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 12 - Luthors

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



Plot

When Metallo and Lillian Luthor escape from prison, Lena Luthor is arrested as an accessory. Only Kara is prepared to believe she's innocent and work to investigate the case. In the meantime, things come to a head between Kara and James over his secret life as The Guardian and Kara tries to work out her feelings regarding Mon-El.


Influences

Superman: The Movie (hypersonic sound devices used against Kryptonians), the Smallville TV series (character of Lionel Luthor) and various other Superman and Supergirl comics involving Kryptonite.


Goofs

By James' twisted logic, Lena is likely guilty of helping her mother escape from prison because anyone who would betray their own family is capable of doing anything... even though said betrayal was working with Supergirl to help save lives and put her genocidal lunatic mother behind bars!

Granting that he has more experience with Kryptonite than any other ordinary human on the planet, just how can James tell there is something "off" about the piece inside Metallo?

So Lex Luthor sealed his arsenals of weapons capable of hurting Superman inside of a number of subterranean bunkers with biometric locks only another Luthor could open. Yet he didn't think to put these same locks on the entrances to said bunkers?  Or to give his own alien-hating mother access to said arsenals?

Why didn't J'onn go with Kara to help in the fight with Lillian Luthor and Metallo in the first place? He sure seems to get there quickly enough when Kara needs saving.

Cliche as love triangles are and as much as I applaud them for avoiding one here, it seems odd that Kara isn't at all conflicted over her previous romantic feelings for James when she considers a relationship with Mon-El.


Super Trivia

We discover in the flashbacks that Lena's adoptive father and Lillian's husband was named Lionel Luthor. Originally created as a character for the Smallville TV series, Lionel Luthor was later introduced into the mainstream DC Comics Universe in a flashback during the Countdown event.

The Smallville version of Lionel Luthor was a manipulative billionaire who, for better and worse, his son Lex would grow to emulate.  The comics version of Lionel Luthor was an abusive drunkard. It was suggested - but never confirmed - that his death was part of Lex Luthor's first evil scheme.

Based on what little we see in the flashbacks in this episode, it seems clear that the DCTVU version of Lionel Luthor is cut from the same cloth as the Smallville version.

Like Lex Luthor in the comics, the DCTVU version of Lionel Luthor sports a a shaven head and clean-shaven face.

In the Silver Age DCU, Lex and Lena's parents were named Jules Luthor and Arlene Luthor. In contrast to Lionel and Lillian, Jules and Arlene were respectable citizens who disowned their son and changed their surname to Thorul so that no one would associate them with the world's most infamous criminal mastermind.

The DCTVU version of John Corben does not require a piece of Kryptonite in order for his cyborg body to function. In the comics, Metallo would go inert without a Kryptonite power source.

The base Lillian Luthor retreats to is located about 50 miles north of Mount Whitney. Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the continental United States and is located in California, in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Synthetic Kryptonite has appeared in the comics before, utilized by Lex Luthor, Batman and Ra's Al Ghul in various stories and realities. Most versions of Synthetic Kryptonite were unreliable as long-term weapons, being expensive to produce, difficult to create even under prime conditions and possessing a short half-life that renders it non-radioactive shortly after its creation.

Perhaps the most famous example is the synthetic Kryptonite Batman created in The Dark Knight Returns which Green Arrow utilized in the form of a Kryptonite Arrow during Batman's fight with Superman.

The DCTVU version of Synthetic Kryptonite, by contrast, is incredibly unstable and risks producing a nuclear explosion after less than a day powering Metallo's body.

One of the objects in Lex Luthor's weapons vault is an Atomic Axe. The Atomic Axe was a weapon of power wielded by the super-villain known as The Persuader, who fought The Legion of Superheroes.


Technobabble

In the opening scene, Lillian Luthor mentions defending against the Alekhine Variation when teaching a young Lex Luthor chess. This a reference to a famous hypermodern chess opening - The Alekhine Defense - where the player begins play by moving their knights rather than their pawns.

Lex Luthor's arsenals of weapons capable of hurting Superman are sealed with bio-metric locks that scan for Luthor family DNA.

Winn hacks into L-Corp's CCTV to get a copy of the raw video of Lena Luthor taking the Kryptonite from a vault there. He finds that someone hacked the same system several days earlier and recognizes the code as the same code used by Hank Henshaw to break into L-Corp. Knowing that, Winn is able to reverse the "cyborg" signature to separate the raw video file from the corrupted one the police were given, revealing Cyborg Superman as the one who took the Kryptonite.

The piece of Kryptonite used by Metallo is not pure. Alex notes that the ionizing radiation signature is breaking down at a an exponential rate and has a half-life that can be measured in minutes. This is unusual, J'onn notes, because Kryptonite is usually a stable element. This eventually leads to the conclusion that the Luthors have created synthetic Kryptonite.

One of the weapons in Lex Luthor's vault is an ultra-sonic grenade that broadcasts a frequency that can disable a Kryptonian.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Lionel has just entered the room with a young Lena. Lillian is obviously not happy.)
Lillian: I thought we had discussed this.
Lionel: We did. And this is what we are doing.

(J'onn, James, Winn and Kara are sitting at a table in the alien bar.)
Winn: I am very excited to meet Alex's new mystery man.
James: Hey, do we know what he does for a living?
Kara: Cop.
Winn: Oh. Yeah. No way Alex is going to date someone who doesn't own a firearm.
(Alex enters with Maggie.)
Alex: Hey guys. You all remember Maggie, right?
(James gets it instantly, his jaw dropping for only a second as his brain shifts gears.)
James: Hey!  Yeah... good to see you again.
(J'onn smiles enigmatically behind James.)
Winn: Alex! (laughs nervously before looking at J'onn) I didn't know!  What?  Did you know?
J'onn; Of course I knew. I'm psychic.
Alex: How come you never said anything before?
J'onn: Not for me to say.

(Kara begs the rest of the team to find something to prove Lena innocent.)
J'onn: Everything we've seen so far says the exact opposite.
Kara: Well, she's my friend. And I believe in her.
(Kara leaves the lab. James follows after her.)
James: I'm your friend. Which is why I don't understand why it's so hard for you to believe me. People don't remember this, Kara, but Clark and Lex Luthor used to be best friends for years.
(Kara scoffs.)
James: And Clark believed in Lex for the longest time. No matter what people said. No matter what kind of proof he saw with his own eyes. (sighs) No, Lex was his friend. But Clark was wrong.
Kara: Lena is not Lex!
James: But they grew up in the same house, Kara. I don't understand why you keep defending her. And... you...you have so much faith in her but none in me as Guardian.
Kara: That's entirely different! I'm trying to protect you!
James: I do not need your protection. I need your trust. (sighs) You have mine. I don't understand why it's so hard for me to get yours.


Continuity

A news report refers to the events of 208 and Lillian Luthor's plot to kill every alien in National City. This was also the last time Lillian Luthor appeared on the show.

Daxam punished convicted criminals with public shaming in the town square. According to Mon-El, this did help to curb repeat offenses.

Alex comes out to Mon-El, Winn, James and J'onn.  J'onn already knew, however, due to his psychic powers.

Homosexuality was not forbidden or unusual on Daxam. Indeed, Mon-El says the general attitude on lovers is "the more the merrier."

Winn is not as good a pool player as he claims.

According to Lillian Luthor, Lena was the product of an affair between Lionel Luthor and an unnamed woman. Lionel abandoned his mistress after Lillian found out, only stepping into Lena's life to adopt her once her mother died.  Lillian blamed her repressed hatred of Lena on that fact, the hatred becoming less repressed over time as Lena grew to resemble the woman who "ruined" Lillian's perfect marriage.

John "Metallo" Corben makes his first appearance since 202.

It is revealed that - contrary to what was seen in 211 - Mon-El only went out on one date with Eve Teschmacher. She did not ask him out for a second date because he spent all of their date talking about Kara.

Earth has a colder climate than Daxam.

The Cyborg Superman is seen for the first time since 208.

According to J'onn, Kryptonite is the most stable element known to Earth science.

J'onn refers to the anti-Kryptonite vests Winn constructed for Kara and Clark to use in fighting Metallo before. It turns out Winn still has not repaired them.

Lex Luthor's war-suit is contained within his weapons vault in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

One of the weapons in Lex Luthor's vault is an Atomic Axe. This may be the same weapon wielded by Vartox in 101.

The vault also contains a Black Mercy - one of the parasitic alien plants Kara fought in 113.

Lillian retrieves some object in a box. We do not see what it is, but she praise's Lex's cleverness and is astonished that he finished it... whatever "it" is.

John Corben is apparently killed in the Kryptonite nuclear blast.

Lillian Luthor and Cyborg Superman escape in a helicopter before that.


Location

A secret Lex Luthor base in the Sierra Nevada mountains.


Untelevised Adventures

James refers to Clark Kent and Lex Luthor's past as best friends.


The Kryptonite Factor

Honestly, the only way the plot of this episode works is if you accept that the NCPD is run by total idiots. Or that prisons in the DCTVU do not inspect bulging packages sent to prisoners the day before they are due to testify in a trial. Or that the police believe it is impossible to edit security video footage (that was sent to them unsolicited, no less!) but do believe that Lena Luthor could somehow deliver a piece of Kryptonite into the part of a prison where the male inmates are kept unnoticed. Or that someone who could betray their family is inherently untrustworthy and devious, even if their family are a bunch of criminals and murderers whom they betrayed to save lives.


The Bottom Line

Dull and predictable. Quite possibly the worst episode of the series to date. None of the subplots are truly resolbed and only the scenes of Mon-El and Kara make it tolerable. Unfortunately, the rest of the episode is devoted to Brenda Strong chewing the scenery, James being made to look like a jerk in order to push the romance with Mon-El forward and everyone except Kara being uncharacteristically paranoid or stupid. At least the final minute promises next week's episode won't be boring.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 8 - Medusa

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



Plot

Eliza Danvers is in town for Thanksgiving and Alex struggles with how to come out to her. Kara's foster mom thinks Mon-El might be sweet on Kara, but Supergirl has bigger problems than finding romance when Cadmus releases an alien-killing virus on National City! Kara thinks she can turn to Lena Luthor for help, but can Lena be trusted to work against her own mother? And how will Kara respond when Barry Allen arrives looking for help with a crisis on his Earth?


Influences

Various works of medical science-fiction dealing with pandemics (i.e. Outbreak), the New 52 Supergirl comics (Zor-El being a maker of biological weapons) and the many Crisis comics of Gardner Fox, where the heroes of multiple parallel Earths (usually the JSA & JLA) joined together to deal with threats to both their worlds.


Goofs

Why is The Medusa Virus known by that name? Does the word Medusa mean something different in Kryptonese than it does in Greek? It just seems like the name would be used for a virus that caused petrification rather than a suffocating death.

How the heck did Cyborg Superman and Lillian Luthor learn about the existence of The Medusa Project in the first place if the only place that had records of it was The Fortress of Solitude computer?

Given the ease with which Hank Henshaw escapes from L-Corp, it's clear The NCPD Science Police suck at establishing cordons.

Lena's speech to Supergirl about thinking she was different than her cousin flies in the face of everything we know about Lena's relationship with her mother based on the scene earlier in the episode and serves only to add artificial drama when it seems Lena is helping her mother later.

If Lena switched the Isotope 454 with a fake formula, why does Winn's radioscopic scanner detect it being moved?


Artistry

The script does a fantastic job of establishing a common theme through all its subplots regarding parents, children and their mutual expectations (i.e. Alex feeling like she's letting her mom down somehow, Kara being disappointed in her father's creating biological weapons, Lena's issues with her adoptive mother). Shame the episode was already crowded, because we could have done with James talking about living up to the legacy of his soldier father and Winn rebelling against his criminal father's legacy as well.


Super Trivia

This episode was the first part of a four-part crossover between all of The CW Network's DC Comics superhero shows.

A disoriented Mon-El asks Kara if she developed the power to create duplicates of herself when he starts experiencing double-vision. This is an ability belonging to the people of the alien world of Cargg. One of them - Luornu Durgo - was the fourth hero to join The Legion of Superheroes and the first non-founding member of the team. She used the names Triplicate Girl, Triad, Una, Duo Damsel, Duplicate Damsel and Duplicate Girl.


Technobabble

Alex says she's never encountered any biological weapon that can target only alien physiology while leaving humans unharmed.

The Medusa Virus isn't transmittable through physical contact or from organism to organism. One has to come in contact with a weaponized aerosol.

Eliza Danvers determines The Medusa Virus is Kryptonian based on one protein strand she isolates from Mon-El's blood.

Project Medusa was a weaponized virus created by Zor-El in order to defend Krypton from alien invaders. It was engineered to attack the physiology of alien combatants while sparring Kryptonian civilians and soldiers.

Kryptonians and Daxamites share similar DNA.

The Medusa Virus requires a dispersal agent not available on Earth. There is an analogous element - Isotope 454 - which is incredibly rare and manufactured only by L-Corp.

Winn uses a radiological alarm to track the unique radiation signature of Isotope 454 and warn him if the stockpile at L-Corp is being moved.


Dialogue Triumphs

Mon-El: (To Eliza Danvers) Kara tells me that you are a brilliant scientist. That must be riveting. I have to hear about this science. What is science?

(Lillian Luthor walks into Lena's office. Lena is sitting at her desk, with a half-empty glass of wine and a plate that appears to hold all the trappings of a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner..)
Lillian Luthor: This is quite a depressing sight.
Lena Luthor: I'm used to celebrating holiday weekends alone at my desk.
Lillian Luthor: Overworking does run in the family.
Lena Luthor: And now I know you're in the holiday spirit. Usually that kind of thought is followed by the back-stabbing jibe about how I'm not really a Luthor. (pauses)You never let me forget that I'm adopted. When it comes to your children, Lex was always your favorite.
Lillian Luthor: And you were always your father's.
Lena Luthor: You sound almost jealous.
Lillian Luthor: You shouldn't take it all so personally. No parent truly loves their children equally and... though maybe I loved Lex more, I do love you, Lena. In my own way.
Lena Luthor: Well... now that we've got the pleasantries out of the way, let me ask...what the hell are you up to? 
Lillian Luthor: We've hardly spoken since Lex's trial. I thought maybe you called me here to make amends. It's Thanksgiving, after all. But I see I was mistaken.
(Lillian Luthor turns around to leave.)
Lena Luthor: There's a reporter sniffing about.
(Lillian Luthor stops.)
Lena Luthor: She's smart. She knows something about you. What is it?
Lillian Luthor: I couldn't possibly imagine!
Lena Luthor: See, I know you're lying...
Lillian Luthor: And how would you know that?
Lena Luthor: Because you told me you love me. And we both know that's not true. Thanks for stopping by, Mom.

Kara: Hey, you don't uh... you don't, like me, do you?
Mon-El: Of course I like you.
Kara: No, I mean like, you don't "like me" like me?
Mon-El: "Like you like you?" Sorry... English is my second language...
Kara: My mom, Eliza, she... she thought you were being extra nice to her on Thanksgiving. That's like a thing that boys on this planet do. They're nice to the moms of girls they have crushes on sometimes.
Mon-El: "Crush?" Sorry... I'm not following.
Kara: (annoyed) You don't want to mate with me, do you?!
(Mon-El just laughs.)

(Eliza asks Alex what it is she was wanting to tell her earlier.)
Alex: ... how?
Eliza: Keeping a secret disagrees with you, sweetie.
Alex: This isn't like that, Mom...
Eliza: Does it have anything to do with Maggie? You mentioned her a lot.
(Alex looks dumbfounded.)
Eliza: Oh my beautiful Alexandra... why, why is it so hard for you to tell me?
Alex: ...I feel like I'm... I'm letting you down... somehow.
Eliza: Why would your being gay ever let me down?
Alex:  You always wanted me to have a regular life.
Eliza: Alex... look at the life our family has led. Look at me! Look at your sister! I don't think you believe I ever expected you to have a regular life. You were always going to be different Alex, because you've were always exceptional and I love you however you are. Come here.
(The two hug.) 

(Kara looks out on National City from the DEO rooftop. J'onn comes up behind her.)
J'onn: I like this view much better than the stalactites in our last office. Here, the lives we've been charged to protect are always in view.
Kara: Kinda reminds me of the view from my room on Krypton. I could see the whole city from that window. All the lights... pods zooming by...
(Kara sighs and steps away from the railing.)
Kara: But then again, I guess I didn't truly see anything... All my life, I thought my parents were the good guys. And now the more I learn, the more I see things... how they really are. And the more I'm ashamed to be their daughter.
J'onn: Kara. your parents tried to protect a planet. They tried to save lives!
Kara: I'm sure Lex and Lillian Luthor thought their intentions were good, too. Is this their legacy? Death and destruction across the universe?
J'onn: Your parents legacy is not death and destruction, Kara Zor-El. It's you.


Dialogue Disasters

(James announces his intent to reveal that he is The Guardian to Kara.)
Alex: No. No, you're not. No. Because I have something to say. Something very important. And I'm not going to have you two hijacking the night with your vigilante... hijinks!
Winn: I'm sorry. Um - I couldn't sleep a wink last night. No, I can't wait.
Kara: (entering the room) Can't wait for what?
Winn: (weakly)... Eliza's glazed carrots?

Every damned line Cyborg Superman says.

(Cyborg Superman knocks down J'onn)
Cyborg Superman: You may be an alien, but I am Cyborg Superman!
(Supergirl flies down and punches out Cyborg Superman)
Supergirl: You may be a cyborg, but you are no Superman!


Continuity

Kara refers to Lena's statement from 201 regarding turning L-Corp into a force for good.

Lena Luthor and Lillian Luthor are not emotionally close.

Dr. Eliza Danvers is an expert on alien biology.

There is a hologram of Kara's father Zor-El in the Fortress of Solitude computer.

Project Medusa was a joint venture between the Science Guild and Military Guild of Krypton.

The Cyborg Superman has heat-vision on par with Supergirl's in one eye.

Mon-El kisses Kara for the first time, albeit it while in the grips of a hallucination. Mon-El has no memory of it later, much to Kara's disappointment.

Lillian Luthor is apparently arrested at the episode's end.

Cyborg Superman apparently escapes before the police arrive.

In a call back to 201 - where it is revealed that Mon-El's rocket passed through a place called The Well Of Stars, where time does not pass - we see an alien ship full of hooded figures arrive at The Well of Stars in search of Mon-El.

Eliza Danvers is able to use The Medusa Virus to cure J'onn's conversion into a White Martian.

Alex and Maggie begin dating.

Barry Allen arrives from Earth Prime along with Cisco "Vibe" Ramon. Barry introduces Cisco as a friend but Cisco says "friend is a loose term" and that he and Barry work together. This is a nod to recent events in The Flash (F307) where the friendship between the two became strained after Cisco discovered that Barry's alteration of the timeline was indirectly responsible for the death of his brother.

Barry refers to the events of 118 and how Kara promised him her help if he ever needed it.


Location

The Fortress of Solitude


The Fridge Factor

Kara looks like kind of an idiot, running into Mon-El's quarantine cell when he starts coughing.


The Kryptonite Factor

What they're doing with Hank Henshaw as Cyborg Superman is a thrice-damned shame. There's a lot of drama in the idea of an alien-hating bigot being turned into a machine and fighting against the alien who took over his identity. Unfortunately, any pathos that might be examined here or any exploration of the moral ramifications of J'onn's choices is abandoned in favor of David Harewood growling his lines and spouting dialogue that would be too corny for a Power Rangers villain.


The Bottom Line

A bit of a mixed bag, all in all. The script is well-balanced thematically yet undercuts its own drama. The excellent scene between Lena and Lillian early on, for instance, completely kills any idea that Lena would ever help her mother later on.

Cyborg Superman is easily the worst villain in the show's history.  The show's take on Hank Henshaw is so bland and one-note that I actively groaned when he escaped so that he could plague later episodes with his presence. Throw in the fact that this episode doesn't really have anything to do with Invasion, apart from the last minute cameo by Grant Gustin and Carlos Valdes and one could see the whole thing as a bit disappointing.

And yet... it largely works due to the charisma of the cast and all the good parts of the script. Alex coming out to her mother, the flirting between Mon-El and Kara, J'onn reassuring Kara that her parents are not the monsters she's afraid they might have been and Maggie and Alex continuing to bond more than make up for the other short-comings of the episode's action sequences.

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.