not exist, one where various screwups did not happen, while other shows that make genuine effort and have a much better track record don’t get covered at all. It would be one thing to cover some “baity” shows like Rizolli and Isles or Once Upon A Time in addition to shows with actual content (good or bad) like Legends of Tomorrow or The Originals, but INSTEAD?
Legends of Tomorrow has a bisexual main character since season 1, she has been the lead since season 2, an openly out actress is a regular since season 2 and yet it doesn’t deserve coverage unless Alex is making out with Sara? But every episode of Supergirl gets covered regardless of whether Alex does something gay in it or not?
I dunno. Maybe it’s my coming from a different perspective but I’ve been complaining about the show from the beginning. I originally said the Pilot was “as good as I hoped and as bad as I feared.” I’ve railed about the bad writing, the timeline nobody can keep straight, and the fact that nobody running the show really seems to give a crap half the time. It’s not a great gay or straight or women centric show and it could be so much better with a little effort. I want to like the show more than I do but I just can’t. I desperately want a D. C. Fontana to come along and save it from itself.
Looking at the review here it seems like it would be more approriate as a “pretty screencaps of Katie McGrath” (who btw is not gay/not openly gay nor does she play a canonically gay character) fanblog rather a review of the actual shows Supergirl and what it actually says.
It is INFURIATING how in a episode where Lena literally says the words “I am smart” that the writers still persist in making her SO STUPID to not put the pieces together and realize that Kara is Supergirl! Like, Lena is a chess master who can think 4 moves ahead of everyone else and she can’t figure out that Kara always disappears right before Supergirl shows up!? And JAMES! Cat Grant figured out Guardian was James after three seconds – are the writers seriously trying to tell me Lena can’t do that too?
#MakeLenaSmarter2018
I don’t really think of it as Lena being too stupid to recognize Kara as Supergirl. I think it’s trust. Lena, in all her life has been lied to and used over and over by people who should, in theory, treat her with respect and love, but then she meets Kara. Kara, who seems so good and earnest and warm that Lena finds herself genuinely believing that she has somehow made a true friend.
By that logic, it isn’t odd to me that Lena “the smartest woman in any given room” Luthor might believe that, if there was anything to know about Kara, her friend would’ve told her by now.
The James as Guardian thing def feels like dumbing her character down though (if only because she can see his eyes and also he only appeared ready to defend her after she and James inexplicably stopped suspecting each other and got together.)
Meanwhile, Kara, secret identity be damned, flies Lena to the DEO faster than a speeding bullet.
Do they know how many AO3 fics have a scene just like this one in them?
Look as terrible as Edge is, can you imagine if Maxwell Lord and Edge got together, their ship could be called Edgelord and it would be just as terrible. And then we could have Alex punching the shit out of an edgelord literally. Not going to lie that would feel so cathartic
Not gonna lie, I struggle between enjoying Sam and Alex’s friendship and wanting them to suck face.
“Kara immediately struts off to distract the security guard with her quirky charm and Lena is impressed and knows she brought the right girl for this mission.
“After Lena walks through, Kara tries to follow, and when the guard tries to grab her and calls her sweetheart, Kara lays him out and puts him in his place.”
Sorry but I’ve been thinking about this since yesterday and I can’t let it go without challenging it. First, since when is Kara is “Professionally crafty?” (For that matter, when is she competent at her job?) I didn’t see Lena being “impressed.” Her response seemed just short of an eyeroll.
Second and most important, Kara tried to push past a security guard who was simply doing his job. In the process of restraining her, he called her “Sweetheart,” and she got mad and assaulted him. Then she deflected with a totally bogus non sequitur about “grabbing women.” It’s understandable that she was angry about being disrespected, and that sort of thing obviously resonates in a “preaching to the choir” fashion with a certain segment of the audience but being dissed verbally doesn’t justify a physical response. What if he had said “Miss”? Would he still deserve a couple of broken ribs? I expect James, Mon-El, or Morgan Edge to think with their fists. Supergirl represents our better angels. She could easily have used her super speed to zip past him, then said something like, “Don’t try to stand in a woman’s way.”
Thank you Valerie Anne for your recaps. I for one always enjoy them even if I disagree with at least some of it most of the time. Eh… we cannot all see the same thing always… and hopefully, people who watch it will see and will influenced by the best parts or see it in the best manner.. like you do.. and even like many others who love the show do, though they may disagree with you and I.
And… I am happy that you do cover them and that you love the show enough to write about it.
(I know, you don’t need this, but I thought I’d say it anyways).