S04.E02: Fallout

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

A shocking revelation causes chaos in National City; Supergirl sets out to capture Mercy Graves, while Alex takes control at the DEO; Kara decides to write an investigative story on Mercy and looks to Lena for information; Brainy meets Nia.

[Primal Slayer]

Meh, it was an ok episode. I dont like when these writers try to do these type of episodes because they just dont know how to write it in an interesting good way and just come across way to preachy and after school special for my liking.

Besides that! I think they worked in Nia's revelation very well and it didnt come across to strong or preachy so kudos there.

Not sure why someone would work for the DEO but be anti-Alien, especially when his former boss was an alien that everyone knew, is he new?

Liked the Lena/Mercy fight but come on....Supergirl comes out of the room that Kara happens to be in, there is no damage in the room so how did she get there? And Lena doesnt even ask about Kara? 

They shouldnt have started off this show with Aliens being so integrated. Would've made this all somewhat better even though I think this show doesnt know how to write this type of storyline with justice. Did they really need to have their Asian character be a douche to their Alien character? 

Since Alex is the new J'onn, who is the new Alex?

Kara being all "....I dont need these" was funny. 

Edited October 22, 2018 by Primal Slayer

[cambridgeguy]

The news channels in the Supergirl universe seem pretty blase about the president resigning in disgrace - every single monitor behind James was covering other things even though you'd think this would be the type of event that would warrant blanket coverage. 

It's also kind of weird that people would be OK with Agent Liberty wearing that creepy mask. 

I guess Supergirl will be wearing some sort of protective suit for the foreseeable future.  It's a good think Kara has the type of job where she can vanish at the drop of a hat and not have to worry about getting fired.

[Primal Slayer]

7 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

It's also kind of weird that people would be OK with Agent Liberty wearing that creepy mask. 

RIGHT!?! That annoyed me so much and took me out of the scene. Like how you are going to trust some guy in an iron mask...whose face you cant see....and could be an alien himself? 

[mxc90]

Why is Lena having employees take sensitive information home?

Does Lena have to do everything in her company where she doesn’t trust cyber security could have prevented the attempted hack before Tess ran in to tell her the news?

It would have been a little refreshing to see Lena handle that fight on her own.

Did anyone in the DEO complain when Martian Manhunter was pretending to be Henshaw all those years?

Those people are against aliens but would listen to someone give a speech in a weird mask. They should demand he take of the mask to prove he is not an alien before he says one word.

I thought Brainy ordered a dozen pizzas? Did the owner and he negotiate to lower the order so to not give him a beating or a penalty for being an alien? Brainy has to learn to not give hm any business after that situation.

Fiona missed 3 shifts. When was Al going to bother call to check on her?

Edited October 24, 2018 by mxc90

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 minute ago, mxc90 said:

I though Brainy ordered a dozen pizzas? Did the owner and he negotiate to lower the order so to not give him a beating or a penalty for being an alien? Brainy has to learn to not give hm any business after that situation.

I also noticed that he left with only 5.

11 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

Not sure why someone would work for the DEO but be anti-Alien, especially when his former boss was an alien that everyone knew, is he new?

Which only makes it more ridiculous that Kara was walking around at the DEO last year multiple times with Alex and Hank, seemingly not concerned about protecting her secret identity. 

Was Hank the only African-American at the Agent Liberty rally? If so, he should have really changed his appearance to blend in better.

[mxc90]

On 10/21/2018 at 9:22 PM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I also noticed that he left with only 5.

And no one in the DEO jumped on those pies sitting next to Brainy. They had the strength to resists the aroma or were waiting for his permission!

Edited October 24, 2018 by mxc90

[tennisgurl]

"Yes, aliens are evil and wrong, good people of Earth! Listen to me, I am just like you! A guy in a super creepy robot outfit is truly the avatar of the average American, and clearly has no shady agenda whatsoever!" 

The fuck? 

[jmonique]

If Lena the Super Genius doesn't know Kara is Supergirl, she should be forced into a sabbatical. Because that was the world's most convenient entrance. 

[Winston Wolfe]

If Lena hasn't figured out that Kara Danvers=Supergirl after this episode, I have to wonder how intelligent she truly is.  At this point, I'm assuming that she' figured it out, just like Kat Grant, and is simply not saying anything for reasons of her own.

37 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Was Hank the only African-American at the Agent Liberty rally? If so, he should have really changed his appearance to blend in better.

Yeah, I thought that too.  And he could have read Agent Liberty's mind - and the rogue cop's too - to find out more about the anti-alien movement.

All-in-all, I liked this episode.  Mia and Brainy could be an interesting couple, unlike most other pairings on this show.

Edited October 22, 2018 by Winston Wolfe

[ottoDbusdriver]

About the ending -- Mercy released a very small amount of gaseous Kryptonite, yet somehow it reached thousands of feet into the air, miles form National City, taking down Supergirl mid-flight.  I'm calling bullshit on that.  Did Kara just happen to be downwind from the kryptonite ?

Does Lena know about Brainy being Brainiac 5, alien from the future ?

I thought that Brainy was able to disguise himself before any image inducer was introduced by L Corp ?  So how come he is using it now.

Once again, video surveillance in a high-security cell block has no anti-tampering controls.  That is not surprising with this show.

Agent of Liberty is definitely an alien.  Won't those supporters be surprised when that unveiling occurs ?

Glad to see Bruce Boxleitner back on TV -- was a big fan during his run on Babylon 5.
What are the odds that newly sworn-in President Baker is ALSO an alien ?

About the TVs in James' office, as mentioned upthread none of them mentioned the President's resignation at all, which would be the headline everywhere. 
There was:
-- Social Security Fraud -- woman pleads guilty to lying to receive social security for last 5 years
-- Falling Earnings and Higher Rates
-- Currency Pegs Breakdown
-- Congress angered by failure of major weapons programs to yield projected results
-- Students injured on university tour bus crash
-- Deadly bombing trigger investigation
-- Massive derivative exposure puts major banks in dangerous position according to investors
-- Billions in debt emerges at firm

That last one seems really generic.

Edited October 22, 2018 by ottoDbusdriver

[legaleagle53]

4 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

I thought the Brainy was able to disguise himself before any image inducer was introduced by L Corp ?  So how come he is using it now.

He's from 3018.  That technology would be commonplace in his native era (and L Corp's version would be rather primitive by his standards in any event).

[ItCouldBeWorse]

7 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

He's from 3018.  That technology would be commonplace in his native era (and L Corp's version would be rather primitive by his standards in any event).

Agreed, so why is he using L Corp's hackable version?

[quarks]

Look, Supergirl, I'm trying to like you, really, I am, but you can't continue insisting that Lena is supersmart enough to trick her mother last episode and build robotic arm weapons this episode and realize that burgers should always be eaten first, and yet somehow fails to notice that two seconds after Kara finally conveniently exited out a door Supergirl jumped in.

And cannot agree more with everyone pointing out that it's more than a bit odd that a group of anti-alien people are willing to follow someone wearing a mask, like, how do you know what he looks like under there? Why isn't Agent of Liberty just using one of the image thingies instead?

[UNOSEZ]

Enjoyed the episode overall. There were a bunch if wtf nit-picky moments that have been mentioned upthread like the humans meeting with Agent Liberty in that creepy ass mask.. Or the bar owner not checking on his alien bartender in the middle of all this anti-alien stuff... Not mentioned was Rhona Mitra going hungry hungry hippo on all the scenery for this episode and probably some of next week's as well... Smh

But my biggest takeaway was...  Nia is awesome.. She inspired James without going overboard( also Good on James for at least considering strategy and not trying to come out seemingly biased for fear of turning away ppl who may be on the fence)  I think once he saw that even in his own office things were starting to turn( not as major as outside his walls but still)  he decided to be a bit more forthright... I'm guessing brainy knows that Nia Nal eventually becomes who she becomes and  that's why he recognized ger

[tennisgurl]

I love how, in this world, the president being outed as an actual alien and having to resign is, like, a minor news story apparently, and just backdrop to the alien drama. Wouldn't that be pretty much all any news station covered for at least several weeks, let alone after just a few days? And, while I know this show is rarely subtle, you would think there would be more talk of the fact that, regardless of what people think about aliens, the president did lie to everyone about her past, and is ineligible as president. Even beyond the alien stuff, thats a really big freaking deal, and no one seems to care. I would like it if they had a few people being like "I dont mind aliens coming here if they just want to live their lives, but the president really needs to step down" or had some more nuanced reactions. I think it might actually help their message more. 

Yeah, its super weird that these anti alien people are cool with following this creepy robot looking guy who basically screams alien at the top of his lungs. And I do actually think some of the stuff he brought up was interesting (like aliens taking a lot of labor jobs due to super strength) in a world building kind of way, and its the kind of stuff that I would like to see explored more. It wont happen, but with all the emphasis on aliens and their discrimination this season, I would like to see more of the place they currently have in society, and how they've changed things. 

Brainy and his stuff was good, and he and mini-Kara could be cute together. Although, he would kind of be copying another Winn story that way, right? he is their tech guy, has evil family members, and is now maybe starting an interspecies romance? I do like that they can explore more about being an alien with him, as most of the aliens we hang out with, like Kara and Hank, easily pass as human even without tech. 

I liked seeing Lena being kickass, but her not knowing who Kara is has gotten to the point of embarrassing. She is supposed to be this super genius, but she cant tell that the woman who looks exactly like Supergirl...might be Supergirl?!

[Winston Wolfe]

11 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I liked seeing Lena being kickass, but her not knowing who Kara is has gotten to the point of embarrassing. She is supposed to be this super genius, but she cant tell that the woman who looks exactly like Supergirl...might be Supergirl?!

Having said that, I do notice that the makeup folks have done a better job of camouflaging MB's forehead scar this season.  It always bugged me that no one in that Universe has noticed that both Kara Danvers and Supergirl share that distinct characteristic.

Edited October 22, 2018 by Winston Wolfe

[Lantern7]

It's like Black Lightning comes off with political relevance having little time for subtlety, and Supergirl is all, "Hold my whatever Kara drinks . . ."

I get it. I'll keep watching. It's just a bit painful that not only will this season's arc be based off current events, but that current events got that fucked up to begin with. I'm not trying to be a grouch in general, but this might be one long-ass season.

Bright side: Kara doing Supergirl things while she's force to stay Kara. Not sure what was funnier . . . her catching bullets and just flinging them back to injure her attackers, or fake-sneezing to blow some troopers away. Bonus: Lena/Mercy fight, with both rocking boots. Of course Mercy and her brother escape through bonding with a DEO agent that's not thrilled in how things are breaking down.

Agent Liberty . . . wow. I'm calling it: he's Hank Henshaw. Hank was a xenophobe, one would expect a guy like the "Cyborg Superman" to live through any doom, and he'd want a better name than "Cyborg Superman." I get the paranoia and lack of trust "normal" humans would have, especially considering an alien was President (which probably explains why she was so darn nice all the time), but you're following someone in a mask? For serious?!? And a crappy-looking mask at that?

Poor Brainy. So smart, yet so naive. I will say that it's cute to see another supporting character being an alien that grows to love pizza. Tomato pie?

Edited October 22, 2018 by Lantern7

[Winston Wolfe]

6 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Bright side: Kara doing Supergirl things while she's force to stay Kara. Not sure what was funnier . . . her catching bullets and just flinging them back to injure her attackers, or fake-sneezing to blow some troopers away.

Forgot about that one, lol.  Between the two of them Lena Luthor and Eve Tessmacher must have a combined IQ of about a zillion.  IRL, they should have both figured out Kara's ID based on that one incident alone.  If not for the fact that it's known that Kara and Clark are cousins, she could just as easily forego the secret ID thing altogether IMO.  It takes a lot for her to maintain, and for the most part she hasn't done such a good job of it.

Edited October 22, 2018 by Winston Wolfe

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Glad to see Bruce Boxleitner back on TV -- was a big fan during his run on Babylon 5.
What are the odds that newly sworn-in President Baker is ALSO an alien?

I’m completely unspoiled so when I saw him, I was all: SQUEEEEEE!!!!!! It’s ❤️??❤️Scarecrow/Lee Stetson ❤️??❤️from Scarecrow & Mrs. King!!!

The rest of the episode was just crap. The actress who plays Mercy looks botoxed to the nrh degree and her speaking to that asshole agent one.word.at.a.time while stretching out each word was aggravating to no end.

And just how are aliens traitors again by merely existing? And have done so openly since season two with no one screaming bigoted shit until now? 

I’m just going to think about what a Silver Fox Boxleitner is and hope he’s a good guy.

[rtms77]

I was scratching my head at the beginning when the DEO agent said the president belonged in the cells. Last time I checked the DEO was there to monitor and apprehend only criminal aliens, not law abiding ones.  In fact they were set up to capture the aliens from fort rozz when Kara first came.

Watching Lena, Kara and Eve try to waddle run away from Grace and her goons had the unintended effect of penguins trying to all run away at once. They could barley move with those high heels. As others have mentioned it’s getting eye rolling at this point Lena can’t see who Kara really is, and she didn’t look all that thrilled when Supergirl showed up anyway. 

Edited October 22, 2018 by rtms77

[UNOSEZ]

14 minutes ago, rtms77 said:

Watching Lena, Kara and Eve try to run away from Grace and her goons had the unitended effect of penguins trying to all run away at once. They could barley move with those high heels.

That had me dying

[ItCouldBeWorse]

I was willing to pretend that the scar didn't exist, otherwise she'd have to worry about every freckle, but for me, the same exact earrings on "both" women would be impossible to ignore. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

4 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I was willing to pretend that the scar didn't exist, otherwise she'd have to worry about every freckle, but for me, the same exact earrings on "both" women would be impossible to ignore. 

I wonder if Kasnian Supergirl will also have the same scar.  Hmmmm.

[Trini]

2 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

About the ending -- Mercy released a very small amount of gaseous Kryptonite, yet somehow it reached thousands of feet into the air, miles form National City, taking down Supergirl mid-flight.  I'm calling bullshit on that.  Did Kara just happen to be downwind from the kryptonite ?

Magic. I mean, that's exactly how it worked the last time that device was used. And no, it didn't make sense then either, but it's canon.
 

55 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Bright side: Kara doing Supergirl things while she's force to stay Kara. Not sure what was funnier . . . her catching bullets and just flinging them back to injure her attackers, or fake-sneezing to blow some troopers away.

See, this is exactly the kind of secret identity shenanigans I've always wanted to see! On the other hand, it's still dumb that Lena doesn't know Kara is Supergirl. ::sigh::

[AnimeMania]

How does Nia Nal still have a job, she should have been fired, spending all day sleeping at her desk and when the boss wakes her up, she runs out of the office for an hour to get a cup of coffee. The break room's 2 doors down on the left, you run in their get your coffee, then spend the rest of your day typing as fast as you can hoping that might save your job.

[Jediknight]

3 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

Liked the Lena/Mercy fight but come on....Supergirl comes out of the room that Kara happens to be in, there is no damage in the room so how did she get there? And Lena doesnt even ask about Kara?

She's gotta know, and is just playing dumb.

Eve was awesome though.

36 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

How does Nia Nal still have a job, she should have been fired, spending all day sleeping at her desk and when the boss wakes her up, she runs out of the office for an hour to get a cup of coffee. The break room's 2 doors down on the left, you run in their get your coffee, then spend the rest of your day typing as fast as you can hoping that might save your job.

James probably cut her some slack knowing she's new at this job, and is already overworking herself.  James is pretty laid back, so he'd understand that Nia needs a break.

Supergirl writers, get a dictionary and look up the word subtle.  Heck, I think one of the definitions of subtle may now be "What the Supergirl show isn't."

[mxc90]

30 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

How does Nia Nal still have a job, she should have been fired, spending all day sleeping at her desk and when the boss wakes her up, she runs out of the office for an hour to get a cup of coffee. The break room's 2 doors down on the left, you run in their get your coffee, then spend the rest of your day typing as fast as you can hoping that might save your job.

Did she even have a plan to where to get coffee? Starbucks, No! She picked a pizza place not knowing if they made espressos. When she left with Brainy, no coffee in hand for her or James.

[bobbyjoe]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

The actress who plays Mercy looks botoxed to the nrh degree and her speaking to that asshole agent one.word.at.a.time while stretching out each word was aggravating to no end.

Ohmigod, the actress playing Mercy apparently went to the Snidely Whiplash school of acting.  She needs to grow a mustache so she can twirl it while she’s trying to chew the scenery.  I know this show is comic book based, but that comic isn’t Dudley Do-Right.

On the other hand, Nicole Maines is so good as Nia and already has such great natural screen chemistry if The CW announced they were handing her yet another DC Comics spin-off tomorrow, I’d be “hooray!”  Can’t wait to see what the show has in store for her.

[MSterling]

5 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I also noticed that he left with only 5.

 

I noticed that, too. And I wouldn't trust any food they made after they tried to attack me.

[Winston Wolfe]

9 hours ago, rtms77 said:

Watching Lena, Kara and Eve try to run away from Grace and her goons had the unintended effect of penguins trying to all run away at once.

Wow, great comparison.  Those scenes did have a kind of "March of the Penguins" feeling to it, lol.  All you needed was some wacky music.

Edited October 22, 2018 by Winston Wolfe

[thuganomics85]

I wonder if Brainy was able to calculate the chances that those pizzas had spit in them, considering the entire establishment was made up of anti-alien bigots, apparently.  Then again, as others have already said, he only came out with 5 boxes instead of the dozen he ordered, so maybe he determined those were alright!

Surprised that my favorite scene involved James and a relative new character, but I really liked the scene with Nia and James, and I liked the respect they have for one another.  I'm glad James ended up putting out a statement at the end, although I do think he had a point about the risks of it being a bit of a "preaching to the choir" thing, because it does feel these days that any opinion piece just ends up making those who already agree with it be happy, while those who don't just dismiss it as bias (or, of course, "fake news.")  Still, it was a nice moment.  Nicole Maines seems like she'll be a good addition to the show.

Yeah, at this point, if Lena doesn't notice how many times Kara kept trying to slip away, somehow not get shot by those rain of bullets, and then Supergirl busts in Kool-Aid man style mere seconds after Kara leaves, then she really might not be as smart as I want her to be.

Sam Witwer seems to be having a ball, but it really was hilarious seeing Agent Liberty decked out in his goofy suit and mask, and preaching about aliens hiding things and shit.  But I guess there will be those who would still buy it hook, line, and sinker.

New president is either going to be an alien too or reveal himself to be in the Graves' pocket.  I'm still hoping Morgan Edge will return and try to run for President.

Again, I do appreciate that the show's heart is in the right place, but it's inability to avoid these topics without feeling like you're getting smacked upside the head with a sledgehammer can be a lot to take in.

[Quark]

Decent episode, although I do think this show would benefit from more subtlety (not that I expect that to happen).

Nia seems alright.

I enjoyed Brainy much more this episode, much more toned down. One thing I'm confused by, isn't he a robot/android, rather than an alien? Not that I imagine that would go down better with people :P .

[Writing Wrongs]

9 hours ago, jmonique said:

If Lena the Super Genius doesn't know Kara is Supergirl, she should be forced into a sabbatical. Because that was the world's most convenient entrance. 

I still think she's fucking with her. The not surprised look on her face when Supergirl showed up and the way she was keeping Kara with her on purpose until it got too dicey was too obvious. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. LOL

How do they know the Vice President isn't an alien, too?

Why did Brainy think he knew the new girl?

Edited October 22, 2018 by Writing Wrongs

[UNOSEZ]

Just a general question for some of the other posters.. What would a MORE Subtle version of this episode look like... What would be done differently I see its asked for quite a bit

[Chicago Redshirt]

1 hour ago, UNOSEZ said:

Just a general question for some of the other posters.. What would a MORE Subtle version of this episode look like... What would be done differently I see its asked for quite a bit

The general rule of thumb would be to have the anti-alien people not be all evil and prone to violence and the pro-alien people not be all goodness and light.

So for example, Supergirl didn't need to be literally rescuing the flag in front of the White House.

President Wonder Woman's stepping down didn't need to be portrayed as a selfless act or there could have been exploration of why she decided to run for president, violating the Constitution to do so, etc. 

More of the anti-alien protestors could have not been using the slur of roaches or willing to throw down at the drop of a hat. The pizza people could have been like "Yo, why have you been lying to us? GTFO" rather than trying to beat up Brainy. 

Mercy's minions could have not tried to kill Lena, Eve and Kara. After all, they are presumably human, and killing them doesn't advance the agenda.

The DEO agent who's anti-alien didn't need to betray his oath by releasing the Graves twins, or they could have made a longer arc to him being a traitor. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

11 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

Not sure why someone would work for the DEO but be anti-Alien, especially when his former boss was an alien that everyone knew, is he new?

 

Why would someone who was anti-alien want to work for an agency whose mandate is to keep aliens in line? That has basically carte blanche to arrest, interrogate and imprison aliens without anything approaching due process? 

In terms of J'onn, the DEO guy could have harbored resentment of him, or it could be a situation where he makes a distinction between roaches and the aliens like J'onn who are credits to their respective races. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

9 hours ago, rtms77 said:

I was scratching my head at the beginning when the DEO agent said the president belonged in the cells. Last time I checked the DEO was there to monitor and apprehend only criminal aliens, not law abiding ones.  In fact they were set up to capture the aliens from fort rozz when Kara first came.

President Wonder Woman IS a criminal. She unconstitutionally ran for and held the office of president, knowing that she could not legally be president since she was not a natural-born citizen of the U.S. She was a fraud.

In a better-written show, there would be a lot of exploration of the ramifications of this. Everything from paranoia about who else could be aliens in our government and elsewhere to the systematic undoing of the President WW adminsitration's accomplishments. There would be hearings as to who else might have known she was an alien. Poor Cat Grant would be in for bad times.

[UNOSEZ]

45 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

The general rule of thumb would be to have the anti-alien people not be all evil and prone to violence and the pro-alien people not be all goodness and light.

So for example, Supergirl didn't need to be literally rescuing the flag in front of the White House.

President Wonder Woman's stepping down didn't need to be portrayed as a selfless act or there could have been exploration of why she decided to run for president, violating the Constitution to do so, etc. 

More of the anti-alien protestors could have not been using the slur of roaches or willing to throw down at the drop of a hat. The pizza people could have been like "Yo, why have you been lying to us? GTFO" rather than trying to beat up Brainy. 

Mercy's minions could have not tried to kill Lena, Eve and Kara. After all, they are presumably human, and killing them doesn't advance the agenda.

The DEO agent who's anti-alien didn't need to betray his oath by releasing the Graves twins, or they could have made a longer arc to him being a traitor. 

Thanks you def raised some good points.. Maybe they'll expound on it more later on.. You know to add some color because there are reasons humans would at least be wary of some aliens.. The pizza guy thing was the weirdest to me.. I get being taken aback even angry that brainy was hiding.. But to call him a traitor ( to what exactly I dunno)  was harsh... But the actor who plays him is pretty well known on Canadian TV so maybe he's not a one-off and he pops  back up. James was at least trying to be respectful of "the other side" but in the end I agreed with Nia that you can't be neutral if the "other side" is in full-on rage/hate mode.. I'm excited to see David Ajala's character pop up.. In the comics I think he's a villain or anti-hero or something inbetween.. But his fiance got killed by these anti alien folks so I think maybe he and J'onn the pacifist may team up

[Winston Wolfe]

9 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I was willing to pretend that the scar didn't exist, otherwise she'd have to worry about every freckle, but for me, the same exact earrings on "both" women would be impossible to ignore. 

Guess suspension of disbelief is the only logical option there.  Because in real life, SG and Kara are both so attractive that a lot men and women would pay a lot of attention to their faces.  My guess is that 90% of those folks would pick up the scar and make the connection.  Since the make-up people seemed to put more effort in covering up the scar (HD is so unforgiving) looks like one of the show runners has been giving the topic some thought too. 

19 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

In a better-written show, there would be a lot of exploration of the ramifications of this. Everything from paranoia about who else could be aliens in our government and elsewhere to the systematic undoing of the President WW administration's accomplishments. There would be hearings as to who else might have known she was an alien.

Totally agree.  And it would have taken just four or five lines of exposition from President WW to establish her position.  Just plain lazy writing and direction detracting from what should be a pretty compelling story line.

[Lady Calypso]

This was definitely better than the premiere for me, but still not great. And I think it's the fact that this storyline does feel heavy handed and could use more subtlety. 

I think the storyline that worked the best was Nia and James' storyline within Catco. I love how they're handling Nia. She shows some Kara-like qualities, but she's very much proven herself to be her own character. I LOVED Nia/James' conversation in his office. Both brought up some excellent points and it felt like a natural discussion, rather than a scripted scene. And this is the James I like. My biggest issue with Guardian over the years is that it overtook James' actual job, a job where he could do good and that the show neglected for two years. Catco became nothing more than a plot device since Cat's departure. This season seems to be getting back to Catco as an alternative way of helping the city, where being a vigilante or superhero isn't the only way to help people. That's why I disliked Guardian, as it made it seem like the only way to help people is to be out on the streets physically helping them. 

Yeah, it's super ridiculous that Lena doesn't know Kara is Supergirl but unfortunately, I think we're supposed to buy that she doesn't. They played off those scenes as comedic (fake sneeze, how she conveniently bypassed the lockdown). Otherwise, I do enjoy Lena and Kara's friendship. It does feel more natural this time around without Sam being randomly interjected. Though Eve going to get Lena to outhack Mercy was a bit ridiculous....I understand it was for dramatic purposes.

I did think Brainy's subplot was done pretty well. I appreciate them giving him a few layers but having him visibly shaken by the attack on him in the pizza shop. It showed that it knocked him off his game enough and that he's not used to this level of discrimination. As for him recognizing Nia, I can only imagine that she's important in his future somehow. I don't see how he'd know about her from this time and be so curious about her. I just wonder how important she is in the future for him to recognize her. 

The Liberty dude is weird and no way the anti-alien movement buys what he is selling when he's covering his face. If someone like the DEO Agent (Jensen?) doesn't buy Supergirl's speech and glares at Brainy the entire time, no way does the anti-alien movement cheer for a guy dressed in armour and has his face covered. No way do they buy that he's not possibly an alien. 

Also, I imagine if people got upset over the President being an alien, they'd be wary of the Vice President either knowing about the President being an alien, or they'd fear that the VP is an alien as well. 

[legaleagle53]

3 hours ago, Quark said:

I enjoyed Brainy much more this episode, much more toned down. One thing I'm confused by, isn't he a robot/android, rather than an alien? Not that I imagine that would go down better with people :P .

No.  Brainy is a Coluan, which is the same race that created the android Brainiac, but Brainy himself is not an android even though he's named after Brainiac (his name is Brainiac 5) and is descended from Brainiac's creators.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

10 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

How does Nia Nal still have a job, she should have been fired, spending all day sleeping at her desk and when the boss wakes her up, she runs out of the office for an hour to get a cup of coffee. The break room's 2 doors down on the left, you run in their get your coffee, then spend the rest of your day typing as fast as you can hoping that might save your job.

I did wonder if CatCo has a coffee maker.  And who goes to a pizza place for coffee?  What happened to the nearby cafe that Kara used to go to to get Cat's lattes?  Too obviously a set up for Nia to cross paths with Brainy.

[cambridgeguy]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

In a better-written show, there would be a lot of exploration of the ramifications of this. Everything from paranoia about who else could be aliens in our government and elsewhere to the systematic undoing of the President WW adminsitration's accomplishments. There would be hearings as to who else might have known she was an alien. Poor Cat Grant would be in for bad times.

There'd be paranoia about everything.  For example, in the Supergirl universe who is to say that various professional athletes aren't aliens using their superior physical abilities to rake in the cash?    That the people you're competing against in school have some sort of alien knowledge giving them an edge? 

[AnimeMania]

6 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

President Wonder Woman IS a criminal. She unconstitutionally ran for and held the office of president, knowing that she could not legally be president since she was not a natural-born citizen of the U.S. She was a fraud.

President Wonder Woman may not have wanted to run for President, but wanted to be the best politician she could be. People couldn't help but notice her competence, integrity and honor and continually pushed her further up the political ladder. It may have been almost impossible for President Wonder Woman to come up with a plausible excuse for why she couldn't run for president.

[Chicago Redshirt]

3 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

President Wonder Woman may not have wanted to run for President, but wanted to be the best politician she could be. People couldn't help but notice her competence, integrity and honor and continually pushed her further up the political ladder. It may have been almost impossible for President Wonder Woman to come up with a plausible excuse for why she couldn't run for president.

We will probably never get backstory on this, because Lynda Carter is likely costly and the writers have other priorities.

But presumably, PWW decided to 1. adopt a human identity 2. run for some office, win and serve for some time and 3. then run for president.  There is a lot of time there where she made choices that she would have or should have known were illegal.

In terms of being recruited to run for president, PWW would still have had the choice to say, "Yeah, that's not what I'm about." She could always have gone with the "if nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve." approach. How could they make her, especially when she can give up the identity and just assume a new one?

[mommalib]

All I have to say is I like my man James looking and talking like a leader.

Edited October 22, 2018 by mommalib

[shantown]

16 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Bright side: Kara doing Supergirl things while she's force to stay Kara. Not sure what was funnier . . . her catching bullets and just flinging them back to injure her attackers, or fake-sneezing to blow some troopers away.

That was some good comedy - Melissa Benoist had some great background acting and facial expressions when she was trying to figure out how to get away for a quickchange into Supergirl!

 

16 hours ago, rtms77 said:

I was scratching my head at the beginning when the DEO agent said the president belonged in the cells. Last time I checked the DEO was there to monitor and apprehend only criminal aliens, not law abiding ones.

Not to get political or further wade into the show's lack of subtlety, but this is a common sentiment in some circles and has a basis in reality.

 

8 hours ago, Writing Wrongs said:

I still think she's fucking with her. The not surprised look on her face when Supergirl showed up and the way she was keeping Kara with her on purpose until it got too dicey was too obvious. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. LOL

Isn't Lena still fairly pissed at Supergirl? Not only are they not on the friendliest terms, Supergirl somehow broke into her building during a lockdown. That doesn't exactly mesh well with Lena possibly knowing Kara is Supergirl, but it could be an angle the show takes. 

 

8 hours ago, Writing Wrongs said:

How do they know the Vice President isn't an alien, too?

There was a brief shot of him being sworn in, and it looks like instead of resting his hand on a book, it was resting on the handheld alien detection device Lena had a couple seasons ago (the one Kara fried when Lena had her test it). 

 

[SyracuseMug]

How long have the aliens been around? If President Wonder Woman had been born in the U.S. despite her alien heritage, I'm assuming she would have been eligible (although she would still take heat for not having been forthcoming about it).

[cambridgeguy]

1 hour ago, SyracuseMug said:

How long have the aliens been around? If President Wonder Woman had been born in the U.S. despite her alien heritage, I'm assuming she would have been eligible (although she would still take heat for not having been forthcoming about it).

She was not born on Earth, she has talked about growing up on another planet. 

 

2 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

We will probably never get backstory on this, because Lynda Carter is likely costly and the writers have other priorities.

But presumably, PWW decided to 1. adopt a human identity 2. run for some office, win and serve for some time and 3. then run for president.  There is a lot of time there where she made choices that she would have or should have known were illegal.

In terms of being recruited to run for president, PWW would still have had the choice to say, "Yeah, that's not what I'm about." She could always have gone with the "if nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not serve." approach. How could they make her, especially when she can give up the identity and just assume a new one?

Exactly, no one held a gun to her head or showed her a future where her not becoming president = destruction of earth.  Plenty of people do a lot of good without running for POTUS, a job that involves long hours, not so great pay, and the disdain/hatred of roughly half the country.  You need a massive ego to believe you're the best person to run any country and there are plenty of logical reasons not to run, regardless of which planet you were born on.