S01.E13: For The Girl Who Has Everything

[secnarf]

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/09/supergirl-astra-death-benanti-spoilers
This article (which has minor spoilers for upcoming episodes) mentions that Astra was killed due to Laura Benanti's Broadway commitments.

[stealinghome]

...did no one see that conflict coming when they cast Laura Benanti to the role?

 

If they were going to kill her off, Rule #1 should have been not to make Astra vastly more interesting than any of her replacement villains. Unfortunately Non is about as interesting as a wet paper towel. What a weird false start in terms of the show's antagonists.

Edited February 10, 2016 by stealinghome

[Jordan27]

For the most part, another ho hum episode.  I did like Kara on Krypton and seeing MM impersonate Kara was funny.   And Kara's anger was cool.

 

But, the rest was par for the course.  Cat, Jimmy and Winn nothing interesting to do.  

 

Lord is constantly being looked at to save the day.  Talk about ridiculous. 

 

Beside borrowing the Flash, maybe they can also borrow their writers.

[statsgirl]

They do have the Flash writers. Or rather they both have Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisburg, Sarah Shechter as executive producers and Carl Ogawa as a producer. both shows.   Berlanti and Kreisburg are both credited as writers.

[Big Mother]

So no more Alura flashbacks or Alura holograms? :(

[legaleagle53]

So no more Alura flashbacks or Alura holograms? :(

 

No, if you read the article linked to at the top of the page, you'll see that we'll still get Alura (and even Astra) in flashbacks.  We just won't have Astra as a living semi-villain anymore.

 

Too bad we can't say the same for Cat, though.  Man, was she annoying in this episode -- you don't know how badly I wanted to bitchslap her into next week with the attitude she was throwing!

Edited February 10, 2016 by legaleagle53

[stealinghome]

Beside borrowing the Flash, maybe they can also borrow their writers.

Seriously. Supergirl is riding pretty entirely on the charm of Melissa Benoist, who is giving just a terrific performance, and to a lesser extent Calista Flockhart, Chyler Leigh, David Harewood, and the chemistry these actors have. But the writing is often just so amateurish.

[Kromm]

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/09/supergirl-astra-death-benanti-spoilers

This article (which has minor spoilers for upcoming episodes) mentions that Astra was killed due to Laura Benanti's Broadway commitments.

It's hard to get around Broadway, because it's on the wrong coast. So I understand in part.

That said, Broadway likely is only like a year commitment. I don't see why they had to kill her rather than put her on the shelf in some other fashion.

Also, holy bad planning in other ways. That actress also has other things to do on the show. This kills all the Krypton flashbacks for example. I suppose the hologram stuff is still possible at the least because they can shoot that in some soundstage in NY I suppose.

I'm guessing the Dad character gets a... err.. promotion... to appear in those Krypton flashbacks now, with his wife conveniently busy doing something else offscreen. Heck, they could even cast Kal-Els parents and show them.

[nksarmi]

I think casting Kal-el parents would be nice.

 

I don't blame them for Laura Benanti - she added a LOT to the show while she was here.  And given some of the earlier references - I got the feeling she wasn't going to be the "top" boss anyway.  I have a feeling we will get Zod by season end, so I don't think they are all that worried about Non and his lack of interest.

[Tara Ariano]

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

 

The Last Temptation Of Supergirl
Worlds collide as Kara dreams herself back on Krypton, Winn and Lord help out the DEO, Kal-El shows his face, and 'Henshaw' is in a skirt again.

[Jordan27]

Seriously. Supergirl is riding pretty entirely on the charm of Melissa Benoist, who is giving just a terrific performance, and to a lesser extent Calista Flockhart, Chyler Leigh, David Harewood, and the chemistry these actors have. But the writing is often just so amateurish.

Oh, I agree that Melissa is the only good thing about this show.  It's why I keep watching, but nothing else is remotely interesting.  The rest of the cast could go away and I wouldn't miss them.   Most of the writing is average at best and the plots are plodding.

They do have the Flash writers. Or rather they both have Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisburg, Sarah Shechter as executive producers and Carl Ogawa as a producer. both shows.   Berlanti and Kreisburg are both credited as writers.

This show must be their second string scripts because it doesn't hold a candle to the Flash.

[Xenith22]

Oh, I agree that Melissa is the only good thing about this show.  It's why I keep watching, but nothing else is remotely interesting.  The rest of the cast could go away and I wouldn't miss them.   Most of the writing is average at best and the plots are plodding.

This show must be their second string scripts because it doesn't hold a candle to the Flash.

To be fair they probably figured since this is CBS they did not actually need to write decent scripts/dialogue to get extremely good ratings on a Monday as long as the leads were attractive:

[Trini]

So Hamilton is so popular it's even playing in National City?  :)

[iMonrey]

 

This episode was taken from a classic Superman comic story of about 35 years or so ago, "For the Man Who Has Everything."  It was meant solely as an homage to that story and has nothing to do with Buffy, Charmed, or Supernatural..

 

My point remains that when numerous other shows have already used the same plot, maybe it's time to retire that plot regardless of who can claim they originally did it. 

[miracole]

If every overused plot were retired on all shows,  there would be no television shows and I'm including "reality" tv in that. 

[anonyposter]

When Alex woke up and said to Hank why he pulled her out, and Hank said he didn't - I thought that was the Black Mercy's last attempt to fool Supergirl - making her think she was back in real life when she wasn't.  It would have been interesting if they decided to do that.

[KirkB]

I really did assume it was going to be a fake out. People don't usually wake up from a forced dream state the first time that easily in shows like this.

[Zuleikha]

I wish this had been a two part episode. There was too much for a single one, and I think it would have been more effective if we'd seen a lot more of Kara in Krypton. As it was, we barely had any scenes of Kara happy in Krypton, and the main one we got was from Alex's POV. 

 

I thought the Black Mercy was strangely beautiful. 

 

I don't think killing Astra was necessary or a good idea. She was interesting and IMHO, underutilized. I wish the show had focused more on Astra in this season while keeping Lord as a morally grey, not-quite-ally, not-quite-antagonist until next season. It seems like they're not committed to keeping him a pure villain anyway yet.

 

Cat was super unprofessional this episode, but Kara was appearing to be incompetent and unprofessional as well, so it's hard for me to blame her.

[mtlchick]

People that are not supposed to enter inner sanctums come in anyway?  Must be a Berlanti show. 

 

While it wasn't BAD, I was hoping this got extended into two episodes.  I wanted Kara to really struggle with the demons inside and on top of her longer.  And then Astra had to die (boo!) and Non is still here (BOO.)  

[Winston Wolfe]

 

Seriously. Supergirl is riding pretty entirely on the charm of Melissa Benoist, who is giving just a terrific performance, and to a lesser extent Calista Flockhart, Chyler Leigh, David Harewood, and the chemistry these actors have. But the writing is often just so amateurish.

Co-sign.  Melissa is clearly the break-out star here, and its been fun watching her flourish.  Just the little nuances she brings to the role, as others have pointed out.  Notice her walk as Kara Danvers, halting, poor body language.  As Supergirl she has a brisk, powerful stride.  I'd like to think these are little things that the actress has brought to the role.  Also, much as I love the Martian Manhunter, they can throttle back a bit now unless he's got a definitive victory over an opponent somewhere in the cards.

[BooBear]

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/09/supergirl-astra-death-benanti-spoilers

This article (which has minor spoilers for upcoming episodes) mentions that Astra was killed due to Laura Benanti's Broadway commitments.

 

I am not sure I am buying that story. Surely foreseeable and they didn't have to kill the character to have her like get put in a coma or something. Thrown back into the phantom zone? Loses her memory? Work with me writers.

 

Co-sign.  Melissa is clearly the break-out star here, and its been fun watching her flourish.  Just the little nuances she brings to the role, as others have pointed out.

 

 

Co-sign. I don't think I would be watching if not for her. The look on her face when she woke up and the sort of shocked inability to speak for a bit, just killed it. Really good job there.

[legaleagle53]

I am not sure I am buying that story. Surely foreseeable and they didn't have to kill the character to have her like get put in a coma or something. Thrown back into the phantom zone? Loses her memory? Work with me writers.

 

 

Co-sign. I don't think I would be watching if not for her. The look on her face when she woke up and the sort of shocked inability to speak for a bit, just killed it. Really good job there.

 

Agreed.  It's rare to see that kind of acting talent in someone so young.  Melissa is going to have one hell of a career (and probably not a few Emmy, Oscar, Golden Globes, Tony, and SAG Award nods) in her future, I think.

[MarkHB]

Agreed; Melissa has been the revelation on this show.  Amazing considering this reaction in the media thread a little over a year ago (and I'm not singling anyone out, just saying that this response was very common at the time, including from me but Kromm voiced it better):

 

Marley?  REALLY?

Er.  Okay.  I'll at least give her a chance I suppose.  I mean it's not like Supergirl is supposed to look buff, since her power comes from weird almost magical differences between Krypton and Earth (if Krypton was really a "heavy world" like in the original stories the people would have been all super-squatty and thick, so we have to chalk it all up to Red Sun/Yellow Sun).

[MDL]

 

As Kara Danvers, halting, poor body language.  As Supergirl she has a brisk, powerful stride.

I agree.

For an earlier version:  Check out Christopher Reeve (R.I.P), in the original Superman Movie, for much of the same. Especially the scene in Lois Lane's apt. when he briefly thinks about telling her his secret.

[Kromm]

Agreed; Melissa has been the revelation on this show.  Amazing considering this reaction in the media thread a little over a year ago (and I'm not singling anyone out, just saying that this response was very common at the time, including from me but Kromm voiced it better):

She won me over in the pilot, actually, and I know I expressed that opinion back then. She's done nothing since to dent my good impression of the job she's doing on this show. Even if the scripts are going silly/off the rails on occasion, Melissa herself has never turned in a bad performance. She's had to act in a few clunker episodes too, along with the good ones, and that takes a certain amount of backbone as well as skill to get through those.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Kromm

[Winston Wolfe]

 

For an earlier version:  Check out Christopher Reeve (R.I.P), in the original Superman Movie, for much of the same. Especially the scene in Lois Lane's apt. when he briefly thinks about telling her his secret.

Right on!  Christopher Reeve will always be the definitive Superman for a lot of us.  Sad that he and good buddy Robin Williams are both gone now.  The really great ones seem to be dropping like flies lately.  :o(

 

Melissa seems to be putting her own personal stamp on SG much as Reeve did with Kal-El.  Pretty cool, all things considered.

[John Potts]

Well I'm more on the "love it" than "hate it" side, though it wasn't without its flaws. Yes, it was derivative (I thought of Star Trek TNG's The Inner Light, though The Man Who Has Everything predated that by a couple of years - then again, It's a Wonderful Life predates both those by about 50 years!) but it was well executed for all that. You'd think J'onn J'onnz (anyone know the definitive spelling of that?) would be better at impersonating people by now, but this was the second time we've seen him completely fail to act like the person he's meant to be, though I have to give props to Melissa for pulling off a "Martian Manhunter as Kara" that was decidedly different from her normal persona (oddly, her submissive behaviour toward Cat meant I'd failed to realise Kara's actually taller than Cat). Still don't know why Alex didn't call in as Kara going "<Cough, cough> I'm sick! For realsies!" - I mean, who hasn't done that when they were too tired/stressed/hungover to work? (obviously, I'd NEVER do that). They did seem to be suggesting that Cat is back to believing Kara IS Supergirl (which I prefer) even if she's content to leave it as something that she won't seek to confirm again.

Though when it comes to power dynamics, the one that has never worked for me was the Non/Astra one - she was meant to be his boss (and wife) yet he always seemed to undermine her wishes. Not sure it makes much of a feminist statement (if that's what the creators wanted) if the woman in charge of the enemy is permanently undermined by her second in command. I would have actually preferred it if he'd been in charge but she'd played on her relationship to get him to not hurt Kara - although others might think that would be worse. then again, I know very few Kryptonian couples to compare them to!

Quote

Xenith22 - Non doing absolutely nothing while Kara beat on him and screamed at him for seemingly forever...why?

 I was expecting it to be the fake out "You're still in the Matrix!" bit, because that seemed unbelievable, but I guess not.

 

Quote

Dobian For a top-secret organization, the DEO sure has some gaping security leaks

 Just like every security organisation on TV, be it the CIA, CTU, FBI or NCIS, their internal security really sucks. You have to hope that IRL they're actually more secure, but I have my doubts.

 

ETA: The most irresponsible thing in the entire episode was Supergirl NOT zapping the flower as soon as she woke up. The Black Mercy is a bioweapon with unknown effects on humans, to say nothing of what it could do to her cousin. Kill that thing ASAP!

Edited May 2, 2016 by John Potts

[Last Time Lord]

On 2/8/2016 at 9:06 PM, Lantern7 said:

That was a good episode. It pales to "For The Man Who Has Everything" from Justice League Unlimited (featuring Thomas Wayne beating the ever-loving crap out of Joe Chill and Batman widely smiling), and it doesn't measure up to the original Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons story (why weren't they credited?),

Because Alan Moore demands to have him name taken off every adaptation of his work?