Superman and Lois: Season 2, Episode 6 - Tried and True

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

Plot

Lucy surprises Lois by showing up at the Kent Farm with their family, apparently ready to make peace. Meanwhile, as Lana and Sarah cope with the aftermath of Sarah's quinceañera, Jordan becomes suspicious of Jonathan's newfound success on the football field and the tensions between Superman and Lt. General Anderson grow even more strained.


Influences

The Supermen of America series, various Superman comics detailing Bizarro World, the Rebirth Superwoman comic and Euphoria (anti-drug subplot)


Performances

Once again, the interactions between Elizabeth Tulloch and Jenna Dewan are credible and you truly believe they are feuding sisters.


Artistry

The effects work for the scene where Superman stops an avalanche is amazing.

The fight scenes between Superman and the soldiers are fantastically filmed and perfect mirrors of one another. It's also a subtle confirmation of the fact that this version of Superman has had some combat training, given he's able to fight multiple soldiers even without his powers.


Super Trivia

The episode title comes from the Ween song "Tried and True", which is played under the opening and closing scenes.

During the fight scene on Bizarro World, Bizarro Superman is shown fighting a woman who resembles Lana Lang, wearing Kryptonian armor with the House of Rho symbol on it.  This could be a nod to the comics, where Lana Lang briefly became Superwoman on several occasions - most recently in a 2016 Rebirth series where she and Lois Lane seemingly acquired the powers of Superman following his death.

This episode reveals Lieutenant General Mitch Anderson's commanding officer to be a woman addressed as General Hardcastle. In the reality of Superman: The Animated Series, General Hardcastle was a xenophobic US Army General who was shamed after Superman's peaceful tactics with the Promethean saved the world. He later joined forces with Lex Luthor, leading an Anti-Superman squadron after Superman was briefly brainwashed by Darkseid. He was later shown to have connections to the Cadmus Project and was killed by the Supergirl clone Galatea.

The General Hardcastle of the Arrowverse seems to be a much more reasonable figure, quickly blaming Anderson for Superman's change in attitude and refusal to work with the Department of Defense. 


Dialogue Triumphs

(Clark is brushing his teeth as he and Lois are getting dressed in the morning.)
Clark: Everything about this me is (muffled) bizarre.
Lois: Huh?
(Clark spits into the bathroom sink.) 
Clark: Bizarre.
Lois: Oh.

Jordan: Are you sure it's a good idea to be playing?
Jonathan: Dude, relax. It's gonna be fine.
Jordan: What if you have an ocular discharge?
Jonathan: (cringing) Please don't ever say that word ever again.
Jordan: We need to tell Mom and Dad.
Jonathan: No! No, okay? What is with you? It's like I kept your secret all last year, and now that I have one, you want to put me on lockdown or something.
Jordan: That's not what this is about.
Jonathan: Okay, well, that's what it feels like. All right? So look, can you just... just give me this one? I finally feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.
Jordan: (without enthusiasm) Yeah, okay.
Jonathan: I promise I've got everything under control. Fraternals, right? 
(Jonathan closes his locker and leaves, Jordan still looking skeptical.)

Sam: I hate to break it to you, but being a parent never gets easier.
Lois: That could only be said by somebody who didn't have to breastfeed at 3:00 a.m.
Sam: Too much information.
Lois: Or change twins' diapers when they both pooped at the same time.
Sam: All right, point taken. Maybe it gets a little easier. It's still hard, though.
Lois: I appreciate you trying.
Sam: Anything for my girls. I mean that.
Lois: I know you do.

Continuity

The opening scene takes place on Bizarro Superman's Earth and reveals several subtle details about the other Earth.

Based on the color of the sky, Bizarro Earth has a red sun.. 

Bizarro Superman owns a cat.

Bizarro Superman has several piles of newspapers stacked around the Kent farm house. They are from the Daily Planet, but the writing is backwards, with the banner giving the paper's name as TENALP YLIAD

There are two pictures of Bizarro Superman's family. One of them is ripped and only shows Jordan Kent. The other has Jonathan and Lois's faces crossed out, leaving Clark and Jordan untouched.

Bizarro is shown using an inhaler of Yellow Mist. However, the cloud that comes out of it is green rather than yellow. This suggests that Bizarro can get power boosts from regular Kryptonite and, conversely, that Superman might find his power increased by processed X-Kryptonite. 

Bizarro is shown to be wearing the space suit he was wearing earlier in the season before flying into space after boosting his powers. This suggests that, rather than confining him, the suit was meant to protect him when he traveled between Earths.

Bizarro is shown fighting several American soldiers in what appears to be the Department of Defense. He is confronted by a woman who resembles Lana Lang, who wears Kryptonian armor with the symbol of the House of Rho on it. 

Bizarro confronts Ally Allston, whose office is apparently in the Department of Defense. He takes a pendant from her before knocking her down. This is the one he was wearing earlier in the season.

Bizarro is shown to be holding the pendant before he leaves his Earth.

Bizarro confirms that he wound up in the Shuster Mines and was weakened by the presence of the X-Kryptonite.He later says he loses strength in the presence of a yellow sun.

Bizarro says he does not share Superman's prohibition against killing and that he is not as well liked on his world as Superman is on Earth-Prime. This was why he reacted violently to the Supermen of America. 

Bizarro says the pendant he took from Ally Allston is an artifact as old as time, born when the multiverse was formed and their worlds split off from one another. Paired with its counterpart on Earth-Prime, it could give the person who possesses both the power of a god.

Bizarro says that Ally Allston will almost certainly seek to send them all into oblivion. 

Bizarro says he intended to destroy both pendants, but he was too weak to do so once he got to Earth-Prime. He suggests that Clark may be strong enough to manage it on Earth-Prime, but also says killing Ally Allston would prevent her from finding both pendants and merging with her Bizarro self.

Clark tells Lois what he learned from Bizarro. She points out there's no way to know he's being truthful, but what he says about Ally Allston's goals matches her teachings about becoming whole with your "shadow self."

This episode takes place the day after the events of 205.

Lois says she and Chrissy are going to do more research on the Inverse Society.

Clark says he is going to try and get the pendant from Anderson.

Superman is confirmed to have been working with the Department of Defense and the Threat Reduction Agency for over 20 years.

Anderson's CO is General Hardcastle. She blames Anderson for the fiasco with the Supermen of America and orders him to bring down the Bizarro Superman or be prepared to be stripped of his command.

Jordan says that he got freeze breath shortly after he got super hearing and that it leaves his breath feeling wintery fresh all the time.

Jonathan says he hasn't gotten freeze breath or superhearing yet.

Jordan suggests that they should at least tell Sam Lane about Jonathan's powers so they can start training together.  He suggests they could call themselves the Fraternals. 

Jordan spies the Yellow Mist inhaler in Jonathan's bag.  Jonathan covers by saying that it belongs to Candice and that she has asthma.

Jonathan is scheduled to start in the next Smallville Crows' football game. Clark applauds him for his hard work, though Jordan points out the only reason he is starting is that Timmy Ryan, the first-string quarterback, is out sick.

Lois suggests that Clark might check on Lana and see how she is doing. 

Sophie does not like eggs.

Lana reminds Sarah to write thank you notes for all her quinceañera gifts.

Sarah wants to return them after the fiasco her party became, but Lana says that is not going to happen.

Kyle did not come home with Lana and she has no idea where he is.

Sam Lane brings Lucy to the Kent farm to talk to Lois. The two start to fight over Ally Allston immediate, but Sam breaks it up and says he refuses to keep doing this for the rest of his life.

Clark attends the funeral of the two fallen Superman of America as Superman.

The blonde female hero who died is identified as Jessie Vance.

Clark talks to Jessie's mother briefly and tells her that Jessie saved his life once, referring to the fight in 202.

Jessie's mother slaps Anderson, blaming him for Jessie's death and Bizarro Superman getting away.

Superman asks to talk to Anderson privately after the funeral regarding Bizarro. 

Jordan once again tries to persuade Jonathan to tell their parents about his powers, but Jonathan says he wants to just have this one game first. Jordan reluctantly agrees.

Jordan offers his support to Sarah when he sees her in class. She thanks him but says she is more worried about her mom.

Kyle meets with Lana while their kids are in school.

Kyle says his affair with Tonya lasted six months and that he had her in their house once.

Kyle denies ever having loved Tonya and says he ended the relationship with her the minute he realized how much it might hurt their family.

Lana tells Kyle to leave the house, saying she can't deal with him right now.

Sam Lane's love of military life extends to his tastes in movies. He never saw any of the Pirates of the Caribbean films but loves the Delta Force movies.

Peanut is Sam Lane's pet name for Lucy.

Superman tells Anderson that he captured Bizarro and that he needs the pendant that Tag Harris took from him s  that he can destroy it.

Anderson agrees to go up the chain of command to see if he can request permission to give the pendant to Superman. However, before he can finish questioning Superman regarding the pendant and how much he learned from Bizarro, Superman leaves to stop an avalanche in Russia.

Superman is able to speak fluent Russian.

Lucy knows a lot about football and is able to discuss plays and formations with Jonathan and Jordan.

Anderson determines that Superman was in Russia. 

Anderson contacts General Hardcastle and requests permission to treat Superman as a hostile combatant. 

Clark meets with Lana at the diner to see how she is doing before the football game.

Lana says she can't trust Kyle and take his word that there was only one other woman.

Lana asks Clark if he could trust Lois if she confessed to cheating on him. Clark says it would depend on the circumstances but that he thinks he could still trust her and love her afterward.

Clark does suggest that Lana needs to make her decision based on what is right for her and not think about her kids or her campaign or anything else.

Lana goes to the bar where Tonya works to confront her.

Jonathan uses Yellow Mist right before the game starts.

Sam Lane set two state records his senior year when he played football. He says that Jonathan got his throwing arm.

Lois and Lucy agree that retirement has soften their father's edges.

At one point in the past, Lois and Lucy snuck out together with a bottle of their fathers rum.  

Lois does not like rum and won't drink it as a result of the bad reaction she had to it that one time.

Lois taught Lucy how to step quietly in their old house so as not to wake their father.

Tonya tells Lana that she loved Kyle and thought that he loved her and would leave Lana for her but suspects now she was fooling herself.

Tonya confirms that Kyle broke off their relationship after Sarah's suicide attempt two years earlier.

Tonya tells Lana that Kyle is a good man and that he ended things the moment he realized his family needed him.

Clark hears Anderson's alarm in the middle of the game and leaves to answer it.

Lois tries to apologize to Lucy for what happened between them but Lucy becomes combative about how Lois has seen the truth now.

Lois admits there is something to Ally's beliefs, but asks how Lucy can justify drugging people against their will or blackmailing them.

Lucy leaves the game, saying she cannot deal with Lois, who she says can't admit to being wrong ever.

The Crows win their first game against the Gators in 6 years, 45 to 14. 

Jonathan throws 356 years during the game.

Jonathan is officially named the new starting quarterback of the Crows.

Jordan finds out that Jonathan's promotion had nothing to do with his performance that night and everything to do with Timmy Ryan being pulled from the team after his mother caught him huffing some weird drug from an inhaler.  He's also told a lot of students at Smallville High have apparently been using it.

Sam says that he ran into Mayor Dean while getting some chilli dogs for the family and complains that he wouldn't shut up.

Anderson and his soldiers ambush Superman in a hallway lit with red sun lamps/

Candice approaches Jonathan after the game and invites him to her car later.

Jordan talks to Jonathan in private and confronts him on whether or not he is using Yellow Mist.

Jonathan denies his drug use and accuses Jordan of being jealous that he isn't special anymore.

The two brothers fight briefly and Jonathan's eyes begin to glow red for a few seconds.

Sarah breaks up the fight.

Lana meets with Kyle at the firehouse and tells him that things are over.  She says Kyle can pick his things up in the morning once the girls are in school and she's left the house.

Lana tells Kyle that the problem is she knows he ended his affair to save his family but she can't help but wonder if he would do the same to save their marriage.

Los and Sam notice the tension between Jordan and Jonathan, but are too focused on what happened with Lucy and Lois.

Lois tries to apologize for what happened but Sam blames himself, saying Lucy wouldn't be in Ally's thrall if he'd paid more attention to his daughters when they were young.

Jonathan tries to apologies to Jordan, but Jordan is unsympathetic.

Jordan tells Jonathan that Timmy Ryan was caught with an inhaler and that apparently the police are investigating now.

Lois gets a call from Sam, telling her that Superman is arrested for treason and his being held until he reveals the location of Bizarro Superman.

Superman is locked in the same special cell as Tal-Rho.

Location

Bizzaro World.
Tal-Rho's Fortress

The Bottom Line

Another solid episode, heavy on the sibling rivalry drama, but with a plentiful helping of superheroic action to balance it out.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 17 - Manhunter

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




Plot

His identity as an alien revealed along with his masquerading as Hank Henshaw, J'onn J'onzz tells the tale of how he saved the life of Jeremiah Danvers and came to become director of the DEO.  At the same time, Kara tries to cope with most of the people of National City fearing her and considers revealing her secret as a gesture of good will, as Siobhan begins to plot against Kara for getting her fired.


Influences

Predator (the jungle sequences with the DEO team tracking J'onn through the jungle) Enemy Mine (the interaction between J'onn and Jeremiah Danvers), Men In Black (the scene of J'onn introducing Alex to the DEO HQ) and Man of Steel (the sequence of a teenage Kara losing control of her super-hearing and x-ray vision mirrors a similar sequence involving a young Clark Kent in this movie, the scene where Jeremiah Danvers talks to Kara about hiding who she is after she saves someone in a visibly flashy way mirrors a similar scene with Pa Kent and a young Clark after he saves a bus full of children from drowning)


Goofs

Granting that her father's rank probably helped expedite matters, it still seems incredible that Lucy Lane was able to reenlist in the Army (much less regain her old position) so quickly after quitting her job at CatCo.

Kara and Alex talk about not implicating themselves within a few feet of the Marines that are watching everyone in the building for suspicious behavior

CatCo has a shocking lack of security - both in how there is no one to stop Siobhan from sneaking into the building in the early evening and in how Kara's work computer is open to her e-mail when she was out sick the whole day.

Then again, Siobhan is kind of an idiot to think she can do what she does without being seen on the interior security cameras.

How are lead-lined frames supposed to prevent Kara from using her x-ray vision? The glass would need to be lead-lined as well.


Performances

There's one great scene early on in which Mehcad Brooks and Calista Flockhart have a conversation without a word being said as Cat's phone starts ringing and there is nobody else to answer it. The non-verbal acting in this moment is fantastic.

David Harewood is fantastic throughout. He plays three different characters in this episode - the original Hank Henshaw, the version of Hank played by J'onn J'onzz and J'onn himself - and this hour is a fine showcase for how versatile he is at playing different levels. It's reminiscent of Stephen Amell's work on Arrow, playing different versions of Oliver Queen at different points in time and around different people.


Artistry

Though the dialogue is rather sexist, with Jeremiah Danvers basically saying "You don't need to save people - there's already a man to do that!", the scene in which Kara's foster dad talks with her people's reactions to a young girl doing impossible things is a great improvement on the similar scene between Pa Kent and a young Clark Kent from the movie Man of Steel.


Super Trivia

J'onn is seen eating Chocos cookies in his cell at the DEO - a gift from Alex, who deduced they were his favorite. This is a nod to the comics, where Chocos were Martian Manhunter's favorite snack.

At one point it was revealed that the affect of Chocos on Martian physiology mirrored that of addictive narcotics in humans. J'onn was able to cure himself of his addiction by using his shapeshifting powers to expel the mass of cells responsible for causing the addiction.

In the comics, James Harper was the real name of a masked superhero called The Guardian. A Metropolis police officer in his day job, Harper created the identity of The Guardian to go after the criminals who couldn't be prosecuted legally. He was aided in his protection of the Suicide Slum neighborhood of Metropolis by a group of orphaned newspaper boys he adopted, who became known as The Newsboy Legion. The newsboys later grew up to become scientists, who started the comics book version of The Cadmus Project.

The DCTVU version of James Harper is a Colonel in the United States Marine Corps.

J'onn is seen to be visibly uncomfortable around the fire Jeremiah Danvers makes to keep himself warm at night. In the original comics, fire weakened Martians and made them unable to use their powers in the same way that Kryptonite depowers Kryptonians.

The reasons for the Martian weakness to fire have changed several times over the years. Most frequently, it was a physiological weakness akin to Kryptonite. One story said that it was a psychological effect, as the Martian god of chaos took the form of a wild fire. Another said that it was a genetic flaw programmed into their race by The Guardians of the Universe in order to prevent The Martians from becoming an unstoppable race of conquerors.

The DCTVU version of J'onn is uncomfortable around fire due to it reminding him of the fiery death of his race during the war between the White and Green Martians. This is also the reason for J'onn's weakness to fire in the New 52 DC Comics reality.

Col. Harper says J'onn and Alex are both being taken to Project Cadmus. In the comics, The Cadmus Project was a genetics lab that devoted itself toward the creation of heroic alien/human hybrids. They also created a younger clone body for Jim Harper, allowing The Guardian to continue fighting crime with the vigor of his original youth.

In the Justice League Unlimited TV Series, Project Cadmus was an initiative sponsored by the United States government to monitor metahumans and develop plans to neutralize the threat they posed. This version of Cadmus combined elements of the comics version of Project Cadmus, Task Force X (aka The Suicide Squad) and the covert organization Checkmate.

James Olsen describes the DCTVU version of Project Cadmus as the reason why Superman won't work for the American government.  He says that if the DEO is a prison, than Project Cadmus is a dissection lab. It's a genetic engineering facility that treats aliens like lab rats, weaponizing alien abilities for military purposes and using humans as guinea pigs.

As in the comics, Kara cannot use her x-ray vision to see through lead.

The DEO alerts Kara to a bank robbery on the corner of 10th and Shukert. This is likely a tribute to Supergirl staff writer Rachel Shukert,


Technobabble

Col. James Harper's team developed a stasis field that prevents J'onn from using his powers. It generates a smell like burning rubber. It also seems to generate some kind of static that prevents Supergirl from hearing anything within the field

The DEO has Remote Outpost Probes that allow them to detect the presence of aliens on Earth.

Henshaw uses a thermal tracker, which indicates that J'onn was active within a two mile radius of their current position.

Jeremiah Danvers made Kara a pair of glasses with lead-lined frames to help her suppress her vision powers.

Winn analyzed the typing speed and patterns on the hard drive of Kara's computer and determined it didn't match Kara but it did match Sibohan.


Dialogue Triumphs

(J'onn sits in his cell, ripping open a package of Chocos as Alex enters.)
Alex: You don't look so dangerous shoving Chocos in your face.
J'onn: (smacking his lips as he eats) How did you know they were my favorite?
Alex: You eat them at 3 am. Only your favorite will do at 3 am.
J'onn: You have to stop these visits.
Alex: I like taking care of you, for once.
J'onn: My mission as Hank Henshaw was to protect you.
Alex: Missions change.
J'onn: Not this one. Which is why I'm telling you, you have to distance yourself. Don't check in on me. Stop bringing me cookies. Just say you never knew about me. Say I betrayed you.
Alex: I would never do that! J'onn: There has to be a reckoning, Alex. An alien lied and took command of a government organization. This doesn't end with people getting fired or even going to jail. People get disappeared for this sort of thing. They're going to tear this place apart looking for whoever helped me.
Alex: I'll lie. I'll convince. I will do everything that you taught me to do. But I am not abandoning you! This is rock bottom. And I know what kind of person I'm going to be.

J'onn: I've dedicated my life to protecting this world and if you want to take me down for being different, so be it.

Lucy: Why would I help you? You and Hank? Why do you all lie?
Kara: When you're an alien and you've lost your world and you're dropped into a new one? You don't have a choice.

(To Lucy Lane)
Kara: I know you're feeling betrayed and alone. But if you go along with Jim Harper, just to feel like you fit in?  To feel like you belong somewhere? Ultimately, the only person you're betraying is yourself. It wasn't easy for me to show you who I really am. But I did it because I trust in who you are. Who you really are under that uniform. And I trust  you'll do the right thing.

(After revealing that she saw through Siobhan's incredibly stupid plan to get Kara fired)
Cat: I don't have very many regrets, Siobhan, but I do regret firing you the first time. I wish to God that I could fire you again. With feeling.


Dialogue Disasters

Jeremiah Danvers: I know you were only trying to help. But the world already has a Superman. All you need to be is Kara Danvers.


Continuity

Lucy Lane has been reinstated to her position as a Major in the United States Army.

J'onn apparently was hiding in the Peruvian Amazon, where the local natives thought that he was Supay - the Inca God of Death.

J'onn does not have a physical weakness to fire but is uncomfortable around it due to the fiery death of his race.

Superman reportedly described J'onn as the most powerful being on Earth.

J'onn has regenerative powers  - presumably a function of his shape-shifting allowing him to reshape the damaged areas of his body.

Jeremiah Danvers died saving J'onn from Hank Henshaw. He was able to throw Henshaw off a cliff, but not before being fatally stabbed.

Col. Jim Harper was the best friend of the original Hank Henshaw.

J'onn is over 300 years old.

Cat Grant is friends with Princess Kate Middleton.

Alex Danvers was recruited by J'onn for the DEO three years ago.

Kara reveals her secret identity to Lucy Lane.

Kara began working for Cat Grant two years ago.

J'onn has super strength.

J'onn has refined his control to where he can erase memories more precisely with his telepathy. As a result of this, he accidentally discovers that Jeremiah Danvers is alive at Project Cadmus.

Alex and J'onn go on the run, determined to find Project Cadmus and rescue Jeremiah.

Col. Jim Harper resigns his position and insists on Lucy Lane being placed in charge of the DEO.

At the end of the episode, a drunken Siobhan falls off a roof and is able to save herself as her scream turns into some form of sonic blast that allows her to levitate.


Location

The Peruvian Andes, on the border of the Amazon jungle.

Midvale Junior High School in the city of Midvale.


The Fridge Factor

Jeremiah Danvers argument against Kara trying to help people boils down to "Superman is already doing that sort of thing, you silly girl!"


The Bottom Line

A rushed episode that seems to be doing too much while simultaneously ignoring several urgent plot lines (i.e. the public no longer trusting Kara) in favor of a series of flashbacks that offer some much needed development to several characters who are quickly ushered out of the series. Still, if this turns out to be the back-door pilot for a Martian Manhunter solo series, I'll cope.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 10 - Childish Things

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



Plot

Winn's father - the mad killer known as The Toyman - breaks out of prison, determined to win back his son's love. Kara must work double duty to protect Winn from his father and from an FBI agent who seems determined to prove that Winn is somehow involved with his father's escape. At the same time Cat offers Lucy Lane a job as her lawyer and Alex tries to persuade a reluctant J'onn to use his powers to infiltrate Lord Technologies.


Influences

Superman: The Animated Series (The existence of a Winslow Schott Jr. and Sr.), The Sterling Gates run of Supergirl (Toyman having a son who uphold his father's legacy), Chase (the presence of Cameron Chase as a character), various Martian Manhunter comics and various Superman comics involving The Toyman.


Goofs

It seems like Lucy Lane resigning her position as a JAG to take on a job working for CatCo is far easier than it should be. Doesn't she have to complete her current enlistment?  And that's ignoring that Lucy - who has been portrayed as a total Daddy's Girl thus far - doesn't seem to consider how her father the General is going to react to losing his legal attache!

When Kara saves the crowd at the Toy Convention, there only seems to be one big explosion rather than 10 small ones and the explosions don't seem to do much damage to the hall apart from knocking down the ice wall Kara builds to protect the crowd.


Performances

Henry Czerny turns in a remarkable performance as The Toyman. Given how manic the character is usually portrayed in other media, Czerny's understated performance is surprisingly effective. He really seems like he could be nice, grandfatherly sort of man... right up he casually starts talking about how easy it is to kidnap a small child by offering them a toy and killing hundreds of people like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Jeremy Jordan has not been given much to do on the show as Winn, beyond being the comic relief. What few efforts have been made to give him a personality beyond hopelessly crushing on Kara have only served to make him look like a creepy stalker. With this episode however, some level of pathos kicks in and suddenly Winn becomes a much more sympathetic figure as he talks about how he sees the same cowardice and anger that drove his father to murder in himself and how he is trying very hard not to give into those same feelings. And his declaration of love for Kara near the episode's end comes off as truly sincere rather than the confused ramblings of a fanboy who doesn't understand boundaries.


Artistry

The opening scene of Kara and J'onn flying together and Kara laughing is everything this show should be.

The cinematography and set design as Winn enters the abandoned arcade are top-notch.

Everything about the scene where Supergirl confronts Toyman. The acting and direction are brilliant but the best aspect of all is the writing. It shows The Toyman to be a clever and dangerous enemy who was able to contrive a surprisingly effective and logical trap for killing Supergirl sans Kryptonite with little time and resources to work with.  It also shows Kara's own intelligence and compassion, as she uses her brains to escape the trap but also works to save an endangered child before acting to save herself.


Super Trivia

The Toyman is one of Superman's oldest and most infamous enemies, first appearing in Action Comics #64. Originally Winslow Schott was one of many villainous madmen at DC Comics who used toys and games in his crimes, comparable to The Joker in the Batman comics and The Trickster in The Flash.  As time went by, he became more unstable and more violent, even during the pre-Crisis age.

Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, The Toyman was revamped into a much darker character, being a kidnapper and possible pedophile. He went on to murder Cat Grant's son.

The Sterling Gates run on Supergirl introduced a new villain - The Dollmaker - who revealed himself to be Anton Schott, The Toyman's long-abandoned son. Abandoned by his mother after she left his infamous father, Anton became obsessed with Cat Grant and wanted her to be his new mommy, allowing him to replace the son his father had taken away from her.

In Superman: The Animated Series, the Toyman was a man named Winslow Schott Jr. His father, Winslow Schott Sr., had been a toy maker who was framed for a crime by Intergang leader Bruno Mannheim. Blaming Mannheim for his lost childhood, as Junior cycled through a series of abusive foster homes, The Toyman set about using toy-based weaponry to seek revenge on Manheim and Superman, after the later stopped his earliest attempts at assassination.

The DCTVU version of Toyman combines little elements of all of these versions, primarily the animated series version. Indeed, he references seeking revenge for causing his son to lose his childhood and plots to make Winn into a killer, just like him - one way or another.

Toyman is held in the Van Kell Maximum Security Facility. In the DC Comics universe, the Van Kell Maxium Security Facility is a prison for meta-humans outside of Metropolis.

The FBI Special Agent in charge of bringing Toyman back into custody is named Cameron Chase. In the DC Comics Universe, Cameron Chase was a former private investigator turned DEO Agent.

The DCTVU version of Cameron Chase has little in common with her comics counterpart thus far, apart from being judgmental and quick to assume the worst of people. The comics version was the daughter of a superhero and had an ill-explored power that allowed her to negate the powers of other metahumans. It is worth noting, however, that the comics version of Cameron Chase did have an odd relationship with the Martian Manhunter, having apparently been saved by him as a child. This may be built upon in future episodes.

In the pre-Crisis Superman comics, Chester Dunholtz was the childhood bully who stole a young Winslow Schott's favorite toy - a red and blue balsawood plane that he designed from scratch. This taught a young Schott the advantages of theft coupled with the pain of being bullied - two things that would fuel him to become the Toyman.

In the DCTVU, Chester Dunholtz was Winslow Schott Sr.'s corrupt boss, who stole Schott's toy designs to make a fortune. Schott attempted to kill Dunholtz with a bomb inside a teddy bear that he mailed to Dunholtz's office. Unfortunately, Dunholtz's assistant opened the package instead, dying along with five other people. It was this crime that sent Schott to prison when his son was eleven.

The doll which Toyman sends to Winn is modeled on the jester-style costume worn by the 1970s Toyman. This Toyman, oddly enough, was a man named Jack Nimball who did not last long in the comics and was killed by Winslow Schott during the pre-Crisis age of Superman. Today, the Jack Nimball Toyman is primarily remembered as the incarnation depicted in the Superfriends cartoon.

The doll with the big forced grin that Winn finds in the abandoned arcade somewhat resembles the costume worn by the Superman: The Animated Series version of Toyman.

Maxwell Lord lists Alex Danvers as MATA HARI on his phone. Mata Hari was a French courtesan and exotic dancer who was employed as a spy during the first World War. She was later convicted on charges of being a double agent working for the German government and executed. Since that time, her name has become synonymous with female spies who seduce targets for information.

A Superman toy rocket ride is seen outside the arcade where Toyman asks to meet Winn.

Supergirl inhales the poison gas to save the FBI agents from Toyman's trap at the arcade - a feat frequently accomplished in the comics.

J'onn phases through the wall to enter Room 52 when his shape-shifting does not allow him to use the bio-metric scanner locking the doors. Phasing through solid objects is another power Martians have in the comics.


Technobabble

Toyman makes use of a bladed yo-yo which he throws like a shuriken on a string to escape from prison.

Slingschott Brand Quicksand contains thermite, making it explosive if heated.

The Jane Doe in Room 52 was being fed an IV of sodium sulfite (Na2-S-O3) and sodium iodate (Na-I-O3. According to Alex, the end product of this mixture (combined with the salt water in a standard IV - Na-Cl and H2-O) is hydrochloric acid (H-Cl), which is lethal to humans.

Toyman makes a special plastic gun that won't set off the metal detectors for Winn to use to kill Chester Dunholtz at the National City Toy Convention.


Dialogue Triumphs

Alex: You saw what Max Lord did to James! You know he's after my sister!
J'onn: I have been J'onn J'onzz on Earth! I have tried it! I was hunted for fifty years! People I've loved tried to kill me once they discovered who I really was!
Alex: I'm sorry. But times have changed. Looked at Supergirl.  The world loves her!
J'onn: Your sister looks like a pretty blonde cheerleader. J'onn J'onzz looks like a monster. I'll never be tolerated here on Earth. The more time I spend as Hank Henshaw, the less I have to face what I've lost. (pauses) When I change my state - shapeshift into someone new? Call upon new powers? I get one step closer to becoming the Martian Manhunter forever. And he creates panic and hysteria.  I know. I've seen it. It's not only that I'm better off as human. Everyone is.
Alex: Except Kara. She needs your help.

(Alex enters the room wearing a little black dress. Max Lord takes a long look at her.)
Alex: You're staring.
Max: Just wondering where you're hiding your gun under that dress.
Alex: Behave and you won't have to find out.

(J'onn is exploring the Lord Technologies building, disguised as Max Lord)
Paulina: Mr. Lord? Aren't you supposed to be out with Agent Danvers?
"Max": I ended the evening early. To be honest, it was a little disappointing.
Paulina: As long as we're being honest, she did strike me as a little humorless for you.
"Max": She's actually a lovely woman.
(Paulina's jaw drops in astonishment)
"Max": If anything, it was my narcissism and ill-kept facial hair that ruined any chance I had with her.
Paulina: I'm sure you weren't at fault, sir.
"Max": Getting so soundly rejected has caused me to question many of my life choices. I need to be alone, if you don't mind.
(Paulina leaves and "Max" walks off, smirking slightly as his eyes flash red)

(Supergirl is stuck in quicksand and hears a child inside a box that his heading towards a large industrial shredder on a conveyor belt) 
Toyman: It's so easy to lure a child if you offer them a toy. Oh, you're drowning in quicksand, by the way. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink.
Child: I'm scared!
Toyman: I understand even you need oxygen. Soon you won't be able to breathe.
Child: It's dark in here and I can't get out!
(Supergirl's eyes begin to glow red as she looks down at the quicksand)
Toyman: Oh, I wouldn't do that. Slingschott Quicksand is laced with thermite. Add heat... this whole place will blow.
Child: Help me! Please!  Help me!
Toyman: (walking to the door, playing with a yo-yo) Game over.
Child: Help me!
Supergirl: I'm going to save you!
Child: Help me! Please!  Help me! I'm trapped in here!
(Desperately, Supergirl looks around. She spies a large truck and tries to blow it toward the shredder with her super-breath but it goes off course and she begins sinking. With one last breath, she freezes the sand around her and flies up, just barely catching the box before it goes into the shredder. Supergirl opens the box to find... a talking Supergirl doll.)

Winn: You know, my father and I were inseparable. Like, we looked the same. We talked the same. We were good at the same things. And now he says we're linked. Like, what if he's right?
Kara: He isn't.
Winn: His genes are like... ticking time-bombs. Just waiting to go off inside of me. Turn me into him.
Kara: That's not going to happen!  You're a good person...
Winn: That's what people said about him.  And then he cracked. And now every time I start to get angry, I think "Could this be it? Could this be the day I lose everything?"
Kara: The day your father killed those six people was like, for me, the day my planet exploded. The course of our lives changed in that single moment. You... are not going to turn into your father. Because the day your world was destroyed, you didn't give into rage and hate like your father. Like my aunt.We both lost our worlds and now we're trying to give back because of it. And you and your father aren't the only ones that are linked. We are too. And I'm not going to let anyone mess with that.

Winn: That's why you broke out of jail? So you could get revenge for him, what? Stealing your dumb toy designs?
Toyman: No. No, this isn't about him stealing a toy. This is about him stealing your childhood. Stealing my chance to watch you grow up. I went to prison because of him. Winn, I almost lost you because of him.  But I have a plan on how we can make it right.
Winn: You're going to kill him.
Toyman: No, I'm not going to kill him. You're going to kill him. For me.

Winn: How did this happen to you?
Toyman: Do you know... that even with all the amazing toys I built, you're the best thing I ever made? You're just like me.
Winn: I am nothing like you!
Toyman: Don't underestimate yourself.

Winn: I shouldn't have kissed you. Kara... I'm really sorry.
Kara: It's fine. It doesn't matter.
Winn: Of course it matters. My dad kept his feelings bottled up for years, and then he exploded. Because he was a coward... like me. Look, I know I dropped this huge bomb on our friendship when I kissed you. And I should have told you how I felt a long time ago. But I was too scared to say anything. I was too scared to stand up for myself.  Kara, let me tell you the truth now. I love you.  I have been in love with you for a long time, since before you were Supergirl.
Kara: ... I don't want things to change.
Winn: Before this thing with my dad, I probably would have gone along with that. God, I just would have pretended that kiss never happened. But I don't know if I can sit and smile and eat pot stickers and pretend likr it is not killing me. Kara, I cannot keep bottling things up. I am too afraid of what could happen.
Kara: So... what does that mean for us?
Winn: ... I don't know.


Continuity

Alex and Kara both refer to the events of 109, where Maxwell Lord beat up James and James discovered Lord was hiding something in Room 52 of his building in National City.

Lois Lane's biography is called 'A Time To Soar'.

Lucy Lane is not close to her sister.

Lucy Lane graduated from the United States Military Academy At West Point. She later earned a JD-MBA from Harvard.

Winslow Schott Sr. was convicted of six counts of murder.

90% of CatCo companies are run by women.

Max Lord has Alex Danvers' phone number listed as MATA-HARI on his phone.

Winn was 11 when his father was arrested for murder.

Max claims that the Kryptonian criminals who invaded his lab in 108 didn't steal anything.

J'onn has the ability to walk through solid objects - i.e. phasing.

J'onn discovers the Jane Done in Room 52 and takes pictures of her and the room.

The security guard tells J'onn that she's classified as Code Phoenix when J'onn asks (as Max) for her to be moved to a hospital.  The guard then asks J'onn to tell him what Code Phoenix means. It is not explained if this means that the patient is not meant to be moved or if the guard was testing to see if Max really was Max by quoting a phony code.

J'onn can use his telepathy to erase memories, though he cannot do this with precision and can cause permanent brain damage in the process. Indeed, the process even causes physical scarring to the frontal and temporal lobes.

Apparently J'onn promised he would never use his telepathy in this manner ever again after some incident in his past.

Winslow Schott's toy company was SlingSchott toys. He marked his toys' circuitry with a Y-shaped etching, meant to resemble a slingshot.

Kryptonians breathe oxygen and can apparently drown.

Maxwell Lord set up secret back-up security cameras for all top-priority areas of his laboratory. This is how he has footage of a man who looks like him walking through the door to Room 52, despite J'onn deactivating the known security systems earlier.

Winn kisses Kara and immediately apologizes for it. The status of their friendship at the end of the episode is unclear, though Winn has said he's done being a coward who hides his feelings and bottles everything up like his father did. He confesses that he's loved Kara since before she became Supergirl.

Lucy takes the job as Cat Grant's lawyer as James considers quitting his art director job to become a photographer again.

It is revealed that Max Lord planted a camera on Alex's purse and now knows that Kara Danvers is Supergirl.


The Kryptonite Factor

It's hard to say who is more foolish - Kara and Winn talking about Kara's secret identity within ear-shot of a group of police officers and FBI agents who area already suspicious of Winn being a terrorist or Alex and "Hank" discussing J'onn's secret identity in the middle of the DEO HQ.

One wonders what kind of organization the DEO is that they don't check their agents and their belongings for bugs following a secret meeting with a technical genius they know to be extremely paranoid about the government.


The Bottom Line

Probably the best episode of the series to date and not just because Cat is only in two scenes. Winn is finally given some sorely needed definition and Toyman is easily the best villain yet, being presented as an intelligent and credible threat despite his silly gimmick. All the subplots play out well, despite the Lucy/James scenes feeling rushed and tacked-on. That being said, is it too much to hope for a Martian Manhunter spin-off after "Hank" inevitably has his cover blown and is forced out of his job as head of the DEO?

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 8 - Hostile Takeover

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




Plot

Kara goes toe-to-toe with Astra when her aunt challenges Kara’s beliefs about her mother. Meanwhile, Cat is threatened with being removed as the CEO of CatCo after a hacker exposes her private and damaging emails.

Influences

Superman: The Movie (the character of Non), the Man of Steel comic series (the character of Dirk Armstrong) and the New Krypton storyline from the comics (the idea of Kryptonians trying to save the Earth by imposing their will on it).


Artistry

The fight scenes in this episode are probably the best in the series to date, particularly the second fight between Astra and Kara.

The special effects used to bring this battle to life are also noteworthy and of cinematic quality


Super Trivia

Non - a Lieutenant serving under General Astra, who is also her husband - is named after a character from the original Superman movie.  Non was the non-speaking muscle of General Zod, who was condemned to the Phantom Zone alone with Zod.

Non was introduced into the DC Comics Universe during the New Krypton story-line. There, it was revealed that he had been a scientist and a mentor to Jor-El as well as a member of Krypton's High Council. He was part of a rebel group that attempted to expose the truth of Krypton's impending doom and was lobotomized by the Science Council for his trouble.

The DCTVU version of Non has nothing in common with either of his predecessors, being capable of speech and being a member of Krypton's Military Guild.

In the flashbacks, Astra invokes the name of Rao. Rao is the name of the chief deity of the Kryptonian religion as well as the name of the red star Krypton orbits.

Dirk Armstrong, the CatCo Chairman who plots against Cat, too his name from a character from the same mini-series that introduced Cat Grant in the comics.  In the original DC Comics, Dirk Armstrong was a conservative commentator for The Daily Planet, who saw Superman as a menace and repeatedly butted heads with Clark Kent and Perry White. Despite this, he was portrayed as an honest man who doted on his daughter.

The DCTVU version of Dirk Armstrong is not so honest and about the only thing they have in common is a conservative bend and sexist streak, with Cat describing him as "the poster boy for White Male Privilege."

It is revealed that Cat has a son from her first marriage named Adam Foster. In the comics, Cat had a son from her marriage to Morgan Edge named Adam.

It is said that Cat's eldest son lives in Opal City.  Opal City is a fictional city in the DC Comics Universe. It is located in Turk County, Maryland and was the home town of Ted Knight a.k.a. Starman I as well as Ted's sons David (Starman VI) and Jack (Starman VII).

Cat describes Kara as her Guardian Angel. It is worth noting that, for a time in the comics, Supergirl was a literal guardian angel, created when an shape-shifting artificial lifeform from a parallel dimension called The Matrix merged with a dying girl named Linda Danvers.

The male alien criminal with Non's team in the fight at the end of the episode has the power to split himself into duplicates.  He is not identified in any of the show's release materials, but this power is possessed by a number of DC Comics villains including the Firestorm villain Multiplex (who appeared in the second episode of The Flash TV series), a Superman villain called The Duplicate Man (who appeared in World's Finest #106). Though we only see a second duplicate in the fight, it's possible the alien is a citizen of the planet Cargg, whose people can split into three duplicates, like the Legion of Superheroes member Triplicate Girl.

The female alien criminal with Non's team at the end is a gifted martial artist with platinum blonde hair and strength enough to snap a grown human male's neck.  She also possess some power that allows her to exhale a poison gas that can kill a human instantly. The manner in which she does this resembles The Mist - another DC Comics villain who has also appeared on modern The Flash TV series.


Technobabble

A Kryptonian can protect themselves from the effects of Kryptonite by shielding themselves with the right materials.

Krypton died because its people disrupted the core of the planet harnessing it for power. This caused the oceans and weather to change in a way that sounds reminiscent of man-made climate-change on Earth.

Max Lord developed some kind of gun that can apparently turn a Kryptonian's heat-vision against them by latching a reflective ammunition onto their face.


Dialogue Triumphs

Alex: Kara, this is war. And to win a war, sometimes the enemy has to die. But can you look me in the eye and tell me that you're prepared to kill?
Kara: Superman doesn't kill.
Alex: If that's your answer, then you shouldn't fight her.
Kara: It won't come to that.
Alex: She's shown that she's ready to kill you. You have to be ready to do the same.

Supergirl: (sarcastically) No bodyguards?
Astra: No knife. No armor. No one besides you and me. Will you tall to me now?  You can't say it's not fair.
Supergirl: We're done with fair!

James: Winn, look buddy.You had it wrong before. I'm not in your way. If you have feelings for Kara, you should tell her.
Winn:  Yeah, but she's... She's her, you know?  And I'm me. It's not so easy, you know?  I mean, what if she doesn't- It's just - you and your abs wouldn't understand.
James: I understand that Kara is special. And not just because of the cape. She's the kind of girl worth risking it all for. Hey man, if i were you... I'd risk it.

Cat: Kiera! Another week. Another crisis averted, thanks to you. My secret weapon. My guardian angel.
Kara: It was nothing.
Cat: Oh. no. It was something. It was something extraordinary. You saved me from a potentially very embarrassing situation with Adam.  You know, I was thinking about how you overheard Dirk after the board meeting. I was standing right next to you and there is no way that he was within earshot.
Kara: Um-
Cat: And then I was thinking about the earthquake and how you got sick for the first time since I've known you. And you had a broken arm and Supergirl mysteriously went MIA. And then she came back and your cold was gone.
Kara: That's just a coincidence -
Cat: I was also thinking about Livewire. About how when she attacked us you fled into the stairwell.
Kara: (chuckles) Because you asked me too.
Cat: Yeeees. But not two seconds later, Supergirl shows up.  Another coincidence?  And let's not forget that you took it personally when I named her "Supergirl".
Kara: Sure, for... for political reasons.
Cat: Do me a favor and take off your glasses.
Kara: My glass- I... I can't!  I'd be blind without them.
Cat: I doubt that. If you're not who I think you are, what does it matter?
Kara: Ms. Grant, I -
Cat: Glasses or I take it as a confirmation.
(Kara turns to one side and slowly pulls her glasses off, before turning to face Cat)
Cat: Well... let me begin by saying thank you for all the help that you've given me... Supergirl.


Dialogue Disasters

While there aren't any real groaners, much of the script is made of artificial-sounding purple-prose. What little bits of it work - like the scene between Cat and Kara where Cat deduces that Kara is Supergirl - are due only to the strength of the actors' performances.


Continuity

The Kryptonian criminals developed a means of ignoring the effects of Kryptonite. It manifests in the form of a blue-glowing electronic device that clips onto their armor, on the left shoulder.

Astra arms herself with Henshaw's green Kryptonite knife from 102.

Kara refers to what the hologram of her mother said about Astra in 102.

Astra is revealed to be married to one of her lieutenants, Non.

The arena with Kryptonite dampeners in the wall is seen for the first time since 102.

Superman, in this reality, does not kill.

On Krypton, Kara had half of a spy beacon that allowed her to send messages to Astra.

Kara was, unwittingly, used by her mother as a means of luring Astra out.

Cat Grant has a son, now 24 years old, from her first marriage named Adam Foster. She has been giving him financial support all his life but made an active decision not to fight for custody.

Martians have telepathic powers.

Kryptonians are immune to Martian telepathy. Superman finds this hilarious.

Apparently Superman knows J'onn J'onzz.  It is not revealed if Superman knows that he is masquerading as Hank Henshaw.

Astra refers to Alex killing the Hellgramite in 102.

Cat refers to the events of 107 and 104 in explaining why she thinks Kara is Supergirl.


The Bottom Line

Surprisingly good, despite a lackluster script. The revelation that the Kryptonian criminals on Earth were political prisoners is barely touched upon as is Kara's anger over the idea of her mother using her as a pawn. The subplot with Cat getting hacked is resolved far too easily and Winn still comes off more like a creepy stalker than a legitimate love-interest for Kara.

Shockingly, the best bits of the episode involve the DEO and the fight scenes. Last week's revelation that Hank Henshaw is really Martian Manhunter has added a whole new, hilarious dynamic to these scenes as we now know that J'onn is hamming it up playing Hank. The final scene with Kara and Cat is wonderful and we finally get to see the true Cat Grant - smart and nice under all the sharp edges. And the cliff-hanger is legitimately exciting.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 5 - How Does She Do It?

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




Plot

Kara must simultaneously protect National City from a mad bomber while also babysitting Cat Grant's son, Carter. Meanwhile, James copes with the sudden reemergence of Lucy Lane - his ex-fiance.


Influences

Doctor Who (The DEO's shifting ID badges are reminiscent of The Doctor's psychic paper) and John Byrne's Man of Steel comic series, where Lex Luthor faked a terrorist attack to get Superman's attention and test his skills in a manner similar to what Maxwell Lord does with Supergirl here.


Goofs

Why is Alex analyzing the drones and bombs when her she's an expert on alien biology - not technology?

Where does Kara get her street clothes from when she flies to pick up Carter? We don't see her carrying a bag.

For a train capable of traveling at 500 kph, The Super Rail takes its sweet time getting out of National City. Either that or National City is huge, given how much time the train spends running before Supergirl stops it.


Performances

It's a brief moment, but we see something of Alex Danvers' brains and strength as she picks apart Maxwell Lord's invention and doesn't back down when he starts trying to push her buttons. It's a wonderfully subtle performance from Chyler Leigh, who probably gets the least chance to be subtle out of all the cast.

Jenna Dewan Tatum manages the difficult task of making Lucy Lance sympathetic, even though she does seem to be primarily responsible for her relationship with James going south. As she says - how can you resent a guy who keeps ditching dates to help Superman save people? But we get enough hints of her being a good person (even before we see her escorting an old woman out of a danger zone)

Again, Peter Facinelli plays a wonderfully smug - yet oddly sympathetic at times - Maxwell Lord.

Melissa Benoist is always a delight as Kara but I specially like the way she gets astonished that a woman like Lucy Lane sees her as a romantic rival or that Carter Grant has a crush on Supergirl. And once again, the chemistry between herself and Mechad Brooks as James Olsen is the best part of the show.


Artistry

The opening sequence in which Kara gets into a dog fight with a drone is amazing. Cinema-quality flying effects.

The scene of James speeding to the airport to stop Lucy after he hears about the bomb there as Kara flies past him going to stop the bomb on the train is a nice bit of visual juxtaposition.


Super Trivia

This was originally meant to be Episode 104 and was scheduled to air on November 16, 2015. Due to the plot involving terrorist bombings, it was decided to postpone this episode's air date for one week and the original episode 105 (i.e Livewire) was aired in its place.

Cat Grant wins the Siegel Price For Women In Media. This is a clear nod to Jerry Siegel - the writer who co-created Superman with artist Joe Shuster.

We see Hank Henshaw's eyes glowing as he begins to disassemble the bomb at the airport. This would seem to be an indicator that the DCTVU version of Hank Henshaw has the same mechanical empathy technopathy powers as his comic-book counterpart, who later became The Cyborg Superman.

The bar/restaurant which Kara meets Lucy at is called Noonan's. This may be an ironic nod to Noonan's Sleazy Bar - the favorite watering hole of super-powered assassin Tommy "Hitman" Monaghan in the comic Hitman.


Technobabble

The drones following Supergirl are advanced Earth technology - not alien.

Kara is capable of lifting the weight of 120 pounds per square foot multiplied by five floors. Sadly, without a length and width of the space she was supporting, this doesn't give us enough information for an exact measurement of her strength.

The lab that was blown up was developing a cutting-edge non-lithium battery.

Both the drones following Kara and the bomb used an advanced fiber-optics relay system developed by Lord Technologies, that is not on the market yet.

The DEO have special badges that can be made to hologramatically appear to be other forms of identification. In this case, Alex changes her ID to read FBI instead of DEO.

Maxwell Lord's Super-Rail train runs on electromagnetic propulsion. The lack of friction allows it to reach speeds of 500 kph. The mag coils use liquid helium as a coolant to prevent overheating. Liquid helium is used to prevent the creation of hazardous byproducts.

Maxwell Lord dismisses the idea that the second bomb could go off by handling it, due to it having the fulcrum weight of a helium core.

The second bomb has the capacity to produce an over-pressure of 2,000 pounds per square inch. That's enough force to level 30 city blocks.

Supergirl can reach speeds of, at least, just under Mach Two (1522 mph).

The DEO developed a device that basically appears to be a high-tech tanning bed. It emits concentrated solar waves mimicing the light of Earth's yellow sun. This recharges Kryptonian physique and hastens her healing abilities.

Knox's body bomb is rigged with an altimeter. This will cause it to go off if he is moved.

Alex examines the airport bomb and determines that it had a remote kill-switch. This calls into question Henshaw's claims that the bomb was a dud.


Dialogue Triumphs

Kara: That sounds like a woman who knows what she wants. (quickly) I used my regular hearing on that.
James: All that she wants is to win everything. Win every case, every argument. And now she wants to win me.
Kara: Because you broke up with her?
James: Uh... I moved away. After she dumped me.
Kara: How did... (laughing) How is that even possible?
James: She's obsessed with her career. And I was a distraction.
Kara: Well, you're... You're totally not a distraction.

Carter Grant: My mom says it's okay to be a nerd. She says if you can face your fears and come out of your shell, then... nerds can win in the end.
Kara: God, I hope so.

Max Lord: Tell me, Agent Danvers, why are you wasting that brain kicking down doors for the government?
Alex: Why do you mistrust the government so much?
Max Lord: Answering with a question, keep the subject talking. Basic field agent procedure. And here I thought we had something special.
Alex: Okay, fine. I work for the government because I believe there's no higher calling than helping others.
Max Lord: I feel the same way. Only I do it without a gun. The world needs a new kind of hero.
Alex: I thought we just got one.
Max Lord: (chuckles) Supergirl's just a glorified fireman. She's not going to solve the underlying problems that are actually destroying this planet.
Alex: You really don't trust anyone, do you?
Max Lord: I've never met anyone worth trusting.
Alex: Well, that is a very lonely way to live.
Max Lord: You have no idea.

Kara: I need you to watch Ms. Grant's son.
Winn: Whoa! Like, really? 'Cause I am not good with kids.
Kara: (beat) You eat cereal for dinner and your desk is covered with toys.
Winn: They are NOT toys! They are adult collectibles!

Lucy: Jimmy thinks my work came between us, but he's wrong. Maybe I should've appreciated him more, but the reason I prioritize work, is because he prioritized... him.
Kara: Superman.
Lucy: No matter where we were or what we were doing, Jimmy took off the moment Superman called. And I couldn't complain, because of course they were off saving people's lives. He says I left him, but... he left us first.
Kara: (stammers) Lucy, I'm so sorry.
Lucy: And this hero wears a skirt! How am I ever gonna compete with her?

Alex: Why are you fighting me? I'm trying to protect your train.
Max Lord: I don't put much faith in the government's idea of protection.
Alex: I read your file. Your parents were doctors who developed vaccines against bio-weapons. They worked for the government. They didn't see it as the enemy.
Max Lord: No, they didn't. So when they raised concerns about the safety of their lab, they trusted the government's findings. "Acceptable risk levels." Two months later, an air system malfunctioned. A virus entered their pressure suits... Their internal organs melted. When it was all over, there was nothing left to bury.
Alex: I'm sorry.
Max Lord: (scoffs) That's the first apology the government's ever given me.
Alex: They covered it up.
Max Lord: You can't be surprised.
Alex: What happened to you was a tragedy. I'm trying to prevent another one. Rejecting our help is not rational. You are a man of logic, Max.
Max Lord: I'm also an orphan. We don't get over things easily.

Kara: Look, I don't know anything about romantic love. I have not had the best luck with it. But if I ever really had it, I think I'd fight for it.
James: I already put that behind me, Kara. I don't want to go back there. I - I don't want to do that again.
Kara: Who does? But, I mean, are you really ready to move on? Because if you're not, that might not be fair.
James: Fair to whom?
Kara: To... whomever comes next.

Max Lord: (chuckles) What can I get you? Or are you not allowed to drink and fly? I don't know the rules.
Supergirl: Caught your press conference. I was surprised, you're usually a little more glib.
Max Lord: There was nothing to be glib about. A sick little girl lost her father.
Supergirl: That little girl's being treated by a doctor who has a lifetime grant from your company. You said tonight you always build in fail-safes. Like the kill switches in those bombs. Something tells me that there was a fail-safe in Knox's bomb, too. One that you could've remotely activated if I didn't save you in time. You forced Knox to plant those bombs in exchange for saving his daughter's life.
Max Lord: I would never barter a child's life. I can't speak for Knox's motives. He clearly went insane.
Supergirl: Maybe you didn't expect Knox to vaporize himself, but I do know this was all a ruse. I just can't figure out why you did it.
Max Lord: Fascinating theory. Unprovable, but worth exploring. I suspect that whoever is responsible for these attacks might be curious about you, Supergirl. What is she made of? How does she do it?
Supergirl: (realization) You were testing me.
Max Lord: (laughs) And what would these tests have shown us? The drone would have measured your agility. The building explosion, your strength. The next bomb would've demonstrated your speed while also revealing you're not actually invincible.
(Supergirl sighs)
Max Lord: But the results of that last test are the most intriguing of all. You chose to save a hundred people on that train, instead of thousands at the airport. One might deduce that there was someone on that train that you cared about. And finding that person is the key to revealing who you really are... when you're not flying around wearing that "S."
Supergirl: For the record, I care about everyone. You may have fooled this city, but I know you were behind this. And I'm watching you. This isn't over.
Max Lord: Finally, something we can agree on. The fun is just beginning.


Continuity

Director Henshawk asks if the drone following Kara could have been sent by Astra, last seen in 102.
This is the first year Cat Grant has gotten the Siegel award.

Lois Lane has a freckled nose.

Lucy Lane is a military lawyer, working out of the Judge Advocate General division. She dislikes handling AWOL cases. She dumped James Olsen before he moved away.

Cat Grant's son Carter appears for the first time. He's an avid Supergirl fan.

A news report mentions Maxwell Lord's super-train from 102.

Carter refers to Supergirl beating Reactron in 103.

Kara refers to Cat trying to get James to use his connections to introduce her to Supergirl in 102.

Kara sees Director Henshaw's eyes glowing red while barely drifting in and out of consciousness in the DEO headquarters.

Lucy refers to James fighting Reactron alongside Supergirl from 103.

Maxwell Lord also owns an airline - Lord Air.

Director Henshaw is confirmed to have some kind of power, which he uses to deactivate the airport bomb.

Winn is capable of hacking hospital records.


The Bottom Line

Possibly the best episode of the series to date and not just because it's so light on Cat Grant. Everything just clicks here. The direction. The effects. The performances. It's all good.