S02.E14: Homecoming

[The Crazed Spruce]

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Alex and Kara are thrilled when Jeremiah Danvers is rescued from Cadmus, but things go awry when a suspicious Mon-El questions Jeremiah about his sudden return.

[stealinghome]

Okay, y'all, prepare for a keyboard smash of INCOHERENT RAGE:

Wow, this episode was terrible. Not because it was an inherently bad episode--this show has had worse--but because it should have been SO AMAZINGLY GREAT and it was…decidedly not. Seriously, this shit should write itself, how do you mess up Jeremiah’s return???—and yet the episode was so ridiculously underwhelming. Jeremiah’s return should have been huge, SO HUGE, and yet this was just so…flat. It had pacing problems, it hit all the wrong emotional beats, there was some serious IDIOT BALL holding, and I’m sorry, but an episode about Jeremiah’s return should not have Mon-El front and center. How is it possible that Alex had all of two ninety-second solo scenes with Kara and Maggie, and only after Jeremiah started acting shady? In an episode about her long-lost father’s return? How is that possible? What the HELL?

First, the idiot ball: first, no way J’onn wouldn’t have scanned Jeremiah’s mind right away when he was recovered to look for Cadmus brainwashing. Sorry, but I don’t buy it. Second, Alex and J’onn love Jeremiah, but they would have had him under lock and key and being interrogated for a LONG time at the DEO. The idea that those two would just trust him is OOC. They’re the most suspicious characters on the show! They love Jeremiah, but they’re not that naïve/gullible. Third, how does the DEO miss a BIONIC ARM on Jeremiah??? Fourth, um, where was Kara when Jeremiah was, like, walking away slower than a snail at the end there? And was Alex incapable of just kneecapping Jeremiah with a normal gun? The conversation between Alex and Jeremiah was good and I definitely want more of them (I wouldn't mind Jeremiah being a long-running antagonist to give Alex angst), but the action sequence itself was pants.

Second, the pacing/emotional beats were all wrong. The episode made it far too obvious far too quickly that Jeremiah was shady. The episode needed to have everyone be incredibly excited to have Jeremiah back for the first half, and then the creeping, awful sense of dread that he was off should have set in starting at about the 30 minute mark, no earlier. The pacing was just all off, and it was so obvious from 5 minutes in that he was shady that there was no "rug pulled out from under you" feeling for the audience. And in addition to shitty pacing, there was absolutely NO focus on the emotions of, you know, the people actually affected by Jeremiah’s return. How did Kara and Alex not get a scene talking about their excitement? Alex (and/or Kara) and Eliza? Alex and Maggie? Even Kara and Mon-El, if we must? Hell, even Alex and J’onn? And where were Jeremiah's solo scenes, with, I don't know, HIS DAUGHTERS KARA AND ALEX??? There was far too little emotion when Jeremiah came back, and tbh what there was was off—and I don’t think it was entirely intentional to show that Jeremiah himself was off. Maybe some of it was, but too much of vibe was "Jeremiah's been backpacking in Timbuktu for 6 months!" instead of "he was kidnapped and gone for ALMOST FIFTEEN YEARS." It's baffling to me that they messed it up. This episode should have been SO EASY on the writers, nailing the emotional beats should have been so easy, but yet they somehow managed to mess it all up.

Also: I’m sorry, but this episode had WAY TOO MUCH Mon-El. In an episode about Jeremiah’s return why was all the focus on Mon-El’s manpain? Why is Kara still reactive to whatever he does with no storyline of her own? Why do we focus on his morning after instead of Kara's? Why do we have endless scenes of him moping when we could have spent time with the ACTUAL DANVERS FAMILY? Never was the writers’ boner for Mon-El more apparent than tonight. “This is a huge episode for the Danvers…let’s make sure Mon-El has triple the screentime of Alex!” Just awful. And yet again Kara is reduced to a prop in his development. I've resisted the excesses of the Mon-El hate so far, but this really is starting to feel like the Mon-El featuring Supergirl show. Where is our experience of Kara's subjectivity in all this? (God, I just realized freaking Mon-El got a solo scene with Jeremiah WHILE ALEX AND KARA DIDN'T. Fuckery of the highest order.)

More Mon-El anger: also he is such a fucking tool. Being patronizing about Kara saving lives by calling it “her little superheroing thing” (SERIOUSLY?), being completely unwilling to respect Kara’s wishes to keep their relationship quiet for all of ten seconds (gee, I’m glad he...learned...so…much…last episode…about respecting…Kara’s wishes), and his inability to imagine a role in their relationship that basically isn’t being a mansplaining fuckboy just makes me want him dead and gone. I could handle Mon-El if every.single.episode wasn’t him being an asshole to Kara at the start, “learning his lesson,” and being a halfway decent person by the end…only to revert to asshole at the start of the next episode. They go through the same wash/rinse/repeat LITERALLY every single episode. Do the writers honestly think this is entertaining or romantic? Do they realize it just makes Kara look like a doormat? I was cheering Kara so hard when she called him out for never listening to her but doubtless she'll be back to making excuses for that tendency next episode.

Oh, and I now want a Sanvers postcoital, snuggled up in bed scene too. Really liked Maggie consoling Alex at the end, but again, that scene should’ve been triple the length that it was, we could have cut into Mon-El's numerous whiny monologues to have it.

I AM curious to see what Jeremiah’s deal is and to see Alex GO AFTER Cadmus in the next few episodes, but wow, this episode was disappointing. I’ve been looking forward to Jeremiah’s return and I got…that?

Edited February 28, 2017 by stealinghome

[Primal Slayer]

This was not the greatest episode, it was basically cliched as hell in every way possible apart from the beginning. 

[maraleia]

I am sick of Mon-El. The end.

[StarBrand]

Well, to the surprise of (should be) absolutely no one, Jeremiah was not exactly what he used to be-not exactly evil, but somewhat ambiguous. I was really hoping he was going to  out Mon-El.

When Mon-El is the voice of reason, things have gone seriously wrong.  To say Kara and Alex were blinded by the excitement of getting their father back would be an understatement.

Poor Alex and Kara. Alex especially took this very hard. God help Cadmus now, you've seriously pissed the Danvers sisters off...

Edited February 28, 2017 by StarBrand

[Lantern7]

I blame J'onn. Mon is a lunkhead to be sure, but he wasn't trying to point an accusing finger at Jeremiah just to be right. He didn't want to see Kara (and Alex) get hurt. And I give him a few points for not bragging about being right to Kara. I don't think he's THE guy for Kara. I'm kinda/sorta hoping for Comet down the road. And it turns out that J'onn couldn't read Jeremiah's mind as he was making a move? Really?!? In Justice League, that J'onn didn't scan everybody, but wouldn't this one have noticed a block? He dropped the ball. He's cool and I'd hang with him over Mon, but he should have suspected.

Dean Cain being the bad guy isn't a new thing thanks to Smallville (I don't remember details, but he was a VOTW there). Should be interesting to see what Jeremiah's motivations are. Also, he seemed to know a secret about Mon, and not that he and his adopted daughter slammed privates. BTW, has it been established what Mon brings to the table? I'm thinking his strength and endurance are amped up, but he isn't as powerful as Kara. He should've been one big bruise at the beginning of the episode.

Not really caring about Winn and his squeeze. I'm hoping he's checking her out to be safe. And James is MIA. Somebody start a "WheresJames" hashtag. He's a dope, but he's a nice dope.

[stealinghome]

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Not really caring about Winn and his squeeze. I'm hoping he's checking her out to be safe. And James is MIA. Somebody start a "WheresJames" hashtag. He's a dope, but he's a nice dope.

At this point I just hope the show has given Mehcad Brooks permission to go out for pilot season, or at least explore other projects. They clearly have zero interest in writing for him, so the decent thing to do is let him look for a project that actually wants him. I'm no James fan, but I think the way they're treating Mehcad sucks.

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Also, he seemed to know a secret about Mon, and not that he and his adopted daughter slammed privates.

I'm sure it's that Mon-El is the Daxamite prince. Literally the whole universe will know before Kara.

Edited February 28, 2017 by stealinghome

[Primal Slayer]

One thing they need to do is start exploring the world of Supergirl instead of keeping her so secluded to National City. Season 2 of The Flash brought us Earth 2, Arrow brought us LOA, Supergirl brings us a dingy Alien bar...I need Supergirl to have its Earth 2 moment.

5 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

 

Not really caring about Winn and his squeeze. I'm hoping he's checking her out to be safe. And James is MIA. Somebody start a "WheresJames" hashtag. He's a dope, but he's a nice dope.

Well get used to em since we're going to be seeing a lot more of them.

[jmonique]

I know he doesn't have many fans in some corners, but this episode just pissed me off about how seriously this show has screwed Mehcad Brooks over. The man is handsome and charming and they spent ALL last season building up to approximately 30 seconds in the season premiere this season, and instead of even trying to go down that road after all that, we get ... Mon El?

Mon El, who hijacks this reunion episode? Mon El, who gets to play the Cassandra role, rather than the writers letting Alex or Kara be put into the position of gradually realizing with horror that Jeremiah isn't what they think he is?
Mon El, who went from a complete jackass to just the super-perfect understanding boyfriend with a turn of the script page?

Ugh. The show is so much better than it was, but ... Mon El.

[GHScorpiosRule]

8 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Dean Cain being the bad guy isn't a new thing thanks to Smallville (I don't remember details, but he was a VOTW there).

He was Vandal Savage. Except they didn't give him the name of Vandal Savage. But he was TOTES Vandal Savage. And he was more believable as Vandal then the guy that these show runners got to play Vandal.

I haven't seen this yet, but I'm already pissed after reading @stealinghome's comment. And fuck it all, I can't even drink while watching because of the stoopid anteebiotics I am on (and no, those aren't typos!)

[mtlchick]

Because of COURSE Papa Danvers was going to be questionable upon his return.  (sigh)  Show if you rob me of my 90s Lois and Clark reunion, I may quit you.  Based on the post show interviews 

Spoiler

I'm not hopeful.  http://tvline.com/2017/02/27/supergirl-recap-season-2-episode-14-mon-el-identity-spoilers/

Quote

When Mon-El is the voice of reason, things have gone seriously wrong.

Word.  He's being...rational? Wut?  

[kdm07]

The writers must be confused. The title of your show isn't Mon-El writers, it's Supergirl!

I think tonight was the final straw. My sister and I made this show our weekly show that we watch together but I can't keep watching this stupid descent into the worst habits of The CW. I just can't.

Edited February 28, 2017 by kdm07

[Sakura12]

That episode was terrible. It was so predictable that you didn't have to finish it to know the outcome. I really hate the everyone acts dumb and OOC for plot episodes. 

Having Mon-El be right didn't endear me to him. He was still an ass about it and still barely cares about what Kara wants. Thats not cute.

So I guess Winn and his vampire girlfriend are a thing. 

I forgot about Jimmy again until I saw his name in here. He's not missed by me, but I do hope they let him go to find better work. 

[benteen]

So this episode relies on everyone being stupid.  Seriously, no one takes any kind of security measures when Jeremiah comes back?  Everyone involved in running the DEO is compromised when it comes to him and nobody on the outside takes any kind of security measures?  Just plain stupid.

Also heard in the newscast at the beginning that Supergirl foiled 5 bank robberies in the morning.  5?  How much of a crime-ridden hellhole is National City?

[stealinghome]

6 minutes ago, kdm07 said:

I think tonight was the final straw. My sister and I made this show our weekly show that we watch together but I can't keep watching this stupid descent into the worst habits of the CW. I just can't.

I'm holding on by a thread right now. I'll probably finish out the season...probably...but at this point, if Mon-El is coming back next season, I'm not. I just can't watch fratboy douchebag take over the show and be an asshole to Kara in the process anymore. I can get my Kara/Alex/J'onn and Alex/Maggie scenes on youtube...and they'll probably be down to thirty seconds an episode anyway, since we need to give Mon-El a constant tongue bath.

It's amazing that a show that used to pride itself on being so ~feminist and ~progressive has turned into...this. I mean, it was never as feminist and progressive as it liked to think it was, but wow. The show doesn't ever get to brag about any post-S1 feminist credentials ever again.

[Primal Slayer]

They need to hire some Buffy and Nikita writers.

[kalamac]

This used to be the show I most looked forward to every week, now I go into dreading which bits are going to make me mad about the treatment of the characters I love. Fuck Mon-El still not respecting Kara, and fuck the so-called feminist writers for validating a relationship like that.

[Lady Calypso]

31 minutes ago, jmonique said:

I know he doesn't have many fans in some corners, but this episode just pissed me off about how seriously this show has screwed Mehcad Brooks over. The man is handsome and charming and they spent ALL last season building up to approximately 30 seconds in the season premiere this season, and instead of even trying to go down that road after all that, we get ... Mon El?

No, I totally agree with this. I may not like Jimmy and have found him boring since season 1, but Mehcad doesn't deserve the treatment he's been getting. He's still second billed in the credits but they care less to nothing about him. They really should let the poor actor go and be on a show that treats him better. 

I'm starting to hope that all of this Mon-El focus will lead to him sacrificing his life at the end of the season and he can just be gone forever. I love Chris Wood, but Mon-El and his overwhelming presence is getting on my last nerve and between him and James' poorly done story, it is not making me excited for season 3. So many episodes are so badly written, it's like the show hired teenagers to write it. The episodes have such a paint-by-numbers outline. Nothing is surprising and everything feels like a teen drama. 

Also, what person is going to be surprised when it's 100% revealed that Mon-El is the Prince of Daxam and Kara gets pissed that he lied all this time and brings up her issues with the planet and their royal family? Because I won't be.

This episode could have been so much better. The little we got of the Danvers family was good, and Dean Cain does make me feel like Jeremiah is not actually evil, he is probably being used/controlled/blackmailed and he will turn good by the end of the season before his possible death. But damnit if the writing didn't make me disappointed.

Everyone was stupid. No way would J'onn not try to read his mind earlier. No way would Alex be at least a little more cautious. And no way would Kara trust that Jeremiah was totally clean without any Cadmus interference. No way is it Mon-El that doesn't trust Jeremiah. In a season 1 episode, it would have been Kara to be cautious at first and want to believe that he's good, but taking the precautions to ensure that he was good.

Well, Winn and Lyra were cute. They kind of mirrored Kara/Mon-El's happiness, but it actually worked out better for them. But please keep Lyra as a minor character. I don't need to see even more scenes of romances that take away from the overall show. I already have to have a thirty second scene of Alex/Maggie and four minutes of Mon-El/Kara at the end instead of a couple of minutes of Alex/Kara.   

The romances are dragging the show down. Season 1 balanced the romance aspect better. 

[Shades of Scarlet]

Heh.  Wonder if we'll have people next season criticizing the show without watching it, like the cesspool that is the forum for a related show.  

Thought this was a nice episode with a few logic problems, but some good character development and excellent acting by Melissa and Chyler.  Chris Wood was solid once again.  Interesting to have Cadmus back on center stage.  They're doing a nice job balancing one-shot eps with arc-building eps.  

Love Winn's subplot.  JJ is a very underrated actor.  

[Oreo2234]

The writing for Kara and Mon-el is bad.Both actors have charm so I think they could make it work but the writing has to change. 

This episode should have been about Alex more than anyone. But at least it looks like

Spoiler

next episode will feature more  of Alex and Jeremiah and she might get some nice action scenes. 

Edited February 28, 2017 by Oreo2234

[Primal Slayer]

Cadmus has just been a badly written villain overall, they totally went in the wrong general direction with it. 

[Shades of Scarlet]

What was the correct direction?

[Primal Slayer]

It shouldn't be (imo) some low rent shady joint. It should be their version of Star Labs who operates in public as a great company but is corrupt from the inside. JLU did a similar Cadmus storyline and they should've adapted that.

[catrice2]

Yes, I can't get interested in the show anymore.  I was not the biggest James and Kara  fan, but I would have preferred it over whatever is happening here.  I fast forwarded through most of it and I am pissed about the 10 or 15 minutes that I tried to watch.    The morning after was so high school that I thought I was watching the Flash.  I hope they let Kara mature in the way they seem ( still skeptical) to have let Barry do a little this year.  I am tired of thinking I am watching episodes of Sweet Valley High or something. 

[wevel]

The thing is - in isolation - the scenes when Mon-El is considerate and sweet to Kara are fine, even, well - sweet.  BUT because they have always occurred in the context of Mon-El repeatedly disrespecting Kara's wishes, large (e.g. with life-threatening potential) and small (relatively speaking, of course - him telling everyone at the DEO that they were dating), I find them insufferable. 

My favorite Kara/Mon-El romantic scene was when he kissed her when he was sick/thought he might die.  Yeah, he'd been an ass to Kara by then as well - but not nearly as much as he has now a few episodes down the line.  Even back then, the whole "Hey, Mon-El is actually fundamentally a good guy - he just doesn't know it/know how to be that guy yet" was irksome, but okay, CW - you absolutely HAD to give Kara a Bad Boy-turned-Good love interest, I could accept this as the trade-off for having a full season 2 etc.  IF the show had from then on written Mon-El as respectful of Kara, supportive of her, *and* kept Kara central to the story, both personally and professionally, I'd feel differently about the Kara/Mon-El relationship.  But they've done exactly the opposite.  If this continues, I may also stop watching. 

In terms of the Jeremiah storyline, I agree with everyone who can't believe how OOC-stupid everyone was (leaving *Mon-El* to be the smart one, ugh).  There wasn't anything interesting that wasn't predictable - except some OOC interactions, imo, between Kara and Alex.  I can't imagine Alex *ever* using the "maybe you're not really part of/committed to my family after all" line on Kara, no matter HOW angry Alex was.

22 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

Cadmus has just been a badly written villain overall

Yeah, it could have been much less cartoon-villainy-idiotic - the plots are seriously like Scooby Doo-level of simple sometimes.  Cadmus should have been a dark shadow over the whole season, rather than a caricature that pops up every few episodes to pose an apocalyptic threat to National City that is defeated in the same episode. 

Edited February 28, 2017 by wevel

[MarkHB]

I will give them credit for "It's so nice to be able to do that without breaking someone's nose."

But beyond that, yeah, I was waiting the entire episode for some acknowledgement that J'onn could/should scan Jeremiah's mind.  And then his new med facility access badge gets him into the main server room?  hell, I don't work for a secret government agency and my badge doesn't get me into the machine room!

[Shades of Scarlet]

8 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

It shouldn't be (imo) some low rent shady joint. It should be their version of Star Labs who operates in public as a great company but is corrupt from the inside. JLU did a similar Cadmus storyline and they should've adapted that.

I think it works fine as is and the character development of Lillian has been excellent.  However, the Henshaw business I could do without.  

Sad for all those of you who aren't enjoying the show.  We had a little watch party and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I'd rank this one in the bottom tier of the 34 eps overall.  Still, plenty to like, including sister moments, Winn, and some plot arc advancement.  Don't miss Jimmy.  

[wevel]

2 minutes ago, Shades of Scarlet said:

the character development of Lillian has been excellent

I enjoy the Luthors, but Lillian Luthor doesn't seem very layered to me.  She's interesting to me 99% on the basis of Brenda Strong's charisma, which hints at complexities we have yet to see.

[Primal Slayer]

Lillian reminds me of a very 90s bad guy. Like I can totally imagine her in The New Adventures of Lois and Clark.

[thuganomics85]

So, Jeremiah returns and it becomes a complete shitshow, I see.

Really, I think Winn and Maggie was the only characters I wasn't annoyed with at any point.  I get that everyone was happy for Jeremiah to come back, but I really can't believe that Alex, Kara, and especially J'onn where that trusting.  At least Kara came around and even Alex I can understand her feelings effecting her judgement, but J'onn should have known damn well to not give him that much access, and after the initial attempted breach, they all should have kept an eye on him, no matter the excuses.  What a bunch of idiots, and they are usually better then this.

Meanwhile, Mon-El is right for once, but continues to disrespect Kara, and it be played for laughs, like him blabbing about their relationship to everyone.  Sure, I laughed at J'onn's HR remarks (because, once again, David Harewood has mastered the deadpan), but it really was shitty of him, and Kara really should be more concern that he keeps ignoring like with that and playing nice with Jeremiah (sure, he was right, but time and place, dude.  Read the fucking room and realize you are losing it.)  But they still are all lovey-dovey at the end, so now I really question Kara's taste in men.

At least Maggie was a supportive girlfriend, but I really wish we got a final scene with Alex and Kara, especially after the harsh things she said.  But I guess that would take away from "Kara and Mon-El cuddle under a blanket" time...

Still enjoying Winn and his alien girlfriend.  Especially her being unimpressed if Mon-El and just calling him "Winn's friend."

Brenda Strong is still awesome as Lillian, but I realize that I prefer the character when she is playing off of Lena, then just simply being evil.

Did I just miss an episode and they killed off James or shipped him away?  I'm not a real big fan of the character, but Mehcad Brooks deserves way better then this.

I swear, Supergirl might be the most hit or miss DC show out there.  Literally, one episode could be the peak of entertaining television, and the one right after can be a total stinker.  They have the perfect lead, great supporting cast, and likable character, but man, that writing can sometimes screw it up.  Get it together, guys!

Edited February 28, 2017 by thuganomics85

[Shades of Scarlet]

9 minutes ago, wevel said:

I enjoy the Luthors, but Lillian Luthor doesn't seem very layered to me.  She's interesting to me 99% on the basis of Brenda Strong's charisma, which hints at complexities we have yet to see.

Really?  The ambiguity of her relationship with Lena has been very interesting to me and gets more complex each time we see the two together.  I agree that Brenda's portrayal has been excellent, but I can't find much fault in the hypothetical of them casting a lesser actor.  If Melissa had been replaced by (say) Laura Vandervoort, I'd be less interested in the show (although still watching), but that's not the case, so . . . . 

[Artsda]

Mon-El was the smartest one.

Alex came off as just dumb and her attack of Kara on her not being family and blindly following Mon-El because they were dating was a low blow. Especially after it was Alex changing her ways for her girlfriend just in last weeks episode. 

[HunterHunted]

I wish Kara or Alex had overheard Eliza's conversation with Jeremiah. Because even if you aren't suspicious of Jeremiah or Cadmus, they've all done a fuck ton of living since Jeremiah was kidnapped. He no longer knows these people and they don't know him. They all needed to get to know each other. I would have much rather that the argument take place between all of the Danvers women. Alex's ultimatum to Kara is nonsensical because she has no clue that Eliza is also wary of Jeremiah. It would have highlighted that Alex was coming from a child's place when she refused to use a critical eye.

[Chyromaniac]

12 minutes ago, benteen said:

Also heard in the newscast at the beginning that Supergirl foiled 5 bank robberies in the morning.  5?  How much of a crime-ridden hellhole is National City?

Maybe Earth-38 has the same bank I use, which frustratingly lists every ATM as a different "location" when I look them up on my phone...

Overall, I actually thought this was a decent episode - if nothing else, Chyler and Melissa really sold their heartbreak well at the end.  And honestly, I thought Chris Wood and Floriana Lima did a great job in those scenes as well.  It's easily the most adult - and believable - that those relationships have felt in a while (for example, see the 40 preceding minutes).  Usually they seem like 8th graders instead of twenty-somethings, and 8th graders as written by out of touch adults at that.

What makes this episode kind of maddening is that probably could have even gone from decent to good if they had, instead of The Artist Formerly Known as the Prince of Daxam, made Winn the one to suspect Jeremiah.  A) Winn's got no skin in the game, so he could've voiced his concerns without seeming jealous or controlling, and B) we probably would've avoided Mon-El's eye-roll inducing tantrum at the party.  I mean - it takes real stones for him to whine about them trusting Jeremiah more than him, when he continues to lie about his identity to everyone.

Otherwise - my wife has been watching a ton of Hallmark Channel movies lately, so evil Brenda Strong is kind of a mind-fuck for me...

[Cthulhudrew]

I think both Mon-El and Kara would be better off without the romantic entanglement. Having Mon-El act like a jerk one minute and a charming occasionally naive newcomer the next works much better when it doesn't end up making them both look like idiots for also trying to act like moony-eyed lovers. 

Pretty much otherwise echo all the other comments. There wasn't any real suspense here, and the acting by both Dean Cain and Helen Slater was pretty bad considering the circumstances of the characters. A lot of missed opportunity all around with this episode, and we again get this drawn out Mon-El reveal... which in the end is going to be much less dramatic and meaningful than all the drama surrounding it (so he's really the Prince of Daxam, so what? Unless it turns out he also happened to initiate genocide against the Kryptonians or someone, is that really such a problem?) 

On another note: While I appreciated the scene of Winn telling Mon-El to take care of Kara, and his other sympathies and suggestions... when is the last time that Winn and Kara- the former BFFs from season one- had a meaningful moment together in the show? It's almost like she's completely forgotten he exists now that he no longer works with her at Catco.

Edited February 28, 2017 by Cthulhudrew

[secnarf]

I was extremely annoyed with the characters' stupidity and was screaming for J'onn to try to read Jeremiah's mind the entire time. I didn't trust Jeremiah when we saw him before at Cadmus, and I sure wasn't going to trust him now. And I don't really buy that a bionic arm is sufficient to protect Jeremiah from J'onn's telepathy. There has got to be more going on than Stockholm Syndrome.

I liked the scenes with Alex/Maggie and Kara/Mon-El (separate from the rest of the episode) but I really wished it was Alex knocking on Kara's door instead of Mon-El. We missed out on a scene between Alex and Kara at the end, IMO.

Although I liked the one scene with Kara and Mon-El, and thought Mon-El (and Winn) were the most levelheaded people in the episode, I continue to dislike Kara and Mon-El in a relationship, as well as Mon-El himself. I am far from James' biggest fan, but I would much rather they bring James back (because he apparently vanished into the fifth dimension and the characters have all forgotten his existence) and send Mon-El back to whatever is left of Daxam.

[stealinghome]

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I think it works fine as is and the character development of Lillian has been excellent.  However, the Henshaw business I could do without.  

I have to disagree with the idea that Lillian has been developed. I'm enjoying Brenda Strong's performance, as she's clearly loving playing a total psycho and I agree with others that she brings a lot of charisma, but Lillian Luthor has to be one of the least complex villains I've seen on TV in a long time. She practically twirls her Snidely Whiplash mustache every time she's on screen. She's so incredibly one-dimensional; if it wasn't for Brenda Strong, she'd be unwatchable. The only time Lillian's even remotely complex is when she's with Lena, and that's because of Lena and her internal conflict, not Lillian.

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There wasn't any real suspense here, and the acting by both Dean Cain and Helen Slater was pretty bad considering the circumstances of the characters.

Yeah...I thought Helen Slater sold Eliza's initial reaction to Jeremiah's return, but otherwise I wasn't impressed with either's performance. Dean Cain especially seemed off and again I don't think it was just supposed to be that Jeremiah himself was off.

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On another note: While I appreciated the scene of Winn telling Mon-El to take care of Kara, and his other sympathies and suggestions... when is the last time that Winn and Kara- the former BFFs from season one- had a meaningful moment together in the show? It's almost like she's completely forgotten he exists now that he no longer works with her at Catco.

I don't disagree, but this doesn't bother me because I never bought Kara and Winn as Super BFFs to begin with. S1 spent a lot of time SAYING that Winn was Kara's best friend, but to me all they ever came across as were glorified work buddies--Kara's real best friend is obviously Alex. I'm glad the show is no longer trying to make me believe Winn is the wind beneath Kara's wings when it's not believable (they've moved that job to Mon-El, which is equally unconvincing, but that's a different topic...). They work better as people who are friends and who are in the same friend group, but aren't forced BFFs imo.

HOWEVER, I do agree that part of the show's issue this season is that characters tend not to interact much beyond predetermined pairs. James gets to talk to Winn and Kara (sometimes). Kara gets to talk to Mon-El and Alex and occasionally James or J'onn. J'onn gets to talk to...no one, since he's basically been MIA this season, but Alex and M'gann mostly, I guess. Maggie only gets to talk to Alex. Winn gets to talk to Alex, James, and sometimes Kara. Alex has actually fared the best because she gets to talk to a whopping 4 (!) characters regularly--Kara, Winn, Maggie, AND J'onn. That's one of the weaknesses of this season--the group dynamic has been almost entirely lost.

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It shouldn't be (imo) some low rent shady joint. It should be their version of Star Labs who operates in public as a great company but is corrupt from the inside. JLU did a similar Cadmus storyline and they should've adapted that.

Same. I was interested in Cadmus last season when it seemed like they were a shadowy branch of the military of that the DEO was actually going to have to play chess against, so to speak--play politics, out-think them, outmaneuver them, etc. (Basically a riff on Superman and Lex Luthor in many mythologies, right?) Cadmus seemed legitimately scary last season. Now? Cadmus is basically a caricature.

Edited February 28, 2017 by stealinghome

[dippydee]

I can't believe CBS, the land of dudes did better by the women on the show and the core sisterhood/space family bond than the CW. Ok I kind of can, but still. Damnit, they ruined a perfectly watchable show. 

The worst part is a Jeremiah returns episode really should have had more Alex/Kara stuff. That last scene really should have been the Danvers sisters talking instead of relationshippy stuff. 

I am mostly just super pissed that they made everyone dumb and point blank stupid so MonEl can be the voice of reason?! Argh!! Not cool show, not cool at all.

[Lantern7]

Where is James? My theory: he's working with somebody smarter than Winn to improve the armor. When he comes back, it will be powered by Snapper's exasperation for those around him. Basically, Guardian will be the most invincible hero on the CW.

I mentioned Comet as a love interest . . . right now, I'd put Barry on top, even though he's seeing somebody. They're so cute together.

[Shades of Scarlet]

9 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Where is James? My theory: he's working with somebody smarter than Winn to improve the armor. When he comes back, it will be powered by Snapper's exasperation for those around him. Basically, Guardian will be the most invincible hero on the CW.

I mentioned Comet as a love interest . . . right now, I'd put Barry on top, even though he's seeing somebody. They're so cute together.

Well, ME did say "Comets," twice, when talking about Kara's eyes . . . . 

I find Melissa and Grant ridiculously adorable together as well.  For me it's all about the actors' chemistry.  Melissa and Grant have it, Melissa and Chris have it, Melissa and Mehcad . . . uh . . . er . . .

[BkWurm1]

37 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

. right now, I'd put Barry on top, even though he's seeing somebody. They're so cute together.

Barry didn't find any of his friends when he scanned Kara's Earth, but I doubt he looked for himself.  How about if that world's Barry shows up?  

[stealinghome]

AVClub doing the Lord's work once again:

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...Yet rather than grapple first and foremost with the Danvers sisters and their reactions to their father’s return and betrayal, Supergirl makes the curious decision to put Mon-El front and center yet again.

For whatever reason, the Supergirl writing staff have clearly chosen to make Mon-El a major player and point of view character this season, frequently giving him more focus than J’onn, Winn, Alex, or poor James, who hasn’t even appeared in the past two or three episodes. Indeed we spend more time tonight watching Mon-El process Kara’s feelings about Jeremiah’s return than we do watching Kara have those feelings in the first place. I would argue it’s a choice that has thrown off the balance of the series, both because Supergirl has lost the original female-centric narrative it began with, and, more importantly, because Mon-El pulls focus from the characters I’m more invested in. I like Mon-El well enough, but I’m pretty much always going to want to watch Kara more than I want to watch him....

Given Supergirl’s tendency to return Mon-El to square one each week, I’m a little nervous about whether this latest bit character growth will stick....

So here’s hoping Supergirl lets Mon-El compliment that story, rather than overshadow it.

 

PREACH. (The comments are pretty savage, too!)

Edited February 28, 2017 by stealinghome

[sskrill]

I didn't hate the episode, but like many others it was written too fast.  Jeremiah gets rescued, reintegrates to work/family, turns bad and runs off, all in one epsiode?  

Agreed that Winn should have been the suspicious one, and maybe asked Mon-El to back him up - but that should have been a conversation with J'onn without Kara and Alex even knowing it happened.

It really does seem like Mon-El is the main character now, which I don't much care for.  I really only like him when he's playing the part of Goofus.

[Shades of Scarlet]

It's sort of this simple.  A cute, young lead on a television show (of any gender or orientation) is going to have love interests.  S/he is not going to remain virginal.  So it's necessary to develop the love interest.  That takes time.

Now make the lead female and the alpha in the relationship in that she can physically crush the male.  Now make the two people aliens.  These are interesting issues.  And they are being handled in a way that may not be to everyone's taste, but that doesn't make those of us who happen to enjoy it wrong.  Maybe there's another show out there taking on these issues in a universally satisfying way.  I hope, for some of you, that you find it and ease your pain.  Meanwhile, I'm going to keep enjoying the heck out of seeing Melissa and the rest of this outstanding cast bring Kara Zor-El to life.  :)

[Chicago Redshirt]

They could have taken this in so many different directions that would have worked better than "Jeremiah is secretly the reluctant ally of Cadmus." Indeed, that doesn't really even make sense because his "I'm doing this to protect you, Alex and Kara" ignores that a) both are pretty capable of defending themselves and b) Cadmus is evil to someone with his sensibilities.

1. Jeremiah is the mastermind behind Cadmus and was just straight up manipulating everyone. I think it would have been refreshing to have Jeremiah all-in on the "Let's get rid of aliens" plan. 

2. Jeremiah was unwittingly being used by Cadmus. The Kara-Mon-El debate would have been interesting if neither was fully right. Say Cadmus implanted some hacking device into Jeremiah without his knowledge.

3. Jeremiah was 100 percent on the level....for now. It would have been way better if they played the string out further...let Jeremiah win people over by helping foil a Cadmus plot involving nukes, and still have some ambiguity over whether he was good or evil.  

How does Jeremiah know about Mon-El being the prince (or whatever other secret)? Or was that just a bluff?

It would have been nice if Mon-El could have been like, "Look, your dad claimed to know one of my secrets somehow, and I just want to come clean about it..."

[brgjoe]

This is the first episode of SG that pretty much legitimately hated from start to finish.  Whoa boy, this one was bad. 

I will start with the good (what little of it there was).  It was nice seeing Daddy Danvers back.  Kinda/sorta anyway.  I still think he's a good guy.  Perhaps making a deal with Cadmus to deliver the data, but leave his family alone.  But you know Ms. Luthor won't go for it in the end.    I also liked the buddy-buddy thing returning with Winn and Mon-El.  I liked it before and I liked the scenes with them again.   Maggie comforting Alex was a nice scene as well.

But that was about it.  Everything else was bad-bad or just stupid-bad.

They "rescue" a guy who has been with a criminal organization for 15 (FIFTEEN!) years, and they welcome him back as if nothing had happened?   Even Mon-EL wondered how they were suddenly able to stumble into finding him after all those years of looking for him.   Then (apparently) they don't give him a full physical and mental evaluation?  How could you miss a bionic arm?  I know Hank said Jeremiah was supposed to get a psych evaluation before he could return to work.  But sure didn't seem like he got one -- of if he did, it was the fastest one ever given to an individual.   I could *maybe* see him return to work in some capacity, but only with limited access and a guard (or two or three) with him at all times. 

And I thought it was out of character for Alex to be coming down on Kara for even mentioning the *possibility* that he might be brainwashed.  C'mon, Alex -- you're a trained, professional agent.  I know he's your dad, but you got to at least be open to the notion that the brainwashing thing could be, well, a real thing. 

While I did praise Mon-EL earlier, I was annoyed at so much screen time he did get.  This episode should not have focused on him so much.  And when it did, I thought once again he was largely an a-hole to Kara.   I kinda liked his character when he first appeared, but he's getting on my bad side more and more with each episode these days.

Hope next week is much better.  This episode sure did stink to high Krypton.

[kalamac]

What is it with this shows inability to count. Even back in season 1, we had the opening sequence saying that Kara came to earth 12 years ago, and we're told she was 13 when she got here, but at one point, she tells Cat she's 24 (I'm no mathematician but I'm still fairly certain that 12 + 13 = 25), we've previously heard that Jeremiah has been missing for 10 years, now he say he's been forced to work for Cadmus for 15 years, which is 2 years longer than Kara has even been on Earth, as per her 'Earth birthday'.

Also, when we met Little Lena (adopted at age 4) it said "20 years ago" on screen. I think Katie McGrath looks fantastic, but no way is Lena only 24. Sloppy writing.

Edited February 28, 2017 by kalamac
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[Bats27]

As someone who was onboard the "Jeremiah should be Cyborg Superman" train, the "twist" here, though obvious, still works well in terms of potential future stories imo.

Chyler Leigh has been one of the highlights of this show for awhile now. So no surprise that she his here as well.

Kara had sex finally.

That Alex/Maggie scene was really good.

Mon-el making the completely obvious and logical point of "isn't this all too easy and convenient? Something doesn't smell right here." Yes Mon-el, yes it is and no it doesn't.

I can buy Alex and Kara being just blinded by happiness at getting their father to want to believe it, at least at first. But J'onn comes across like an idiot here.  HE at least should be asking these questions to.

[Chicago Redshirt]

2 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

It shouldn't be (imo) some low rent shady joint. It should be their version of Star Labs who operates in public as a great company but is corrupt from the inside. JLU did a similar Cadmus storyline and they should've adapted that.

It would have been fairly easy to put together an adaptation too, by drawing some of the threads from S1 together.

Remember Max Lord? He was basically banging the drum for humanity to come up with some anti-alien defenses. Presumably they can't afford the actor on an ongoing basis. But they could certainly allude to him as being part of the cause. 

I can't remember what happened to T.O. Morrow. Think he might have been killed. But he could just have been mostly dead. 

Or they could bring General Sam Lane in. Or introduce General Eiling or some other General character. 

I know that the TV shows can't use Amanda Waller because of that Oscar-winning movie, Suicide Squad. But they could probably come up with a character from the DC mythos or create a new one to fulfill a similar function.

As for giving Cadmus some more credibility and motivation: The fact that Kryptonians hypnotized an entire city and Superman would and should scare Earth shitless. Same with an alien having replaced a U.S. Senator. Same with them operating a slave trade.

Has there been a payoff from President Lynda Carter apparently being an alien/meta or whatever?

[Cranberry]

I love this show, but I hated this episode. As mentioned, there was zero suspense, everyone was acting out of character/holding the idiot ball to make the plot work, and there wasn't nearly enough time spent on Alex and Kara (I would even have sacrificed the little Alex/Maggie scene for a Danvers sisters reconciliation scene, and I love Alex/Maggie). But my biggest issue is with Mon-El. I hate that he outed his and Kara's relationship immediately after she asked him not to. I hate that she was amused/exasperated instead of angry. I don't find his disrespect of Kara's wishes and his minimizing of her job amusing. Yes, he keeps apologizing after he screws up, but I don't feel like he's learning anything. Even with the (admittedly sweet) end scene, he was only listening to Kara because Winn told him to. Next week he'll probably be right back to the same behavior. I'm sick of him and I hope he gets lead poisoned and shipped off to the Phantom Zone.