Supergirl - season 4 (The CW) (1 Viewer)

[Gary Seven]

Not sure I could think of another show that's as consistently relevant, unless you go back to Star Trek in 1966-1969.

Now, THAT's funny.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I thought tonight's episode was terrific.

The progession / creation of a 'villain' was well handled, and believable.

I definitely enjoyed this one more than any episode of "Supergirl" in a long time.

Lockwood's father was a nasty piece of work, but I've known plenty of men like him over the years. He could have adapted to the times, but he wasn't interested.

Lockwood's own radicalization had an interesting arc, because aliens have incontrovertibly been a destructive force on Earth-38. Supergirl has done a tremendous a lot of good, but lots of other extraterrestrials have done a lot of bad: First the Fort Roz fugitives, then her aunt's band of Kryptonians, then the Daxamites, then Reign and the Kryptonian witches. From a certain perspective, the disasters and calamities plaguing National City arrived at the same time that Supergirl did.

And one area where the refugee metaphor is not a perfect parallel is that, in the Earth-38 universe, humans are near or at the bottom of the Darwinian hierarchy of sentient species. Pretty much every alien species we've encountered so far has superior abilities to humans in one or multiple areas; most species are significantly stronger than humans, and the ones that aren't have other abilities that we don't. In many cases, especially physically demanding jobs that don't require a lot of education, they would superior hires to humans.

The insidious thing about radicalization, which this episode captured well, is that at a certain point it becomes self-sustaining: Lockwood suffered real tragedies as a result of aliens. This made him bitter and resentful. His bitterness and resentment alienated those around him who weren't so bitter and resentful. Over time, there are fewer and fewer people in his social circles to challenge his prejudices. Over time, more and more of the people around him are even more bitter and resentful than he. His radicalism reinforces and is reinforced by the radicalism in others. By the time he really starts crossing lines, there's nobody left around him to remind him that the lines exist.

Good use of prior footage

I'm pretty sure the White House press conference was shot at the same time as one of Calista Flockhart's previous cameos as Cat Grant, but weren't the actual questions new?

I know the show gets a lot of grief for dipping its toes in politics, but I appreciate the relevance, week after week. Not sure I could think of another show that's as consistently relevant, unless you go back to Star Trek in 1966-1969.

It's not that it gets political, it's that it generally doesn't do it well. This episode was mostly effective. Most other ones just leave me rolling my eyes -- even when I agree with the general point. Too much telling, not enough showing.

 

[ponset]

I like how they tied Agent Liberty origins with prior Supergirl events.
There was even a Cat Grant sighting.

Here is a link to the comic book version of Agent Liberty. Created by Dan Jurgens

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Benjamin_Lockwood_(New_Earth)

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Well, now we know why Tiya Sircar was putting on a horrendous English accent: because her character was dating Manchester Black! The character brings a different energy to the show, especially since he's likely to use methods that Supergirl and the DEO won't approve of.

 

[DaveHof3]

The problem with this season, to me, is not just the political overtones, heavy-handed as they are. It's how this show has become joyless. Supergirl was never really an A-list character to begin with - what made her appealing in the comics was how she had all the powers of Superman, but wasn't carrying the weight of the world and all his responsibilities on her shoulders. They caught the spirit of this in the first season through the stories being told and Benoist's effervescent performance. Her reaction to The Flash bringing her ice cream is one of my favorite moments on the show. The dark, grim path they are treading now is more appropriate to "Arrow" and works in that environment. Here, it doesn't work at all.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

The problem with this season, to me, is not just the political overtones, heavy-handed as they are. It's how this show has become joyless. Supergirl was never really an A-list character to begin with - what made her appealing in the comics was how she had all the powers of Superman, but wasn't carrying the weight of the world and all his responsibilities on her shoulders. They caught the spirit of this in the first season through the stories being told and Benoist's effervescent performance. Her reaction to The Flash bringing her ice cream is one of my favorite moments on the show. The dark, grim path they are treading now is more appropriate to "Arrow" and works in that environment. Here, it doesn't work at all.

you can say that about the Flash to some extent as well, the 90's series was fun more than any of the CW shows have been

 

[DaveHof3]

I think this week's episode was my last. I am usually very reluctant to stop watching a show I once liked, but we're at a point where every plot, subplot and character interaction is infused with specific sociopolitical talking points that are not referenced in service of a story, but in place of it. My objection is not to the views being expressed but to the way they have hijacked a once-vibrant series and turned it into something badgering and tiresome. The departures of Cat after season one and Winn this season, and the humorous moments they provided in each episode, are missed now more than ever.

I was intrigued by the 'Red Son' variation story they teased in last season's finale, so when that gets up and running perhaps I'll try again. But right now, for me, this show is unwatchable.

 

[Gary Seven]

There is a big difference between political commentary and social commentary. Supergirl does the former in amateurish, high-school fashion. It is actually quite laughable.

 

[Gary Seven]

you can say that about the Flash to some extent as well, the 90's series was fun more than any of the CW shows have been

I've started watching the 90s series again on DVD. Would be nice if they released it on Blu-Ray.

 

[Sean Bryan]

The CW’s Lex Luthor.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/l...l-play-lex-luthor-onthe-cws-supergirl-1162053

 

[Kevin Hewell]

I could see it.

 

[TJPC]

I hope he puts forward a completely different take on this character than he did on “Two and a Half Men”. By the end of that series he was so whiny and repulsive that the show became unwatchable for us.

 

[TonyD]

I hope he puts forward a completely different take on this character than he did on “Two and a Half Men”. By the end of that series he was so whiny and repulsive that the show became unwatchable for us.

I don’t even know why you would put the two roles in the same thought.

Really, you think there’s even a slim chance that his take on Lex
Luthor will be the same as his take on a slapsticky sitcom character would be the same?

Come on man.

 

[TonyD]

Here’s a more accurate representation of what he looks like these days.

 

[TJPC]

I don’t even know why you would put the two roles in the same thought.

Really, you think there’s even a slim chance that his take on Lex
Luthor will be the same as his take on a slapsticky sitcom character would be the same?

Come on man.

Do you really think he had the range?

 

[Kevin Hewell]

He seemed to show his range on "Will and Grace" this past week.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Given that Lex was 10-13 years older than Lena in flashbacks, he should be in his mid- to late-thirties if Lena's supposed to be in her mid-twenties.

I was hoping we'd finally get a Clancy Brown-esque Lex who has an intimidating physical presence. This casting -- in addition to being too old -- seems more in line with a Jesse Eisenberg Lex than that.

 

[Sam Favate]

This guy was already in Superman -- Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

 

[Kevin Hewell]

Given that Lex was 10-13 years older than Lena in flashbacks, he should be in his mid- to late-thirties if Lena's supposed to be in her mid-twenties.

I was hoping we'd finally get a Clancy Brown-esque Lex who has an intimidating physical presence. This casting -- in addition to being too old -- seems more in line with a Jesse Eisenberg Lex than that.

I'm guessing Lena is in her early 30s.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The dragon fight last night was a reminder of how well this show can do Kryptonian powers on a very small budget when it makes the effort.

My biggest problem continues to be how little the writers understand about journalism. There's no way a reporter would go on a debate show like that and argue a point of view. There is a line between reporters and commentators, and the writers don't seem to understand it. There are some very good reporters who engage in advocacy, but they still let the facts do the telling for them.

The tiki torches were a bit too on the nose, but I'm liking the conflict of Lockwood's agenda against Supergirl's philosophy of inclusion. It creates some traction that wasn't there last season, when political sentiments would just be dropped into episodes unchallenged. And I like the way the show's using Manchester Black, as someone who is ostensibly on the same side as Supergirl but using tactics that she would never in a million years condone or align herself with.

I'm guessing Lena is in her early 30s.

I would have guessed the same, but there was an episode last year -- I think the one where Lena learned she was Lionel Luthor's bastard -- where they flashed back to her being adopted by the Luthors when she was four, and the caption was something like twenty years earlier. So at that point Lena was supposed to be 24, even though the character doesn't read as 24 at all.