Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 21 - Resist

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.



Plot

The Daxamites are invading Earth and Kara is chomping at the bit to fight back, as Queen Rhea has captured both Lena Luthor and Mon-El. Yet The President has ordered the DEO to shoot down the Daxamite Mothership without making any rescue efforts. Will Kara form an unlikely alliance with Lilian Luthor and CADMUS, who have been preparing for just such an event for years, just to save her best friend and boyfriend?


Influences

The comic storyline Superman: New Krypton. The film Independence Day. (alien invasion plot, mentioned by Winn when describing the Daxamite ships hovering over National City.). The movie Man of Steel (the Daxamite technology used to create children.)


Goofs

The idea that Air Force One would be allowed to fly into the middle of a war zone while carrying the President is one of Trumpian stupidity.

The pattern of debris from the downed Air Force One should be spread across a greater radius.

Ironically, given that, Cat Grant's speech rallying the people of Earth to fight the Daxamites makes mention of a promise they made to "make Earth great again". Queen Rhea made no such promises in her earlier speeches.

On that note, you know what information might have been incredibly useful to broadcast along with Cat Grant's speech? The fact that ordinary lead bullets can be used to incapacitate a Daxamite. (Then again, if regulations in National City are like anything in real-world California, lead bullets are outlawed due to concerns about the lead being toxic.)

When it comes to enclosing the resisters who dared to fight the Daxamite invaders, one would think the Daxamites might have more advanced technology than simple chain-link fencing.

Where did Lena get the gun that she used to shoot the guard?

How the heck are Henshaw and Lillian going to get out of the Fortress of Solitude and not freeze to death if Kara isn't carrying them out?

Kara's speech about not understanding how the Daxamites could be so evil when they had families like hers doesn't ring true given all of the anti-Daxamite bigotry she showed earlier in the season.


Artistry

The pre-title sequence with the DEO being invaded is perhaps the strongest action sequence in the show's history in terms of overall direction.


Super Trivia

The basic plot of this episode - and indeed the major story arc of the second season - borrows a lot from the Superman: New Krypton storyline. In brief, Superman is able to rescue a lost group of Kryptonians who are unwilling to adapt to life on Earth and ultimately seek to establish a new world. Their attacks on Earth wind up empowering various xenophobic Superman enemies, including General Sam Lane and Lex Luthor, who is given a full pardon in exchange for devising weapons capable of halting the Kryptonian invasion of Earth.

President Olivia Marsdin - who we have known is an alien since her first appearance - is identified in this episode as having been born on the planet of Durla. In the DC Comics Universe, Durla is home to a race of shape-shifters who are almost universally distrusted because of their powers. The Legion of Super Heroes member Chameleon Boy is a Durlan.

The Daxamite technology for creating children from the merging of DNA without the need for sexual contact seems similar to the Kryptonian Birthing Matrix from the original Superman comics. It is a matter of record that Kryptonians considered themselves evolved past such "barbaric" means of continuing their race and that they used the genetic material of two predetermined subjects to create the next generation of Kryptonians.

Similar technology was used to create children on Krypton in the DC Cinematic Universe, according to the movie Man of Steel.

The Daxamites of the DCTVU seem to possess similar technology though - based on Mon-El's behavior in earlier episodes - they do not have the same prudishness regarding sex as the Kryptonians in the DC Comics Universe.

The Phantom Zone Projector is a piece of Kryptonian technology used to transport matter to or from The Phantom Zone - an extra dimensional realm used by The Kryptonians as a prison for their worst criminals.

In the DCTVU, The Phantom Zone Projector was used to transport convicted criminals to Fort Rozz.

As in the comics, Daxamites are allergic to lead in the same way that Kryptonians are weakened by Kryptonite. A single well-placed bullet is enough to incapacitate one, according to Lillian Luthor.

Alex tells Kara to be "faster than a speeding bullet" when it comes to rescuing Mon-El and Lena. This is a nod to the introduction of the 1950s Adventures of Superman live-action TV show, where Superman was described as being "faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive (and) able to leap tall buildings in a single bound."


Technobabble

The White Martian device Rhea used to attack J'onn causes his vitals to become erratic. According to Alex, his neurons are "working overtime" but he is otherwise comatose.

Lillian Luthor says that the Daxamite ships are armed with Kryponite cannons and have upgraded their shields since the last time Supergirl fought them.

The DEO base in National City has a positron cannon mounted on the roof. This cannon is apparently powerful enough that not even Supergirl could survive being hit by it.

Daxamites have the technology to produce children between two beings without the need for sexual intercourse. All that is required is DNA samples from the respective subjects.

Hank Henshaw claims to be capable of repurposing a Phantom Zone Projector into a teleporter capable of penetrating the shields around the Daxamite Mothership.

Henshaw also claims that his enhanced cybernetic core will allow him to interface with the computers on the Daxamite mothership, allowing them to move undetected once on-board..

Winn designs a spray-nozzle for Guardian's gauntlet that sprays a lead-dust aerosol, effectively giving any Daxamite caught in the cloud "space asthma".


Dialogue Triumphs

(Maggie and Alex kiss.)
Alex: I'm so glad you're okay!
Maggie: And I'm so glad that when things look their worst, we both thought to run straight to a bar.

(Mon-El spins around and faces the guard escorting him and Lena back to their cell.)
Mon-El: As your Prince, I order you to lay down your weapons and let us go.
(The guard draws a gun.)
Mon-El: (smiling) Yeeeeeah.  I didn't think that was going to work either.

(Lillian has just left Kara and Mon-El for dead on the Daxamite ship.)
Mon-El: Well, now what are we going to do?
Supergirl: (sighs as she pulls out a small device) Lillian betraying us wasn't the biggest shock ever. So Winn bugged Henshaw and rigged a remote so I could beam us back if she double-crossed us. Hope for the best -
Mon-El: Have Winn Schott prepare for the worst.


Dialogue Disasters

Every cursed line Cat Grant says.


Continuity

Daxam's architecture involved great pyramids.

Supergirl and Cat Grant learn that President Olivia Marsdin is an alien.

President Olivia Marsdin was Cat Grant's resident assistant in the dorms at Radcliff University.

Olivia Marsdin is identified as a Durlan. Mon-El mentioned the Durlan race in 217.

President Marsdin says that Durlan was invaded by another planet and her people enslaved within the course of one year. She claims to be one of the few who escaped that fate.

There is a Luthor Family Children's Hospital.

A Phantom Zone Projector is among the Kyptonian artifacts Superman stores in The Fortress of Solitude.

Reference is made to Hank Henshaw breaking into The Fortress of Solitude in 207.

Lillian Luthor confirms that she knows Kara Danvers is Supergirl. She says that she didn't tell Lena because she trusts that Lena will figure out the truth on her own eventually and that she will hate Kara for lying to her and prove everything Lillian ever said about Supergirl correct.

Maggie refers to the events of 203 and how she and Alex met during an attack on The President.

Cat Grant recognizes James as The Guardian immediately.

At the end of the episode, it appears that Queen Rhea has taken control of Superman, somehow, and used him to destroy the DEO's positron cannon.


Location

The Fortress of Solitude.


The Bottom Line

I'd forgotten how much better this show got once Cat Grant left it. I enjoy a good slam of Bill O'Reilly as much as the next smartass woke social liberal but 90% of Cat's dialogue seems really out of place here and distracts away from what should be Kara's finest moment as a hero.

It's telling that all of the developments that have made Season Two different than Season One - Kara's relationships with Lena and Mon-El, J'onn's more active role in the field, the presence of Maggie Sawyer and James as The Guardian - are all minimized or negated so that Cat Grant can save the day by giving a speech. Because this is much more interesting than watching a hero cop, a masked vigilante or the combined forces of the DEO fighting aliens in the streets of National City. Presumably this episode was meant to save the budget for the big finale next week?

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 15 - Exodus

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here. 




Plot

As Kara investigates a series of Cadmus-backed alien kidnappings, Alex continues the hunt for Jeremiah Danvers and Lillian Luthor. When Kara's editor refuses to run a story on the abductions based only on Supergirl's word and Alex is suspended due to J'onn questioning her ability to remain impartial, it becomes apparent that the two sisters will have to break some rules to stop Cadmus' latest plot.


Influences

The Superman: New Krypton storyline (general idea of clandestine military group backed by a Luthor fighting aliens on Earth.) Iron Man 2 (some of the sequences of the redhead Alex running in her DEO back uniform and leather jacket can't help but inspire thoughts of Black Widow.) and Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan (the scene of Kara and Alex placing their hands on one another's over the glass separating them.)


Goofs

Granting that it is topical, Alex's "you are forcibly deporting these people" line comes off as a little forced.

Not a goof on the show but a goof on the social media team - danvers.com appears to be available. How could they not have snatched that up to start making some AR content for the show by showing us Kara's "real" blog?


Performances

This episode is a triumph for Chyler Leigh on every level.


Artistry

The opening sequence with the family being abducted is well-directed and jarringly different enough from the usual tone of Supergirl that it effectively grips the viewer right away.

The fight sequence when Cadmus attacks the alien bar features some fantastic choreography and wonderful cinematography.

The entire scene of Supergirl stopping the frigate from launching is well-shot and has some great music underscoring the mostly dialogue-free scene.


Super Trivia

The episode title comes from the technical term for a mass departure of immigrants. It is also the name of the second book of The Hebrew Torah and The Christian Bible.

Mon-El makes a reference to Zakkarian Ale.  In the Green Lantern comics, Zakkaria was a planet in Space Sector 2814 (the same one as Earth) which was the home world of a criminal known as Izar The Zakkarian. Izar led an intergalactic criminal gang known as The Crimson Star Mob, with whom the Green Lantern Kyle Rayner came into conflict.

Zakarian (with one K) also appears to be the name of a now defunct brand of beers and ales.

Lillian Luthor quotes from Thus Spoke Zarathrusta by Friedrich Nietzsche - the novel in which Nietzsche outlined his concept of a over-man (or super-man) who represents the eternal struggle for self-mastery. Nietzsche also spoke against idealization in any form and urged people to improve this world rather than waiting for some perfect afterlife.

At one point, Lilian says to Jeremiah "This time you are the only Superman we need." This is a nod to the fact that Jeremiah's actor - Dean Cain - played Clark Kent and Superman in the TV series Lois And Clark.

IMDB names the Cadmus agent who is disguised as a cop as Shuster. This is a nod to Joe Shuster - the artist who co-created Superman.

The actor who plays Shuster - Dean Redman - is also the voice of Nick Fury in various Marvel Comics animated films.

Jeremiah Danvers describes the ship being used for Project Exodus as a Hoshin Frigate. Hoshin is a Japanese word meaning "setting a direction" or "setting an objective."

It is revealed that the goal of Project Exodus to deliver the aliens to a world called Takron-Galtos. First appearing in a Legion of Super-Heroes story in Adventure Comics #359 (August 1967), Takron-Galtos is the chief prison planet utilized by The United Planets and The Legion Of Super-Heroes in the 30th Century. The world is also a prison planet some 1000 years earlier, having been utilized by both The Green Lantern Corps and the bounty hunter Lobo.

In the final scene, the hooded alien woman is played by Teri Hatcher. In addition to appearing on Desperate Housewives with Lillian Luthor actor Brenda Strong, she played Lois Lane on the TV Series Lois and Clark.

In the final scene, the hooded alien man is played by Kevin Sorbo. A veteran actor famous for his appearances in various science-fiction and Christian-themed productions, he is still best known to a generation of fantasy fans as Hercules in the 1995 Hercules: The Legendary Journeys television series.


Technobabble

The captured Cadmus agent has some means of negating Martian telepathy. He claims he also has something in his head that will alert Cadmus if he gives the DEO any information and kill him instantly.

There is a magnetic field disruptor in the DEO armory which J'onn (disguised as Jeremiah Danvers) says he can use to disable the death-trap cages Lillian Luthor has set-up in Cadmus.

We're told that the ship being used for Project Exodus is a Hoshin Frigate - the best in the Kazark fleet. It can travel at light-speed and it is set to travel to Takron-Galtos.

Alex planted 10 Haldorr particle mines all over the Cadmus base before she was caught. Half of them are set on a dead-man switch to rigged to explode once released.


Dialogue Triumphs

J'onn: Are we any closer to finding out where Cadmus is taking them?
Mon-El: Or what they want? 'Cause hat's the trillion-dollar question.
Winn: It's million-dollar question, buddy.
Mon-El: Really? That low?!
Winn: Yes.

Mon-El: Hey, uh (clears throat) Winn, you know what you need right now?
Winn: (barely holding back his anger) If you say a drink, I swear I will-
Mon-El: Oh! I was going to say a deep breath! But that is a much better idea!

(Jeremiah is begging Alex to help him steal a piece of equipment from the DEO to stop Cadmus.)
Jeremiah: Will you help me or not?
(Alex turns away, clearly conflicted and hesitant. After several seconds, she speaks.)
Alex: Yes. I will help -
(Alex turns around to see "Jeremiah" molding into J'onn.)
Alex: J'onn... you were testing me?
J'onn: I had no choice. You're a federal agent, Alex. You took an oath. We're facing a crisis situation here. Thousands of lives are at stake. I feared your judgement might be compromised. Sadly, I was right.

Lillian: Project Exodus?
Jeremiah: It's almost ready.
Lillian: "The over-man shall be the meaning of the earth. Remain faithful to the earth, and do not believe those who speak to you of otherworldly hopes."
Jeremiah: (nodding) Nietzsche.
Lillian: Who better? His Super-Man was about we humans believing in ourselves instead of looking up to gods. This time... you're the only Superman we need.

Alex: Turn it off! Now!
Lillian: You don't threaten me.
Alex: Lillian, do you really think I'd walk into the lion's den without a whip? I planted 10 Haldoor Particle Mines all over this facility. (holds up a trigger) Stop the launch!
Lillian: (coolly) You're lying.
Alex: Wanna bet?
(Alex presses the buttons as explosions rock the building around them. Guards move in on Alex, guns raises but she brandishes the trigger defiantly.)
Alex: The rest of the bombs are on a dead-man switch! I let this go and the entire place lights up!
Lillian: I won't stop this.
Alex: I don't need you to. (looking to Jeremiah) Dad? It's time for you to do what you told your daughters to do. Are you with me?
Lillian: Tamper with my launch, Jeremiah, and I declare war on your whole family.
Alex: If you let her... We're going to protect each other. Always.
(Jeremiah stands stock still, looking at Alex.)
Lillian: Jeremiah?  (prompting) Jeremiah!
Alex: Dad... make this right.
(Jeremiah looks between Alex and Lillian... before giving Alex a soft nod and attacking the guard standing behind him.)

(J'onn admits that he made a mistake testing Alex the way he did, disguised as her father.)
J'onn: Please know... I only did it to protect you. I didn't mean to hurt you.
Alex: You sound just like him.
(Alex hugs J'onn. He slowly hugs her back.)
Alex: Can we just agree to stop doing the wrong things for the right reasons?
J'onn: Yeah. That sounds like a plan.


Dialogue Disasters

(Jeremiah explains Project Exodus.)
Alex: I don't understand.
Jeremiah: Lilian was going to kill them all!
Alex: You're forcibly deporting them! I mean some of them have escaped famine, and poverty and genocide -
Jeremiah: At least this way they have a chance.


Continuity

Winn and Lyra both enjoy the film version of Dune, despite how the sandworms were handled.

Lyra has been living on Earth for several years, but she learned English off-world.

Cadmus has devised some means of protecting all their agents from Martian telepathy - not just Jeremiah Danvers.

Lena suggests that Kara consider becoming a blogger rather than working for CatCo. She also volunteers to check L-Corp's records for any business dealings that might lead to Cadmus or any technology that might help locate the missing aliens.

Lena discovers that a LuthorCorp naval research facility was closed in 2007 yet L-Corp was billed for a metal shipment to that facility in 2017.

Lillian has a spy in L-Corp reporting to her on her daughter's activities.

Jeremiah explains that his plan was to forcibly deport all the abducted aliens off-planet. He considered this preferable to Lillian Luthor's plans to just kill them all. He also says the only reason he worked for Cadmus was because they threatened his daughters.

Jeremiah is shot by Cyborg Superman's eye laser. It is unclear if he survived the blast.

Kara is fired from CatCo for publishing an article utilizing CatCo resources on a rival platform and for working for another media outlet in violation of her contract.

In the final scene of the episode, the hooded aliens last seen in 209 are revealed as a man and woman, who are addressed as Your Highnesses. The man comments, upon standing in a yellow sunbeam, that there is something different about "this place" and the woman comments that she feels different.

(The popular theory among fans at the time the episode aired is that these are Mon-El's parents and that rather than being the bodyguard of the prince of Daxam, he IS the Prince of Daxam)


Location

An unnamed freeway, presumably somewhere outside of National City.


Untelevised Adventures

There were 19 abductions of aliens on Earth before the scene that opens the episode.


The Fridge Factor

Granting that Kara is naive, she should not be stupid enough to anonymously publish an article on danvers.com


The Kryptonite Factor

After two episode of being completely absent, it's somehow even more jarring for James Olsen to show up just to comment on Winn's new girlfriend and briefly appear as The Guardian to help the DEO catch a Cadmus agent. As much as I love Mehcad Brooks, I almost wish the show would just let his character go at this point or that he'd be brought on as a full-time DEO agent because it's clear that the writers have no idea what to do with the character at this point.

By the same token, I'm glad that we seem to be rid of the CatCo sequences - at least for a time. The scenes there only served to slow the episodes down and Snapper Carr (aka Don't Call Me Perry White) has never taken off as a character


The Bottom Line

A solid episode that is most notable for what it lacks rather than what it contains and how much of Kara's subplot is devoted to streamlining the show as Alex takes center stage. It's not a great ensemble piece (I think Winn's girlfriend has more lines than James Olsen at this point.) but it does a great job of advancing darn near every subplot in the series that was in need of some momentum.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 14 - Homecoming

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.





Plot

When Jeremiah Danvers is rescued from a Cadmus convoy, Alex and Kara are relieved to have their father home. A wedge is driven between the sisters, however, when Mon-El expresses his concerns about something not being right about Jeremiah and Kara thinks he may be right!


Influences

The film Captain America: The Winter Soldier (loved one of the hero returns as a sleeper agent with an artificial arm.) and Superman: The Movie (the scene with Kara saving the train.)


Goofs

Unfortunately, the whole episode is built around a rather unlikely conceit - that the usually oblivious Mon-El is the only one to smell a rat regarding Jeremiah's return being too convenient. (Then again, this could be a sign that he isn't the shallow idiot he's acted like since arriving on Earth...)

So Kara and Alex go after Jeremiah alone, without any other DEO agents as back-up?  Not even Mon-El?


Performances

The scenes in which Mon-El and Winn bond at the bar are great ones for Jeremy Jordan and Chris Wood.


Super Trivia

Saving trains that are in danger of being derailed is a standard feat of the various Superman family members. Perhaps the most famous example of this is in Superman: The Movie but it has occurred in various comics as well.


Technobabble

Cadmus utilizes lead-line vehicles to prevent x-ray vision from being used to see through them.

Kara's heat-vision radiation signature is used to track the Cadmus nuclear fusion bomb.

Jerimiah's right arm was enhanced with cybernetics in the same way as Cyborg Superman's body. He was also given some kind of ability to resist Martian telepathy.


Dialogue Triumphs

(After kissing Mon-El.)
Kara: Gosh, it's so nice to do that without breaking the guy's nose.
Mon-El: How many times did that happen?
Kara: (giggling, embarrassed) Ummm... less than five.
Mon-El: So four.

(Mon-El has just bluntly revealed that he and Kara are a couple to J'onn and Alex..)
Kara: Can we just pretend like that never happened?
J'onn: I'd like nothing more but unfortunately, as your supervisor, I have to ask you to report to HR
(Kara laughs. She quickly realizes she's the only one who is.)
Kara: Wait... you're serious?!
J'onn: Kara, you're dating a co-worker.
Kara: That's not... wait... we have an HR?
J'onn: (pointing to Mon-El) Walk this puppy down to the second floor and fill out all the forms Pam gives you. In triplicate.
(J'onn walks off.)
Alex: Oh. And you're going to have to attend a mandatory sexual harassment seminar.
Kara: Seriously?!
(Alex walks off leaving Kara and Mon-El alone. Kara is clearly not happy. Mon-El is wearing the expression of every boyfriend who has just realized that he is going to pay for this.)
Mon-El: It's going to be a rough sparring session for me.
Kara:  (sarcastically) You think?
Mon-El: Okay. I'm going to warm up.

Mon-El: Sir, as a scientist you have to believe in questioning. That's all I was trying to do in there. I'm sorry if I hurt-
Jeremiah: I know who you are.
Mon-El: ... and?
Jeremiah: That's it. I know who you are. And I doubt Kara would like the truth.


Continuity

Kara and Mon-El did spend the night together.

Before Mon-El wakes up, Supergirl stops five armed robberies, delivered a litter of puppies and helped one tugboat captain bring in a ship.

Kara has accidentally broken the noses of four men whom she kissed in the past.

On Daxam, it was customary to throw parties whenever a couple got together.

The DEO does have an HR Department and a sexual harassment policy. They don't prohibit co-workers from dating but do require it be strictly monitored.

Jeremiah Danvers was last seen in 207.

Jeremiah Danvers claims that he and Hank Henshaw were found by Cadmus. He was then forced to keep Henshaw alive and perform the procedures that turned him into The Cyborg Superman. He did such a good job he was put to work enhancing other agents.

Jeremiah Danvers' right hand was extensively damaged as punishment for helping Kara and Mon-El to escape from Cadmus.

Mon-El points out that the DEO has never picked up an alert of Cadmus activity unless they were caught red-handed or were intentionally trying to be noticed.

Jeremiah Danvers claims that Cadmus has a nuclear fusion bomb, built using the energy they mined from Kara's heat-vision blasts while she was their hostage. Their plan is to blow up National City and blame it on alien terrorists.

Jeremiah Danvers claims to know the truth about who Mon-El is, privately, when speaking to him.

Winn gave Mon-El his Netflix password.

Jeremiah claims he only hacked the DEO mainframe to read the old case files of what his daughters had done.

Winn discovers that Jeremiah stole the DEO's registry of every alien in the USA.

Jeremiah struck some kind of bargain with Lillian Luthor for his help.

Cadmus is at work building some kind of armored ship.


The Kryptonite Factor

Honestly, the only way for this episode to work is for the most paranoid characters to suddenly become trusting and the most naive characters to suddenly become paranoid.


The Bottom Line

A typically flat mid-season filler episode that does nothing but temporarily throw a monkey wrench into the relationship drama without really changing anything. Still, the scenes of Winn and Mon-El bonding are fun and the bits of Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood playing cute are good. The script definitely needed a few more rewrites, however.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 7 - The Darkest Place

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.





Plot

James Olsen's new life as a hero may be cut short when a violent vigilante frames The Guardian for one of his own murders. Meanwhile, J'onn experiences odd symptoms following his blood transfusion from M'gann and Kara enters into Cadmus to rescue a captive Mon-El only to come face to face with the real Hank Henshaw!


Influences

Superman: The Movie (Lillian Luthor talks to Kara through a high-pitched signal and uses a threat to lure Supergirl into a trap), the third and fourth seasons of Justice League Unlimited (Cadmus as an anti-superhero organization) and the Superman comics of Dan Jurgens (character of Cyborg Superman).


Goofs

Mon-El asks about the proper procedure for "finding a mate" in Earth culture. Give he's apparently seeing at last three women, you would think he would have asked about that particular custom before now!

It seems highly unlikely that pouring Kryptonian blood on a Kryptonian computer console would cause it to assume that the person standing before the console matched the blood.

Even if that did work, shouldn't Kelex have auditory and visual censors that would allow him to "see" that Cyborg Superman is not Kara Zor-El?

Even allowing that The Cyborg Superman could be using his technopathy to confuse the computer, why did they need Kara's blood if he was capable of that in the first place?


Artistry

The direction for this episode is top-notch, darker and more intense than is typical for the series.

The editing between the various flashbacks in the first segment works well, as does the scene being filmed with a circling camera moving around the table filming Kara, Alex, Winn and James as they talk about The Guardian.

The set-design for Cadmus is truly spooky and the atmospheric music helps build the tension of the scenes there.

The fight scenes involving Guardian are some of the best this series has seen.


Super Trivia

Kara makes reference to her cousin working with a vigilante who had "tons of gadgets" and "lots of demons". This is almost certainly a reference to Batman.

Kara mentions a blonde Valeronian as one of Mon-El's regular lovers. In the DC Comics universe, Valeron is an alien world whose dominant sentient lifeforms resemble Earthlings. It is most well known as the homeworld of Vartox, The Hyper-Man - a super-being who is even more powerful than Superman.

M'gann makes K'rkzar's Tonic for J'onn - an old Martian folk remedy, apparently similar to chicken soup for Earthlings. In the original DC Comics universe, K'rkZar was the name of an alien philosopher who traveled the universe, studying the religions of all sentient races - including The Martians - searching for one great universal truth. J'onn went off in search of K'rkzar in Martian Manhunter Special #1 (July 1996) in the hope that he might have met other Martian survivors in his travels.

The mysterious Cadmus scientist from the previous episodes is finally identified by name in this episode as Lillian Luthor. Lillian Luthor first appeared in Superman #292 (October 1975). She never received any development beyond being ashamed of her infamous son Lex Luthor and is primarily a footnote in comic book history.

Lillian Luthor did get developed somewhat more in the Smallville TV series, where she was portrayed as a spirited woman from a rich family, who stood up to her equally stubborn husband Lionel on a great many things before her death.  She was not a scientist, however, so the DCTU characterization of Lillian Luthor is wholly original.

Lillian Luthor uses some kind of hypersonic radio to get Supergirl's attention. This is similar to how Lex Luthor got Superman's attention in Superman: The Movie.

According to Lillian Luthor, Cadmus was the first hero in Greek Mythology and is only remembered today for killing monsters. Ironically, she forgets an important part of the myth - that Cadmus created most of the monsters he killed, planting a dragon's teeth like seeds and killing most of the legion of fierce men - The Spartoi.- who grew from the teeth.

This aspect of the legend - a man creating supermen - is what inspired the name of The Cadmus Project in the original comics.

Cadmus is also remembered as the founder of the city of Thebes and being the first King of that city.

Hank Henshaw first appeared in Adventures of Superman #465 (April 1990). Created as a sort of parody of Reed Richards from Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, Henshaw was an astronaut that was part of the doomed crew of a space shuttle that was exposed to cosmic radiation as part of a LexCorp experiment. The radiation transformed all of the crew in horrific fashions, prompting all of them - except Henshaw - to commit suicide.

Blaming Superman for the incident and left with the power of technopathy (controlling machines through pure thought), Henshaw devoted himself to destroying Superman. To that end, he fashioned a new body for himself based on Kryptonian technology and Superman's DNA that he gathered after broadcasting his mind into the ship that carried Superman to Earth as a baby. He appeared to the people of Earth as The Cyborg Superman for the first time in Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993) and set about trying to destroy Superman's reputation in the wake of his apparent death.

It's worth noting that Supergirl and the Cyborg Superman have a more direct relationship in the New 52 DC Comics Universe. There, The Cyborg Superman is Zor-El - Kara Zor-El's father.  After sending his daughter to Earth, Zor-El found a way to protect Argo City from the destruction of Krypton using Brainiac technology. Brainiac then infected Zor-El, transforming him into a half-electronic/half-organic being under Brainiac's control.

Both versions of Cyborg Superman have the standard super-powers of a Kryptonaian under a yellow sun, in addition to their technopathy.

It is not explained in this episode how the DCTVU version of Hank Henshaw was transformed into The Cyborg Superman, but he shows strength and durability on-par with Supergirl. There's no visible evidence of his having technopathic powers but it is possible he is using his powers to manipulate The Fortress of Solitude computers and robots in the final scene.

The prison cells in Cadmus are made of unbreakable Nth metal, which Mon'El notes is from Thanagar. In the DC Comics universe, N'th metal is indeed from Thanagar but it has far more unusual properties than merely being strong. Nth metal has the ability to nullify gravity and magical energy. A person wearing an object made of Nth metal - such as a belt - would be able to fly and be protected from most forms of magic. It would also protect the wearer from the elements, speed the healing of wounds and increases their strength. A weapon made of Nth metal could penetrate protective magic spells and disrupt magical energy fields.

It is worth noting that in Legends of Tomorrow, Vandal Savage's immortality was caused by exposure to an N'th Metal Meteorite, as was the reincarnation cycle of Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

It is confirmed that - as in the original comics- Daxamites are allergic to lead.. Unlike the original comics, however, the poisoning is treatable and temporary.

The violent vigilante is revealed to be a Navy Seal named Phillip Karnowsky, who lost his wife to violence and began targeting criminals he felt escaped justice due to legal technicalities, like his wife's murderer.

In the original DC Comics, Phillip Karnowsky was a career criminal known as Barrage, who used a high-tech suit of armor to commit crimes. After losing an arm during a fight with Maggie Sawyer, Barrage developed a stronger suit with a robot arm with an energy cannon to use in his quest for revenge.

The DCTVU version of Barrage is very much like his comic book counterpart in terms of powers, save that his armored suit has a machine-gun arm rather than an energy cannon.

Mon-El says that marriages on Daxamite are prearranged at birth and people become bonded to one another at a certain age. This seems similar to how marriages are handled on some versions of Krypton in the comics.


Technobabble

In addition to his shield, James's Guardian costume comes equipped with smoke bombs, a wrist-mounted bola-launcher and a wrist-mounted grappling hook.

K'rkzar's Tonic is a popular Martian folk remedy prepared for those who are recovering from an illness. While impossible to replicate perfectly on Earth, M'gann attempts to make it for J'onn by substituting ghost peppers for z'arr roots.

Snapper Carr refers to the confirmation bias - the tendency to interpret any evidence to fit a previously established belief. In this case, James Olsen's belief that any costumed vigilante is automatically good.

N'th Metal comes from the planet Thanagar and is unbreakable, according to Mon'El.

Lillian Luthor has a helmet capable of absorbing the energy of Supergirl's solar flare power.

Daxamites are dangerously allergic to lead.

Alex determines that J'onn's blood has low hematocrit levels. A hematocrit the ratio of the volume of red blood cells to the total volume of blood. Alex says this could be due to dehydration or a higher concentration of sodium.

Green Martian blood and White Martian blood are apparently visibly different at a microscopic level.

The White Martians developed an alternative way to exterminate the Green Martians, by turning their blood into a mutagen that would transform Green Martians into White Martians. This is confirmed to be the cause of J'onn's illness and halucinations.


Dialogue Triumphs

(The crook has been snared by The Guardian and is hanging upside down.)
Crook: You ain't the police! This is wrongful imprisonment!  Kidnapping! I know a lawyer, you freak!
Guardian: Good. You're going to need one.

Kara: Are you still feeling sick from The Parasite?
J'onn: I keep seeing my wife and daughters. K'hym. T'ania. Like they're in the room with me.
Kara: Maybe this has something to do with M'gann?
(J'onn just shrugs a bit.)
Kara: When I got to Earth, I saw my parents everywhere. I was in my room one night. I remember looking up at the stars... and feeling so alone. I started to cry. And Eliza came in my room and I yelled at her to get out.
J'onn: Yelled? It's hard to imagine you as a teenager.
Kara: Well, I wasn't always this mature.
(J'onn smiles at that and nods for Kara to continue.)
Kara: Eliza refused to leave. She said... that my parents would want me to be loved. That nothing would replace them. That they were a part of who I am. (sniffles a bit) That was the first time I ever let her really hug me. And that was the first time I didn't feel alone anymore. Having M'gann in your life doesn't mean losing your family. It means feeling whole again.

Kara: If I leave you here, Alex will never forgive me!
Jeremiah: Kara, if you die here, there will be no one to forgive.

(Guardian is running from Barrage's bullets.)
Winn: Go high and to the left!
(Guardian shoots out his grappling hook and does so, only to be knocked out of the air by a sudden explosion.) 
Guardian: I thought you said to go high and left?!
Winn: That was to avoid bullets. I did not realize he had grenades!


Dialogue Disasters

Supergirl: Why are you doing this?
Cyborg Superman: Because it's time for you to die! You and the rest of the alien scum have no place on this planet!


Continuity

Mon-El has apparently been sleeping with Darla (the bartender at the alien bar, who used to be in a relationship with Maggie Sawyer), Eve (James Olsen's personal assistant, Miss Teschmacher) and an unnamed blonde Valeronian.

J'onn said his grandmother used to make K'rkzar's Tonic for him whenever he was sick.

The blood transfusion J'onn received from M'gann causes him to hallucinate - first visions of his dead wife and children. Then delusions that one of his fellow DEO agents was a White Martian.

J'onn learned Tai Chi from a Shaolin monk in the late 1800s.

Alex figures out that Winn is involved with The Guardian based on Winn's inability to lie after he defends The Guardian.  Winn confesses to her that James is The Guardian.

Alex knows six painful ways to get a person to talk using only her index finger.

Lillian Luthor refers to the events of 106 and Kara's losing her powers briefly following her use of her "solar flare" power.

Daxamites have an allergy to lead, similar to the effects of Kryptonite on a Kryptonian.

M'gann reveals that the story she told J'onn in 204 is true but that she was the White Martian who refused a kill order rather than one of the victims who escaped Mars.

Mon'El is about to tell Kara something about Daxam when they are rescued by Jerimiah Danvers.

The Cadmus base is empty when the DEO storms it.

J'onn locks M'gann up in a cell in the DEO base.

Maggie and Alex agree to remain friends.

Mon'El shows signs of being romantically interested in Kara.

Cyborg Superman is apparently strong enough to lift the key to The Fortress of Solitude.


Location

The final scene takes place in The Fortress of Solitude.


Untelevised Adventures

We have yet to learn how Hank Henshaw was transformed into The Cyborg Superman.


The Bottom Line

A rare episode where the best parts lie in the execution of the technical elements rather than the performance of the cast. Between J'onn confronting M'gann, Mon-El needing a rescue, Guardian fighting Barrage, the return of Jeremiah Danvers and Alex dealing with Maggie's rejection there's a lot going on in this episode and the cast doesn't get enough time to truly develop the material they are offered. And the first appearance of The Cyborg Superman is just lame, even ignoring David Harewood hamming it up.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 5 - Crossfire

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.





Plot

As a new criminal gang backed by Cadmus-provided technology plagues National City, Kara gets Mon-El a job an internship at CatCo and James Olsen makes a fateful decision regarding taking an active role in protecting the city.


Influences

The Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen comics of Jack Kirby (the criminals in this episode are similar to Intergang, the idea of Jimmy Olsen getting a costumed identity of his own) and Superman: The Movie (The Cadmus Doctor uses a device similar to the one Lex Luthor used in the movies to communicate with Superman to send messages to Mr. Miner before killing him and the rest of his gang with some kind of radio signal.)


Goofs

Even allowing for her being on-hand to offer help, it still seems ridiculously short-sighted on Kara's part to send Mon-El out into an officer environment without teaching him basic things such as how a phone works.

Why not have J'onn fill in for either Kara or Supergirl at the party? He's done it before and the DEO has a vested interest in monitoring Lena Luthor's fundraiser with all available resources if they believe the robbers might attack it.


Performances

Katie McGrath has her finest turn yet as Lena Luthor. Putting her in a heroic role in this episode and pairing her with Jeremy Jordan, however briefly, draws the character out of her infamous brother's shadow in a way the show hasn't managed until now.

Talking of Jeremy Jordan, the chemistry between him and Mehcad Brooks is phenomenal.  Both actors haven't been served well by the scripts for this season so far so it is gratifying that they both get great material this weak and are allowed to play off one another so well.

Finally, Chyler Leigh does delivers a credible performance as a confused Alex begins to consider her feelings for Maggie and the idea that there's a part of her she may have repressed in her years of seeking a perfect life according to the terms of her job and her role as a sister.


Artistry

The various fight scenes in this episode are much better choreographed than usual. The sequence in which James evacuates the building is particularly impressive.

The special effects for the sequence in which Kara rescues the police officer from the car thrown into the stratosphere are great.

There's wonderful editing in the scene where Kara and Supergirl must both be at Lena Luthor's party.


Super Trivia

Kara is shown using her heat vision to cut Mon-El's hair for his first day at work. In the comics and Superman: The Animated Series, it has been established that Kryptonians use their heat-vision to facilitate hair-removal since ordinary Earth tools couldn't get the job done. Superman has been depicted shaving using his heat vision reflected off a mirror and Power Girl has been shown shaving her legs with her heat vision.

Kara sets up a fake identity for Mon-El - Mike Matthews. This conforms to the most frequent standards for superhero secret-identities in classic comic books, where the male heroes' first and last names were both men's names (i.e. Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan, Peter Parker) or alliterative (i.e. Clark Kent, Peter Parker, Matt Murdock, Reed Richards, Bruce Banner) .

While not identified by name, the criminal gang depicted in this episode uses a similar modus operandi to the comic-book organization known as Intergang. Created by Jack Kirby and first appearing in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 (October 1970), Intergang was a criminal organization that used highly-advanced alien technology to commit crimes in Metropolis. The rank and file members of Intergang were only interested in making money and were manipulated towards other ends by the true powers behind the organization.

In the case of the original comics, this true power was revealed to be the evil New Gods on the alien world of Apokolips. In the case of the DCTVU, the true power is Cadmus.

The idea of Jimmy Olsen operating as a costumed crime-fighter is not a new one. Numerous Silver Age stories involved Jimmy Olsen temporarily acquiring super powers and trying to use them to help out Superman or trying to operate as an undercover agent or powerless crime-fighter. In one of the more prominent cases, Jimmy gained stretching powers and was made an honorary member of the Legion of Superheroes as Elastic Lad. He also teamed with Superman in the Bottle City of Kandor, where they adopted the aliases of Nightwing and Flamebird.

Kara refers to the operation to have herself and Supergirl show up in the same place as Operation Doubtfire. This is a reference to the Robin Williams comedy Mrs. Doubtfire and the climax of the movie, in which an actor who masqueraded as an old woman  in order to spend time with his kids after losing custody, must balance dinner with his former family in his nanny identity and dinner with a producer as himself at the same restaurant at the same time.


Technobabble

An Anndrannian Photon Cannon is an electromagnetic weapon which emits phased moun particles. According to Winn, a fully-charged one could have unpredictable destructive effects on even Supergirl.

Even with a diminished-charge, an Anndrannian Photo Cannon was capable of knocking Supergirl out of the air and the beam fired by it was able to hold back one of Supergirl's heat-vision blasts.

Supergirl mentions one weapon - Pythrarian magma bombs - and identifies it as being more advanced than any weapon on Krypton.

Winn thinks a tracking algorithm might be able to locate the Anndrannian Photon Cannon by searching for the unique radiation signature left on Supergirl's suit.

One of the other weapons used by the gang is an gun capable of controlling gravity. It is capable of slamming Supergirl to the ground while she is hovering in the air and throwing a police car upward with enough force that the car is seen icing over and the police officer inside is clearly having trouble breathing.

Alex says the DEO is analyzing thermal residue to look for any electromagnetic components to the alien weapons so they can devise a counter-measure.

The final gun used by Mr. Miner has enough power to disintegrate the side of a large building. It's beam is also powerful enough to push back Supergirl's heat vision.

Lena Luthor has a Black Body Field Generator set up under the bandstand at her party. When at equilibrium with the alien weapons, the Field Generator will absorb the electromagnetic radiation of the weapons and shut them down. It fails to function, however, due to the frequency and wavelength being a match. It is fixed once she and Winn do something to the induction coil.

The Cadmus Doctor uses some manner of radio device to send a signal to Mr. Miner just before the signal kills him and his gang.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Supergirl flies down, facing off against one of the robbers. He raises a shotgun up at her.)
Supergirl: You do know those bullets aren't going to work on me, right?
Mr. Miner (pulling off his ski-mask as he raises a high-tech gun) I'm glad I didn't bring any bullets!
(Mr. Miner fires the gun at Supergirl, knocking her back a considerable distance.)

Reporter: I don't know about the rest of you, but I sure as hell would feel a lot safer if I had one of those super-powered weapons on me to defend myself.
Kara: That's not the solution!
Reporter: Well then what is? The bad guys are running around everywhere with these high-tech weapons. I just think it's about time w good guys got some of our own.
Kara: Alien guns are bad, no matter who controls them.
Reporter: The Second Amendment gives us the right to bear arms. Even if those arms are ray guns!
Kara: That's what Cadmus wants! They're the ones handing out these weapons. They want us to be afraid of each other. To not trust each other anymore?
Reporter: Well, how do you know what Cadmus wants?
Kara: ... I- I just do.

(Kara has discovered that Mon-El gave all of his work to Miss Teschmacher.)
Kara: This is your place of work! So when James gives you a task, you should be the one to complete it - not Miss Teschmacher!
Mon-El: She wanted to please me. On Daxam, when a woman wishes to please a man-
Kara: Wherever you are going with that, just... just don't. We are not on Daxam.... thank Rao!

Alex: I just thought that we could go and have some fun. Keep each other company.
Maggie: You and me?
Alex: Yes! Why? Why- what's wrong with that?
Maggie: Nothing. It just... I think I read you wrong.
Alex: What do you mean?
Maggie: I - I didn't think you were into girls.
Alex: I'm not!
Maggie: Oh - my bad then. Sorry...
Alex: No, I mean, no offense, Maggie.
Maggie: No, I get it. You're not gay.
Alex: Right!
Maggie: You'd be surprised how many gay women I hear that from.

(Kara uses her super-hearing to try and find Mon-El.)
Miss Teschmacher: (panting) Mike, do you have protection?
Mon-El: You mean like a sword?
Kara: Oh God! Get it out of my ears! Ewww!

James: My whole life I have been a sidekick. I have hidden behind my camera. All my best friends wear capes and they're heroes and they save people and  I want to do something good for the world. And I feel like I've waited too long already. Winn... you found the work that you're supposed to do at The DEO. I haven't. Not here. But I feel like this is it.
Winn: I hate to break it to you dude, but you don't have super powers.
James: I know! But I can do this! We can do this.
Winn: Was that... we?
James; Yes. We. I mean, I have a black belt. And you're right - I don't have powers.You... you can make me a suit. You can build me a weapon. And together we can level the playing field. C'mon!
Winn: Hmmm... no. No! I can't do it!
James: You helped Kara!
Winn: There's a difference, okay?! She can fly! You're just.... tall.
James: You know, watching my dad's camera get destroyed reminded me of something. He gave his life protecting this country. And if I do this, I can honor him.
Winn: Or you can end up just like him.
(Winn turns around to leave as James goes quiet.) 
James: Winn?
Winn: What?!
James: I'm going to continue to be that crazy guy with the baseball bat and the ski-mask. With or without you.
Winn: James... guys like us.... we are here to give people information. Right? To fight with knowledge. There is no shame in that, man!  You - you've got to think this through. You're going to get yourself killed.

Supergirl: You like to take risks, don't you? When Corben was after you and now this - why?
Lena: Well, you can't live in fear. You, more than anyone, must understand that? Time and again you risk everything to see justice done. Is it so hard to believe I feel the same way? Are you one those people who think there's no such thing as a good Luthor?
Supergirl: I believe everyone should be judged on their own merits.
Lena: Then judge me on mine.

Alex: My whole life has been about being perfect. Perfect grades. Perfect job. Being a perfect sister, taking care of Kara. The one part of my life that I've never been able to make perfect was dating. I just never really liked it. I - I...  And you know, I mean, I tried. I got asked out. I just...I never liked... being intimate. I just... I dunno. I thought maybe that's just not the way I was built. You know? Just not my thing. I never thought that it was because of...  the other... That... (laughs nervously) Maybe I.... I mean.... I don't know. Now, now I just can't stop thinking about....
Maggie: About what?
Alex: ... that maybe there's some truth to what you said.
Maggie: About...?
Alex: What you said. About me.


Continuity

Mike Matthews' social security number is 498-00-3145.

Maggie Sawyer's girlfriend, first seen in 204, has dumped her as this episode opens.

The camera that James Olsen's father gave him is destroyed during the gang's first attack.

Anndrannians are an alien race with purple skin and fins.

Kara says the weapons being used by this new criminal gang are more advanced than the weapons of Krypton.

Lena Luthor says that Kara is her only real friend in National City.

James says that a poll shows 63% of all people favor repealing The Alien Amnesty Act.

James has a black-belt in some unidentified martial art.

Alex identifies herself as an FBI agent when asked what her job is.

Alex liked horror movies, science fairs and punk rock as a teenager.

Kara preferred romantic comedies, N'Sync and didn't like science fairs as a teen..

The Cadmus Doctor refuses to go after The Luthors.  She says that she has a son and daughter.

Supergirl refers to Lena Luthor fighting John Corben in 201.

Both Krypton and Daxam have dancing.

All of the gang is killed by The Cadmus Doctor.

Winn agrees to make a super-suit for James.

James says he has a superhero name in mind but doesn't tell Winn what it is.

Mon-El was fired from his internship.

Alex confesses her attraction to Maggie Sawyer to Maggie.

At the end of the episode, The Cadmus Doctor is revealed to be Lena and Lex Luthor's mother.


The Bottom Line

An enjoyable episode that is more than the sum of its parts. The main plot with the Cadmus-backed robbers is fairly weak, as is the comedic plot of Mon-El failing to fit in at CatCo. Still, the effects used for the action-sequences and the direction of those sequences is top-notch. What makes this episode work as well as it does, however, is the excellent performances of the supporting cast and all the subplots involving Lena trying to prove herself to Supergirl, James trying to prove something to himself, Alex dealing with her newfound romantic feelings and Winn.