S04.E11: Blood Memory

[Trini]

Quote

Kara joins Nia on a trip to Nia's hometown to visit her family during the town's annual Harvest Festival. While home, Nia's mother (guest star Kate Burton) encourages her daughter to embrace her destiny. Meanwhile, Alex deals with a street drug that is turning people violent and giving them temporary superpowers.

Shannon Kohli directed the episode written by Jessica Queller & Dana Horgan.

Airdate:  1/27/2019.

[bettername2come]

I had completely forgotten that Nia didn't know Kara was Supergirl. I'm glad Kara and Alex are still close. Now I feel like Nia's going to accidentally tell Alex because she'll think she knows. I'm curious about Nia's hometown and how that community was formed. Nice casting on the family. Very believable. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

How long are they going to drag out the Kasnian Supergirl plot ?

Seriously, it's been 11 episodes since the S3 finale, and there has been minimal progress in all this time.  All I can say is that it had better be a big payoff.

Edited January 28, 2019 by ottoDbusdriver

[cambridgeguy]

Red Daughter can send an energy discharge halfway across the planet and turn some pills into super steroids?  This show has pulled some ridiculous stuff over the years but this one might take the cake for the most nonsensical.

And once again it looks like aliens have been living openly on Earth for decades but it's only now that the CoL have started strutting around in their creepy masks.  All of this should have happened long before now.

Looks like Nia's going to go out there and start fighting crime.  Might want to add a helmet to that ensemble.

[ottoDbusdriver]

2 minutes ago, cambridgeguy said:

Red Daughter can send an energy discharge halfway across the planet and turn some pills into super steroids?  This show has pulled some ridiculous stuff over the years but this one might take the cake for the most nonsensical.

Agreed, that was just dumb on the part of the writers.

[Lady Calypso]

The Kasnian Supergirl stuff is really dragging because they're not really explaining what the purpose is. Fortunately, they finally tied it to the main plot...somewhat. Even if I also agree that it makes little sense. I guess they realized that they needed to do SOMETHING with Kasnian Supergirl if she's to be a part of the main plot this season. 

The Nia stuff was extremely well done. I haven't truly enjoyed a new character this much in a while. I liked the Reign stuff last season but I wasn't overly into it since she was evil. With Nia, I'm thoroughly enjoying her journey and think her story is important to tell. I thought the casting with her family was great. I felt bad for Nia with Maeve's reaction. I'm sure they'll work it out, but what Maeve said to Nia must have stung and for a good reason. 

I'm glad Kara told Nia. Although I'm annoyed Kara hasn't told Lena, at least it makes sense as to why she told Nia. It would have been ridiculous if she didn't. It didn't even feel forced with the parallels this episode between Nia and Kara. 

Well, no shit the Alex memory wipe had consequences. 

[tennisgurl]

Wait, so the cute little town Nia is from has had aliens and humans living together for decades already? If aliens have been around for ages, out in the open, why are people just putting on masks and holding protests now? I mean, I can guess all I want, (maybe the recent alien invasions made people antsy?) but its not really shown to be anything but mostly just assholes being racist towards this new people immigrating. Everyone in the first season kind of acted like the only aliens were Superman and Supergirl, but now they've been hanging around this whole time? Maybe this is petty, but the world building on this show gives me a headache. 

Anyway, I did like this episode, and I like Nia a lot more than some of the other random characters, like Ruby, who they've pushed to the forefront. Her being around seems a lot more organic, and I generally like her character more. Her family was really well cast, they looked like they could really all be related. I felt bad for Nia and for Maeve, I hope they can follow up with them. That was a horrible thing that Maeve said to Nia, and must have been awful to hear, but Maeve must have felt so angry and bitter. She prepared her whole life what what she thought was going to be her destiny, that she wanted to use to help people and give her life meaning, and now thats all gone, and her sister who doesent even want it gets all of that. Its a really sucky situation for everyone. Not that it justifies what she said to Nia, but anger makes people lash out at the wrong people a lot.

It also also seemed to be around to contrast with the Kara and Alex drama. Its nice that they're still close as Kara and Alex, but new Alex is not the person who she used to be. But its kind of like "well, duh, obviously she wont be the same without a huge spot of her memory anymore" kind of shock. What did they expect to happen? They should be lucky she isnt a full on anti alien asshole, as they seem to be pretty common in the government. 

Lena totally seems like the kind of person who would practice for game night! That was hilarious, but Jimmy seems to be getting closer and closer to really crossing professional lines for Lena. He is already killing stories that might make her look bad, what will happen next?

The plot with the magic drugs (which...what? Even for this show, that was ridiculous) was rather half assed, especially compared to the more interesting stuff with Nia and Alex. I felt like I hardly got a beat on any character, even for minor characters, and beyond being broad stereotypes (asshole frat bros, slacker/sleazy dealers/pushed around girl) they didnt really have much going on. I also question why normal people would be so eager to try a crazy rage drug that makes you people people up and destroy shit. It didnt look like much fun, the way designer drugs are supposed to be, and while I guess there would certainly be a market for that among psychos like those mask guys, it doesent seem like the kind of stuff the college crowd would be into. 

Russian Supergirl...is still around.

Edited January 28, 2019 by tennisgurl

[ottoDbusdriver]

Unless the party was right down the street from where the RV was parked, why did the raged-up fratboys wait a few hours to go to that party ? 
Because it was daylight when they took the pills and night-time when they attacked the party.

And there were no apparent side effects afterwards from the physical changes due to the pills -- how convenient.

 

Edited January 28, 2019 by ottoDbusdriver

[Writing Wrongs]

55 minutes ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

How long are they going to drag out the Kasnian Supergirl plot ?

I've already forgotten how she came to be.

[quarks]

Trying to keep a secret identity on an Arrowverse show leads to troubled family relationships, a world of hurt, and less effective leadership? 

You don't say.

[ottoDbusdriver]

32 minutes ago, Writing Wrongs said:

I've already forgotten how she came to be.

Kasnian Supergirl was created as a side-effect when Supergirl, Reign and Sam all touched the Harun-El (after Supergirl traveled back in time) in the S3 finale.
Makes you wonder if a copy of Reign and Sam will also show up at some point somewhere else on the planet.

There's been no explanation why Kasnian Supergirl was created by this intercation (apparently she was created naked, as she was only wearing a blanket when found by the guards), or why she ended up on the Siberian border with Kasnia.

[CletusMusashi]

I've really enjoyed the recent episodes. There's always gonna be a few plotholes. It's about a flying person who nobody can recognize with glasses on, for christsake! But if the stories and acting are pretty good, I can chuckle at the flaws and enjoy the stuff that the writers did a good job on.

Usually my favorite good CW show is "Black Lightning" and my favorite bad CW show is "Riverdale," but lately I've enjoyed Supergirl more than either one. The plots are interesting, the characters are well-acted, and the only parts that have any real pacing issue (Commiegirl and the James/Lena relationship,) are kept down to a very few minutes of airtime. Worrying about how the magic radiation ricocheted off a satellite or something and hit the scooby van doesn't really hurt my enjoyment any more than wondering why they don't make Brainy set his cloaker setting to "regulation military haircut." As long as they don't stick storytelling on the shelf in order to bombard me with bad technobabble or heavier-than-expected on "Supergirl" social anvils, I'm pretty happy.

This show has usually been kind of a guilty popcorn pleasure, but maybe if they can keep it on the track it's been following, as opposed to last season's never-ending Reign borefest, it might eventually evolve into someting as good as "Flash" used to be.

[Lantern7]

Yeah . . . if you take out the bits about acceptance and family, this was a dumb episode. Seriously . . . you manage to make an ultra-steroid that's in high demand. You decide that you're done . . . but there's one more score, worth a nice $10K. Those kids (yes, including the girl) were stupid for not making sure they weren't going to get ripped off by the buyer. Naturally, they were Sons of Liberty. Naturally, they wanted to engage in ethnic cleansing in that one town that promotes peace. And, naturally, they weren't interested in paying for the pills.

Which character was more hurt by their sister . . . Kara or Nia? Kara discovers that when Alex is stripped of her whole memories of her, she turns into a bit of a bitch. Nia kept her dreams ablity from her sister, and she snapped back at her, saying Nia wasn't female. OWWWWWW.

Bright side: Brainiac 5 pretending to be a frat boy for a few minutes. And they fell for it, even though he wasn't that convincing. But he was funny, and that's the good part. Also, funny how he says "frats." He drew out the "f" sound a little longer. Very cute.

In terms of fictional republics, you think Kasnia was picked because "Kasnia" kinda/sorta looks like "Kansas"?

[AnimeMania]

Who finds out that there are deadly spiders in your house and doesn't call the exterminators?

[RandomWatcher]

At least the sister asked a question we were all wondering.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Heck, I was waiting for the Children of Liberty dude that crashed through the wall of the barn behind the podium to yell 'Oh, Yeah' a la the Kool-Aid man.

[mxc90]

Were those supposed to be bruises on the pill pusher's faces? It yes, this show some serious budget issues or the make up people are not into their jobs anymore and used crayons?

[Proteus]

I don't understand how Alex can't recognize that Supergirl is Kara, her sister, even with her mind wiped when staring right at her face.

I also still don't understand why Kara can tell someone she met recently her identity but not Lena.

[Trini]

Didn't like that they killed off Nia's mom just for her hero journey.

And Alex at odds with Supergirl(Kara), is just makes me sad! I Hope she gets her memory back soon-ish.

James is covering for Lena? This will totally end well! /s

[thuganomics85]

Hey, it's Kate Burton!  Oh... she's already gone.  Just like with Grimm, she's apparently here to do the whole "With great power, comes great responsibility" bit for the hero, and then die.  Fun while it lasts, I guess.

While it definitely hurts my head that now there is suddenly this town for decades that had aliens and humans living together peacefully, I did enjoy Nia's "origin story."  Nicole Maines is proving to be a real fine for this season.  But while I understand why Maeve was hurt over the secret, I really don't see how they're going to make her comeback from her anti-trans remark.  That was some cold shit, there.  At least Kara was supportive, although I now just feel bad for Lena that even Nia knows Kara's identity before she has/will.

Surprise, Surprise!  Wiping Alex's memory of Kara being Supergirl actually has some side effects, as that played a part in how Alex grew and saw the world, and now that she no longer has that, it is making her less effective as an agent and even harsher with aliens or at least Supergirl.

Glad to see all of Brainy's movie binging has led him to mastering the art of being a "frat boy."

James is now blocking his reporters from possibly exposing Lena's little side project.  Journalistic integrity goes straight out the window for her, I guess.  Cat wouldn't not approve of that, James!

Russian Supergirl seems to be having issues.  Who are they calling for help, now?!

[Winston Wolfe]

49 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

Russian Supergirl seems to be having issues.  Who are they calling for help, now?!

Just a guess given how this show has been written, but I'd have to say

Spoiler

It will be Jon Cryer's debut as Lex Luthor.

[cambridgeguy]

8 hours ago, CletusMusashi said:

It's about a flying person who nobody can recognize with glasses on, for christsake!

Apparently the glasses aren't really necessary.  Nia didn't really react when Kara took off her glasses, it was the flying that got her.  Likewise, I'm pretty sure Alex knows what Kara looks like without glasses but nope, Supergirl totally isn't her sister.  Maybe she's distracted by the costume.

Edited January 28, 2019 by cambridgeguy

[srpturtle80]

7 hours ago, mxc90 said:

Were those supposed to be bruises on the pill pusher's faces? It yes, this show some serious budget issues or the make up people are not into their jobs anymore and used crayons?

Oh my goodness, YES. All I could focus on during that scene was how absolutely horrible that makeup job was. 🤦🏼‍♀️

[Winston Wolfe]

11 hours ago, CletusMusashi said:

I've really enjoyed the recent episodes. There's always gonna be a few plotholes. It's about a flying person who nobody can recognize with glasses on, for christsake! But if the stories and acting are pretty good, I can chuckle at the flaws and enjoy the stuff that the writers did a good job on.

Seems like the creative team is really trying, but it's really hard for them.  The last few episodes (outside of the annual cross-over) have been a bit better.  On another note, Kara really needs a Mentor.  With everything going on with her secret ID, she turns around and tells another person?  Really bad judgment.  It's so funny that Kara was sent here to take care of her younger cousin because Clark seems to be so much more mature and together than she is.

[TV Anonymous]

3 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

Apparently the glasses aren't really necessary.  Nia didn't really react when Kara took off her glasses, it was the flying that got her.  Likewise, I'm pretty sure Alex knows what Kara looks like without glasses but nope, Supergirl totally isn't her sister.  Maybe she's distracted by the costume.

I do not know if it was canon but in one of Chris Reeve's (RIP) Superman movies he had a mild glamour ability in that he was able to make Lois forget about their encounter. YMMV, of course.

I should have written this last week, but it is also valid for this episode. In season 1, Martian Manhunter stated that mind wipe was a very dangerous and very intrusive procedure and he was very, very reluctant to do so. IIRC, not only that it could cause permanent memory loss for other events than the target, but might also cause permanent neurological damage. And here he wiped the minds of several DEO employees.

[VCRTracking]

Hey Kara? You can still  tell Alex your favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz. She won't question it. She's not going to go "Huh, that's a strange choice!" and  "You identify to Dorothy? You must be an alien!"

Edited January 31, 2019 by VCRTracking

[tennisgurl]

Alex not knowing that Supergirl is Kara is really starting to stretch credibility, unless its part of the mind-wipe that she has the same facial blindness that everyone else in this universe seems to have. Has she just never seen her sister with her hair down, or her glasses off? Did Kara spend her whole childhood sleeping in glasses and ponytails in Alex's fake memories now? Or, considering Nia didnt seem to realize what was going on until Kara started flying, maybe everyone just needs to see powers to realize who someone is? 

[jay741982]

12 hours ago, Proteus said:

I don't understand how Alex can't recognize that Supergirl is Kara, her sister, even with her mind wiped when staring right at her face.

I also still don't understand why Kara can tell someone she met recently her identity but not Lena.

Yeah shit like her still not telling Lena Is cliched very lazy writing making me and others fear they are going the cliched when Lena Finds out shes gonna go bad cause it's too hard for the writers to do something different route 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Wait, so the cute little town Nia is from has had aliens and humans living together for decades already? If aliens have been around for ages, out in the open, why are people just putting on masks and holding protests now? 

Wasn't there a recent episode that indicated the uprising was a direct result of the Daxamites trying to take over Earth? I thought that's how the Agents of Liberty came to be.

Quote

Hey, it's Kate Burton!  Oh... she's already gone.  Just like with Grimm, she's apparently here to do the whole "With great power, comes great responsibility" bit for the hero, and then die.  

The interior of Nia's parent's house looked remarkably like the interior of Nick's house on Grimm, too - especially the front staircase.

[shantown]

I liked the scene with Kara and Nia. I thought Melissa did a good job with the emotion there, and later on with the humor of her Arnold impression. 

 

I’m wondering if more energy zapped items are going to show up in the future? All that Red Daughter Supergirl energy got zapped all around the world and all we got were some rage pills? I wonder if future episodes will deal with more fallout from other things/people that got zapped. (Ugh, it’s reminding me of the stupid “meta tech” on Flash)

If this is gonna be a storyline where the bad guys need good Supergirl to save bad Supergirl I’m gonna be real ticked. We already did that in the Crisis on Earth X crossover. Or maybe it’ll tie into Lena’s secret project? I need Lena to do something more than study for game night, though that was adorable. And by more I don’t mean more secrets and fights with James. That relationship is just bad. 

[Jacks-Son]

Of all the villians and bad guys Super girl had to defeat,  none has left me more depressed than this whole "memory wipe" thing.  I know it's just a drama-inducing plot,  but the Kara/Alex relationship is the main strength of the show.  I hate that their closeness has been sidelined.

Maeve's blurt out to her sister,  Nia,  had to be the most painful sting any sibling can receive.   Her mother just died and her sister tears her down further.

Don't like that Kara reveals her secret identity to Nia (although she seriously needs some female friends) yet she can not bring herself to open up to her most cherished friend,  Lena.

Still don't like Brainy,  his cool guy act around the other detainees was blatantly silly,  & obvious and should not have elicited information,  but it added to the comedy.

I sincerely wish,  somebody,  anybody,  would tell Haley to "Fuck off".  Whatever happened to Alex' 2nd in Command Agent Vasquez? 

[mxc90]

Kara/Supergirl caught the frat boy, looked at him in a demeaning way, and just tossed him away like a piece of trash. So I guess she has a type she is not too thrilled saving.

After seeing Lena work on her game skills, James decides to toss away his journalism ethics. I hope Mackenzie doesn't give up, quits Catco and goes to a rival.

Maeve gets saved, no thank you given, all she could think about is not having the ability to dream and runs away in a fit not helping her people in a crisis. I am to believe this woman was spending months and month preparing to a superhero? Bull$hit! I don't need Nia to tell me I see a future villain coming. 

[mxc90]

22 hours ago, cambridgeguy said:

Red Daughter can send an energy discharge halfway across the planet and turn some pills into super steroids?  This show has pulled some ridiculous stuff over the years but this one might take the cake for the most nonsensical.

Sad to say they can go even lower and have her sneeze or fart, respectively making the earth move out of orbit or damage the air quality.

[mtlchick]

18 hours ago, Proteus said:

I don't understand how Alex can't recognize that Supergirl is Kara, her sister, even with her mind wiped when staring right at her face.

I also still don't understand why Kara can tell someone she met recently her identity but not Lena.

I think deep down, she feels she cannot fully trust a Luthor because of the family history.  

Brainy's deadpan delivery of frat boys is a big reason I give the show some attention these days.  I did like the story line with Nia, but this break up of the Alex/Kara dynamic is going to be draining and I have to hope it's short lived. 

[bros402]

So, uhhhhhhh, what's gonna happen next time Kara and Alex's mom comes into town and sees that one of her daughters is a totally different person?

[Jacks-Son]

1 hour ago, bros402 said:

So, uhhhhhhh, what's gonna happen next time Kara and Alex's mom comes into town and sees that one of her daughters is a totally different person?

Oh man, Plz don't let it get that far.  The disharmony between Kara and Alex is painful to watch.  Both actors are selling the discord between Alex and Supergirl and Ms.. Benoist is successfully carrying it over into Kara's difficulties with her sister's change.  Kudos to Ms.  Benoist and Ms.. Leigh for fine performances in these past couple of episodes . 

[ottoDbusdriver]

On 1/28/2019 at 4:57 AM, thuganomics85 said:

Russian Supergirl seems to be having issues.  Who are they calling for help, now?!

Ghostbusters ???  I got nothing.

3 hours ago, bros402 said:

So, uhhhhhhh, what's gonna happen next time Kara and Alex's mom comes into town and sees that one of her daughters is a totally different person?

Hopefully someone filled in Eliza about the whole 'Alex memory wipe thing' so that she doesn't drop any casual references to Kara being Supergirl in front of Alex.

[angora]

I enjoyed seeing Nia’s hometown and her family.  I get that Maeve probably would’ve been gutted no matter what and that it was even harder finding out the way she did, knowing Nia had been keeping it a secret from her, but that was UGLY.  Poor Nia.

i like that they went into how the mind wipe affected more than just Alex’s relationship(s) with Kara/Supergirl, both in how she herself felt recognizably “off” and how her attitudes toward aliens are different.  (Interesting that she seemed to have the same relationships with J’onn and Brainy - it was more her knee jerk reaction to strangers that had changed, as well as having a lot of professional distance from Supergirl.)

Brainy the undercover frat boy was a lot of fun.  He was being so weird and blatantly narc-ish, but of course they just went along with it.  Ha!

[Perfect Xero]

On 1/28/2019 at 7:42 PM, mxc90 said:

Kara/Supergirl caught the frat boy, looked at him in a demeaning way, and just tossed him away like a piece of trash. So I guess she has a type she is not too thrilled saving.

This scene was such a WTF moment. Supergirl arrives, sees some random guy get flung through the air by an "alien", then she catches him by the shirt, holds the shocked guy just long enough to glare at him derisively, then tosses him aside like he's trash who dared to get in her way. Why? It's not like the guy was wearing an Agent Liberty mask or said anything about alien roaches, as far as I could tell he's just an unlucky college kid who is getting attacked by something with superhuman powers.

[tennisgurl]

Yeah that was super weird. Like, what the hell did that guy do wrong? He was apparently just at a party, and was attacked by some Mr. Hyde looking monster? Is going to a party evil now? Or is it that he was at a frat party, and frat boys are all evil? I thought Supergirl fought for everyone? 

[Perfect Xero]

On that same note:

Alex warns an alien to stand down 3 times as he is, seemingly, about to kill someone who was not wearing an Agent Liberty mask, and Kara shoots her with heat vision for threatening an "innocent alien".

Even if the girl had been a Liberty idiot, the alien was about to kill her! Why in the world is Kara telling Alex to stop and not, you know, stopping the guy who is about to kill someone? Is Kara okay with killing bad guys now?

Of course then we get Kara and Jonn both bemoaning Alex's empathy having shifted because she ... was able to understand and empathize with a high school girl who took a rage pill to go after the guys who assaulted and robbed her brother, and was about to be killed because of how she looked. So I don't know what sort of message the show is sending about Alex or Kara at this point.

All the behavior in he episode makes Alex look like she's a good 'cop' who is gathering all the information she can and trying to keep people alive, while Kara is the one who is treating random victims like an annoyance and just assuming the alien is "innocent" because of how the people involved look, yet the messaging is that Alex is the one who has something wrong with her and they need the 'real' Alex back.

[Rushmoras]

On 2019-01-28 at 4:53 AM, tennisgurl said:

Maybe this is petty, but the world building on this show gives me a headache.

 

That's because the first season was on CBS, and I think that the producers initially wanted for the show to be Smallville-esque, i.e., a couple of aliens only fighting crime. But, then the show got canned and it was picked up by CW and there producers had other things in mind (specifically, ripping-off Angel, IMO).

[MarkHB]

The best idea I can come up with is that J'onn implanted a mental block to keep Alex from recognizing that Kara is Supergirl.  He also planted one on the writers to keep them from mentioning that on the show.

[Rushmoras]

Anyone knows why there will be a two-week gap between this and episode 12? And then another long-ass gap until March 25?

[Trini]

5 hours ago, Rushmoras said:

Anyone knows why there will be a two-week gap between this and episode 12? And then another long-ass gap until March 25?

Answering in the Scheduling thread.

[ice]

I really thought the scene when Kara told Nia she was Supergirl was well done. Best scene of the episode for me. I am glad they not only will be able to bond as Superheroes but personally since they’re battling situations with their sisters. I love this bond.

[mxc90]

On 1/29/2019 at 8:19 PM, Perfect Xero said:

This scene was such a WTF moment. Supergirl arrives, sees some random guy get flung through the air by an "alien", then she catches him by the shirt, holds the shocked guy just long enough to glare at him derisively, then tosses him aside like he's trash who dared to get in her way. Why? It's not like the guy was wearing an Agent Liberty mask or said anything about alien roaches, as far as I could tell he's just an unlucky college kid who is getting attacked by something with superhuman powers.

The next time she spouts/preaches about inequality, I will roll my eyes and remember this.

[Cranberry]

On 1/28/2019 at 12:16 AM, RandomWatcher said:

At least the sister asked a question we were all wondering.

Eh, I just figured that dreaming powers are mental powers, and Nia's brain has always been female.

[bros402]

1 hour ago, Cranberry said:

Eh, I just figured that dreaming powers are mental powers, and Nia's brain has always been female.

Probably goes based on true self

[Snorfbat]

Did anyone else think that the rando woman who walked by on the streets of Parthas (around 18:50) was Black Orchid?