Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 5, Episode 11 - Back from the Future - Part One

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



Plot

Winn Schott's doppelganger from another Earth is on the loose in National City. Unfortunately, he's from a world where Winn embraced his father's ideology and now this new Toyman has endangered the real Winn Schott's idyllic life in the 31st Century. The Super Friends must work to clear Winn's name in the eyes of the Time Police and bring this new Toyman to justice, not knowing that he's in the employ of Lex Luthor.... and Brainiac-5 is working with them both!


Influences

Back To The Future (title, plot of trying to avert crime in the past to preserve a family), The Terminator (Brainiac-5 quotes the movie as he breaks The Toyman out of prison), The Fugitive (the sequence with the bus is reminiscent of the escape scene involving a derailed train.)


Goofs

I can't believe that Alex would send SWAT officers carrying rifles into a toy convention if she were trying to avoid starting a panic.


Performances

There's something magical about the scene where Melissa Benoist and Jon Cryer play off of each other, needling one another as Supergirl and Lex play nice publicly.

Jeremy Jordan is a delightfully wicked villain as the new Toyman. But he also gets some great moments bonding with Nia and Brainiac-5 as Winn.


Artistry

The direction by David Harewood is quite good.

The sequence of the Super Friends fighting the robot tigers to Eye of the Tiger is rather nice all around. The music is well set. The blocking works well. The effects work is also good.


Super Trivia

The episode opens without a "Previously on Supergirl" stinger, instead opening on Brainiac-5 disabling the prison bus carrying the alternate universe Winn Schott.

This episode was directed by Martian Manhunter actor David Harewood.

Chester Dunholtz is the former business partner who stole the designs of Winslow Schott Sr. and inspired him to become the Toyman.  In the classic DC Comics universe, Chester Dunholtz was the name of the bully who picked on a young Toyman.

Winn reveals that he got married to a woman named Ayla. This might be Ayla Ranzz, the Legion of Super-Heroes member known as Lightning Lass, Light Lass and Spark. The twin-sister of Legion founder Garth Ranzz, she has the same power of electricity generation and manipulation, though at one point an accident left her with the ability to control gravity instead.

Winn makes reference to a group of Time Cops who monitor the 31st century for criminals who commit crime across time. This sounds somewhat like the Science Police - the official peace-keeping force protecting most United Planets worlds in the Legion of Super-Heroes comics.

Winn says that in the future the meeting places of superheroes are called Halls of Justice. This is a nod to the base of operations utilized by the Super-Friends in the 1970s animated series of the same name, which has since then been introduced into the modern DC Comics universe.

J'onn dubs the secret base he built into his office for the Super Friends "The Tower." This seems to be a nod to the Justice League Watchtower - a base which was built on the moon after the destruction of the Justice League satellite in the story JLA: New World Order.


Technobabble

The laws of physics in the new multiverse have changed the nature of Q-waves. This leaves Lena starting over at square one on her research.

The Legion jet is capable of changing size, appearing to be a toy jet when it intercepts the bullet meant for Chester Dunholtz before expanding into a full-size vehicle.

The Legion jet requires a DNA sample to enter it and access its computer. Brainac-5 informs Lex Luthor of this and how he can override it with a sample of Winn Schott's DNA placed on a panel in the right quadrant of the ship's control panel.

Winn altered his Legion flight ring so that it could generate dream energy, of the same sort created by Dreamer and her descendants.

The memory cube on the Legion ship is powered through a telepathic interface. Lex realizes it must run on Q-waves and steals it for Lena.


Dialogue Triumphs

Lex Luthor: You're welcome for the breakout, by the way.
Toyman: You know, I figured I would save my thanks until after I heard your proposition.
Lex Luthor: Hmm. That's a bold stance from a guy who got himself arrested, what, 16 hours after coming here from another Earth? So, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.
Toyman: (sarcastically) Aw, that's very kind of you. And since you know so much about me, why don't you tell me who the hell you are?
Lex Luthor: The name's Lex Luthor.
Toyman: (chuckling) That's a weird name.
Lex Luthor: No weirder than Toyman.

(Lex has taken Kara aside, after getting several tough questions from William Dey)
Lex Luthor: This was supposed to be a puff piece. Why did I just get Frost/Nixoned by a Boy Scout? Since I have been on this Earth, I have done nothing but protect and serve. Judging me for the crimes of another Earth's Lex, well, that's not fair now, is it?
Kara: I'm gonna find out what you're doing at the DEO.
Lex Luthor: (laughing exaggeratedly) So much moxie! (quietly) Let me make myself clear. If young Woodward decides to proceed with his Lexpose, it will prove very, very dangerous for his health. Off the record.
(Lex grabs Kara's hand-held recorder and turns it on.)
Lex Luthor: Have a nice day. Kara Danvers is Supergirl.
Kara: Give me that!
(Kara snatches the recorder back and crushes it with her hand before sighing in annoyance.) 

J'onn: In the wake of Crisis, Kara, Kal-El, Barry, Kate, we established a headquarters from which to fight crime.
Winn: Oh, in the future they call it a Hall of Justice.
Kara: (smiling) I like that.
J'onn: I thought since Luthor Corp now owns the DEO, National City could use its own collective. A headquarters to keep this city safe. To work outside of corporate and government oversight, whose interests might not always side with justice.
Alex: So, like STAR Labs?
Kara: Or the Arrow bunker.
J'onn: (smiling) A place for my super friends to work, whenever they should need it.
Winn: What are you gonna call this?
J'onn: I was thinking The Tower.

Toyman: Hello, National City! (laughs) Well, by now you might've heard that my splashy show at ToyCon caused, well, a little bit of ruckus. (laughing manically)  And I have got a bigger bang in mind. Now, tell me; have you ever been so unfairly wronged that it just made you wanna burn it all down? Well, I have. And I'm angry. Someone hurt my family and they destroyed my father's good name! So, I have the target, I have the method. And what I need now is you. Give me the will. Like me, subscribe, share, follow me, and once I reach... (impersonates Dr. Evil) one million followers.... you will see a fireworks display like never before. So, let's play to win! Huh? (inhales deeply) Until next time. I am Hashtag Toyman.

Winn: You know, I can't tell you a whole lot about the future, but I can tell you that you, Nia, are a powerful woman. (holds up his hand) You see this? So, I'm the only human Legionnaire, so when I got my Legion ring, they had to soup it up with, like, some cool powers.
(Winn flexes his hand. It begins to glow blue with the same energy Dreamer generates.)
Nia: Is that dream energy?
Winn: Yeah. So, Nura and I, we fashioned the ring's abilities after her and your powers. Never let anyone make you question your own worth. Okay?  And that is patented Nura Nal advice. She would kill me if I didn't give her credit.

Brainiac-5: I have lied to everyone because I'd... I've had to work with Lex Luthor. I helped Lex bring you back for the sake of the future.
Winn: (coldly) That was you? You...
Brainiac-5: Winn-
Winn: No, no, you risked my life!
Brainiac-5: I -
Winn: Brainy, my family!
Brainiac-5:(frantic) I had to! I It was imperative that Lex get information from the memory cube on your ship! I did the calculations! I knew no one would die! That we would catch Toyman...the The one thing I didn't account for was Lex himself. He's, he's chaos incarnate. He's completely unpredictable, and I... I don't know if I can control him.
(Winn just looks at Brainaic-5, like he's on the verge of punching him.)
Brainiac-5: Winn, I... I'm so sorry. Another Brainiac told me that it was absolutely critical that I help Lex in complete secrecy. But I hate it. I hurt Nia. And all I want is to be close with her again! But... I have to be cold. And I'm... I'm terrified that I'm becoming the bad guy. You must hate me.
Winn: (softly) You're right. I should hate you. But... everything worked out, so... I guess I don't.  In fact (sighs) In a way, you kinda helped me. Growing up, I was constantly burdened by my father's crimes. You know, son of a madman. Pretty sure everybody judged me for it. Everything I've done in my life has been in defiance of that. Joining the Super Friends, running out to the future with Legionnaires to fight your cousin and stop him. (sighs deeply) But all that kinda pales in comparison to saving my own future. Plus, I got to see some old friends.
Brainiac-5: You still consider me a an old friend?
Winn: Yes, Brainy. I do.
(Brainiac-5 looks on the verge of tears.)


Dialogue Disasters

Alex (leading a group of black-clad SWAT officers carrying rifles onto the convention floor) We need this place evacuated and locked down. We do not wanna cause a panic. (Then maybe don't send SWAT people carrying guns into a convention center!)

Winn's throwing up after having his memories restored is a little too silly, even for this show.


Continuity

Brainiac-5 facilitates Toyman's escape from the prison bus transporting him.

Nia says that she is glad that she and Brainiac-5 have broken up, since he clearly has some emotional things he needs to work out on his own.

DEO employees now get stock options and four weeks paid vacation each year under Lex Luthor's management.

Lex points Toyman in the direction of an upcoming Toy Convention and points out that his father's old business partner (who stole his designs on his Earth) will be there.

Lena learns that Brainiac-5 is working with Lex. He assures her he is now operating from a position of pure logic and his friendship with Supergirl will not get in the way of their work.

Brainiac-5 promises Lena that he will make sure no one is harmed by their work.

Lex suggest that Lena approach Andrea Rojas and see if what she knows about Leviathan has changed in the new reality. In exchange, he promises a new source of Q-waves by the end of the day tomorrow.

Lex Luthor has his own action figure premiering at the National City Toy Convention. He is disappointed it isn't a limited edition collector's figure.

William asks Lex about his plans to develop Shelley Island as an energy source.  Shelley Island was a site used for naturalizing alien immigrants to America in the pre-Criiss timeline.

Winn got married in the 31st century to a woman named Ayla and has a daughter named Mary who is almost two years old.

Winn was accused of murdering Chester Dunholtz on a certain day and time in the 21st century by the Time Police. He went back in time to prevent the murder from happening, having deduced that a doppelganger of himself was responsible for committing the crime.

Alex pulls up footage of someone lurking around Chester Dunholtz and asks Brainiac-5 to identify them. The disguised figure is Brainiac-5 in disguise, aiding Toyman's plan at Lex's request.

Lena discovers that in the new post-Crisis timeline Andrea Rojas was never activated by Leviathan. She promises to contact Lena if they do ever get in touch with her, however.

J'onn has built a secret lair into his detective's office, which he has named The Tower. It is meant to act as a private gathering place for National City's superheroes and any other vigilantes that can be free of the DEO's influence.

Alex has the Legion ship relocated to a secret government black site three miles south of National City. Brainiac-5 tells Lex where to find it and how to access it. 

Winn has his memories of the pre-Crisis timeline restored by J'onn. He is also clued in about the events he was not present for, such as the battle with the Red Daughter.

According to Winn, anti-trolling legislation is passed on a global scale in 2126 and is credited with averting World War III.

J'onn has contact buttons set up in The Tower to automatically contact Supergirl, Dreamer, Brainiac-5, The Flash, Batwoman and himself.

The Tower also has a balcony that allows flying heroes to leave the tower by flying.

William Dey tells Kara he thinks there is a connection between Lex Luthor and Toyman. Kara begs for him to be careful investigating Lex.

Andrea assigns William to cover her family receiving an award. She asks Kara to write about Winn Schott going crazy and becoming the new Toyman. Kara refuses, saying she knows that isn't the man she knew but Andrea doesn't care.

Toyman says, while talking to himself, that he will accomplish his father's goal of living forever.

Winn confirms that Dreamer's descendant Nura Nal is a member of the Legion and a good friend of his.

Dreamer tries to use her powers to get a premonition regarding Toyman. Instead she sees Brainiac-5, who transforms into a tiger and attacks her. This upsets her.

Nia's nickname for Brainiac-5 was Wildcat.

Winn learned the art of dream interpretation from Nura Nal and became the Watson to her Sherlock Holmes, in his words.

Winn is the only human member of the Legion of Super Heroes.

Winn says being a dad is the hardest thing he's ever done but also the most rewarding.

Winn says that he named his daughter after his mother, Mary.

Winn says he almost named his daughter Kara, but his wife talked him out of it is an incredibly common name in the 31st century thanks to all the people who name their daughter after Kara Zor-El.

Winn guesses that Toyman might be working out of his father's old factory.  Sure enough, they find Toyman's lab there along with notes indicating he's going to attack Andrea Rojas at the awards ceremony she's attending that day at National City University.

Kara guesses that the Rojas family had something to do with Winslow Schott Sr. falling from grace in the other Earth.

The mascot of National City University is the Tiger.

Lex downloads all the Legion's records on Leviathan. He recognizes Gamemnae from a painting of her and Rama Khan together, but doesn't realize why he knows her until he tracks her image to a picture of the board of directors for Obsidian North.

Toyman attacks Andrea's presentation with two robot tigers.

Winn is able to use his dream energy to create a force-field that temporarily restrains one of the robot tigers. 

Toyman sets of a bomb and seems to kill himself after facing off against Winn.  Winn is able to protect himself with his flight ring dream-energy force-field.

The wanted poster from the future with Winn's name on it has changed.  Apparently his name has been cleared in the wake of Toyman's death.

William missed Andrea's presentation because he was spying on Lex Luthor and followed him to Fort Harrison, where he caught him bribing the guards to get inside.

Kara invites William to join her and her friends for game night.

Brainac-5 skips game night, claiming that J'onn asked him to keep running diagnostics on the systems in the Tower. When Winn calls him on the lie, he confesses to Winn that he is working with Lex Luthor in secret and that he set up the chain of events with Toyman so that Winn would have to come back to the past, giving Lex access to future information about Leviathan.

Despite his manipulative behavior, Winn agrees to keep Brainiac-5's secret and forgives him for putting him through hell for the sake of the future.

Lex gives Lena the memory cube from the Legion ship.

Winn wears glasses and uses the name Marty as a disguise while at game night so as not to get William's attention.

Kara and her friends play a Jenga variant where whoever knocks the tower over has to do a shot.

The episode ends to reveal that Toyman's laptop has his face upon it after it mysteriously powers on.  The suggestion is that Toyman found a way to cheat death and became a computer program.


Location

Fort Harrison, three miles south of National City.


Untelevised Adventures

Winn has become a valued part of the Legion of Super-Heroes, gotten married and had a daughter.


The Fridge Factor

Kara and Alex wind up standing around like idiots during the Toyman's assassination attempt, so that Winn can get a dramatic entrance.


The Bottom Line

A solid episode that brings Winn back in style and makes the best use of the Toyman concept of any DC Comics show ever. Some parts of it are a little goofy, even by Supergirl standards. Still, Jeremy Jordan's performance makes up for a  lot.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 14 - Schott Through The Heart

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



Plot

In the wake of his father's death, Winn Schott must work with his estranged mother to thwart the plans of a copycat Toyman. Meanwhile, Alex accidentally discovered a stunning secret about J'onn's father.


Influences

The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz (The "Surrender Mary" sky-writing and robot flying monkeys), The Flash comics of The Silver Age (mention of Wiggins Toys) and multiple classic Superman comics involving The Legion of Superheroes and Toyman.


Goofs

How does James not break his hand punching the metal flying monkey?

Granting that an army of flying robot monkeys is not the sort of thing one can easily prepare for, one would think The DEO would have some kind of defenses to stop something from just flying in through their front door.  Or, at least, that once something had flown in through the front door, that they might have trained agents with weapons at the ready to deal with said thing that had flown in through the window.

The conversation about why J'onn continues to live the life of a black man in America when he could shapeshift into anyone, while well-written, is incredibly awkward in its placement and grinds the pace of the episode to a halt.

While The DEO may not have armed guards ready to spring into action at a moment's notice, they do have extensive armories that are not locked and do not require a passkey, retinal scan or any sort of technology that would prevent someone from just walking in and picking up a gun, as Mary Schott does.


Performances

Mehcad Brooks and Jeremy Jordan don't always get a chance to shine in this series, much less get a chance to play an understated scene. Yet the scene in which James refuses to leave Winn alone after he leaves the bar after seeing the news report about his father's death as well as the scene in which James opens up about his own mommy issues shows that both actors can play a quiet scene just as well as they can play the action hero and the comic relief respectively.

While Carl Lumbly does not get much time to play the increasingly demented M'yrnn, he does so convincingly and his sudden mood swing when Alex approaches him about seeking help is true to life, as is M'yrnn's denial of his condition because he does not wish to burden his family.


Artistry

Though the CGI for the robot dinosaur is hardly fantastic, the fight sequence between it and Mon-El is amazing.


Super Trivia

The title of this episode is a pun on the title of a 1986 Bon Jovi song - "Shot Through The Heart".

The song Kara sings at Karaoke is Beastie Boys' song "Intergalactic Planetary" - appropriate enough for an alien with a goofy personality.

The song James sings is "Tears Away" - the debut single of James Olsen actor Mehcad Brooks. You can listen to it here.

The song Alex sings is "I Drove All Night" by Celine Dion. An appropriate choice given Alex's recent heartache, given that the song is about wanting to be with someone despite the distance - physical and emotional - between you and them.

The song J'onn sings is "So Emotional" by Whitney Houston. Given J'onn's recent attempts to open up more in the wake of his father's arrival on Earth, this too seems fitting.

The song M'yrnn sings is "Suspicion Minds" by Elvis Presley - a fitting choice given that it's about love and paranoia, which describes M'yrnn's state of mind after centuries of torture at the hands of White Martians only to be saved by the son he thought was dead. It also neatly foreshadows his paranoia at having his dementia discovered.

Mon-El confirms that the DCTVU version of Saturn Girl is only telekinetic, not telepathic. In the original comics, Imra was primarily a telepath who later gained the ability to move things with her mind.

The song Winn is planning to sing is a-ha's "Take On Me". A bouncy, happy song about wanting to be hugged before someone leaves you.Definitely fits Winn's personality and, fittingly, he sings it with his mom at the episode's end.

It is revealed that Mary and Winslow Schott were both students in Ivy Town. This is a nod to Ivy Town - a fictional college town in the DC Comics Universe, where Ray Palmer was a professor at Ivy University.

The parts used to make the flying monkeys that attack Mary and Winn are eventually traced to the Willard Walter Wiggins Game Company. In the original DC Comics, Wiggins Toys was the name of a toy and game company, run by Willard Walter Wiggins, which employed George "Digger" Harkness as a mascot for their line of boomerang toys. They billed Harkness as Captain Boomerang before Harkness turned to a life of crime and began fighting The Flash.

Mary refers to her captor as Buffalo Bill - a reference to the serial killer from The Silence of The Lambs. This is a double reference as the actress playing Toyman's apprentice - Brooke Smith - was one of Buffalo Bill's kidnapping victims in the movie.

The RC cars carrying explosives seem to be a nod to the "Beware The Grey Ghost" episode of Batman: The Animated Series which was based around a villain, similar to The Toyman, who used toys as a delivery system for explosives.

Though not identified by name in the episode, the episode credits name Toyman's apprentice as Jacqueline Nimball. This is a nod to Jack Nimball - the second Toyman in the classic Superman comics - who took up Winslow Schott's name and gimmicks when the original Toyman had reformed. Kimball would eventually be brought to justice when Schott and Superman joined forces, only to be murdered by Winslow Schott when he returned to a life of crime.

Mon-El sings "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas - a song about a man searching for meaning in his life after realizing how little he knows and how much time he wasted pretending to be something he isn't. Again, a fitting choice for Mon-El.

A passing reference is made to the planet Rimbor, when Mon-El says his regular Legion costume was damaged there. In the original comics, Rimbor was part of the United Planets in the Legion of Super Heroes books. Rimbor had a reputation as a lawless world where crime and corruption were commonplace. It was the homeworld of LoSH member Ultra Boy and was populated by several different species, including humans.


Technobabble

J'onn suggests running a full mass-spectrometry on the explosive residue from Toyman's exploding coffin.

Za-alet is a Martian condition similar to dementia in humans. It translates literally into English as "decay of memory." It causes a person to slowly forget words, why they walked into a room and eventually people.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Kara stares down a line of people including James, Alex, J'onn, M'yrnn and Winn. She walks down them like a drill sergeant, her tone serious.)
Kara: I know some of you are scared. I know some of you have never done this before. I know some of you are ready to get out there and prove yourselves. But just remember why we do this. We do this for the people!
(Winn smiles and holds up a microphone, which Kara takes as she returns the smile.)
(Cut to: A Karaoke Bar. Kara is on stage singing Beastie Boys' "Intergalactic Planetary.")

M'yrnn: Karaoke is not for the weak. It requires either great courage or a complete lack of shame! But I like it!

Winn: Let me set the scene for you. It's the night Dad finally snapped and I'm sitting in the police station, freezing cold, because I'm in my pajamas. When the police came to pick me up from home, I was asleep. Remember? In bed. Alone. And the nice officer, he drapes the coat over my shoulders. I feel a little better. So I'm sitting there, in the cold, little feet are dangling in the air and I'm waiting. I'm waiting for my mom to pick me up. 'Cause they said that they called you. Yeah. Yeah, they said that it was just going to be like, an hour. And then they'd explain everything. And then it was two hours. And then it was the next morning. (grits his teeth) When I lie in bed at night at night, staring up at the ceiling unable to sleep? I'm not wondering why Dad finally, suddenly snapped. No, that doesn't haunt me. What haunts me is you. You, who left me. When I needed you the most, with no explanation. No goodbye.
Mary: I'm so sorry!
Winn:  I don't care anymore
Mary: Winn...
Winn: I don't need your excuses. You want to keep me safe? Great.
(Winn walks to the door and holds it open.)
Winn: You know what you should do? Leave. Again.

Mary: I always knew he was brilliant and capable but I worried when I left that he'd go the same way his dad did.
Supergirl: He worried about that too.
Mary: I should have been here to tell him that he and his father were worlds apart. (pauses) Did his friends tell him?
Supergirl: We did.
Mary: Thank you for that.
Supergirl: Well, it was easy. He doesn't always get the credit, but he keeps us going around here. He's always the one with some crazy idea that no one else would possibly dream of.
Mary: (chuckling, shaking her head) My son works with Supergirl. It's just such a relief. He saves lives. I just wish he'd let me tell me how proud I am of him.
Supergirl: I think he will. Eventually.


Continuity

James tells Mon-El that he is interested in someone (Lena Luthor) but they haven't figured out where their relationship stands yet.

Alex has not seen J'onn and M'yrnn's new apartment yet.

It has been three months since J'on and M'yrnn moved in together.

Winn has not seen his mother, Mary Schott, in 20 years.

Mon-El apologies to Kara for every time he ever lied to her while they were dating.

Mon-El then confesses to Kara that Saturn Girl and Brainiac 5 lied to him about some big Legion business and that he wants to discuss it with Kara later, over drinks, once everything with Winn and his father is settled.

Mon-El says that Brainiac 5 is his best friend.

Mary Schott claims that she left her husband because he threatened to kill Winn if she ever made contact with him or came near him.

Winn claims that he was far more traumatized by his mother failing to come for him following his father's arrest than by his father's crimes.

James has a sister.

James says that he had a falling out with his mother after his father's death, but he eventually reconciled with her.

Alex's grandmother was a music lover who suffered from dementia.

M'yrnn is starting to show signs of dementia. Over the course of the episode, he forgets that he had two granddaughters on Mars, orders a pizza on the night Alex and J'onn are having a dinner party and forgets the word "wine" while in the middle of dinner.

M'yrnn refuses to burden J'onn with the knowledge that he is starting to go senile, despite Alex saying J'onn should know.

Mary Schott helped her husband with building his toys early on, acting as his apprentice.

Mary and Winslow Schott were both students in Ivy Town but they met at a toy store. Mary was the bookeeper and Winslow a stocker.

Mary Schott recalls an incident where she planned to take a nine-year-old Winn to Disneyland. In truth, she was trying to make a break for a women's shelter. She was run off the road by Winslow Schott, who stole a car, ran her off the road (resulting in Winn getting a concussion) and that was when he threatened to kill Winn if she didn't leave.

Lena is not answering James' phone calls or messages and hasn't shown up to work in several days according to her assistant. This suggests that Lena has gone into hiding to help Sam in the wake of Lena discovering that Sam is Reign in 313.

The culprit behind the flying monkeys and exploding casket is revealed to be a maintenance woman at the prison where Winslow Schott was held. He taught her everything he knew and charged her with getting revenge on Schott's wife and son after his death.

This episode confirms that Kara needs to breath like an ordinary human, as she begins to suffocate after being sealed inside a giant plastic toy box.

Mon-El has trained in the art of cape-fighting. His Legion costume in the future has a cape. He offers to teach the art to Kara.

Mon-El cannot sing.

Winn reconciles with his mother.

Kara says that she can't talk about Mon-El's feelings of betrayal being lied to by Saturn Girl given their history.  Mon-El understands, but explains that was not why he wanted to talk to her privately about his being lied to.

Mon-El reveals to Kara that The Legion's real mission was to go back in time and kill the third Worldkiller - Pestilence - before she evolves into The Blight (first mentioned in 310) in 1000 years time.

Mon-El says his old costume was damaged om Rimbor.

M'yrnn's favorite food on Earth is ghost pepper macaroni and cheese with a side of jalapeno peppers.

M'yrnn reveals the truth about his dementia to J'onn.

Lena calls James from a lab, saying that she and Sam have been busy working. The episode ends as we see Sam in a hospital bed in Lena's lab.


The Kryptonite Factor

Security at the DEO is made to look really lax, with the flying monkey robots able to get into the building no problem and Mary Schott having no trouble in stealing a gun from the armory so she can go confront Jacqueline Nimball alone.


The Bottom Line

An odd episode to come back to after the show was on hiatus for the better part of two months. Still, the performances manage to sell some dopey dialogue, though it's odd that Laurie Metcalf has the least amount of chemistry with Jeremy Jordan out of all the cast she interacts with. The plot with the new Toywoman is the weakest link in the story.

Thankfully, the writers seem to be aware of this and use all the other subplots to distract away from that, even though there's a lot of logic problems involving the lax security at the DEO and why J'onn throws a dinner party with only Alex being invited. Still, it's an enjoyable bit of filler... probably because this episode is almost entirely free of the nonsense involving The Worldkillers.

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 17 - Duet

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

Plot

Team Flash is surprised when Mon-El and Hank Henshaw emerge from a breach with an unconscious Supergirl in tow.They tell everyone about The Music Meister - a new telepathic villain who put Kara under his spell. Soon Barry is similarly enscrolled and both heroes find themselves trapped in a world right out of a musical. And if they hope to get out of this one gracefully, they're going to have to sing and dance their way to the end of the story!

Influences

The Mayhem Of The Music Meister! episode of Batman: The Brave And The Bold, the MGM film version of The Wizard of Oz (various lines refer to songs from it, Barry notes that the people around them in the dream world look like people from his and Kara's lives) and various Mr. Mxyzptlk stores from the classic Superman/Supergirl comics (Music Mesiter's powers and general M.O.)

Goofs

Very little about The Music Meister makes sense in terms of powers, power limits and motivations. But hey, it's a musical, so don't worry about it.

Performances

The entire ensemble does a great job with the musical numbers.


Artistry

The set design, costuming and lighting of the musical dream world are fantastic.

The original songs are toe-tapping numbers that will stick with you after the episode is over.

Flash Facts

Grant Gustin (who plays Barry Allen), Melissa Benoist (who plays Supergirl) and Darren Cris (who plays The Music Meister) all previously appeared together in the musical comedy/drama Glee.

The Music Meister was originally created for the cartoon Batman: The Brave And The Bold. A powerful telepath who was bullied for his love of singing and musicals as a child, he discovered that he could control the minds of other people by singing. This resulted in the people under his control bursting out into song, as if they were in a musical production. The episode in which he appeared - The Mayhem Of The Music Meister! - was nominated for an Emmy and frequently places in the top rankings on lists of Television History's greatest musical episodes.

Precisely what The DCTVU version of Music Meister is never explained. J'onn says he was an alien, but his species is never identified. He is able to steal both Barry and Kara's powers and clearly possess some kind of telepathic abilities - presumably how he is able to know so much about everyone and their secrets. He claims his motivations are purely to help mend Barry and Kara's broken hearts. This makes him very much like Mr. Mxyzptlk, whom Kara has already fought once. Oddly enough, nobody else makes this connection in the episode.

The songs featured in this episode include Singing In The Rain from Singing In The Rain, Moon River from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Put A Little Love In Your Heart by Jackie DeShannon and More I Cannot Wish You from Guys And Dolls.

The backstage area where Barry meets Kara features several posters for Thurston The Great Magician. This is a reference to Howard Thurston - a stage magician who was certainly the most famous of his time and one of the "Royal Dynasty" of magicians.

John Barrowman - who plays Malcolm Merlyn on Arrow and Legends of Tomorrow - appears in the dream world as club owner/gangster "Cutter" Moran.

Jeremy Jordan - who plays Winn Schott on Supergirl - appears in the dream world as Grady The Piano Player.

Carlos Valdes - who plays Cisco Ramon on The Flash - appears in the dream world as Pablo The Waiter.

Victor Garber - who plays Dr. Martin Stein on Legends of Tomorrow - appears in the dream world as Digsy Foss's husband/ Millie Foss's other father (who is never named in the whole episode!)

Jesse L. Martin - who plays Joe West on The Flash - appears in the dream world as crime boss Digsy Foss.

Candice Patton - who plays Iris West on The Flash - appears in the dream world as Millie Foss.

Chris Wood - who plays Mon-El on Supergirl - appears in the dream world as Tommy Moran.

The original song - Superfriends - was written by actress/singer/songwriter Rachel Leah Bloom, who is perhaps most famous for her work on the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.

The original song - Runnin' Home To You - was written by Pasek and Paul, who also wrote the 2017 Academy Award winning song City of Stars for the movie La La Land.

Technobabble

Kara's vital signs are low after a few hours in The Music Meister's trance.

Caitlin determines that the Speed Force levels in Barry's cells and the amount of solar radiation in Kara's body have been severely depleted by their comas. She speculates that their powers are being drained by The Music Meister.

Dialogue Triumphs

Barry: Who are you exactly?
Mon-El: My name's Mon-El. I'm Kara's...(struggles before spitting out the word) friend.
(Barry just raises an eyebrow.)
Mon-El: We're more... more than... friend?
(Barry looks to Wally.)
Mon-El: We've been kissing a lot.
Caitlin: Oh! She never mentioned she had a boyfriend.
Mon-El: It's a recent thing, so...
J'onn: I thought you two broke up?
(Mon-El looks away as everyone goes awkwardly quiet.)
H.R.: (laughing nervously) I'll tell you what. I know enough not to mention the break-up between Barry and -uh-
Iris: (quietly) H.R.?
H.R.: Sorry...

(Kara and Barry speculate on where they are and how to escape.)
Barry: We just need to figure a way out.
Kara: (smiling) I guess I could click my heels together three times?
Barry: Yeah!
Kara: I was kidding.

(Wally runs into the lab. Everyone is watching Music Meister on a monitor trying to break into a bank with his stolen heat vision. Cisco has changed into the leather jacket for his Vibe costume.)
Mon-El: We've got to bring him in.
Wally: No. Not we. Me. I'm the reason Barry got whammied.
Cisco: We win and we lose as a team. I'm coming with you.
J'onn: I'm coming too.
Cisco: Look, John - I respect this whole special agent situation you've got going on, but this problem right here needs someone with...
(Without saying a word, J'onn shape-shifts into his Martian form.)
Cisco: ... green skin and a sick-ass cape.
J'onn: Call me The Martian Manhunter.
Mon-El: I think you'll find that J'onn is a lot more than just a pretty face.

Millie: Dads, there's no reason to be concerned!
Barry: (stunned) Dads?

Millie's Dads: (in unison) You got a problem with that?
Barry: No. I love musicals. So...

Barry: Wow. Things really are easier in musicals.

Barry: I'll be there in the nick of time if you're ever in a spot.
Kara: And if you're not there in time, you can just go back in time, and give it another shot.
Barry: (spoken) I'm actually not supposed to do that any more.
Kara: (spoken) Oh. Okay.

Continuity

This episode immediately follows the events of S216.

The episode opens with a flashback to Barry's childhood, where he is seen watching Singing In The Rain with his mother.

Kara did not say anything about Mon-El to the heroes of Earth One during the Invasion! storyline.

Kara and Barry are powerless in the dream world.

According to The Music Meister, Kara and Barry created their shared dreamworld together due to their shared love of musicals.

Cisco is revealed to have the power to vibe other people into the dreams of other people.

The Music Meister escapes, with no explanation as to who or what he is.

Kara and Mon-El seem to be back together again as a couple.

Barry proposes to Iris again. She accepts.

Location

The opening flashback takes place at some point in Barry's past before his mother died.

The Bottom Line

Those hoping for a full musical ala the Once More With Feeling episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer may leave this episode sorely disappointed since there's only two original songs and nothing within the context of the original action of the show. Those hoping for something as funny as the classic Brave And The Bold Episode with the cast being forced into a kick-line will be likewise let down. Taken on its own merits, however, this is a solidly amusing episode... except for my own personal opinion that there's better chemistry between Kara and Barry than their respective love interests.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 16 - Star-Crossed

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




Plot

The arrival of an unknown alien ship may spell trouble for Kara's relationship with Mon-El. At the same time, Winn's winds up in trouble with the law thanks to his new girlfriend, Lyra. And then a new villain called The Music Meister attacks...


Influences

The Mayhem Of The Music Meister! episode of Batman: The Brave And The Bold, the Star-Crossed episode of Justice League: The Animated Series (title, plot based around lovers from two worlds finding out the other lied to them.) and every rom-com where the noble woman manes the idiot man want to be better.


Goofs

Why doesn't J'onn use his telepathy to determine whether or not Lyra is telling the the truth about her endangered brother and her reasons for committing the theft?

How does The Music Meister know about Barry Allen or how to work the inter-dimensional extrapolator? (Presumably he gained the knowledge telepathically after locking eyes with Kara.)


Performances

The episode is a nice performance piece for Jeremy Jordan, who gets to take center stage for most of it.

As cheesy and cliche and "rom-com" as the Kara/Mon-El scenes are this week, Chris Wood and Melissa Benoist still have amazing chemistry together.


Artistry

The special effects sequences are top notch, with Kara's confronting the ship and the destruction of Daxam flashback standing out.

The make-up for Mandrax is a little more intensive than what we usually see for aliens on this show.

The ending musical sequence is well-shot.


Super Trivia

Despite Kara having been fired from CatCo in 215, the opening narration still describes her as a reporter working for CatCo.

Winn describes Lyra as a "she-hulk" when she breaks a lock with one hand. She-Hulk is, of course, a super-strong superheroine with the Marvelous Competitor of DC Comics.

Teri Hatcher - who plays Queen Rhea - played Lois Lane on the 1990s drama Lois & Clark.

There are two notable DC Comics characters who also had the name Rhea.  One of them was Rhea Jones - a member of the Doom Patrol who fought crime under the codename Lodestone. As her name implies, she had magnetic powers. The other Rhea was a character in New Teen Titans - apparently the Rhea of Greek Myth - who was really an alien who inspired the myths of the original Titans. This Rhea also saved an infant Donna Troy from a fire and bestowed a measure of power upon her.

Kevin Sorbo - who plays King Lar Gand - is famous for having starred in the 1990s Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

In the original comics, Lar Gand was the original name of the amnesic Daxamite who was named Mon-El by Clark Kent after his rocket landed on Earth. He also used the names Valor and M'Onel while serving as a member of the Legion of Superheroes in various alternate realities.

The painting which Winn is accused of stealing is Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night. Painted in 1889, it is one of the most famous paintings in Western Civilization and has been part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City since 1941.

Lyra's species is identified as Valerian. There is a Valerian race on Star Trek that are trade partners with The United Federation of Planets.It is also the name of a flowering planet, whose roots can be used to make mild sedatives.

A passing reference is made to the planet Rimbor Five. In the original comics, Rimbor was part of the United Planets in the Legion of Super Heroes books. Rimbor had a reputation as a lawless world where crime and corruption were commonplace. It was the homeworld of LoSH member Ultra Boy and was populated by several different species, including humans.

The Music Meister was originally created for the cartoon Batman: The Brave And The Bold. A powerful telepath who was bullied for his love of singing and musicals, he discovered that he could control the minds of other people by singing. This resulted in the people under his control bursting out into song, as if they were in a musical production. The episode in which he appeared - The Mayhem Of The Music Meister! - was nominated for an Emmy and frequently places in the top rankings on lists of Television History's greatest musical episodes.


Technobabble

The DEO picks up a homing signal on a teleportation beam.

The Guardian's shield is made of titanium alloy capable of deflecting laser blasts that can cut through a trailer.

Winn analyzes the inter-dimensional extrapolator that Cisco Ramon built for Kara back in L207 and declares that it is working fine.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Kara and Mon-El have just beamed down from Mon-El's parent's ship.)
Mon-El: So, you survived the first dinner with the fam...
Kara: You're a liar!
Mon-El: I'm sorry, okay?! Can you really blame me for wanting to be just Mon-El - a regular guy from Daxam?
Kara: Ohhhh - wow.
Mon-El: With how you feel about Daxamites, if you had known that I was the crown prince, would you even talk to me?
Kara: You didn't even give me the chance!
Mon-El: I tried to tell you so many times, okay? I really did.
Kara: What? Is that supposed to make this better?
Mon-El: Me being the prince doesn't change anything. Not how I feel about you...
Kara: This changes everything! It's bad enough you lied but you being the prince? I thought you were just born on a cruel planet but you lead it! You benefited from its cruelty! What about that Kryptonian emissary? Your guard... Do you even feel guilty?
Mon-El: Of course I do...
Kara: (shaking her head in disbelief) I can't even look at you.
(Kara flies up into the sky as Mon-El watches her sadly.)

Alex: Kara, maybe Mon-El is an evil prince. But maybe he's just a guy who is ashamed of his past and he's looking for a fresh start?

(An informant agrees to sell-out Lyra for Hamilton tickets - a price Alex agrees to. As they walk away...)
Winn: Hamilton? How you going to pull that one off?
Alex: The guy who plays King George is from Rimbor Five. He owes me a favor.

J'onn: Miss Strayd-
Winn: - needs our help!
J'onn:  - is an admitted con artist.
Winn: Her brother is in danger!
J'onn: Have you ever met this brother? Or could this possibly be just another con from a woman who knows how to play you?
Winn: (slowly) I believe her.
J'onn: I know you do. But I can't afford to.

Lyra: This was your plan all along?!
Winn: I mean, if I had told you half of National City's heroes and a squad of DEO Agents were going to show up, were you going to come along?
Lyra: Keeping secrets? (smiles)  Looks like I'm rubbing off on you.


Continuity

As the episode opens, Kara and Mon-El are watching Game of Thrones together.

Kara loves musicals and thinks that Funny Face is the most romantic movie ever.

Lyra is strong enough to break a padlock with one hand.

We discover that Mon-El is Prince of Daxam - not the royal guard that he claimed to be.

Queen Rhea refers to the events of 209 and how a Dominator ambassador informed them that their son helped orchestrate a slave revolt.

We find out that the sequence described by Mon-El in 204 was a complete lie. His escape from Daxam was facilitated by his bodyguard ushering him away from a one-night stand, ignoring people in need, killing a Kryptonian emmisary and stealing his rocket.

Alex remarks that Winn has a type. The last woman he was involved with sexually became Silver Banshee.

Valerians do not show up in photographs or on video cameras.

Alex finds two other similar heists in the past nine months - a Rodin stolen from the Modern Arts and Culture Museum in National City and an original Warhol taken from the Art Institute of Metropolis. Both of the suspects in those cases claim to have been set up by a girlfriend.

Worris is one of the regulars at the alien bar who both Alex and James have pumped for information in the past.

The Valerians in National City hang around a trailer park near Blackmore.

The actor who plays King George in the National City production of Hamilton is an alien from Rimbor 5 who owes Alex a favor.

Winn says he was a theater geek in high school.

Lyra has a brother named Bastian who was smuggled onto Earth with her. The two were refugees following a ten-year war on Starhaven, where their parents starved to death. She claims to be unable to sleep alone in the dark because of her nightmares of being locked below-deck on a spaceship for six weeks.

Lyla admits to real affection for Winn but claims she had to use him to steal the painting in order to pay a debt her brother owed.

Lyla's buyer is a fence named Mandrax - he was another Fort Rozz escapee.

Lyra's last name is Strayd.

Winn forgives Lyra for setting him up. It is unclear if she plans to say in National City because of this but Winn says that any woman who would go through the lengths she did to say her brother is someone worth forgiving.

Kara dumps Mon-El, despite his big romantic speech about how she makes him want to be better a better man.

Mon-El tells his parents he is not returning to Daxam with them and further tells them not to return to Earth.

Winn says that he's pretty sure he and Cisco Ramon would be best friends if they lived in the same dimension.

The Music Meister says he was looking for Kara, is aware of the existence of Barry Allen and knows how to work the the inter-dimensional extrapolator.


Location

The Music Meister's psychic dimension


The Bottom Line

A predictable, cliche-driven episode that works purely because of the charisma of the cast. Jeremy Jordan does a fantastic job holding the focus of the episode as Winn while Chris Wood and Melissa Benoist make their rom-com break-up subplot work.

That being said, I'm annoyed that after all that had been done to establish Winn and Lyra that they have her turn out to have been manipulating him because it's lazy writing. I'm also not sure what's worse - James being absent from the show for weeks at a time or episodes like this where he only shows up to get his butt kicked.

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 11 - The Martian Chronicles

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



Plot

Armek. a White Martian, arrives on Earth hunting M'gann. When the DEO takes her into protective custody, the team must play a dangerous game when Armek is revealed to have entered into the DEO base in disguise.


Influences

Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles (the title), Grant Morrison's JLA (the introduction of The White Martians and the character of Armek), the film The Thing (basic plot of being trapped in a military base with a shape-shifter, a similar test to determine who isn't a shape-shifter.) and Aliens (trapped with a monster plot, Alex and Winn sealed up in some kind of cocoon, a tough Hispanic female soldier named Vasquez)


Goofs

Granting how childish Kara has been acting lately in regards to Winn and James playing vigilante, the subplot of her getting fearful of being abandoned when Alex makes plans to be with Maggie on Kara's "Earth Birthday" really doesn't ring true.


Performances

Jeremy Jordan has a lot of good moments here - both as Winn and his brief turn as the shape-shifted White Martian.

Sharon Leal givers her finest performance to date as M'Gann, truly seeming like the kind of person who could defy the will of her species in order to save lives for the first time since her character was introduced.

It's a brief thing but there's some great non-verbal acting between Sharon Leal and David Harewood indicating a telepathic conversation between J'onn and M'Gann. We don't need to hear their voices. Their faces say it all.


Artistry

Good use of light and shifting camera angles in the first struggle between Armek and J'onn.

Nice special effects on the lamprey mouth of the shape-shifting "Alex".

The action sequence in which Kara, J'onn and M'Gann battle Armek and the other White Martian in the reactor is a fantastic scene with a good balance of effects work, fight choreography, editing and direction.

While the episode does a poor job of hiding its sources (There's a fine line between a tribute and a rip-off) the script does do a good job of justifying why certain measures can't be used to solve the White Martian mystery in ten seconds (i.e. Kara using her x-ray vision to track them, J'onn using his telepathy to screen for the traitor.)


Super Trivia

The episode title comes from a Ray Bradbury short-story collection detailing the colonization of Mars.

Armek was the name of a White Martian in Grant Morrison's JLA run. Armek was one of The Hyperclan - a group of White Martians who pretended to be a team of intergalactic saviors come to help the people of Earth improve their lives. Armek used his shape-shifting powers to disguise himself as a giant robot.

Armek makes a reference to H'ronmeer is the Martian God of Death. This is taken directly from the Martian Manhunter comics, where H'ronmeer is the Martian god of death, art and fire.

M'Gann makes reference to having left her husband 300 years earlier. While the exact amount of time differs from comic to comic, it is generally accepted that Martians in the DC Comics Universe are longer-lived than Earthlings. Some comics say Martians can live for hundreds of years. Others say they can live for millions of years,

The basic plot of this episode greatly resembles the film The Thing, with our heroes trapped in a military base with a hostile shape-shifting alien.

As in The Thing, a test is devised to determine who is or isn't a shape-shifter. In the case of The Thing, a blood test that saw the blood sample touched to a heated cooper wire since The Thing's survival instinct would cause even the smallest parts of it to avoid danger. In this episode, J'onn devises a test using an open flame that will force a White Martian to drop their disguise when their hand passes by the fire.

This test is also a nod to the original DC Comics, where fire depowered Martians - White or Green - in the same way that Kryptonite or the light of a red star depowered Kryptonians. The reasons for this weakness have changed repeatedly over the years, with the most generally accepted reason being that the Martian fear of fire is a psychological block caused by the instinctive fear of death, due to the Martian God of Death also being their god of Fire. One story claims this weakness was imposed upon The Martians by The Guardians of the Universe (the same race who created The Green Lantern Corps) so as to prevent the Martians from becoming a dangerous race of conquerors.

One of the DEO agents is a Hispanic woman named Vasquez. This may be a nod to a soldier character from the movie Aliens.

The DEO agent who squares off against Vasquez is named Demos (prounced Dee-moes). This could be a reference to Deimos - one of the two moons of Mars.

In the scene at Kara's apartment, Kara is seen wearing a t-shirt that reads "Power To The Girls". This could be a nod to Power Girl - the parallel Earth version of Supergirl in the comics.


Dialogue Triumphs

Kara: You understand I'm just worried about you?
Winn: Yeah, you don't have to worry about me.
Kara: You got beat up a few weeks ago! You could have been killed!
Winn: (not looking up from his monitor) Mmm-hmm.
Kara: I know James thinks he has a calling but you have to see how crazy this is, right?
Winn: (suddenly intense) Have you ever thought that maybe I have a calling too?!

J'onn: Almost there. How long until you disable the reactor?
Computer: Core breach in four minutes.
Winn: About four minutes?
J'onn: That's a good answer.
(The two round the corner and enter into the reactor room.)
Winn: Yeah, as long as I can focus, it should be easy.... Oh God!
(We cut to Winn's perspective as we see Supergirl and the White Martian fighting.)

(Armek rears up over a distracted J'onn. He is suddenly hit by a blue energy blast. J'onn turns around to see Alex, smiling as she enters the room.)
Alex: Have I mentioned how much I love my new gun?

J'onn: Thank you for saving me.
M'Gann: I should be thanking you. I've been on my own for so long and.... Though I had a mother,...she wasn't warm. That's not our way, but... she cared for me. I know she did. I'd forgotten that feeling until now. What it feels like to have a family... which is what makes this so hard.
(J'onn turns to her and raises an eyebrow expectantly.)
M'gann: I'm going back to Mars.
J'onn: Why?!
M'Gann: There must be other voices like mine. White Martians who have the desire and the capacity to change. Who don't want to be defined by the hatred of our kind... but just... need a push, to do the right thing!
J'onn: They could kill you as soon as you land!
M'Gann: Maybe. But if I don't try... They're never going to stop hunting me. You know that's true.
(J'onn slowly nods.)
M'gann: You've shown me what it is to stand up and fight. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. Please tell me you understand.
(J'onn says nothing. Not out loud. His face expresses his sorrow but also his acceptance. M'Gann looks sad as well but slowly nods and walks away.)


Continuity

Mon-El is still working as a bartender.

Mon-El and Kara discuss his confession of romantic feelings for her from 210.

Kara celebrates her birthday on the anniversary of the day she arrived on Earth. They usually have cupcakes.

Alex is a big fan of the band Barenaked Ladies.

Kara refers to the events of 209 and Winn's nearly dying when he tried confronting a mugger on his own.

K'onahr is the Martian word for wife.

Armek was M'gann's husband 300 years earlier. It was an arranged marriage.

Martians of both species - White and Green - are unable to maintain a shape-shifted disguise when in close proximity to a fire.

Martians need close, physical proximity - say within the same building - to the person they are impersonating when attempting a successful infiltration.

The DEO building's walls are lined with lead.

M'Gann leaves to return to Mars and seek out other White Martians with a conscience, like her.

When impersonating another person, the telepathic bond between the Martian and the target can go both ways. This results in the impersonated person having weak, dream-like memories of any conversations their doppelganger had.

Based on the final scene, Mon-El is dating Eve Teschmacher


The Bottom Line

A decent filler episode that does more the develop M'Gann as a character than any other story to date... only to write her out of the show. It's unclear just what the bond between her and J'onn is (romantic or familial) but things are left vague enough to satisfy fans of the characters from the comics and the possibility of romance at a later date. There's not a lot else going on beyond that.

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.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 2 - The Last Children Of Krypton

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




Plot

Kara's first day as a reporter doesn't go nearly as smoothly as she'd hoped, when her new boss, Snapper Carr, refuses to acknowledge her hiring. And when mercenary John Corben returns with a Kryptonite heart and nearly kills Supergirl, Superman is quick to blame J'onn and the DEO. It turns out the true culprits are Cadmus - the group that abducted Kara's foster-father - which has now publicly threatened every alien on Earth and anyone who would help them!


Influences

John Bryne's run on Superman (the design and origin for Metallo, the presence of Kelex - the Fotress of Solitude robot), the Adventures of Superman show (the sequence of the robbers shooting Superman and then trying to punch him), Crisis On Infinite Earths #7 (the shot of Superman holding a fatally injured Kara mirrors the cover art) and the Superman comics of Jack Kirby (Project Cadmus).


Goofs

Alex says she hasn't been on a date in two years.  Apparently her date with Maxwell Lord last year didn't count.

With all due respect to Winn's technical genius in reverse-engineering Kryptonian technology on a day's notice, you'd think he might have come up with a design that didn't obscure the S-shield on Superman and Supergirl's chests with a rather obvious panel.


Performances

Credit where credit is due - Calista Flockhart does turn in a fantastic performance her as Cat Grant lets her mask slide away and proves there is a heart under all the bluster in both her farewells to both Kara and Supergirl.

That performance, however, is edged out by Jeremy Jordan as Winn. Thrown into his element as a techie for the DEO, Winn's wit and wisdom is given a chance to shine throughout the episode. Too often, Winn is reduced to being simple comic relief. Here, we see the hidden depths of his character in a way rarely seen since the episodes based around his infamous father from Season One from his pointing out Alex's pettiness in being upset over Clark and Kara bonding to his sheer fanboyish joy at Superman praising his work.


Artistry

The direction and special effects work in the open sequence of Kara and Clark fighting crime together are impressive.

Kelex is brought to life wonderfully through the CGI.

The chase scene in which Alex flees from the Cadmus soldiers is one of the better action sequences in the show's history.

J'onn's disguise of a little girl in a home-made Supergirl costume as he's watching Clark's back is a nice comedic touch.


Super Trivia

This episode opened with another new voice-over, reflecting Kara's new job as a reporter.

The posters advertising this episode featured an injured Supergirl being held up by an anguished Superman. This was a direct visual tribute to the cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 and the death of Supergirl. We later see Superman holding this pose as he picks up the injured Kara.

In the opening sequence, two robbers empty their guns trying to shoot Superman and Supergirl before one of them tries to punch Superman and breaks his hand. Criminals unloading their guns into Superman and then either throwing the guns at him or punching him used to be a staple of the 1950's Adventures of Superman show. The impracticality of this action has been a joke in fandom circles for years and long-time Superman fan Jerry Seinfeld had a routine based around it.

J'onn sends Superman and Supergirl after a rogue Kigori.  In the DC Comics Universe, The Kigori are a race of Martian spider-men, who first appeared in Flash Comics #23 (November 1941).  The Kigori had large black spider bodies with hairless faces, green skin, large fangs and prehensile green-skinned hands on their forelegs. Any relationship to the Green Martian race that J'onn J'onzz is part of is unknown.

Lucas "Snapper" Carr first appeared in the comics in Brave And The Bold #28 (February 1960) - the same issue which introduced The Justice League of America. An ordinary teenager, Snapper was nevertheless inducted into the Justice League as an honorary member after providing the critical clue that allowed the superheroes who formed the Justice League to resist the mental powers of the alien conqueror Starro.

Snapper's nickname came from his habit of snapping his fingers when excited or emphasizing a point. This trait - as well as much of his personality - was taken from the character of "Kookie" Kookson from the then-popular show 77 Sunset Strip.

Since then, Snapper Carr has shown up around the DC Universe and in various media adaptations. He gained his own super-powers for a time and was brainwashed into becoming a super-villain. He's been shown as a STAR Labs worker, a member of Checkmate and acted as a mentor to the teen superheroes in Young Justice. A teacher named Lucas Carr served a similar function in the Young Justice animated series. And he appeared working as a television reporter in the DC Animated Universe.

The DCTVU version of Snapper Carr has nothing in common with any of his counterparts from the comics or cartoons, apart from the one version who was a reporter. Even then, he was a broadcast journalist rather than a magazine writer. Personality wise, he's basically Perry White with the serial numbers filed off.

As noted last week, The DCTVU version of John Corben is an assassin for hire apparently employed by Lex Luthor to do various dirty deeds "off the books". This is similar to the version of John Corben seen in the DC Animated Universe, who was a mercenary working for Lex Luthor before he had the surgery that transformed him into Metallo. The only real difference here is that Corben is changed by scientists working for Cadmus rather than Lex Corp. He has his comic book counterpart's abilities of enhanced durability, super-strength and the ability to shoot focused blasts of Kryptonite-laced energy from his chest.

Cadmus or Project Cadmus is the name of several independent scientific organizations in the DC Comics Universe. It is named for Cadmus - the first king of Thebes in Greek Legend, who was said to have created warriors by sowing the teeth of a dragon. In keeping with this idea, the various versions of Cadmus have created warriors through genetic engineering and advanced science. The first version of Project Cadmus was created by the legendary Jack Kirby in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 (October 1970).

The version of Cadmus we see in the DCTVU greatly resembles the version of Cadmus seen in the DC Animated Universe. That version of Cadmus was described as a collection of "power brokers, politicians, criminals and mercenaries with one thing in common - they're humanity's best hope against metahumans." The DCTVU version is focused on aliens rather than metahumans but otherwise the xenophobia and methods used are precisely the same.

Winn identifies Promethium as having Atomic Number 61. While there is a real-world element called Promethium with that atomic number, it is far from the strongest metal known to man. Indeed, Promethium is notable for its instability. All of its isotopes are radioactive and it is quite rare in the natural world.

The DC Comics version of Promethium is regarded as the strongest metal known to Earthlings. There are two forms of Promethium - Depleted and Volatile.

Depleted Promethium is made through a combination of titanium and vanadium. The bionic portions of Cyborg are made of Depleted Promethium.

Volatile Promethium is capable of generating and absorbing near limitless amounts of energy and has been used as a mutagene to trigger super-powers. Deathstroke wears armor made of Volatile Promethium and his sword and staff are made of the same substance. It is believed that Deathstroke's healing powers protect him from the effects of the metal.


Technobabble

The strange visitor in the Kryptonian pod repairs himself at a cellular level in a process not unlike photosynthesis. His body absorbs the electrical energy of the DEO building and transforms it into chemical energy.

Cadmus gave Metallo a metal endoskeleton made of an alloy capable of resisting the blunt force trauma of a Kryptonian's punch.

The metal of Metallo's endoskeelton has a film of radiation commonly associated with contact to Promethium.


Dialogue Triumphs

Kara (voice-over): When I was a child, my planet Krypton was dying. I was sent to Earth to protect my cousin. But my pod got knocked off-course and by the time I got here my cousin had already grown up and become Superman. I hid who I really was until one day, when an accident forced to reveal myself to the world. To most people I'm a reporter at CatCo Worldwide Media but in secret I work with my adopted sister for the DEO, to protect my city from alien life and anyone else that means to cause it harm. I am Supergirl.

(Having just put out a fire together.)
Supergirl: Does this ever get old?
Superman: If it does, I'll let you know.

(After a robber tries punching him and hurts his hand after emptying a gun.)
Superman: See, now... if the bullets don't work, right... why the punching? I've never understood that.

Alex: You promised Kara that you'd be nicer when her cousin was around.
J'onn: I said I would try.
Winn: (Yoda voice) Do or do not, there is no try.
J'onn: Exactly how badly do you want this job, Mr. Schott?

J'onn: Agent Schott? Get Non and Astra's anti-Kryptonite technology out of storage. See if you can improve upon it for our two friends here.
Winn: I- I get to make Superman's new suit?
Superman: No pressure.

(Entering into the Fortress of Solitude, J'onn sees the large statues of Superman's parents.)
J'onn: Your parents?
Superman: Yes.
J'onn: (speaking Kryptonian) They have not left you, even in the face of death.
Superman: You speak Kryptonian?
J'onn: We're both men without a home, Kal. If we don't preserve each others' history, who will?
Superman: (smiling softly) You can't have it both ways, J'onn. You can't offer friendship with one hand and Kryponite with the other.
J'onn: I have to.
Superman: Why?
J'onn: Because Mars is a crypt! Because angry gods burned our young and we were helpless to stop them. Because I will not be caught unprepared again. Hate me if you want. It is what it is.
Superman: I don't hate you, J'onn. I just don't trust you. Because you don't trust me. We should have been allies. Is Kryptonite really worth us being alone in this fight?


Continuity

Veep is Clark Kent and Alex Danvers' favorite show.

Snapper Carr is in charge of the investigative reporting team m for CatCo Magazine. Cat Grant says he's one of the best journalists she's ever known and he won a Pulitzer for investigating corruption in the National City mayor's office.

Clark does not drink alcohol, despite it not affecting Kryptonians.

A shipment of Kryptonite was stolen from the DEO four months before the events of this episode.

J'onn refers to Non and Astra's plot to launch Myriad, from the first Season of Supergirl. He then suggests that Winn try and take the anti-Kryptonite armor they used and modify it so that Superman and Supergirl can use it.

Promethium is the strongest metal known to man.

James Olsen takes over running CatCo when Cat takes an extended lave of absence.

J'onn encases all of the Kryptonite the DEO has in lead and gives it to Superman to dispose of.

Khao-Shuh is a Kryptonian phrase with no direct English translation, meaning roughly "to be continued."

The episode ends with the strange visitor from the Kryptonian pod trying to strangle Kara.


Location

The Fortress of Solitude, somewhere in the Arctic circle.

Krypton Park in Metropolis



The Fridge Factor

The usually excitable Kara suddenly develops a fear of the unknown and abandonment issues regarding the cousin she hardly ever saw. This is nearly as vexing as Alex's sudden resentment of Kara's bonding with Clark.


The Bottom Line

A major step-down from last week's premiere. This episode is badly paced and tries to do far too much. Cat Grant is given a fair send-off and Winn proves a far better fit with the DEO team than he ever was at CatCo. But James' presence in the story is almost an afterthought and Snapper Carr barely makes an impression. Alex's sudden jealousy is incredibly forced and the twin Metallos barely register as threats.

What sells this episode - apart from Jeremy Jordan and Calisa Flockhart stealing every scene they're in - is the interaction between Kara and Clark and the subplot involving the animosity between Clark and J'onn. Melissa Benoist does a lot to sell her scenes on pure charisma but even she struggles to make her interactions with Snapper Carr work on the most basic level. It's not a bad episode but it sure seems like it after the great episode we got last week.