Previously on Supergirl, Leviathan was looming, Lena was seething and incepting, Kara was stressing, Alex was fighting, Kelly was worrying, and everything was a big gay mess.
We open this episode with Supergirl sparring with Space Dad. He says she seems a little off, she counters that he does, too. She admits she’s punching away her anxiety about the Leviathan unknowns and is still wrestling some leftover guilt from the Lena thing, which was kind of rekindled by William finding out his friend was RipRoar. Before they can talk all that much though, J’onn gets knocked down by some kind of psychic blast.
Meanwhile, Lena is home reading a book in the dark, sitting straight up on the couch, still wearing her jeans, as you do.
Maybe for someone who is often in a power suit, jeans are her sweatpants?
The Leviathan woman shows up for the medallion but even though she strolled right into Lena’s living room, she can’t get to Lena because of all her security. She looks the Leviathan woman in the face and says she’s not afraid, and the Leviathan woman assures her she will be.
Hope comes out, which honestly alarmed me, but I guess it would be weird if a janitor or something saw Eve Teschmacher sleeping on a stool in the lab. So Hope tells Lena that it’s not really logical to keep a technically useless medallion that a mysterious and dangerous organization wants, but Lena feels very finders keepers about it. Besides, her mother would want her to have it. Anyway, Lena can use it as leverage. And speaking of leverage, she also wants to use her leverage with Kara to get into the Fortress of Solitude.
Hope thinks Lena should cancel the L Corp event because Leviathan could attack, but Lena just smiles a haughty smile and says, “Supergirl will save me.”
The things this woman can do with her face.
After leaving Lena’s apartment, the Leviathan woman goes to a mansion of sorts that also serves as Leviathan HQ. When she gets downstairs, she greets a man and for the first time, she doesn’t sound like the all-knowing leader of an underground society. She sounds like a nervous henchperson who failed her mission. She insists she was no match for a Luthor, but the man, Rama Khan, says that they’ve been around since they accidentally killed all the dinosaurs with their spaceship (lol) and that she shouldn’t have failed. But another woman appears from the shadows and says that maybe it’s Rama Khan’s fault and that they should use her tech instead of Rama Khan’s brute force, but he waves her off and goes about his business.
His business, of course, being attacking Lena’s charity event.
“It’s rude to attack someone when they’re wearing a Catra suit, sir.”
Lena presses her Supergirl call button and leaps off the cliff, which frankly was a risk that had to involve some level of trust whether Lena wants to admit it or not. And of course, Supergirl is there just in time, saving her first, asking questions later.
It’s a good thing Kara wasn’t like in the shower or something, jeez.
When Lena says it’s Leviathan attacking, Supergirl shoots her laser beams at him but he just heals up so she flies them to safety. She takes her all the way to the DEO, where they consult with Alex and Brainy about who this man could be.
Little brings me more joy on this show than when these three are in the same room/frame/conversation.
Brainy calls him an Earthbender, and says he must be thousands of years old, if not older, therefore definitely an alien, and from a sister planet to Krypton. Lena casually says it’s too bad Lex’s Kryptonian-killing weapons were destroyed, and Kara plays right into her hands, saying they’re in the Fortress of Solitude. Lena offers to give Kara a list to bring, a clever ploy; most people would beg to come and make up some lie about why they should. Lena just makes it sound like she’s unconcerned with going, while also making it sound mildly inconvenient to NOT invite her, and Kara trusts Lena, so of course Kara tells her they’ll make a road trip out of it.
“Yes, it’s called the Fortress of SOLITUDE. Yes, I continue to bring more and more people there. No, I will not be taking any questions at this time.”
Lena asks if Kara is sure it’s okay that a Luthor can go there, and Kara playfully insists that it’ll be fun, and that Lena will need a jacket. A fox running off with the hound.
Back at the DEO, Brainy is looking for Rama Khan but finds RipRoar instead. But when he and Alex show up at the scene to get him, they realize it’s a trap and they get a little exploded. At first Alex says she’s not injured, just angry, but before she can finish fuming, she falls down.
This is also what I looked like the first time I gave blood, when I said people passing out from giving blood sounded fake immediately before passing out.
In the Fortress of Solitude, Kara and Lena barely get a few steps in before the defense system clocks that there’s a Luthor inside and shoots up an ice cell around her. Supergirl disarms it just in time but the whole thing is pretty harrowing for both of them.
“I hate this song and wish everyone would stop playing it.”
Kara apologizing, saying that Lena is not Lex. Lena knows that Kara isn’t her cousin either. Lena says, “We are miles beyond those boys with their sticks and stones.”
And she’s right, of course. But unfortunately she doesn’t mean they’re above fighting each other. Lena just means she’s elevated her tactics. They don’t need to punch or explode each other, because they’ve got the power of emotional manipulation. Cuts much deeper than any Kryptonite blade.
Back at the DEO, Kelly comes to visit Alex, who is just mildly concussed so she didn’t bother texting Kelly right away; but she heard from Nia that she and Brainy were in an explosion.
I know this is neither here nor there but I love that this means Nia and Kelly had been hanging out off-screen, as promised.
But when Kelly sees Alex is fine, she starts to cry. She was so scared. Alex is a little surprised by this reaction but she promises to call or text and tell her exactly what’s going on next time. Alex is ready to get back up and at ’em but Kelly is too worried about her and her lil concussion, so Alex agrees to stay for a little while longer.
I didn’t think it was possible but I think Kelly is teaching Alex how to engage in some work/life balance.
While they’re walking through the Fortress of Solitude, Lena does this thing that I am so guilty of and politely, almost jokingly, brings up things that have been weighing on her. Like how it’s soooo hilarious that she risked her life for her squishy little friend Kara over and over, having no idea that Kara was literally bulletproof and also could fly. How absolutely hysterical it is that when she thought she was making her own choices, Kara was secretly saving her time and time again. “You’re an excellent actress,” she says, a smile blooming like a poisonous flower.
Listen some of us weren’t raised in families where we confronted or discussed our feelings outright so it’s either passive aggressive or aggressive aggressive; we don’t know anything else.
It works, this angle, because Kara is positively squirming. She feels horrible. For all the times she lied. For all the danger she put Lena in. For all the memories Lena has to go over again with sharper vision now that the wool is off her eyes.
Back in National City, the young, blonde, Leviathan woman whose name I don’t believe was said and is definitely not on IMDb, so I will just call Tech Lady for now (listen, I’m no Cisco), tries to get Rama Khan to see that the world has changed, and a little biblical flood or volcano eruption isn’t going to solve the climate issues they have, but her technology might. Because apparently, in what may be the biggest plot twist in history, Leviathan just might be eco-terrorists? Anyway, Rama Khan ignores her AGAIN (which I can almost guarantee he will come to regret) and says that since he can’t sense the medallion on Earth anymore, it must be in the one place on the planet that is not of this Earth at all.
Kara and Lena get to the quantum processor, which Lena recognizes immediately even though Kara couldn’t have named it if you asked her to, despite having used it before. Lena asks if she can use it to send Brainy a message and Kara lets her, amused by her nerdy excitement.
What if, back when they were truly friends, sometimes when Kara was homesick, Lena would talk to her in Kryptonian. She obviously knows the language.
Lena and Kara find the gun that can weaken Rama Khan enough to get power dampening cuffs on him. Lena says, “It was designed for evil but maybe we can use it for good.”
It’s like…she’s SO close to understanding what “good” means but she has to realize that being good isn’t necessarily doing the big grand things her brother would do but with better intentions. Sometimes being good is not doing anything at all.
But while they were looking for the gun, Kara points out Myriad, the weapon her Aunt Astra used to turn everyone into mindless zombies.
A lot is about to go down, so I’ll take a break right here to give you a Space Dad update. J’onn’s storyline, despite being the closing chapter in a book we’ve been reading all season, is buried beneath all the drama and angst of the other stories. They packed so much into this episode, and I have to imagine it’s because they’re preparing for a crisis. (I don’t know if you’ve heard.) J’onn meditates and his father helps him and realize it’s not his guilt making him sense his brother, his brother is actually nearby. So J’onn finds him, apologizes, and lets Mal see into his mind to know he’s telling the truth about never hating him, never wanting to hurt him. So in the end, Mal offers a hand to his brother, and perhaps they can help each other now instead of fighting.
Back at the DEO, Alex and Kelly are playing cards, and Alex tells Kelly that she appreciates her taking the time to make sure Alex took care of herself. That she’s used to just dealing with things (or decidedly not dealing with them) on her own. Alex tells Kelly that being with her feels like home, and all of Kelly’s anxieties bubble up and spill over.
“Go fish…my stuff out of your apartment because I’m breaking up with you.”
She admits that when she had to hear through Nia and had no message from Alex, she assumed the worst, which in anyone else’s case might seem like an overreaction, but Kelly has literally been through the worst, and Alex’s job is literally life or death. Kelly tried to convince herself she could handle it, but she tells Alex now that she doesn’t think she’s strong enough. But she knows how important this job is to Alex and would never, ever ask her to change.
“Such pain as this shouldn’t have to be experienced. I’m still reeling from the loss, still a little bit delirious”
But Kelly isn’t sure she can keep going through this. Brainy comes in and tells Alex they have to leave immediately, but Alex is so confused as to what the hell just happened. Kelly tells Alex she should go back to work, and Alex knows that there will be time to talk later but Leviathan is more important right now.
And honestly this scene broke my heart. Because it’s once again someone telling Alex, “I love you but I can’t.” It’s once again someone telling her they don’t want to change her, but that their situation just won’t allow them to stay. Because “I don’t love you” and “I love them more than you” hurt in obvious ways. “I love you, but” can come out of nowhere. “I love you, but” can feel like someone flipped the switch on gravity and suddenly the wall is the floor. “I love you, but” can be like following the map only to find there’s no bridge where it said there would be a bridge. What can you do with, “I love you, but”? When they insist it’s not you, or them, or us, but the situation you have no control over? What do you do when you feel like you’re not enough?
But also, Kelly has trauma and I can’t fault her for not wanting to be in such a triggering situation. All in all it’s a lot of emotions and it all hurts.
Everybody is crying in this episode and it HURTS. We need a fucking GAME NIGHT around here.
Alex tries to shake it off while she goes with Brainy to where he thinks the Leviathan Headquarters are but they find themselves in a cave, since Leviathan HQ obviously has better security than an unlocked door and a hackable elevator.
The Earthbender has made his way to the Fortress of Solitude, proud of himself for figuring out where they were, but Supergirl just tells him it’s impolite to come inside without an invitation and prepares to fight.
“I have home court advantage and Lena’s always at the home games.”
Unfortunately, Supergirl isn’t quite a match for the ancient alien, until she uses her brains over her brawn and freezes up the cracks in the floor so Rama Khan has no earth to bend. Realizing he probably could not face her in such conditions, and that he has no idea what else she has hiding in this cave of wonders, he cracks the floor and nopes out of there.
When Kara heads back into the weapon’s closet, she sees Lena with Myriad in her hand. Where was she going? What was her endgame? She couldn’t have walked home. She didn’t bring a backpack. And you better believe Lena didn’t decide last minute to grab this thing. Besides, she had already fiddled with the quantum processor. So I think she was just wandering around back there with Myriad in her hand, waiting to be caught.
“Wait is this not the delightful 90s toy the Bumble Ball?”
She even says, “You caught me,” with such an even tone. She wasn’t surprised, or guilty. She was just ready for this stiletto-heeled shoe to drop. She reveals that she knew Kara was Supergirl weeks before she told her, tells her she found out with her brother’s dying breath. Kara is confused, she thought she killed Lex. (Something I don’t think was properly processed on either count. Kara and Lena both thought they killed a human man.) Lena says that she had the gun pointed at Lex and every fiber of her being rebelled. It went against her every instinct, her very nature. But she knew killing Lex would save the world, save her friends. Save Kara.
You know that feeling when you practice your angry speech over and over but then it comes time to give it and your tear ducts betray you?
Kara’s eyes are filling up with tears. She didn’t mean to hurt her. Lena scoffs at the idea. Lena had told Kara that everyone she ever trusted betrayed her. She didn’t even WANT to trust Kara, but she was so warm and welcoming. And she promised, PROMISED, she would never lie to her, never betray her, that she was different, that she was Lena’s one true friend.
EVERYONE STOP KICKING THE PUPPY
Lena’s practiced speech starts to unravel now, her even tone wavering. Tears fill her own eyes. “I killed my brother for you,” she yells. Kara, to her credit, doesn’t get angry or defensive. She just looks so, so sad. She inches her way toward Lena this whole time. Never flinching away, never backing down. She asks why Lena didn’t come to her, or out her. Why did she pretend to be her friend for so long, pretend like everything was fine? Lena admits she wanted Kara to feel what she felt. She wanted Kara to truly understand what it felt like to be lied to, to be betrayed.
Kara understands. She says Lena is right, but that Lena shouldn’t use Myriad just because Kara fucked up. She’s not her brother. But Lena is still seeing red, so she just snaps that Kara doesn’t get to say who or what Lena is.
An ice cell like the one that appeared around Lena when she entered shoots up around Kara now. Kryptonite seeps into her and she can’t move. With big, sad eyes and a defeated tone, Kara lets out a quiet, “Are you going to try to kill me?” She’s not afraid of dying. She’s afraid of Lena killing her. She’s not scared or angry or sassy. She’s just. So. SAD.
Lena says she’s not, by the way. Going to kill her. Though she calls her Supergirl in this moment. Distancing herself from the woman she once thought to be the most important person in her life. “I’m not a villain,” she says, again, maybe as much for herself as it is for Kara at this point. “You shouldn’t have treated me like one,” she adds, to the only person who never did.
“Would a villain do THIS?” *dramatic villainous exit*
And what hurts is that I get it. They’re both right, they’re both wrong. They’re both hurt. If they were just regular people they would have to fight it out, talk it out, work it out. But they’re a Super and a Luthor. They’re a superpowered alien and a supergenius scientist. There’s more at stake here than just their relationship with each other. And on one hand, maybe it’s good that it’s all out there now. Now that all the blindfolds are off, maybe, just maybe, they’ll be able to see a path to forgiveness.
As if that wasn’t enough of an emotional roller coaster for one episode, next up we have Alex and Kelly. Alex starts the scene by showing us how much she’s grown. Two seasons ago Alex would have run in this room begging and crying and pleading and bargaining. But Alex now walks calmly up to Kelly and tells her that she understands. She was hurting too when they first met, but Kelly helped ground her.
I don’t know what all this ~support~ and ~understanding~ is but I guess maybe it’s a healthy relationship? I wouldn’t know.
She wants to do the same for Kelly, now that she has both feet on the ground. Kelly asks what if it’s not possible, what if she’s just broken? But Alex knows she’s not. Alex knows they can heal each other because Kelly’s already done it for her. Alex repeats what she said before because she means it: Kelly feels like home to her, and she’s going to fight to protect it. Kelly says Alex feels like home too, and they pull each other close, giving my poor gay heart a goddamned break for once.
:swoons:
This all felt so inherently queer to me. In my own queer circles, at least, we almost all have our traumas and/or anxieties; even without something as big as what Kelly has been through, I think just the nature of having grown up in a society where heteronormativity is assumed and having to come out into a society where it’s still not entirely safe or accepting of us is traumatizing in its own way. So we find ways to get through it, together. We do our best to make safe spaces and have open hearts and we take turns healing each other. So that’s why I loved this scene, because Alex and Kelly are making room for each other, not trying to change or “fix” each other, but to heal. To just be a warm fire to thaw the parts that were frozen by fear, to be a hot meal to fill the spaces that were hollowed out by sorrow, to be four walls and a roof to keep each other safe. To be each other’s home.
“She says I smell like safety and home. I named both of her eyes forever and please don’t go.”
But don’t worry, lest you think an episode of Supergirl end on such a warm, fuzzy feeling, it cuts back to the Fortress of Solitude, where Kara is just CRYING IN HER ICE PRISON. Despite all the things we’ve seen Kara do (or try to do) while her veins are glowing green, Kara isn’t even moving. She’s not pounding her fists against the ice, she’s not trying to use her heat vision in small bursts, she’s not calling Alex for help. She’s just crying.
We’re off next week, but we’ll be back in two for 508, the last episode before the CRISIS. Good luck with all those feelings! Bye!
HERE ARE SOME THINGS
-I spent the entire episode waiting for someone to make an Avatar: TLA reference about the Earthbender and was horribly disappointed. You can’t tell me Kara wouldn’t have been watching it when she first came to Earth.
-If Rama Khan is from near Krypton, why can he bend Earth and only Earth???
-Weren’t Astra and Non already ecoterrorists?
-If Alex has a concussion, she shouldn’t have been texting anyway. Nor should she be off investigating things an hour late either, obviously. Come on, show.
-I feel like as a therapist, Kelly should be telling Alex to stop saying that she healed her? Healing is something you have to find in yourself, not something that someone else just does to her. I know the sentiment is along the lines of helping each other to heal, but the wording really bothered me.
-The Catra suit caption nearly killed me, thank you
“I spent the entire episode waiting for someone to make an Avatar: TLA reference about the Earthbender and was horribly disappointed. You can’t tell me Kara wouldn’t have been watching it when she first came to Earth.” – Slay
Me too girl…me too.
“I feel like as a therapist, Kelly should be telling Alex to stop saying that she healed her? Healing is something you have to find in yourself, not something that someone else just does to her. I know the sentiment is along the lines of helping each other to heal, but the wording really bothered me.”
I had a similar thought … like my bad dating experiences have included women that I was sure I could ‘fix’ if I just loved her enough and she loved me enough. It’s like a recipe for bad co-dependency.
You don’t hurt Kara full stop. It’s against the rules of law, Rah, and woman. To do so makes you a heretic of the highest order not to mention an asshole. Lena, I still like you but you’re an asshole. Yes, you’re right about the hurt but you’re wrong about literally everything else.
I like how the writers are showing that being so smart and using that in place of emotion can make you your own worst enemy and often, as a result, you become blind to the intentions of others. Lena for all her intelligence doesn’t see that Lex told her about Supergirl as his last f*ck you because he knew it would be enough to manipulate her into becoming what he’d always wanted her to be which is someone who seeks to control others by any means necessary in order to assuage her guilt and fear. She’s also blinded to the fact that Kara is a gah damn puppy who, yes, wet the floor but she’s so very, very sorry.
Someone else said it elsewhere and I’m going to steal it…Lena is she has the emotional IQ of a 6yo. I know that particular failing is the result of her upbringing but damn girl use some of those smarts to research a good therapist.
I dunno, trusting someone who’s snatched you out of the air to do it again doesn’t seem that hard. Supergirl might be the easiest thing about Kara for Lena to understand right now, it’s the whole “my single spark of faith in a human person has been pretty snuffed out by that person not being a human one” bit she’s having trouble with
Pretty intense ! Thanks more than ever for your captions, they saved me a lot today !
I’ve stopped watching Supergirl long ago but I still read your recaps every week. When I left Lena was firmly good and I DO NOT like her turning to villain. (I get that it might make sense plot-wise, redemption arcs are bread and butter of any superhero show.)
Anyway, this episode seems so intense. If you need a break Stay The Night Chapter X is out now and it’s amazing.
– Let the Supercorp angst begin.
– Ma’le’fic escaped from the Phantom Zone before. Why don’t they suspect that he did so again?
– If Leviathan is everywhere, why don’t they just poison Lena? Or kill her from a distance? Or etc, etc, etc…?
– SPACE GRANDPA!
– Ah. Smart, Lena. An emotional attack on their guilt to deflect suspicion.
– Lena corrupted that machine with two presses of a button? Heck, can she even read Kryptonian?
– I liked Space Grandpa’s talk about his choice.
– I hope that that talk helps people understand Lena’s motivation better.
– Supergirl is still trapped.
– Still haven’t seen the Leviathan old man that showed himself to Andrea.
– Speaking of, where is Andrea?
– If Leviathan is everywhere, why don’t they just poison Lena? Or kill her from a distance? Or etc, etc, etc…?
I suppose it’s because they have no guarantee that her death would clear a way to the medallion, that it wouldn’t be stashed in some secret Luthor vault. Maybe Granny Evil didn’t shoot to kill, or she thought she’d be able to make Lena talk before she died. The Earthbender wasn’t trying to outright kill Lena either, or he would have crumbled the earth under her without the theatrics.
– Lena corrupted that machine with two presses of a button? Heck, can she even read Kryptonian?
Yeah, that was hilarious. Even if she reads Kryptonian and/or has researched the tech in preparation, it’s not like there were buttons to reverse the entire purpose of the system and target Kyrptonians. The show could have handled this better, but I get why they went with “I’ve subverted your protections against you”, logic be damned.
– One thing I liked about the Fortress scene was the lack of “will she / won’t she” with the gun. Despite the heavy foreshadowing that the weapons in there could hurt Kara, they were not a factor at all. Lena only wanted to hurt Kara emotionally, the way Kara hurt her, and the show kept the focus on that.
I think Lena’s jump off the cliff fits in here too: she is certain Kara will save her from actual, physical danger. Her heart tho? Lena is a woman scorned. Hell hath no fury and all that. As to redemption, I think she hasn’t crossed a line yet, not with Kara (though her disabling the DEO for Andrea to get RipRoar is actually a worse betrayal imo), and a lot rides on how much promo shenanigans were in that trailer for the next episode.
“wearing a Catra suit” OH MY GOD!!
I am going to play devil’s advocate. Like I know it’s not ethically sound, but Lena’s ‘do not harm’ brain voodoo seems to have done some good to Mal. He would not have let his bro ‘talking’ if not for that.
Look ok, some of us do relax in jeans, ok? I’m tired of all y’all sweatpant police! I don’t even own sweatpants. And yes I wear shoes inside too. I know, right? I’m a monster. Look basically, I’m Lena is what I’m saying. Not all of us are fluffy-animal-slipper-wearing Kara-clones. Yeah, I’m calling you out Valerie Anne, that’s right. How do you like them structured-apparels?! ;)
Ahem.
Anyway, yes … to the episode. My over-identification with Lena aside as a character … sad Kara is sad. Dang, yes, kicked-puppy is SO the correct metaphor here, and her crying in the ice-prison at the end was quite literally heart-wrenching because, the-ship-that-shall-not-be-named aside, Kara got her heart broken. And Lena broke it. Because Lena’s heart was broken. By Kara. Except Kara didn’t know.
Basically this is every single lesbian breakup I’ve ever witnessed. And then you slept together a bit later accidentally after you both got drunk together, and of course she’s still hot and still is all the things you originally fell for, and you’re still into her. And then the next morning you’re all hungover and all the reasons you broke up are still there and you’re all passive-aggressive because you’re still pissed at her and pissed at yourself.
Ahem.
Look, I come from a Dutch ethnic background and our culture’s way of dealing with emotion is to shut it into boxes and then it seeps out in passive-aggressive comments that cut better & deeper than a pocket light-sabre.
But in all seriousness, Lena screamed at Kara at one point, she lost control of herself, which Lena never ever does. And Kara took it all in, took it all on herself, because she’s Kara. And she believes in Lena, and loves her.
God, this episode has all the feels.
Anyway, I know Alex is being all ‘in-touch-with-your-feelings’ and emotional-mature and all at the moment, but when she finds out that Lena hurt Kara like this … ooooo, boy, she’s gonna go all Galadriel when she was offered the one-ring on Lena.
But I just want to get Lena and Kara together again so they can work it out so they can get back to dating. I mean being friends. Yes, friends. Ahem.
My favorite part of the promo for the next episode is Alex being a patient-but-exasperated sister to Kara. It’s gotta suck for her: on top of probably wanting to rip Lena’s head off for hurting Kara, she has to give the go or halt to the DEO in handling Lena’s plans, while Kara is all teary puppy eyes and most likely feeling responsible for Lena’s stint on the villainous side. Enjoy your emotional maturity, Alex, cuz you gotta do the heavy lifting right now. XD
Man, this show is actually being much smarter than it’s been in the past! I like that the experience with William set Kara up for this episode. I think J’onn’s story arc with his brother was a way for the show to give a shorter example of someone who betrayed someone else beyond repair, and what is required to regain and repair that trust. I was surprised that the arc ended in some ways, because I think J’onn’s decision is the decision Kara will have to make in the next episode – does she put Lena away, somewhere she can’t exercise power over others, or does she release all power until Lena can trust her again? Maybe those are false options. But these are such good questions and it’s so much more powerful and meaningful than this Big Scary Undefined Leviathan thing.
I really hope that’s where its headed.
What I call the “Do you think that I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?” effect. One of my favourite lines from Doctor Who.
Because I think that what Lena needs is just that. Someone to believe in her. Who’s here for her at her worst, not just at her best. Someone who will hold on even when Lena implodes. Kara’s perfect for that. The parallel between the brothers and the situation with Lena is works rather well.
Kind of like in Warehouse 13 with Helena’s ‘evil plan’s denouement, except Lena’s plan is less lethal so at least there’s that.
“A fox running off with the hound.”
Ow, right in the feels.
——–
Tiny boxes… tiny boxes… sometimes boxes get opened. There’s a story about that… Greek, I think.
——–
All of Lena’s “Luthor” actions this season have been targeted at “Supergirl”, not Kara. So when she loses it in the Fortress, when she screamed, “No, I killed my brother for you, for our friends, don’t you understand what I’ve done!?”, I think that was really Lena, briefly losing her grip on her the box she kept all of her emotions about Kara in. She never learned how to let go of her feelings, only pack them in tighter, until they become an emotional black hole, threatening to destroy you.
——–
The reveal of what Leaviathan felt … weak. They were set up as this ancient, all powerful shadow organization possibly run by Lena’s mother and instead it’s… yet another all powerful relic of Krpyton bent on destroying humanity.
(beleagured sigh)
——–
The one good thing is that there is no way they can convincingly wrap this up in the next episode. Things are going to get much, much worse. I just hope the Crisis doesn’t feel too much like a detour from the delicious angst.
——–
Sweet Roa, does Lena know Kara is claustrophobic? Because she left her in a confined space.
——–
No more secrets…
the takeaway for me this whole season so far, but especially this episode, is that kara and lena love each other very, very deeply, and far more than either seems to really understand. whether that love will ever be recognized as romantic or remains (barely) platonic is almost irrelevant. they are both utterly heartbroken by what has happened to their relationship, because neither has ever loved anyone the way they love each other.
I would love to see really objective reviews instead of these. Why isn’t anyone pointing out the obvious? Alex, the big badass Alex that I loved so much has no story arc whatsoever, she is totally reduced to a love interest. Just like Maggie was, the difference is that because she is Supergirl sister and DEO she gets a action scene here and there but that is it. Second why aren’t the writers being called out for recycling lines, the “I’m here to help you heal” scene doesn’t ring any bells? She said the same to Maggie in 2×17. Are the writers so desperate they have to copy a previous relationship or so mediocre that they don’t know other ways to write?! More the part where you go poor Alex left again because she wasn’t enough. Sorry but you need to go back and watch the show again, Alex was the one that left her previous relationship because the person wasn’t enough, she left Maggie that all her life was never enough, even for her parents… She talked about kids and Maggie asked several times about it and Alex just lied to later get to the point and say they had to break up. Maggie tells her she loves and she wants her, to which Alex answers – Yeah but I want kids – literally saying Maggie is not enough. So no, there is no again here, she was the one that did it not the other way around.
Also no one is going to point out the major queerbaiting they are doing with SC right now? Ok, you guys have a very specific plataform and you think none of this is important for the quality and respect of the representation out there, past, present and specially future? Disapointing but not at all surprised…
I bowed out of watching the show in its entirety after season 2 because it just doesn’t hold my interest the way it did in the first season. Now I just watch random episodes or read the recaps here. And yes, Alex’s storyline and journey has been completely reduced to almost nothing and I don’t see any chemistry between her and Kelly. Alex has more chemistry with her alien gun than she has with Kelly. Hate to say it but Alex is basically now the show’s token gay character.
TV and film reviews and recaps are supposed to have an opinion. That’s the point of them. If you’ve watched the episode, why do you need an aloof and numb recounting of the facts of an episode. I think maybe what you’re actually looking for is a recap that aligns more with your opinions. I hope if objectivity in recaps really is what you’re looking for, you find it. Maybe try TVline? They’re pretty neutral, although their writers do share opinions because that’s what all TV writers do.
I’m well aware that reviews reflect opinions and I also know that even if we try to be exempt we always leave a bit of us in what we write. However opinions can’t make reviewers and jornalists blind to facts and problems, hence me referring objectivity (yes I like it). Also readers are allowed to have opinions, it’s healthy even, sometimes it brings light to issues that are being ignored, allows to open up the discussion, with respect ofc.
The reviewer can love the character (like I do and that is why is even harder to watch) but it’s a fact Alex Danvers doesn’t have a story arc, she can like the Alex and Kelly scene but there is no denying the recycled writing, you can have an opinion but you can’t ignore past canon to fit your narrative. I’m not a child, I have been around for many many years and so have you and in several platforms like this one and you know very well the difference between writing an opinion based on facts and without ignoring problems and writing an opinion based on only what you like, nothing or on a wrong premiss.
Then there is perhaps even a bigger problem, the queerbaiting. I can understand people enjoying and pretend it isn’t there because they like the interactions and even ship the characters but neither think the queerbaiting being done to SC is problematic or relevant? Don’t want to write it in the review, fine, write it in an article but looking through TV history and all the queerbaiting and subtext, specially when done on purpose, that happenned all this time no one thinks this is a problem in 2019? As for your recomendation about TVLine and their neutral reviews, thank you I am already aware of them. Should I also take my questions and issues with representation to their neutral site? Because why platforms like this one, dedicated to the community, exist if these specific issues aren’t addressed here and help us fight for better?
And I’m stopping here because this is not a post to annoy you or being difficult for the sake of it, this is me expressing real concerns.
Why does Autostraddle not cover Batwoman (or have I just missed the summaries)?
I have to admit, after reading some mixed reviews, I went into the show with the bar set pretty low but have honestly been pleasantly surprised. Sure Ruby Rose could be a better actress but she’s NOT as bad as I thought she’d be and the storyline is actually very entertaining and interesting. And the show does not shy away from her being a lesbian. I find it sad Autostraddle seems to ignore it….I stopped watching Supergirl 1-2 seasons ago. I feel like the Batwoman story is much better than when I left Supergirl. 😕
I hope more people give Batwoman a chance.
Heather has written about Batwoman a few times, but general stuff rather than full recaps. I think they just don’t have the manpower to recap all of the gay ladies on TV (what a problem to have!), the arrowverse alone is more than one person can handle lol
That’s true! I have something coming your way about this week’s episode tomorrow!
A brief summary of the first seven episodes of Batwoman – there have been four canonical lesbians on screen and they’re all still alive.
In detail:
1×01 – Lesbian activity
1×02 – Lesbian activity
1×03 – Lesbian activity
1×04 – Lesbian activity
1×05 – Tragic backstory*
1×06 – Lesbian activity
1×07 – Lesbian activity
* The Elseworlds crossover was vaguely alluded to.
Had Lena ever actually finished one of her speeches on the show? I feel like the only people that attend these speeches anymore are Lena fangirls, Supergirl fangirls (for when someone inevitably turns up to kill Lena and Supergirl saves her) and people who have a death wish!
I was discussing Lena’s acts with a friend as I always feel that she has good ideas and the right intentions she just goes about executing them the wrong way. Her intention to stop people hurting one another is a good and noble quest but taking away their free will and consent is morally wrong. However she has grown up being taught morals by Lillian and Lex Luthor (and probably by being told by the police officer that came to arrest them that their actions were bad) so she has always relied on her friends reactions when she tells them her plans to see if it’s good or bad – we saw this clearly last season when she was developing the super soldier serum. When she mentioned it as a possibility there was a debate about whether it would be a good or bad things and Lena looked shocked, like she hadn’t even thought about it being wrong.
This season however she has been able to do this as she does not believe she has any friends she can trust or that trust her so she’s just relied on her own morals, which are wrong. I also think if you asked her about it she’d justify her actions up until now by saying the only two people she has done anything to so far is Eve Tessmaker and Malefic, both of who are evil/convicted criminals.
I feel like Lena is on the edge of a cliff now and how the Superfriends treat her once she has been stopped will influence whether she becomes a villain or not – if they treat her like a villain she’ll become one, if they treat her like a friend who made a mistake because of past trauma she can turn it around. I’m really hoping this arc will last more than one more episode but don’t want Lena to do anything so bad that she can’t come back from with a decent redemption arc.