S01.E09: Blood Bonds

[Kromm]

Because that's what Cat does.  She doesn't bother associating with "the little people," so she simply gets it "close enough" with their names.  Remember, this is the same woman who had no idea who Winn was until Kara pointed out that he had the desk right next to Kara's "which you walk by every day."

I don't think that's precisely it. It's close though. I think she knows Kara's real name--the same way she noticed all those details that made her think she was Supergirl. I think Cat CHOOSES to get people's names wrong. It's somewhere between gamesmanship, a head game, and a test to see how people react. Her default mode seems to get people off their stride under some philosophy that it makes them reveal themselves in various ways.

As for Winn? On the fence on if she actually didn't know who he was, or if it was more fakery.

[secnarf]

You know what hit me??? Hank could've gotten out of this jam by quietly shapeshifting into Astra when Non's back was turned. Non would've been shocked, he'd have asked her how she got there and where Hank had gone. Hank/Astra could've run out to 'find' Astra, then shot up and flown away to the DEO, and Non would never realize what hit him. 

I believe Hank was also restrained. It is true that Astra is smaller and might have been able to wiggle out of the restraints where Hank couldn't, but he also may not have had a good opportunity, and it wouldn't have helped at all to turn into Astra bound to a chair exactly as Hank had been. Non can't be that dumb.

 

Also, Hank may have been biding his time and not wanted to give Non any reason to suspect he's not human - it's probably how he has kept his secret all of these years.

Although, since Non, Astra, and presumably the other aliens who surrounded them, have the same super-hearing as Kara, it stands to reason that every single one of them could have heard Alex tell Hank he'd need to transform.

[TV Anonymous]

I don't have any military personnel I watch with, but I don't doubt there were plenty of things wrong with that scene from a protocol perspective. And in point of fact it's entirely possible the guy who refused Lane's orders will be drummed out of the service for his insubordination. However, I'm not sure opening fire was actually a viable action considering two of their three targets were implicitly bulletproof. Even if Lane and his troops had opened fire Alex is the only one that would have actually suffered.

 

It is certainly assumed that GEN Lane and his soldiers are ready with Kryptonite bullets.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is Also My Enemy
While Cat Grant tries to prove who Kara really is, Kara struggles with that question herself.

[Cthulhudrew]

The show is definitely improving, though I still have some issues:

 

1) If there are so many evil Kryptonians, why haven't they done more than pick a few small skirmishes? The DEO was pretty ineffectual against three or four of them last episode, in spite of all the stockpiles of Kryptonite the US government seems to have lying around,

2) Why can't they write a slightly more nuanced Non? By which I mean he comes across as utterly obnoxious, even when we only see him around Astra. I don't feel any chemistry or affection between those two characters, and yet we're supposed to believe they are husband and wife? It's almost like one of those bad romantic comedy-dramas where the boyfriend is an utterly despicable character whom the love interest inexplicably sticks with, in order to prop up the lead and make inevitable their romance all the more smooshy. (Maybe Astra suffers battered wife syndrome? That would be an interesting twist on an otherwise uninspiring and unconvincing coupling.)

3) Speaking of Astra, could they stop giving her such stilted dialogue? I think the actress shows some talent when she is able to get her mouth around the archaic phrasing. I think I get what they're going for- they want the Kryptonians speech pattern to be somewhat like old English or something; no slang, fewer contractions. It just isn't working for me. I think they even have Non doing it, except that I barely pay attention to what he's saying because I've always found it hard to listen to/watch Chris Vance's acting.

[Xenith22]

The more I think about it, the more it annoys me just how completely stupid Cat was in this episode.  No I'm not talking about her being fooled by the shapeshifter trick.  That seems entirely reasonable to me if the existence of shapeshifters is not really public knowledge yet.  (If Plastic Man later shows up and is revealed to have been publicly active for years...then I will have a problem).  

 

No, it's absolutely everything else about Cat in this episode that seems out of character levels of complete stupid. 

 

Let's start with her "test" of Kara.  A test of Kara's knowledge of her background.  Seriously...  Is there anyone that did not roll their eyes at that, or the even more absurd allegation that since Kara passed it meant she was SG?   I mean once again here were essentially the question.

1)  How old are you

2)  How old were you in 1999 (simple math)

3)  What grade were you in 1999 (most people could at least guess this correctly with a small margin of error)

4)  What was the name of your first grade teacher  (Depending on how memorable they were a lot of people could probably answer this. I could for sure.)

5)  Trying to trick her with the name of another teacher she had.  (Again I'd say a large percentage of people would be able to correctly identify the trick)

Seriously...  I mean keep in mind here that Supergirl's background is not public knowledge.  Cat has no way of knowing whether Kara arrived as a baby, an toddler, an teenager, or as a 24 year old.   She apparently just assumed she just arrived which is dumb dumb dumb.

 

So not only was the test completely stupid and in-definitive but there were PLENTY of other simple much more conclusive ways to prove that Kara was Supergirl without leaping to assumptions. Examples include:

1)  Trick Kara into lifting something which looks light but is actually incredibly heavy.

2)  Trick Kara into unwittingly touching something hot/cold/sharp.

3)  Blast an ultrasonic noise at her that an normal person would not hear, but would potentially cause someone with greatly enhanced hearing to flinch on instinct.

4)  Force Kara to cut a small lock of her hair.

There are plenty of other possibilities... these are just some of the easier/less extreme methods that don't involve putting anyone in danger or pretending anyone is in danger.

 

Really it almost makes me think that Cat wanted Kara to tell her of her own volition rather than be proven right about her suspicion.  However she never gave Kara a reason to trust her.  I mean Kara knows full well just how cut-throat Cat can be.  I mean take the way she threatened to fire Jimmy if her did not exploit his Superman connection for her benefit.   Or the way she printed that Supergirl was Superman's cousin despite the possibility that SG did not want that info revealed and had not the least bit of regret.  So again it only makes sense that despite their "friendship" Kara would fear the possibility of Cat exposing her identity.  Which would not only uproot her own life, but could also be potentially big trouble for her sister who also leads a secret life that does not need reporters poking around it.

 

However the question then becomes as to what Cat would have actually done with the info?   Did she want to print the expose for the one big story?  In a prior episode Cat stated she wanted to foster a close relationship with SG (to the point she would adopt her if she could).  So when you think about it exposing her identity would have been extremely short sighted as it would mean losing any and all exclusive access to Kara?   I mean really.  Not only would she lose personal access to Kara, but do you really think Supergirl would ever be willing to give Catco anything exclusive like an interview ever again?   Exposing Kara would have been the dumbest move that Cat could have made by far.  

So let's look at the other direction...Cat simply shares in Kara's secret double life and does not print it.  Now even if Cat believes that Kara's wasting time performing menial tasks as her assistant takes her away from saving people, does not mean that Kara's connection to her would have to end.  Kara's heartfelt speech was about needing Cat as a friend/mentor, something that would not have to be dependent on working conditions.  Plus such a relationship would still also allow Cat to get exclusive printable details about Kara's exploits.  Thus instead of one big Pulitzer article followed by a burnt bridge she would be guaranteed a steady stream of info to rival the Planet's via their Superman connection.   Makes much more sense right?    Which is why I go back to Cat Grant being an freaking moron with her approach toward Kara.   Not once did she say the three magic words...OFF THE RECORD.  Or give Kara any reason at all to believe that she was asking about Kara's identity on a personal level instead of just looking for a story print.  Aaaargh.  

 

Then of course there was her terrible terrible reaction to Kara's speech about needing a connection.  I mean if ever there was an opportunity for her to really foster a relationship with Kara/Supergirl...it was right there.   Instead she played hardball with her, and somehow managed to even top herself with an even more heartless reaction to Kara emotional resignation.   Ugh...talk about turning a character into an unlikable moron.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Xenith22

[Kromm]

I believe Hank was also restrained. It is true that Astra is smaller and might have been able to wiggle out of the restraints where Hank couldn't, but he also may not have had a good opportunity, and it wouldn't have helped at all to turn into Astra bound to a chair exactly as Hank had been. Non can't be that dumb.

 

Also, Hank may have been biding his time and not wanted to give Non any reason to suspect he's not human - it's probably how he has kept his secret all of these years.

It's got to be that last thing (that he didn't want to show his cards). Because I think by definition a shape-changer probably can't be held in wrist restraints for long. Seems to me unless his power has some silly limitations (like having to match a real person exactly), all he has to do is make his wrists smaller and leave the rest looking the same.

[MarkHB]

One thing I noticed is that he shifted back to his actual appearance briefly between Supergirl and Hank; if he can't go directly from one to the other he might have had to transition to Martian form to get out of the cuffs, and if they recognized him as Martian then his weakness is easy to exploit (far easier than Kryptonite).

[Trini]

2) Why can't they write a slightly more nuanced Non? By which I mean he comes across as utterly obnoxious, even when we only see him around Astra. I don't feel any chemistry or affection between those two characters, and yet we're supposed to believe they are husband and wife? It's almost like one of those bad romantic comedy-dramas where the boyfriend is an utterly despicable character whom the love interest inexplicably sticks with, in order to prop up the lead and make inevitable their romance all the more smooshy. (Maybe Astra suffers battered wife syndrome? That would be an interesting twist on an otherwise uninspiring and unconvincing coupling.)

 

Agreed on this point. From what we've seen so far, I don't think Astra and Non needed to be married for them to be co-conspirators.

 

Speaking of Kryptonians, I thought it was interesting that Astra didn't consider Superman/Kal-El a "real" Kryptonian; calling Kara the true heir of the House of El. Even though he's been at this superhero thing longer, and is probably more powerful physically, it seems like maybe Astra and co. don't consider him as big a threat? On the the other hand, it's more likely that Kara would be easier to convert to their cause, exactly because she wasn't raised 'human'.

[Actionmage]

I thought it was interesting that Astra didn't consider Superman/Kal-El a "real" Kryptonian; calling Kara the true heir of the House of El.

 

I thought it was because Kara was more aware of Kryptonian ways and understood what was expected of her. Granted, Kal has Jor-El tapes, but Kal barely lived on the planet. Astra strikes me as someone who would favor a lived experience over someone just being handed a title. 

 

I would think that on this show, Kal being the Last Son of Krypton would be more played up. He even has J'onn to commiserate with on that. Yet Kara can also relate to J'onn in that they both have survivor's memories, they both experienced the loss first-hand. 

 

Xenith, I agree that the script came up with a dumb way for Cat to put Kara "through her paces".  Especially, as you and others pointed out, Cat wants to be SG's Perry White. 

[pennben]

As a non-comic reader, casual viewer of other Superman shows, why are folks fixated that Superman isn't helping here?  I assume, from questions about his absence here, that folks would question other superheros not helping Superman in his shows, but I'm not sure that is the case. Do Superman universes have to continually answer questions why others, like Supergirl,  don't show up to help him?  If not, why is this such an issue in this show for some?

Edited January 6, 2016 by pennben

[Kromm]

Agreed on this point. From what we've seen so far, I don't think Astra and Non needed to be married for them to be co-conspirators.

 

Speaking of Kryptonians, I thought it was interesting that Astra didn't consider Superman/Kal-El a "real" Kryptonian; calling Kara the true heir of the House of El. Even though he's been at this superhero thing longer, and is probably more powerful physically, it seems like maybe Astra and co. don't consider him as big a threat? On the the other hand, it's more likely that Kara would be easier to convert to their cause, exactly because she wasn't raised 'human'.

That wasn't the subtext I got from that at all.

It's not that he's not a threat, I'd say. Superman is a threat... or they'd be doing this in Metropolis, wouldn't they?

Astra was (badly) trying to play on Kara's vanity. She took the same logic that failed with her sister (that militant drastic action was needed and justified) and tried to promote an angle with Kara that to be Kryptonian was to be logically ruthless enough to get things done. Of course the history of the final days of Krypton kind of belies that logic, so of course it was BS. But the idea is that Kal-El thinks like a human and Kara doesn't. Which as far as we've seen is hardly true. Kara thinks plenty like a human. We've seen her have non-human knowledge, sure, but her general mores seem pretty identical to human society.

[secnarf]

As a non-comic reader, casual viewer of other Superman shows, why are folks fixated that Superman isn't helping here?  I assume, from questions about his absence here, that folks would question other superheros not helping Superman in his shows, but I'm not sure that is the case. Do Superman universes have to continually answer questions why others, like Supergirl,  don't show up to help him?  If not, why is this such an issue in this show for some?

Because Kara is female.

[MarkHB]

As a non-comic reader, casual viewer of other Superman shows, why are folks fixated that Superman isn't helping here?  I assume, from questions about his absence here, that folks would question other superheros not helping Superman in his shows, but I'm not sure that is the case. Do Superman universes have to continually answer questions why others, like Supergirl,  don't show up to help him?  If not, why is this such an issue in this show for some?

 

I'm not sure that anyone is fixated, but it's the same issue that readers have raised in the comics over the years: Superman is so powerful that he could cover for nearly every hero in the DC universe, so why doesn't he? The editors used to say "he was out in space" in the letters columns, but of course the answer is far more banal: because writers want to write about different characters, and they can't make much money if they only have one hero's books to sell.  So at some level we just have to accept that he's not going to be showing up (because the writers don't want him to), and they're not going to explain it every time.  Hell, in this ep he could have been watching from a distance and swept in in case things went south (a la Reactron).

[Big Mother]

Because Kara is female.

Nope.... because 1) they're family 2) the last 2 non-FortRozz survivors of Krypton 3) she's still cutting her teeth on Superheroeing and she's in danger so often, and he's the only other person on the planet with similar abilities as she has, so 4) 2 Kryptonites on the right side of the war are better than 1. Nothing to do with female. If Superman were also fighting Fort Rozz criminals on the other coast, I would fully epxect them to bring him Supergirl to help him too.

[Chicago Redshirt]

As a non-comic reader, casual viewer of other Superman shows, why are folks fixated that Superman isn't helping here?  I assume, from questions about his absence here, that folks would question other superheros not helping Superman in his shows, but I'm not sure that is the case. Do Superman universes have to continually answer questions why others, like Supergirl,  don't show up to help him?  If not, why is this such an issue in this show for some?

I touched on the reasons above but will talk more about them for a bit. Everything that this is based on has been established on the show:

 

1. SG and SM are cousins and care about each other

2. SG is a relatively rookie hero, while SM is a veteran

3. Kryptonians are ridiculously powerful

4. Astra is SG's aunt (and therefore SM's aunt-in-law)

5. Astra is commanding a force that has at a minimum a half-dozen Kryptonians, plus members of other species, all of whom may have abilities far above normal men. I think the pilot said there were something like 78 Fort Rozz escapees, but presumably some have been captured or killed in the intervening 12 years. Let's be conservative and say that the Kryptonians we've seen are all that Astra has on her side. So that is like 7. At a liberal end of the spectrum, there could be as many as 50 Kryptonians at large, and like 18 people from other deadly species. 

6. These members of Astra's force all committed (or were at least suspected of and convicted of committing) what were considered criminal acts on Krypton worthy of basically the maximum penalty.

7. They are all engaged in an undefined plot to take over the world

8. They have developed a shielding mechanism that protects them from one of their chief weaknesses, Kryptonite.

 

So given all the above, it seems awkward that SM would have stayed out of things. I would think at a minimum he would want to see how Kara is handling the revelations that her aunt was alive on an emotional level. But given the potential threat to Earth is as high as it is, staying on the sidelines doesn't jibe with his character. Any fight involving all of Astra's army puts her at a 7-1 disadvantage, minimum. And so far, SG's record vs. Kryptonians is 1-3-1. And that one win has an asterisk, as does the draw. 

 

First, she lost to Astra in single combat and had to get bailed out by J'onn wielding a Kryptonite knife.

Then she learned that the Team Astra had developed Kryptonite shielding got exposed to Kryptonite and escaped by rolling herself off a roof.

Then she defeated Astra, but every suggestion was that was supposed to be a ruse.

Then Non defeated her in single combat, but did not snap her neck because he was under orders from Astra to let her live.

Then Non was about to get his hench-Kryptonians to open cans of whoopass on her but Astra ordered them to withdraw. It's pretty clear that they would have won that engagement. Even putting the numbers aside, all they would have to do is cuff SG with the Kryptonite cuffs, and it would have been over.

 

It isn't about Kara being female. It is about there being a massive threat that she is not ready to handle on her own being out there. Heck, if this was "Superman," and it was established that he had a SG who was the same sort of rookie that she is here, I would question why he wouldn't be calling her in. 7-2 is obviously better odds than 7-1.

 

The IM conversation helps -- at least it shows SM is concerned about what is going on here and willing to help. That is a defining characteristic of SM in basically all his many incarnations, and so him appearing indifferent to this massive threat his cousin and the Earth was facing seemed strange.

 

Since Cat knows that Kara's real name is Kara (she said it in her last scene), why does she insist on calling her Ciara? 

 

Went back to the DVR. Although my closed captioning indicates Cat said "Kara" in that last scene, I still heard "Keira" each of the three times Cat said her name, rather than "Car-a"

Edited January 7, 2016 by Chicago Redshirt

[legaleagle53]

Agreed on this point. From what we've seen so far, I don't think Astra and Non needed to be married for them to be co-conspirators.

 

Speaking of Kryptonians, I thought it was interesting that Astra didn't consider Superman/Kal-El a "real" Kryptonian; calling Kara the true heir of the House of El. Even though he's been at this superhero thing longer, and is probably more powerful physically, it seems like maybe Astra and co. don't consider him as big a threat? On the the other hand, it's more likely that Kara would be easier to convert to their cause, exactly because she wasn't raised 'human'.

 

Don't forget that Astra has no ties to Kal, either by marriage or by blood (she is only the sister-in-law of Kal's father's brother).  Her speech to Kara was meant to emphasize the blood connection that she and Kara do have, so she would naturally consider Kara, her blood relative, to be "the true heir of the House of El."

[legaleagle53]

4. Astra is SG's aunt (and therefore SM's aunt-in-law)

 

 Nope.  Astra isn't even related to Superman by marriage because the blood connection between him and Supergirl comes through their fathers, not their mothers.  Astra is the sister-in-law of Superman's uncle Zor-El.  She is NOT the sister-in-law of his father Jor-El -- Alura is.  Therefore, Astra isn't Superman's "aunt-in-law" and actually bears no familial relation to him at all.

[mtlchick]

 

Since Cat knows that Kara's real name is Kara (she said it in her last scene), why does she insist on calling her Ciara?

 

Although my closed captioning indicates Cat said "Kara" in that last scene, I still heard "Keira" each of the three times Cat said her name, rather than "Car-a"

I've seen it written as "Ker-ah" in the past which means even the poor closed captioning people aren't sure what to write.  She has pronounced it on occasion correctly (like the time she was drunk from martinis) she simply chooses not to to assert her position.

[Chicago Redshirt]

Fair enough that "in law" is incorrect. But I would say that the aunt of one of your cousins is still a family relation in the general sense of the term. (Pun about Astra's rank not originally intended.)

[KirkB]

I can't speak for anyone else but I'm not exactly fixated on why Superman isn't coming to Kara's show so much as Kara is dealing with a small army of people at least as powerful as she is, essentially by herself (the DEO is of minimal help and Kal may or may not know Henshaw is involved) and there is a guy not too far away who could give her a hand. It's not a matter of Kara falling down crying, or anyone saying she's a woman and therefor must need help, but if you're seriously outnumbered and know someone who could give you a hand, why not call them in? Even Oliver Queen on Arrow, who is damn near psychologically incapable of asking for help when he's on fire has called in Barry and Constantine. Do I want Superman showing up every other episode to do something Kara can't? Of course not. I'd much rather she solve her own problems on her own show. I don't want or need Superman to be a co-star, but as has been said, if the reverse were true and Superman were outnumbered and needed help, whether he asked for it or not, you don't think Batman or Wonder Woman, or Supergirl in this case, would drop what they were doing and come running?

Edited January 6, 2016 by KirkB

[Winston Wolfe]

 

That said, I do think the creators should have cat back on board team super girl for the finale.   The problem for me with Cat buying the Marian Manhunter twin is that Kara and Supergirl then are twins. What is the chance of that?  Also, Cat apologized too quickly. Doesn't seem like the type.

Big winner of the week: Cat Grant.  She clearly revealed herself to be on team Kara/Supergirl.  Seems pretty clear that the two are/were developing a mother/daughter or mentor/mentee relationship that was benefiting them both. Kara herself even seemed to imply that.  There was obviously more upside to Cat knowing the truth than a downside, but Kara is probably too young to see that right now.  As currently written I don't see much of a chance of Kat turning on Kara.

 

Best lines of the night:

Kara: "I can keep a secret."

Hank and Alex in unison: "NO YOU CAN'T."

 

The three are forming a close friendship based on mutual respect and admiration.  Nice to see.  Also cool that we're starting to see some of the same sense of humor MM displayed in Smallville and in the comics.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Winston Wolfe

[Perfect Xero]

Don't forget that Astra has no ties to Kal, either by marriage or by blood (she is only the sister-in-law of Kal's father's brother).  Her speech to Kara was meant to emphasize the blood connection that she and Kara do have, so she would naturally consider Kara, her blood relative, to be "the true heir of the House of El."

 

It's seems pretty odd that Astra would play up Kara as the "true heir" to the House of El though, since Astra herself isn't a member of the El family.

 

Big winner of the week: Cat Grant. She clearly revealed herself to be on team Kara/Supergirl. Seems pretty clear that the two are/were developing a mother/daughter or mentor/mentee relationship that was benefiting them both. Kara herself even seemed to imply that. There was obviously more upside to Cat knowing the truth than a downside, but Kara is probably too young to see that right now. As currently written I don't see much of a chance of Kat turning on Kara.

IMO Cat revealed herself to be on team Supergirl but not team Kara. She went right to talking about how many people weren't being saved because Kara was maintaining a secret identity and spending time getting her coffee. We've already seen that Cat likes to push people and play "bad cop" to get them to raise their game. Does Kara need someone who is going to guilt her every time someone dies or gets hurt because she wants a slice of a "normal" life as a way to decompress from the pressures of being a hero? If Cat thought that Kara was "slacking" on being a hero, I wouldn't put it beyond Cat to out Kara to try to force her to be a hero 24/7.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Perfect Xero

[Bazinga]

Could somebody please explain Astra's plan?  She fought Supergirl and lost, and Kara, Alex and Hank all realize this loss was a ruse to allow her capture.  While captured, her men attack Lord's facility and are winning with Non wiping the floor with Supergirl.  As they are superior, there was no reason to create a "diversion" and not sure how Astra being captured would be a diversion actually.  Was there any difference in the DEO's prepardeness and response with Astra captured then if they just showed up there with Astra adding to their numbers?  Instead of completing the objective at Lord's facility, whatever that might be, Non kidnaps Hank as a trade chip to get Astra, who allowed herself to be captured in the first place, back.  Non tried to use Hank and the transfer of Hank as a trap, which seems unnecessarily convoluted when they could defeat those they are trying to trap in a straight on fight.  So what was the point of Astra allowing herself to get captured?  She wasn't some sort of Trojan Horse gaining access to the enemy base.  All I can come up with is to show Kara that the humans are the "wrong side" and get Kara to join with her.  But, that doesn't really make a lot of sense either (see post below).   Even going back to the first episode, Astra hired an alien to rig a plane to kill DEO agent Alex.  Why would this covert (convoluted) method be necessary if you are stronger then your enemy?  Want to kill DEO agent Alex?, send Non to her apartment and kill her.  Done.

 

Alternatively, if Astra's capture was not some sort of ruse, the audience shouldn't have been led to believe it was.  Kara should have been shown to be superior in some way to Astra, perhaps more clever, allowing Kara to prevail and thus Astra's capture was a mistake on her part, calling for Non to attempt a rescue by kidnapping Hank as barter.

 

Why Superman should show up?  Because this is his fight, too.  Kryptonians trying to do whatever to take over the world is something he needs to deal with.  It is not just Kara's problem and he wants her to fight her own battles.  It is a big problem and Superman should be there.  And, Kara might not get the chance to ask for help-you don't usually know in advance you are going to lose the ultimate battle, not that Supergirl would every really lose the ultimate battle.  If you did know, probably shouldn't fight that battle.  The real answer as to why Superman can't just show up is that we are not watching the Superman and Supergirl Superpowers Show on Saturday mornings circa the mid 70s.  The show is Supergirl and this is her story (as she states in the intro).  I think the chat messages showing Clark's concern and willingness to help Kara are enough for us to handwave that he should be helping Supergirl.  Too many ...and Superman shows up to save the day... events would undermine the threats to Kara and devalue Supergirl.  Supergirl would be a supporting character on her own show.

 

I thought the prior episode had Cat recognizing Kara as Supergirl, with Kara agreeing and being OK with Cat knowing.  Was surprised to see Kara scrambling to "act normal" and denying her identity to Cat.  I thought we were past that.  Would have preferred we continue with Cat knowing, allowing Kara to "work" at Catco as a front for her secret identity, her presence allowing Cat to get stories for her mag while allowing James and Win to still be Team Supergirl, allowing Cat to join the team like Iris on the Flash, and Cat can continue to mentor Kara/Supergirl while getting to boss around Supergirl.  Think Cat being critical of everyone would be fun in Team Supergirl strategy meetings.

 

Think Melissa Benoist is great as Kara/Supergirl.  She does geeky cuteness very well.  Also great at facial expressions and showing emotions.  Would like to specifically point out the small detail of the different walk she uses as Supergirl, a strut showing her power, while she walks meekly as Kara.  MB is the main reason I enjoy this show so much and watch every week.

 

Would have loved Anna Torv as Alex.  Anna Torv was really good at acting out two different versions of the same character on Fringe.  In this case, the scientist Alex Danvers identity (who we never see) as opposed to Agent Danvers. Think Benoist and Torv would be better as sisters.  There is only a three year age difference between her and Chyler Leigh and about nine between Anna Torv and Melissa Benoist, as opposed to six between Leigh and Benoist. I don't think the age difference would matter that much and I like Torv better. 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Bazinga

[pennben]

I'm not sure that anyone is fixated, but it's the same issue that readers have raised in the comics over the years: Superman is so powerful that he could cover for nearly every hero in the DC universe, so why doesn't he? The editors used to say "he was out in space" in the letters columns, but of course the answer is far more banal: because writers want to write about different characters, and they can't make much money if they only have one hero's books to sell.  So at some level we just have to accept that he's not going to be showing up (because the writers don't want him to), and they're not going to explain it every time.  Hell, in this ep he could have been watching from a distance and swept in in case things went south (a la Reactron).

 

Thank you.  I had no idea that comic editors felt they needed to address this in the past.  From the start of this show I never expected Superman to be involved except at the margins at best, so I have no frustration here.  I guess it's a blessing/curse of not following the comics and just tuning in here.

[NutmegsDad]

I swear, I can't think of any character that makes want go "Oh, fuck you!", more then General Samuel Lane.  Again, credit to Glenn Morshower, because for better or worse, that man can nail down this type of asshole.

 

As a kid, Sam Lane watched Michael Rennie's  "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and ended up traumatized. That is some fucked-up person, and scary to be in charge of weapons.

 

If he wasn't a recurring character, I could see him, after his men stood down, try to place them under arrest for disobeying a direct order, take out his gun and try to shoot Supergirl (ha!) and then throw his gun (HA!) before being taken into custody (and Kara ordering him off her plan-- wait, wrong show).

Think Melissa Benoist is great as Kara/Supergirl.  She does geeky cuteness very well.  Also great at facial expressions and showing emotions.  Would like to specifically point out the small detail of the different walk she uses as Supergirl, a strut showing her power, while she walks meekly as Kara.  MB is the main reason I enjoy this show so much and watch every week.

Melissa Benoist is the new Bryan Cranston, that is, "Who knew the girl from 'Glee' could pull off THIS role?!?!"

 

Oh, and Royally-Pissed-Off-with-Heat-Vision-On-Full-Blast Supergirl is my new totem animal.

Edited January 7, 2016 by NutmegsDad

[Chicago Redshirt]

The best I got for Astra's plan was that it was all a psych op to get Supergirl on her side. 

 

She pumps up SG's ego by letting her think that SG could beat her in a fair fight.

 

She plays mind games with SG about whether Alura was a good person, and whether Astra was justified in whatever it was she did to get locked up.

 

She plays more mind games about SG being the true heir of the House of El, and about blood bonding them all.

 

She is willing to get tortured to show SG that her "human family" would stab her in the back in a second to get what they wanted.

 

And she shows she is an honorable person by living up to the deal made rather than ripping off the heads of every DEO  person who was there.

 

The "Losing to SG as a diversion from an attack on Lord Technologies" doesn't make much sense because a) if it was supposed to be a diversion, there's no reason to do it after the fight rather than during b) as pointed out, Team Astra is strong enough that it has no need to divert anything. c) they leave without taking anything other than Henshaw.

 

I suppose it is possible that the objective of the Lord Technologies attack was to draw Henshaw out, capture him and mindread all the DEO's secrets. But that seems unnecessarily complex given that there was no guarantee that Henshaw himself would come to Lord Technologies and there have to be approximately five million other ways to track Henshaw down without calling attention to one's self or risking intervention from SG and others.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Chicago Redshirt

[Chris24601]

I too vote attempted/half-successful PsyOps on Kara for Astra's capture. Astra is smart enough to know that Kara is too stubborn to listen to her when Astra is in a position of strength. So she needed to be captured and put into a subordinate position so that Kara would be more inclined to listen to what she's saying instead of looking for the trick that's going to throw her off-guard and let Astra win in a fight.

 

As to the attack on Lord Technologies... they don't seem to have made off with anything from there and enough agents were down that surely one of the other Kryptonians could have busted open and taken anything they were after while Kara was busy with Non. So that leads me to believe if anything the attack was an attempt to draw out the DEO and get some means to recover Astra (the original plan seems to have been mindread whoever they captured and only when that failed did they turn to the prisoner swap gambit).

 

Alternately, whatever Non's people stole was so seemingly minor that no one has noticed its actually gone yet... or they weren't stealing but adding something (say some Kryptonian nanotech or whatever) to one of Max's projects in order to sabotage or co-opt it.

[Bazinga]

 

The best I got for Astra's plan was that it was all a psych op to get Supergirl on her side.

 

She pumps up SG's ego by letting her think that SG could beat her in a fair fight.

 

She plays mind games with SG about whether Alura was a good person, and whether Alura was justified in whatever it was she did to get locked up.

 

She plays more mind games about SG being the true heir of the House of El, and about blood bonding them all.

 

She is willing to get tortured to show SG that her "human family" would stab her in the back in a second to get what they wanted.

 

And she shows she is an honorable person by living up to the deal made rather than ripping off the heads of every DEO  person who was there.

 

I too vote attempted/half-successful PsyOps on Kara for Astra's capture. Astra is smart enough to know that Kara is too stubborn to listen to her when Astra is in a position of strength. So she needed to be captured and put into a subordinate position so that Kara would be more inclined to listen to what she's saying instead of looking for the trick that's going to throw her off-guard and let Astra win in a fight.

That is sort of how it played out-an attempt to get close to Kara and convince her to join her side as you describe.  But, Astra didn't really do that-explain her side by laying out what she intends and why her means are necessary due to a worthy end goal.  In addition, Astra had no way of predicting what exactly would happen to her in captivity.  She doesn't know Kara will come to repeatedly talk to her, that the humans will act inhumane, which didn't happen until Lane showed up, which can't be a predicted variable.  The humans have kryptonite, which can kill her and they possibly could have done so.  She shouldn't put her life at risk just for a chance to talk to Kara and vaguely convince her of something/shake her belief in her mother's goodness. 

 

Her men did not act honorably in that they planned two setups.  You can suggest Non went off on his own on this, but still none of this seems like an actual plan worth allowing your leader to get captured.  If the intent was to show Kryptonian honor, then Non would have known this and have acted honorably, which he didn't do, thus defeating that goal.  Allowing herself to be captured to eventually show honor is very convoluted way of showing she keeps her word and thus gaining Kara's loyalty. 

 

If she just wanted to convince Kara that Alura was wrong, she could have just had conversations, no need to have this done from a position of weakness in captivity.

 

Also, if the goal was to get Kara on their side, why would they repeatedly attack Kara first if they simply want her to join them?  Wouldn't they try to court her peacefully and not attack her?  

 

Could have grabbed any DEO soldier or Hank/Alex at will during the fight if the goal is to probe someone's mind for information.  That would not  need Astra to be captured.

 

 

Alternately, whatever Non's people stole was so seemingly minor that no one has noticed its actually gone yet... or they weren't stealing but adding something (say some Kryptonian nanotech or whatever) to one of Max's projects in order to sabotage or co-opt it.

I guess this is possible but this could have happened without Astra being captured.  Stage an attack, with Astra, of Lord's building and steal/plant what you want and ultimately get run off by Supergirl and the DEO.

 

Astra's capture allowed the action to progress as it did but makes no sense to have happened in the first place.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Bazinga

[KirkB]

Lord strikes me as the kind of guy who obsessively counts everything of his four times before he leaves a room, so if there was anything missing, however minor, I think he would know about it and would have been fuming. Which leads me to suspect the attack on Lord Industries had nothing to do with Max or his inventions, but was directed at the DEO. Although, if the whole point was to draw out the DEO in an effort to get Henshaw or Alex or someone they could use for information (or for leverage to get Astra back) a handful of Kryptonians attacking...anything in National City, really, would have done it. They specifically chose to attack Lord's company for some unexplained reason.

 

Astra's capture as a distraction makes little sense if they were not specifically targeting Lord. If her intent was to get some face time with Kara and try to emotionally lure her over to her side, why would Astra allow herself to be captured by humans who might not let her anywhere near Kara and, considering she sees them as primitive and volatile, likely to do horrible things to her, which they did. She could just as easily fly to Kara's apartment (or if she really wanted to mess with her, show up at CatCo) and have a sit down. Astra seems to want Kara to think she's not that bad. Willing to do bad things, yes, but for the right reasons. I'm half tempted to believe Astra is more of a misguided extremist, because letting herself get captured and possibly tortured to prove herself to Kara makes more sense to me than an egotistical general letting the little people capture and humiliate her for the sake of a relative she doesn't really care about. Which, if true, means Non is going to be the big bad and Astra may side with Kara against him.

 

Lord, meanwhile, is the wild card. I'd be inclined to have him be part of a supervillain team up with Non if it weren't for the fact he seems to despise aliens. He could end up being the lesser of two evils, the kind of villain you need help from to stop the really bad guys. Or he could be the stand back and let everyone else wear themselves out then swoop in and take over type.

[Chicago Redshirt]

I don't know if Team Astra necessarily knows that SG spends time as Kara Danvers. I suppose they could relatively easily have found out, but it's not clear one way or another.

 

And yeah, if we are to think that Astra is trying to a-lure-a SG, she's not doing a very good job of it. That, you have to lay at the feet of the writers. 

 

I think Astra would have every reason to suspect that the DEO wouldn't kill her immediately. It for whatever reason has X number of alien captives that it has kept for a long time, and attempting to get her to talk about her plans would take some time. One interesting twist would be if she had done something to herself to make her immune to Kryptonite so that she was feigning weakness the whole time.

[cambridgeguy]

 

Thank you.  I had no idea that comic editors felt they needed to address this in the past.  From the start of this show I never expected Superman to be involved except at the margins at best, so I have no frustration here.  I guess it's a blessing/curse of not following the comics and just tuning in here.

I agree that the show would suck if Superman was always flying in to save Kara and for obvious real world reasons we'll never see him as anything other than a silhouette.  However, in universe it makes no sense that he doesn't show up at all (a Jimmy Olsen call aside).  It's one thing when Kara's facing off against Livewire, or gets surprised by Astra popping up at a random time.  The hostage exchange was taking place at a known time and place with an untrustworthy Kryptonian and his goons present.  That's when you should call in your cousin, especially since travel speeds seem pretty flexible.  Superman should be a "break glass in case of emergency" resource, and if this doesn't qualify I'm not sure what does.

[KirkB]

Superman should be a "break glass in case of emergency" resource, and if this doesn't qualify I'm not sure what does.

 

 

I agree that we don't want Superman flying in to save the day all the time, and that being the one (well, until she found out about J'onn anyway) super being standing between the city and a small army of super beings might also be a good reason for a visit, you know what else might warrant a call to her cousin? When your city has been hit by an earthquake and you have lost your powers.

Edited January 7, 2016 by KirkB

[Bazinga]

 

I think Astra would have every reason to suspect that the DEO wouldn't kill her immediately.

Is it wise to risk one's life on an "every reason to suspect?"  What if they go off the board and say, let's kill her while we can, she is dangerous?  Probably not but possible and not worth the risk for what benefit?

 

...in universe it makes no sense that he doesn't show up at all (a Jimmy Olsen call aside).  It's one thing when Kara's facing off against Livewire, or gets surprised by Astra popping up at a random time.  The hostage exchange was taking place at a known time and place with an untrustworthy Kryptonian and his goons present.  That's when you should call in your cousin...

 

Superman should be a "break glass in case of emergency" resource, and if this doesn't qualify I'm not sure what does.

 

 

 

I agree that we don't want Superman flying in to save the day all the time, and that being the one (well, until she found out about J'onn anyway) super being standing between the city and a small army of super beings might also be a good reason for a visit, you know what else might warrant a call to her cousin? When your city has been hit by an earthquake and you have lost your powers.

You both are not wrong and I agree there are times that Superman "should" show up such as when an army of Kryptonians are on the rampage and Supergirl has not exactly handled them handedly.  The problem is that if he always shows up in case of emergency, when he "should," then Supergirl is not strong enough to be a lead in her own series; she needs backup all the time.  There will always be threats and emergencies that seem impossible for Supergirl to overcome until she does overcome them.  If no real threats present, then the show lacks tension and would be boring.  Superman showing up in emergencies can't happen regularly, even if they could or would show a Superman.  The show is Supergirl after all and we have to allow that Superman can't be her partner and the chats showing concern, support, love and willingness to help have to be enough for us.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Bazinga

[KirkB]

If you want to be technical, Supergirl ISN'T doing it all on her own. Alex, Henshaw and the DEO have helped her. She would likely have been killed by the guy with the ax early in the pilot if Alex and the others hadn't shown up, Henshaw has distracted Astra or Non several times, and everyone from Alex to Winn has had to give Kara a pep talk so she can find the inner strength to get back up and win. It's not a sign of weakness to ask for, or to need, help. Especially not from someone who knows exactly what you're going through and could arrive at a moment's notice. That said, Superman is not going to show up for obvious reasons, nor for other obvious reasons should he. At least the show itself has made a point of saying "He can, but he won't unless Kara asks him to".

[sjohnson]

Pretty much every criticism above of the Astra plot is correct I think. For my part, I think planning to be captured is so relentlessly stupid and cliche it's a giant FAIL every time it's dredged up. (And yes, I include the first Avengers movie in that too!) But godawful stuff like this seems to be the purpose of the DEO, which is sucking the life out of everything adjacent to it. Lots of DEO this episode, which is a weak one because of it I think. 

[Bazinga]

 

If you want to be technical, Supergirl ISN'T doing it all on her own.

True.  They made a big point early on of Kara's willingness to accept help unlike Superman.  The new thing in such shows is to have "teams" supporting the name hero.  Team Arrow, Team Flash and here, Team Supergirl (Win, James, Alex and Hank).  But, Supergirl is clearly capable and not dependent on someone more powerful to always save her.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Bazinga

[Chicago Redshirt]

There's different levels of capable. SG has successfully beaten villains who are, frankly, beneath her. Vartox, Red Tornado, and Live Wire are all well beneath her power level. Reactron supposedly is someone who fought Superman to a draw, but I can only imagine that was because he's a Big Blue Boy Scout and didn't knock him into orbit with a punch, and because he somehow didn't come to the same conclusion that ripping off his gear might be a good move. 

 

I think that hypothetically even Superman is not a match for 7 Kryptonians at once. In Superman II and Man of Steel both, it's rare that Superman is attacked simultaneously by multiple Kryptonians. They usually tag team him, rather than just swarm him 3-1.

[Big Mother]

What I want to know is, how Hank Henshaw has been able to suppress his urge to shape-shift and fly out there to help save Supergirl every time she was in distress. Was it his fear of being discovered? What he did in one of the earlier episodes with his red-eye vision and the bomb- is that something he's been doing quietly for a while, without Alex etc. noticing?'

 

And now that alex and Kara know his real identity, will he use his superpowers more freely now, or will he still be afraid to be found out / hurt, and will stay in the relative safety of the DEO?

Edited January 7, 2016 by Big Mother

[Bazinga]

 

There's different levels of capable. SG has successfully beaten villains who are, frankly, beneath her. Vartox, Red Tornado, and Live Wire are all well beneath her power level. Reactron supposedly is someone who fought Superman to a draw, but I can only imagine that was because he's a Big Blue Boy Scout and didn't knock him into orbit with a punch, and because he somehow didn't come to the same conclusion that ripping off his gear might be a good move.

 

I think that hypothetically even Superman is not a match for 7 Kryptonians at once. In Superman II and Man of Steel both, it's rare that Superman is attacked simultaneously by multiple Kryptonians. They usually tag team him, rather than just swarm him 3-1.

Supergirl is the hero, she has to eventually prevail and be more "capable" then her adversaries whatever their power levels.  The hero has to be stronger or smarter to somehow win against whatever adversary thrown at them.  Ultimately Supergirl, the hero/star of the show, wins against adversaries perhaps on paper she shouldn't prevail over. 

 

For example, on Flash, though Zoom seems vastly superior to the Flash, somehow the hero will win in the end.

 

 

As unspoiled speculation, Flash will win against Zoom is by having Jay Garrick regain his speed and them jointly taking him down, possibly with the help of at least 1-2 other speedsters (Wally West and Jesse Quick).

I like that. 

Edited January 7, 2016 by Bazinga

[Chicago Redshirt]

So far Flash has only won against people better than him (Reverse-Flash and Vandal Savage) by ganging up on him by 3-1 or better odds in his favor. As unspoiled speculation, Flash will most likely win against Zoom by having Jay Garrick regain his speed and them jointly taking him down, possibly with the help of at least 1-2 other speedsters (Wally West and Jessie Quick).

 

Going back to Supergirl, the writers could have created a situation where the odds were not so far against Supergirl. Perhaps, say, if Astra and Non were the only Kryptonians to escape the Phantom Zone, or if the Kryptonians had not developed anti-Kryptonite shielding. Or if the Fort Rozz escapees only recently came to Earth and didn't have a 12-year headstart in developing their powers, or if SG had been training in secret for the 12 years too, and wasn't such a rookie.

 

But it is what it is and we're where we are.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Chicago Redshirt

[Agent Dark]

Here's why I think Superman doesn't show up all the time - because he knows the Martian Manhunter is looking out for her.  They are good mates in the comics, and Clark is one of the very few people who actually knows J'onn's true identity, so I can definitely see it as a way of having his cake and eating it too - "I respect your independence and your ability to handle things on your own so I'm not going to swoop in to save the day all the time, but I'm secretly going to have my very powerful mate looking out for you because you're my cousin and you're dealing with some high level shit".

 

Still, I think there's a bit of the "Chekov's offer of assistance" going on.  At some point Superman will have to show up I think, simply because that's an event the show can milk for stunt points.  Hopefully one they do after the show has found its footing.

 

As for the old 'fool them into believing you're not the hero via doppleganger' ruse - that's a staple of the comics.  Bruce Wayne does it all the time, by having Alfred or Dick Grayson dress up as Batman and conveniently have a situation where Bruce and Batman are both in the same room in front of a witness.

[Kromm]

Melissa Benoist is the new Bryan Cranston, that is, "Who knew the girl from 'Glee' could pull off THIS role?!?!"

People who saw her on Homeland, or in the movie Whiplash!

 

Okay, to be fair, it still took a (super) leap of faith. I will say though that I think it took just seeing the Supergirl pilot to see why she was cast. 

 

And really if you think about it, the tendency on the Internets is to either hate straight off, or turn on, women on shows like this. You get the rare Sydney Bristow/ Sarah Walker/Sarah Lance type situation where somehow people like female fronted action, but they get turned on by the viewing audience eventually (who don't always feel like distinguishing bad writing from the actual performances). Here's hoping that doesn't happen here.

[AudienceofOne]

The reason why the absence of Superman is so stark is because they made such a big frigging deal of him being a part of this universe and because they've framed Kara completely in relation to him. And this includes their painful focus on her gender, which means they're now grappling with a non-existent gender issue solely of their own creation. So by their own design she's "not Superman" and "a girl" so of course the lack of Superman is now an issue. No one would care about a man coming to give backup to his female cousin under these circumstances if the show itself hadn't run around yelling, "BUT SHE'S A GIRL" at us like this is 1972 and a female superhero is almost unthinkable. Meanwhile, on Teen Wolf we have gay werewolves and female alphas with nary a raised eyebrow.

 

But hey, at this stage I'm just watching for the hair.

[Ottis]

This show does a nice job of handling the emotional impact of being a superhero and a terrible job of maintaining logic and consistent characterization. When did Lords go from being a vague ally to a complete asshole and all around evil villain? That was sudden. And it is betrayal for Supergirl to take a chance by trading Astra for MM (who should have escaped on his own, BTW) because she thinks that's "right", but when the general's own soldiers refuse to stop her because she saved the Sgt Major's life, that's OK? And Jimmy and what=-his-name go on a half-assed spy mission vs. evil Lords and think they have a chance of accomplishing anything? 

 

I hope this doesn't become like Agent Carter, where the men are all idiots and the women are righteous and infallible. 

Edited January 8, 2016 by Ottis

[Izeinwinter]

The whole capture plot really should have ended with a scene in a lab with a tech analyzing one of Astra's anti-kryptonite device and going "This is just a blue LED and a battery"? Cut to alarms going off and Astra ripping cell-doors of the hinges. Because as a plot to rescue her underlings, getting captured while secretly immune to depowerment from kryptonite would have been a logical straight-forward plot and also done a heck of a lot to establish her credentials as a major adversary.

Edited January 9, 2016 by Izeinwinter

[KirkB]

See, now THAT would have made a lot of sense. It would give Astra a chance to kill a bunch of DEO guys and decimate their headquarters (finding out its location on the way out). With the DEO out of the way, her only problems would be Kara and Kal.

[Jordan27]

Supergirl playing Kara Danvers, assistant, only makes sense if she regards Danvers as being too much of her true self to give up. Fooling Grant doesn't seem to promise much except the long term prospect of Kara Danvers working part-time while drawing a full-time salary...from Cat Grant. Oh dear.

 

Yep, it makes no sense for Kara to keep this job.  She's a flunky and this is what Kara wants to do?

[Jordan27]

We all knew it was coming (and exactly how). Nevertheless... sigh.

Does it ruin the whole show? No. But I question why they had to do the whole "Cat finds out" plot in the first place. I'm assuming it's because they felt that if Cat NEVER noticed Kara looks like Supergirl it would make her look even worse. Not so sure she still doesn't look bad enough anyway.

 

It does.  Remember, she says Kara didn't look like SG anyway.  It's bad enough to think no one would recognize her, but to point it out and then pull back from it is just silly.

 

 

[Jordan27]

Still not liking the show.  Cat is still annoying and Maxwell Lord is just a cliché and his motivation makes no sense.  The plots are predictable and not new.

 

But, Melissa's continuing enchanting performance as Kara and SG make it watchable.