S02.E18: Ace Reporter

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

Lena's ex-boyfriend comes to National City to unveil his nano-technology breakthrough; Lena asks Kara to attend Jack's conference with her for support.

[shantown]

It took me until the very end to figure out that Jack Spheer's assistant was Jiya from Timeless. It was bugging me the whole episode!

I'm gonna need episodes to have less Guardian/Lyra and more Alex/J'onn though. 

[Primal Slayer]

Apart from the nanobites being very reminiscent of Bug-Eyed Bandit and them having to find a way to keep Winns girlfriend around, it wasn't bad. 
 

I enjoyed that this is more about Kara the reporter then really Kara having to be Supergirl. This episode is practically what I've been itching for them to do with Iris since Season 1.

But I don't know why they didn't just expand Kara or Lenas stories since James/Winn/alien girl took up like maybe 7mins of screen time. James does not need his own personal in-field sidekick! Especially on the basis of "well....either my girlfriend gets to fight crime with you or......"

[stealinghome]

This was a fine quasi-filler episode. Nothing special, but not terrible...just kind of an average, just kind of "there" episode, albeit one that might have far-reaching consequences.

My heart really, really went out to Lena in that last scene--I found her intensely sympathetic--but I'm also afraid this may be paving the way to turn her evil, and have her and Kara be friends but her and Supergirl enemies. Don't do it, show, don't do it! I also quite liked Jack and the actor, Rahul Kohli, and am bummed they killed him. He screamed redshirt at the start of the episode, but then when it was revealed that the nanobots hadn't killed/impersonated him but just infected him, I had a glimmer of hope he might make it. Alas. He would have been a very fun recurring player, and Jack and Lena had some solid chemistry, I was kinda rooting for those two crazy kids even though you know it was doomed.

What was the point of Kara losing her reporter job only to get it back like three episodes later? Don't get me wrong, I don't object to the show doing that plot, but if you're going to do it, make it count. How did it make Kara grow? We know from last season she really needs a normal everyday day job, however much the writers might have forgotten. What did she learn, beyond how to say "I'm sorry" to Snapper? Why are the writers allergic to giving Kara any character-driven anything this season? Slow down with the plot and give us some Kara introspection, show! That said, I agree that this is what I want to see them do more with in terms of integrating Kara's reporter job into the show's larger framework.

Desperately missed Alex and J'onn. I sooooo don't care about Lyra Yoko-ing James and Winn. That plot didn't work with the rest of the episode, and Lyra has officially overstayed her welcome; I like the actress, but the character needs to go. Still feels like the show has zero clue what to do with James, and Winn continues to be super superfluous outside the DEO.

On the other hand, I didn't miss Mon-El one bit. It was such a novel experience to watch an episode that Mon-El didn't eat. Do THIS more often, writers.

The nanobots have GOT to come back at some point, right? No way that powerful a tool is left on the shelf.

Overall, average. Next week looks much better.

Edited April 25, 2017 by stealinghome

[The Crazed Spruce]

This is probably the closest I've come to actually buying Kara as a reporter.

[Primal Slayer]

Why can't they just get rid of Lyra and introduce someone I actually want on my screen? Like Cassie Sandsmark aka Wondergirl.

[xaxat]

With the caveat that I ignored the entire Guardian plot because it feels like a separate show, I enjoyed this episode. It felt more Kara/Supergirl centric than a lot of the stuff we have seen this season. Still trying to ship Lena with someone worthy of her and I hope her heel turn doesn't break up her friendship with Kara. (A relationship I think is second only too Kara/Alex right now.)

10 minutes ago, shantown said:

It took me until the very end to figure out that Jack Spheer's assistant was Jiya from Timeless. It was bugging me the whole episode!

Me too!

Edited April 25, 2017 by xaxat

[secnarf]

I actually liked Mon-El in small doses and doing something useful like stealing the security badge.

I missed Alex and J'onn though. At least we got one sentence from each of them.

I think this show is dancing verrrry close to crossing the 'queerbaiting' line with Kara and Lena. It's killing me because they have soooooo much chemistry. I think Lena is the first character they have introduced that I could actually picture Kara with. I do continue to dislike Kara as a reporter at CatCo/with Snapper. For some reason she just seems so out of place with him - or he seems out of place with her, I'm not sure which! In the 'reporter' scenes outside CatCo, it seemed more realistic.

Katie McGrath seemed to be having hard time holding an American accent in scenes with her ex-bf - it must have been tough!

[quarks]

Gotta agree that everything with James/Wynn/Lyra felt like an entirely separate show. Nor did it help that one of their scenes was in one of Arrow's favorite locations.  Add in another scene with Kara/Lena/Dude of the Week in a location that Arrow used to launch Moira's mayoral bid and an auditorium that Flash has now used at least twice, and I'm beginning to think that just maybe, the four shows should try to give up trying to convince me that they are happening in separate cities.  

And the non-James/Wynn/Lyra part of the show just isn't the same if Alex isn't in it, and by "in it" I mean "doing more than announcing she's off for knife practice."

On the other hand, Mon-El was useful tonight, instead of learning yet again that Kara Is Right - and he even did a better job of reading the dynamics at the quasi dinner date than Kara did. So that was a plus.  As were pretty much all of the Kara/Lena scenes.

Questions that need answering:

1. So Kara sees that she has a byline on a major, front cover story of Catco and doesn't ask if she's going to get paid for this?

2. How much unemployment insurance was she collecting there?

3. Why does she wear her glasses when she's alone at home? She can collect them speedily enough if a friend shows up at the door?

4. Is Teri Hatcher planning on using the clear and growing - well, let's not call it lust - thing between Kara/Lena to break Kara and Mon-El up?

[Chris24601]

23 minutes ago, secnarf said:

I think this show is dancing verrrry close to crossing the 'queerbaiting' line with Kara and Lena.

Or maybe its just, you know, depicting what a normal healthy heterosexual friendship between women looks like? Maybe?

Kara and Lena behave just like my sister and her BFF. Why can't two unrelated women just be close friends who share feelings like emotionally healthy people are wont to do without it being in any way sexual?

[thuganomics85]

A bit of a filler, but the return of Lena AND Ravi from iZombie as tech genius who gets turned evil by his own nanobots, is certainly a nice welcoming back for the show!

Lena continues to be the best and Katie McGrath is still awesome.  I am so glad that she will be a regular next season, but I'm still desperately hoping the show avoid making her turn bad, and keeps her as someone who can have questionable actions and motives at time, but capable of good as well.  The friendship between Kara and Lena continues to be a highlight, and there is so much they do with it and the chemistry between Melissa Benoist and McGrath.  Don't squander it, show!

Rahul Kohli was great as Jack, and I can totally buy that he would be someone Lena would have fallen for, and would equally be hurt when their relationship ended: both romantically and professionally.  Had a feeling he was going to be controlled though, due to Beth being played by Claudia Doumit a.k.a. Jiya from Timeless.  No way was she just going to be some kind of background character.  Equally wasn't surprised that it was all going to end with Lena having to kill him in order to take out the nanobots and save Kara.  Granted, I'm sure Rahul only has so much availability due to iZombie (fingers cross that it isn't doomed), but it was still sad.

Kara already getting her job back feels like a cope-out.  I can see why Snapper would be impressed with her turnaround, but this much.  At most, I thought he would be willing to let her freelance some more, before having her come back full-time.  Then again, it seems like this show doesn't know what to do with Catco once Cat Grant herself left.

Lyra joining James and Winn is probably the only time I ever kind of cared about the Vigilante story, even if still mainly feels like filler.  And James went way overboard by automatically going for the nuclear "She fucked up, so we can't have her working with us anymore!" option. At least give her a bit more time, and maybe try and help her not go too nuts on missions.  Even Oliver Queen has more patience then that.

Barely any J'onn and Alex (and Maggie, I guess) was noticeable.  Must have been a lot of filing and knife throwing they were doing!

A decent use of Mon-El, for once.  Although, he still has a lot to learn about spy-craft.

The big tag is that Rhea/Teri Hatcher is now disguising herself as some kind of businesswoman, I guess, and it going to "make a deal" with Lena.  Hmm... 

[Lantern7]

"We had to get Kara her job back. It was that or alter her narration in the opening. Our hand were tied."

At least we had realistic journalism, albeit with deadly nanobots. I still side with Snapper in general, even though Grumpy Cat is his role model. New question: does he know Kara and Supergirl are the same? Nah . . . Cat can do that.

Hoping that Rhea doesn't drag Lena to the dark side, even if she would be willing. At least we can see Teri Hatcher dress like a human again. I was spoiled by the credits . . . kept waiting for her to snap Snapper in two or something.

Lyra . . . why? James . . . why?!? Seriously. "Winn, you're my brother . . . but turning the van into a bang bus?"

[kalamac]

25 minutes ago, Chris24601 said:

Or maybe its just, you know, depicting what a normal healthy heterosexual friendship between women looks like? Maybe?

Kara and Lena behave just like my sister and her BFF. Why can't two unrelated women just be close friends who share feelings like emotionally healthy people are wont to do without it being in any way sexual?

Katie McGrath did do an interview where she said both her and Melissa have been aware of the lesbianish undertones in the relationship.

[statsgirl]

I think this is the episode I've enjoyed most all season.

I'm glad Kara is back working as a reporter because "I have Mon El and I have my blog, I don't need anything more" was not only lame, it's not a sentiment I want my daughter to see.

Katie McGrath is a strong actress and she makes Kara a strong character opposite her. (Unlike Mon El who I think takes the Super out of her.)  She also doesn't hit a wrong note against any of the cast.  I especially liked her scenes with Speer as well as her ones with Kara.

Mon El was actually useful and didn't hog all the air on the show.  Sadly the appearance of Rhea at the end makes me think we're going back to Mon El all! the! time! again.

I liked the Winn/Lyra/James story.  Winn and especially James have been badly underused this season and their B plot was perfect and light against the weight of the A plot.

It's too bad that having a storyline for James means nothing for Alex but honestly I'm glad to have a break from Alex/Maggie, which seems like all Alex has been doing this season except for getting all emotional over Jeremiah.  I don't have anything against Alex/Maggie, I'm just bored with it now.

[quarks]

33 minutes ago, Chris24601 said:

Or maybe its just, you know, depicting what a normal healthy heterosexual friendship between women looks like? Maybe?

Kara and Lena behave just like my sister and her BFF. Why can't two unrelated women just be close friends who share feelings like emotionally healthy people are wont to do without it being in any way sexual?

They could, but then again, in this particular episode, they had Lena let her ex-boyfriend die in order to save her female friend who was hanging in bondage right above her.  A few episodes before, they had Kara/Supergirl reenacting the famous scene of Superman saving Lois in Superman (the Christopher Reeves version.) 

For what it's worth, I don't think Supergirl is planning on going there with Kara/Lena - as of right now, the show seems pretty committed to Kara/Mon-El. But there's ways to portray a normal healthy heterosexual friendship between women, and then there's this. 

[mac123x]

On 4/23/2017 at 5:35 PM, The Crazed Spruce said:

nano-technology

"You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means."  This is a really stupid thing to get hung up about, but the swarm looked more like the pieces of Replicators from Stargate SG1.  Way to big to be called "nano".

 

I liked Kara and Snapper's interactions for once, but I'm really confused on what the hell the publication is.  She called it a magazine, and Snapper said they were working late on tomorrow's cover.  Is it a daily magazine?  Are there such things?  In print, that is. 

 

I liked most of the episode, mainly because Lena Luthor always makes a good guest star.  She's nice and gray.  Her actions tonight were mostly selfless and heroic, but her little speech at the end was kind of unnerving.  Then Terri Hatcher showed up and I said "holy shit".

 

I'd like the writers to find some way to keep Wynn but ditch James and Lyra.  Maybe the two of them can fall in love and run off to Barbados or something.

[kdm07]

I was rooting for Lena and Jack. Actually felt kinda bummed that he didn't survive the episode. I'm all for Lena sliding into being a grey character but I'm begging you show, please don't make her a full-on villain. (Katie's accent coming back in bits and pieces is me every time I interact with someone who has a similar accent to mine. It's hard to keep that hidden when that happens.) 

Wished they had included Alex/J'onn in the main storyline and just removed the Guardian/Winn stuff altogether.

Less is more with Mon-El. Let's keep it like that because I actually enjoy him when he's portrayed in small doses like he was tonight.

Kara is a reporter again! I actually like the reporter side of her (when they do it right) so I'm glad she's back and interacting with Snapper again. Decent filler episode altogether.

[legaleagle53]

2 hours ago, quarks said:

3. Why does she wear her glasses when she's alone at home? She can collect them speedily enough if a friend shows up at the door?

This was explained early last season.  Kara's glasses are specially made to act as a damper on her super-senses. Otherwise, she'd be overwhelmed by being able to see and hear everything going on at once, as happened when she first arrived on Earth.  That's why she needs to remove them in order to use any of her vision powers (x-ray, heat, telescopic, and microscopic).

[quarks]

1 minute ago, legaleagle53 said:

This was explained early last season.  Kara's glasses are specially made to act as a damper on her super-senses. Otherwise, she'd be overwhelmed by being able to see and hear everything going on at once, as happened when she first arrived on Earth.  That's why she needs to remove them in order to use any of her vision powers (x-ray, heat, telescopic, and microscopic).

Thanks! I totally forgot this.

[MarkHB]

1 hour ago, mac123x said:

I liked Kara and Snapper's interactions for once, but I'm really confused on what the hell the publication is.  She called it a magazine, and Snapper said they were working late on tomorrow's cover.  Is it a daily magazine?  Are there such things?  In print, that is. 

It's apparently a glossy newsmagazine the size of Vogue, published daily.  No, there's no such thing in real life, it's ludicrous, and I wonder why they didn't just stick with the National City Tribune which was already established as a newspaper.  except then they couldn't have meaningless conversations about the cover.

[legaleagle53]

21 minutes ago, MarkHB said:

It's apparently a glossy newsmagazine the size of Vogue, published daily.  No, there's no such thing in real life, it's ludicrous, and I wonder why they didn't just stick with the National City Tribune which was already established as a newspaper.  except then they couldn't have meaningless conversations about the cover.

Besides, that was never Cat Grant's style, even though she apparently started out working for Perry White at the Daily Planet as his assistant.

[CatWarmer]

This episode was fine with me.  Except that I just saw ( also megasized; i.e. visible) nanobots killing people on Doctor Who two days ago, so am now really really hoping civilization is far from developing these little guys. 

[bros402]

5 hours ago, shantown said:

It took me until the very end to figure out that Jack Spheer's assistant was Jiya from Timeless. It was bugging me the whole episode!

I'm gonna need episodes to have less Guardian/Lyra and more Alex/J'onn though. 

That was bugging me the whole episode. THAT'S where I recognized her from.

[Bats27]

I REALLY freaking hope that they don't turn Lena evil (it'd be so predictable and cliché).  I'd much prefer that she remain Kara's genuine, if a bit more morally grey, friend.

Snapper and Kara's dynamic was actually pretty fun here.  His "I'm an A-hole to everyone, even people that I do genuinely care about" thing works surprisingly well.

Ravi from IZombie is really charismatic, and the same was true here.  And I like that there was at least some kind of twist involving him.

The James/Winn/Lyra stuff was, tolerable.  Mostly because I like Winn and Lyra.

Rhea, don't you dare corrupt Lena, don't you do it.  If you do, then I wouldn't really mind it if Kara pulls a General Zod from Man of Steel on you.

[ottoDbusdriver]

I'm a little confused about the whole Jack Spheer as nano-tech business since it was treated so inconsistently.  

When Jack returned to his office as nanotech, he reconstituted into his body, but at the final showdown the nanos went after Kara yet Jack's body was still on the ground.  At that point the nanos and Jack's body were separate, but then it was a big deal that Lena would kill Jack by hitting the override and "separating him from the nanotech".  And then later in the scene they showed that Jack still consisted of nanotech as he was somehow re-asserting control.  So which is it.

And they never did show how the CFO knew about the secret location where the whistleblower met with Kara (before blowing up the car).  Or how the CFO knew about Snapper's meeting with the test subject ?  Or how Jack knew someone was screwing with his computer back at his office ? Even worse was when the car blew up, and you could clearly see that there was no one in the passenger seat during the explosion (as the headrest was clearly visible, with no head in front of it) -- could they not even afford a crash test dummy or equivalent ?  And with all the welding sparks it did not even look like a gasoline explosion.  Does Kara have an infinite supply of x-ray blocking glasses ?  Because she had her glasses on in the car and they were missing when she landed on the pavement outside the care ?

How did James "hear about last night" when Kara goes into his office at Catco ?  I doubt Kara hung around to try and explain to the cops how she survived the explosion.

How did Jack as nano seamlessly move through glass windows in his office ?

The CGI when the nanotech was trapping Kara was pretty terrible.

In previous episodes, I never got that Kara and Lena were this level of close girlfriends.

And Lena has to know that Kara is in fact Supergirl by this point -- because Kara was not present for any of the events at the warehouse, yet somehow had better info than Lena about the status of Beth.    Especially with all that 'I will always be your friend and protector' nonsense -- why would a reporter be her protector ? Lena has to know.

7 hours ago, mac123x said:

"You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means."  This is a really stupid thing to get hung up about, but the swarm looked more like the pieces of Replicators from Stargate SG1.  Way to big to be called "nano".

Thank you.  It's like the writers have no idea what the prefix "nano" means. 

[Mellowyellow]

Kara and Mon El were so cute with their shenanigans this week. I actually enjoy them now that they are a functional couple instead of the childish break up/have a crush on each other nonsense. I hope they keep them together like this. It's adorable. They're both so perky but in different ways. I loved how he stole the card and had the drive all ready when Kara asked for it. He's a very good and efficient helper!

I don't see anything romantic between Lena and Kara. I don't see any baiting undertones to their scenes. That's what best friends look like to me. I do think the show pushed them into being best friends very quickly and suddenly but to me the behaviour is completely appropriate for a best friend and I know besties who are even more adoring of each other than that.

[Bats27]

If Lena doesn't know that Kara is Supergirl by now, then shame on you show.  She's not that stupid, or stupid at all really.

[shantown]

To me, it's just that Kara has more chemistry with Lena than she does with Mon-El. I didn't mind Mon-El tonight in the dinner scene or the office break-in. They weren't being forcibly written as cutesy-in-love. I liked the idea of them going "undercover" as a couple to crash the Lena/Jack date and try to get information and steal the key card. I just don't think Mon-El and Kara have any romantic spark together, so it's easy to ship her with someone else. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

First, the Good-that this episode was tons better than the last few and that Kara went to the DEO, asking for what she could do instead and being proactive instead of being happy that she was unemployed and that being with Mon-El was better.

The Bad: Good God. Those "nano-bytes" reminded me of those Mind controlled bees from Smallville instead of the futuristic technology they're supposed to be, and they're supposed to be microscopic and only visible to Clark and Kara-and that, only when they use their x-ray vision! These asshats REALLY need to reach out to Bruce Timm and company if they expect me to buy what they're selling. Right now, I'm just fucking insulted!

And how is it that Kara couldn't hear those things buzzing and zzzzing from a mile away?

What's worse is Kara suddenly being the only reporter that could be trusted because she asked that one question about FDA approval or some such. She wasn't a reporter long enough to prove her being trustworthy or a good reporter. One blog does not a good reporter make.

AND it's very clear NO ONE on this show knows or has any idea how FOIA requests work. It doesn't matter WHO is making the request-the government or company, are required by State Statute, to provide the information within a set number of days. So if Kara is the smart reporter this episode claims she is, then she would have done the research and cited under what statute the government had to provide what she was asking for. ??????

But, I get it: PLOT!!!!! And Contrivance.

So because Lyra threw a hissy fit because Winn tried to explain why she couldn't be on Team Guardian, Jimmy changed his mind? Oh and that Winn was sulking, to boot. Whatever.

Next week looks good. That's all I got.

[JapMo]

11 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

So because Lyra threw a hissy fit because Winn tried to explain why she couldn't be on Team Guardian, Jimmy changed his mind? Oh and that Winn was sulking, to boot. Whatever.

I know, right?  This is the first time I didn't like Winn.  And I haven't liked Jimmy in a long time but I liked him last night.  He should not have apologized to Winn.  I don't like the character of Lyra and feel they've wasted way too much time on her. 

 

13 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

What's worse is Kara suddenly being the only reporter that could be trusted because she asked that one question about FDA approval or some such. She wasn't a reporter long enough to prove her being trustworthy or a good reporter. One blog does not a good reporter make.

The term reporter and Kara do not mix.  She gets the incredibly lucky break of asking the first question in a room full of reporters, on a new medical technology that, just from watching Jack cut his hand and the bugs healing it is fascinating, and what does she ask?  Did you get FDA approval when you crossed state lines?  Wow, riveting Kara.   

 

1 hour ago, Mellowyellow said:

Kara and Mon El were so cute with their shenanigans this week.

They were/are adorable, and I think they've had tremendous chemistry from the get-go.  But someone, please help.  What did Mon-El say?  I could not make out anything but "shenanigans".  I also could not understand the password that Kara used to break in to Jack's computer.  Did anyone else do an eyeroll here?  Jack is in medical research.  Hasn't he ever heard of corporate espionage.  I didn't quite hear the password, but I know it was just a word...no numbers, letters, symbols.  Puhleeze.  Even the smallest most insignificant companies require stronger passwords.

13 hours ago, stealinghome said:

It was such a novel experience to watch an episode that Mon-El didn't eat.

I'm scratching my head on this statement.  If anyone eats all the time, it's Kara, shoving potstickers in her face, slamming back ice cream all the time and eating cupcakes.   I can't recall Mon-El eating that much.

[cambridgeguy]

It's pretty clear that for most fiction nano is just a synonym for magic and needs to be treated as such.

Also, multiple people seem to know that at the very least Kara is BFFs with Lena and is someone Supergirl is willing to use as a messenger.  Regardless of her other qualifications that makes her incredibly valuable to a news organization like Catco.  You invent a position to keep someone like that around if necessary.

[KirkB]

Yes, the 'nano'bytes were too big to be called that, technically, but that was only for OUR convenience. They wanted us to SEE Jack reforming and the things swarming all over Kara. If they were really microscopic the whole episode would have been a lot less visually interesting.

You can keep pushing the James/Guardian thing if you want, show, I still don't care. Adding Lyra into the mix does nothing to change that. I would rather have had more scenes with Jack and Lena at dinner.

Why, I wonder, would Mon-El's mom pick Lena to approach? Putting aside the fact she seems utterly dismissive of humans, what is it about Lena, as opposed to anyone else in National City, that makes her think she would be a viable business (or whatever) partner?

Speaking of Mon-El, this is a screen time level I can handle. He shows up, does something relevant, and leaves.

Snapper comes off as rude and mean (which he is) but I like it's for a reason. He's trying to make people better reporters. I think the idea is if they can't handle him they're not going to be able to deal with an obnoxious politician or stubborn CEO they're trying to interview. It seems to be working with Kara, though I still don't understand why she wants to copy everything her cousin is doing instead of making her own way.

[tennisgurl]

Was it me, or did those nano bots get smuggled into the Supergirl universe straight from the Big Hero 6 movie universe? Its not exactly the same, because the nano bots in that movie did different things and didn't possess people or whatever, but still pretty damn similar.

I thought this was a good episode, for the most part. I always love episodes with Lena at the center, and she and Kara have a really sweet friendship. I cant say I would call it queerbaiting, and I don't think they'll go beyond platonic friends, but...I get where people can see something beyond friendship between two women. They are super touchy and cuddly with each other, and they do hit the occasional "couple" beats. I mean, its more than just "Tumblr gonna Tumblr" like a lot of situations like this. I really hope that Lena doesn't turn evil on us. I like her as a more morally grey good guy character who struggles with darker thoughts, but is still a good person who wants to overcome her families legacy of evil, than as a full on villain.

Hi Ravi! Great seeing you here, not so great seeing you get eaten by nano bots or whatever. I thought he was really likable and charismatic here, and I totally bought how much he and Lena meant to each other, and how devastated Lena would be by what happened to him, even if we only knew him for an episode. I wish he had managed to survive the episode, he could have been a fun reoccurring character, and a love interest for Lena. I guess he's busy dealing with the upcoming zombie outbreak over in Izombie. It was funny seeing him basically playing a super wealthy and famous version of Ravi, who is also a scientist who also used himself as a test subject, but it ended a lot better for him, in that nothing happened. At least he wasn't evil.   

I like Winn and Lyra as a couple and as characters, so I was alright with them being all cute and kissy for most of the episode, but I was less alright with them getting dragged into the boring Guardian plot. This whole subplot was just pointless and made James look like he was running a crappy superhero outfit, Lyra look like a Crazy Ex Girlfriend in the making, and Winn look like a mopey whiner.

I like this version of Mon-El, where he's just another supporting character who backs up Kara, and they come off like an actual couple, not some giggling pre teens pulling each others pig tails.

[JapMo]

15 hours ago, statsgirl said:

I'm glad Kara is back working as a reporter because "I have Mon El and I have my blog, I don't need anything more" was not only lame, it's not a sentiment I want my daughter to see.

I would rather my daughter watch someone expressing love to another human being and working hard on something original and something she cares about, than show a completely unqualified person getting a job that in the real world she would be laughed out the door.  Kara chastised Mon-El for swiping a security badge but had no problem using it for her own advantage.  Same thing when earlier in the episode, as Supergirl (and I really cried foul on this), she basically tailed Snapper and used her super hearing to listen in on his conversation with a source.  Oh yes, in the end she wound up saving their lives, but she was there hoping to hear something that would further her story, and she wasn't above spying on a colleague to do that.   I'm sure her cousin would really disapprove of something so unethical. 

[mac123x]

6 hours ago, Mellowyellow said:

I loved how he stole the card

This caused me some "hey, wait a minute..." fridge logic.  They stole the security card from Jack, who at the time was entirely composed of mega-nanobots.  I mean, his clothes reformed when he got back to his office after using the swarm for quick transportation.  So was the security card real?  If so, how was he carrying it as a swarm?  If it was reforming along with his clothing after a swarm attack, how did it still work when Mon-El swiped it?

 

I know, I should just turn off my brain (like when watching LoT) but crap like that bugs me.

[Chris24601]

5 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

What's worse is Kara suddenly being the only reporter that could be trusted because she asked that one question about FDA approval or some such. She wasn't a reporter long enough to prove her being trustworthy or a good reporter. One blog does not a good reporter make.

To be fair, the informant specifically cited Kara's blog post warning aliens about Cadmus' roundup plans (the very one that got her fired in the first place) as the reason why he believed he could trust her with the information (i.e. because he believed she'd get the truth out no matter what), so it was NOT because of her question at the demo/announcement that made him pick her.

Likewise, the main reason I believe Snapper rehired her was not because of her reporting efforts per se, but because she came to him with information and sincerely apologized for her past actions and seemed to have learned a lesson from it (he immediately got a big smile and said "There" when she did so... acknowledging that the lesson had gotten through her dense Kryptonian skull). Snapper is basically the "Knight in Sour Armor" character (i.e. he fired Kara to teach her a lesson and accepted her back when she had learned it) which makes him a fairly interesting foil for Kara when they actually bother to use him (its telling that basically every time he's opposed to something Jimmy and/or Kara is doing, he's basically in the right and its only protagonist-centered morality that makes him even remotely a 'bad' guy).

[Writing Wrongs]

17 hours ago, mac123x said:

"You keep using that word.  I do not think it means what you think it means."  This is a really stupid thing to get hung up about, but the swarm looked more like the pieces of Replicators from Stargate SG1.  Way to big to be called "nano".

I don't know what they were, but I kept thinking of Big Hero 6.

[Lady Calypso]

So, this is the first episode I really didn't like Lyra. Getting this whole James/Winn/Lyra plot out of the way, I thought it was a jumbled mess. Lyra was really hot tempered, James was over the top ridiculous, and Winn was moderately annoying. I think James should have given Lyra a chance from the start instead of writing her off. Like, dude, you're not this special person who has to be the only vigilante out there. He didn't give her a chance and he barely did it for Winn. However, he was right about Lyra coming off of her shady and antagonistic ways, and it did not help with her attitude toward Winn in the bar. Seeing as she is stronger than Winn, she could easily hurt him if they get into a big fight of any kind. She doesn't take anything well and this episode really put me off of her. Also, Winn should have talked this out with James WAY before going out on a mission. 

Also, James calling Winn his brother? Eh. I think it's because I can buy them as best friends, but not THAT close. Winn gives a lot in their relationship, and I haven't seen James give to Winn, so the relationship feels unbalanced.

Other than the Guardian plot, I did enjoy the episode. Kara was back to being Kara, there was little of Mon-El and nothing on their relationship, and plenty of Lena Luthor, so I was very happy. I adore Kara and Lena's friendship. I appreciate when shows give us actual healthy female/female friendships. Hopefully, that will continue throughout the rest of Lena's time on this show. It doesn't replace Alex/Kara's relationship, but it is up there for me. 

Damn, Jack! We hardly knew ye! I love Rahul Kohli and thought Jack and Lena had wicked chemistry, so I am disappointed it was just a guest arc. I guess it's good that we at least got a little bit of him. I wish we had more of Jack/Lena. I'm not surprised it was his CFO who was the villain. Those nanos were creepy, but I also feel like very little of it made sense.

So, I really need Kara to start interacting with the other main characters now. I missed Alex/J'onn but understand why they only appeared once. I do think we need to get back to more Kara interactions with....well, basically everyone not Mon-El or Lena. I think we've been overloaded by Mon-El, and it's not annoying yet with Lena because she doesn't appear in every episode. Having James/Winn doing their own missions has added to the distance between Kara and everyone else not Mon-El. So even if I enjoyed their little mission, I miss Kara's missions with other characters. 

[BkWurm1]

It was a mixed episode for me.  I liked it but the plot holes and logic fails and just the changes with how things were shown to work (like the nanobots forming Jack) were really distracting.  

And yet, Jack and Lena were great.  I completely shipped them and I genuinely felt Lena's loss when she had to override the mainframe.  The music swelled and I got real tears in my eyes.  I can't remember when a show made me care that fast about someone.  Sadly the big take away I got from this episode was it's a pity Lena Luthor isn't the star of the show.  (And I like Kara and MB)  The episode just came alive by focusing on her. Now I want what I can't have, lol. 

 I did enjoy she and Kara's sudden very close friendship.  And Mon-El was amusing in this episode.

I also like Winn and Lyra though yeah, she threw a bigger temper tantrum than I expected when she was kicked off the team.  I'm trying to tell myself that she didn't break up with Winn so much as wanted distance while she got her temper under control cause the alternative doesn't bode well.  It's hard to understand why though Guardian would need a helper when there wasn't even anything for Kara to do and James was down to busting teenagers.  (I get not beating him up, but dude, he did still rob a liquor store.  Get the money back at least)

Basically the Guardian arc doesn't really make sense but oh well.  At least the addition of Lyra might add some entertainment to it.

I want to like Snapper since I love the actor in other shows but the growl is so far from his normal voice that I get distracted by the fakeness of it and also, even though he had reason to fire her, why would he be calling her names at a work function?  That seemed out of character.  Also, Kara needs to be a better reporter.  Her question and how loooong it took her to spit it out was painful.  She knows how to speak.  Why are they making her stumble over being verbal all of a sudden?  

Really, there was a lot to complain about in this episode, but I connected with the characters and cared what was happening so I guess that was a win.  Maybe I've finally gotten to the point where i can let go of my need of logic and coherent plots on this show.  I know when I managed to do that with LoT my enjoyment went way up.     

Terri Hatcher looked great and I'm looking forward to next week.  

[shantown]

The switch the Guardian stuff always feels like some forced backdoor pilot to me. James/Winn/Lyra were completely cut off from the main story in this episode (Kara/Lena/nanobots) and are typically separate from the main show as well. It just doesn't work. They really need to find an actual story for James, and not this sudden "brother" revelation with Winn.

[Cthulhudrew]

Is Lyra going to get a mask, or just prance around au naturale with Guardian? Considering they all hang out together at the Alien Bar and Grill in their civvies all the time, that could be kind of dangerous, don'tcha think?

Also, why is Lyra the only one that doesn't get any regular changes of clothes? Does she just have a closet full of the same leather outfit? I guess the show saves on its wardrobe costs with its occasional players (although I think even Snapper has changed his clothes from time to time.)

[legaleagle53]

13 hours ago, JapMo said:

I'm scratching my head on this statement.  If anyone eats all the time, it's Kara, shoving potstickers in her face, slamming back ice cream all the time and eating cupcakes.   I can't recall Mon-El eating that much.

It's a figure of speech. It doesn't refer to literal eating, but to overacting in such a way that he dominates everyone else.  A similar (and more familiar) expression is "chew the scenery."

[Bats27]

Quote

 

As an aside, the bots in Big Hero 6 were MICRO-bots, not nano-bots.  The main character, who created, even especially make a distinction between the two on at least one occasion.  And several other characters refer to them as such as well.

[AudienceofOne]

As an A+B=C plot with some nice character moments and some fantastic acting, this episode was good.

But the bits in between?

So, the Guardian is out all night fighting crime while Supergirl is baking because she has 'nothing to do'? Despite being a global superhero and apparently trying to get her own blog off the ground? Girl is super lazy. Go to South America and help with the flood reconstruction or something. Geez.

James kicks Lyra off the team for being a psycho. She doubles down on the psycho and this convinces him to take her back?

Kara has two people die right in front of her and does nothing to help them. An entire swarm of "nanobots" buzzes up the car's tailpipe and she doesn't hear them? Another swarm goes into the house she's watching - right in front of her - and she doesn't see them? She then busts in and somehow only saves one of them when she could have had both guys out of the house in 2 seconds?

It's probably ironic this is the first episode where she looked vaguely like a reporter because, as far as I can see, she fucking sucks as a hero.

Don't even get me started on how she was pinned down in the final 'nanobot' scene. Were they kryptonite nanobytes or something? I have no idea.

And finally, what are Mon-El's powers? I wish they'd tell me because I have no clue what he's supposed to be able to do apart from super strength.

[Perfect Xero]

42 minutes ago, AudienceofOne said:

And finally, what are Mon-El's powers? I wish they'd tell me because I have no clue what he's supposed to be able to do apart from super strength.

That's pretty much it, he's got the old school golden age of comics Superman powers from before they started adding things like flying and crazy vision powers.

So Mon El's strong, tough, fast, and can jump really high/far, and even those are at a lesser level than Kryptonians like Kara.

He might have enhanced senses as well, but can't fly and doesn't have things like X-Ray/heat vision or freeze breath.

On the plus side he's not bothered by Kryptonite, on the down side lead can kill him.

Edited April 26, 2017 by Perfect Xero

[Izeinwinter]

The lead thing kind of makes one wonder why he is not wearing.. all of the armor. He is strong enough that you could just strap battleship plate onto him, and it would not hinder him much, but at present he is very hard to put down for most of the exotic things supergirl faces, but... any random thug with a gun can end him? 

Edited April 26, 2017 by Izeinwinter

[AudienceofOne]

Perfect xero - has any of this been established by the show though?

[Perfect Xero]

Yes, back when he first woke up and they were running tests on him they determined that he was strong and fast, but not as strong and fast as Kara and that he couldn't fly or use heat vision. IIRC they also directly said that he could jump really high/far.

[Spaceman Spiff]

4 hours ago, AudienceofOne said:

So, the Guardian is out all night fighting crime while Supergirl is baking because she has 'nothing to do'? Despite being a global superhero and apparently trying to get her own blog off the ground? Girl is super lazy. Go to South America and help with the flood reconstruction or something. Geez.

James kicks Lyra off the team for being a psycho. She doubles down on the psycho and this convinces him to take her back?

This has been bothering me so much. Since James donned his Guardian outfit and been minimized in the show, the only time we get to see him is when he is handling these petty crimes, but why isn't Supergirl handling any of them, at all. It was only one time these two crossed paths fighting the day to day criminals and it seems like Kara has gotten lax because James is out there? Um no.

And where is Superman? S1 had everyone pinning for him, and at least we had the occasional IM from Clark, or mention of him, but now, since they have shown us Superman in episode 1 and 2 he is never heard from again.

Lyra was so OOC with the over the top aggressiveness in beating the kid and in jumping all over Winn at the bar. She was never shown to be that way before and it looked like a total 180 on the character that we were shown in the past. Plus do we really need another person who wants to fight crime and be a superhero on this show?

[MarkHB]

21 hours ago, JapMo said:

 I also could not understand the password that Kara used to break in to Jack's computer.

"Starling".  It was a reference to the flock of starlings that inspired his "fix" for the Biomax or whatever it was.  I was surprised that it wasn't Lena's birthday.

1 hour ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

And where is Superman? S1 had everyone pinning for him, and at least we had the occasional IM from Clark, or mention of him, but now, since they have shown us Superman in episode 1 and 2 he is never heard from again.

I am surprised that we haven't seen the bit with the texting, tbh.  Maybe different writers since the move from LA, maybe a note from the CW?