"Supergirl" Season Four Talkback (Spoilers)

[The Penguin]

'Sundays are for The CW' as Supergirl kicks off the network broadcasting nationwide on first day of the calendar week! Tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

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"American Alien"
Sunday, October 14, 2018 @ 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on The CW
Diving back into reporting, Kara welcomes a new cub reporter to CatCo.

Season One talkback
Season Two talkback
Season Three talkback

CWTV.com - Supergirl

 

[hobbyfan]

Having Brainiac 5 replace Winn as your IT guy---not a good idea. I am reminded of an episode of M*A*S*H late in the run when Klinger replaced Radar as company clerk. Similar sitch.

When Alex reamed out Brainy, I thought she was letting the responsibilities that go with her new title go to her head. Oh, boy.

J'onn's now in an alien support group. Watch. He'll rejoin the DEO before the season's over.

 

[Fone Bone]

Supergirl "American Alien"

It was good. I'll start off by saying that I suspect most people will merely think this average and passable. And I'm betting part of any shaky feelings fans have about the episode will be because of how naive and dumb Kara is. And I will admit that the writing was nothing special and the episode was not REALLY anything to write home about.

But the thing is, the episode did SUCH a thought-provoking thing to me, that it seemed better than it probably was. I absolutely loved the subtext a strong black man telling a pretty white woman about his experiences with racism, and her telling him he's imagining it. I love that dynamic. It's like they're talking about aliens, but they aren't. And that's one of the things I love about the fact that this show cast black actors for James Olsen and John Jones. They can raise the parallel to the viewer without even the characters quite appreciating what the parallel is. And stuff like that is WHY we need diversity in casting in basically every project. It means you can do something like that and raise the proper allegory, and episode doesn't even have to be amazing. The viewer will just appreciate it such anyways. So, yeah, not a phenomenal episode. But them doing that one allegory about white privilege knocked my socks off anyways, so it at least felt like one.

I love the moment where Kara answers the phone call with a hate group member, and it turns out to be a mom telling her kids to knock it off. And while part of me thinks that allegory is a bit bogus because the vocal White Supremacists in OUR Universe all are males. But those guys have families, right? And families that are just as into the movement as anyone? You won't see a harried mom leading a Klan rally. But they are often in the bleachers, and they are just as horrible as their husbands. They chose to marry them after all. That is who the mom complaining about her gun not being lethal to aliens struck me as.

Now that Jesse Rath is a regular, he gets more screentime. I did not like the resolution that Alex has been treating him badly because she misses Winn. What makes it doubly unacceptable is that it never even OCCURS to him that while she's just missing one work-friend, he's missing ALL his friends, and pretty much everyone he's ever known. And when she says "I didn't even think of that," it reminds why I so strongly dislike the character.

I am not happy about Lena keeping things from James, but if he winds up being mad at her for that, I'll think less of him. It was a huge gesture whether James appreciates it or not. She chose him over her own mother. And Lillian is actually happy, and impressed that she did that as she hears the news report, and doesn't knock over the black king on the chessboard out of anger, but out of pride. And I liked that moment.

I like the new twists in J'onn's hair too, although it may still be a little too short to pull them off.

I thought Lynda Carter being outed as an alien was a big moment, but I fear what it means for the rest of the season. The past two seasons have been SO leaning heavily into anti-Trump allegories that I was very unhappy. And not because I disagreed with the message. It's just that specific things sucks all of the fun out of everything, and I don't want to have to debate that specific thing online while I'm watching and discussing superhero shows. These are supposed to be shows I watch for fun, and to escape the realities of how horrible the world is. I am aware that great fiction often uses allegories to real-world events to make an impact. But the allegories for the past couple of seasons have been TOO blatant, and the subject they are mirroring is TOO depressing, that I suspect I'm not going to like the rest of the season much. I fear that the series outing Carter's character is setting up a character to take her place based on Trump. Which will be no fun to watch.

I am concerned specifically about the parallels with Barack Obama the show is obviously going to have to raise next week. I am concerned because they are bogus. They are undoubtedly going to do an entire thing about her place of birth and how her entire presidency is illegitimate because she wasn't born here. That's pretty much what they are going have to do. And the Supergirl heroes' perspective is obviously gonna be "Well, she wants what's best for Earth and is a good President. Why SHOULDN'T she stay?" And I fear that argument, because it gives legitimacy to birthers. That particular allegory will be 100% bogus, because the argument isn't that. "Well, Obama was such a swell President, that it ultimately doesn't matter where he's from." It's that people pushed a racist lie against a guy who was 100% born in America because he was black. They are going to do those parallels next week (they'll have to) and it frustrates me because since Carter's character actually IS an alien, I think people have a legitimate reason to be upset over that. It won't be somebody pushing a racist lie to make the most powerful black man in the world show his papers. It's actually a legit complaint. She actually lied to the nation to cover up a hidden agenda. And that's not what the birth certificate thing was ever actually about. Just by using that argument the show will be giving gravitas to white supremacists and liars. And this is another reason I fear the rest of the season.

Maybe that previous paragraph is me going off on my personal agenda. But I also am pretty certain that is how things are going to shake down. And the fact that the show used an actual alien for President will be a false equivalence, and make whatever allegory they try to make completely 100% inaccurate. And the only reason I feel comfortable stating this opinion is because I am 99% sure it is going to happen. Short of an amnesia ray hitting the entire planet for a redo next week, they're gonna do a birther allegory. And I don't see the word "Smallville" in the series title card, do you?

Sigh. All in all, I enjoyed most of it. But a lot of that had to do with the fact that the show has clever diverse casting, and not much to do with either amazing writing or acting. But this was a solid start. ***1/2.

 

[The Penguin]

"Fallout"
Sunday, October 21, 2018 @ 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on The CW
A shocking revelation causes chaos in National City. Supergirl sets out to capture Mercy Graves, while Alex takes control at the DEO.

 

[Fone Bone]

Supergirl "Fallout"

I am not going to like this season. I'm debating just ducking out entirely for this specific season, and start up again next year (assuming the show is renewed). Unfortunately as the show is serialized (and connected to the Arrowverse) I kind of need to keep caught up for whenever this horrible plot is over with, so I don't know how feasible temporarily dipping out is. It's just tough to watch. Real life is horrible enough. I am beyond bummed that sort of toxicity is effecting shows I like just because the show feels the same way I do. It's a bummer. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Trump ruins everything. *.

 

[hobbyfan]

So Brainy's now comedy relief, more so than Winn ever was. Actually, a cross between Winn & Data, but you get the idea.

With the news that Lex will soon be on the scene, maybe there's hope for this season after all.

And, yeah, the political commentaries on this show are stronger than ever. Just waiting for the Man-child in chief to whine........

 

[The Penguin]

"Man of Steel"
Sunday, October 28, 2018 @ 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on The CW
Through a series of incidents, and input from his anti-alien father, Ben slowly transforms from a mild-mannered professor into the villainous Agent Liberty of today.

 

[Fone Bone]

Supergirl "Man Of Steel"

Why does Sam Witwer seem to suck in every DC role he takes?

Not going to do a long review here, simply because I will be unkind. I cannot wait for this specific season to be over. Let's just say that after the last week in the news, I am far less sympathetic to the concerns of "economic anxiety" from racist nationalists and terrorists than I ever have been in my entire life, and leave it at that. So yeah, again this show seems to have terrible timing for THAT.

For the record, the economic anxiety angle is a total bust as an allegory. Just because nobody in real life loses their job in favor of someone with super strength, or has their house destroyed by immigrants. And if the show is trying to show how racists get the way they are, they could have at least tried for plausible real-world examples. Perhaps they had to go fantastical because there IS no good plausible excuse for racism in our world. But if that's true (and I think it is) the show sucks for raising the allegory in the first place, and acting like there is. It's false equivalence at its finest. **1/2.

 

[hobbyfan]

10/29: The message is clear, dude. The producers don't like President Narcissus (Trump). I'm no fan of Agent Liberty's duds on this show. In the books, he wore a traditional cowled mask, not this Mr. Roboto wanna-be. If this jabroni is going to be this season's big bad, then the season is almost DOA already. El-lame-o.

10/31: Watched it On Demand this morning.

Ben Lockwood, in the books, was a CIA agent who later joined the Sons of Liberty, then ditched that when he found out his former boss in the CIA was the SoL's ringleader.

Here, he's a college professor who loses virtually everything.

Wait. That was Xander Berkeley (ex-Buffy The Vampire Slayer) as Ben's dad?

It seems to me like this arc is to cover for when Melissa Benoist was on Broadway over the summer. It won't last the whole season, and it shouldn't. Can we get the politics out of this show?

Mod Note: Double Post Merged. Please Use Edit Button instead next time.

 

[Fone Bone]

Wait. That was Xander Berkeley (ex-Buffy The Vampire Slayer) as Ben's dad?
.

Xander Berkeley was an actor on 24 and other stuff (he voiced Orm in the Justice League cartoon). Xander Harris was the Buffy character, played by Nicholas Brendan.

 

[hobbyfan]

Oh, right.

 

[Fone Bone]

Supergirl "Ahimsa"

You know what? I really love this version of Manchester Black, more than I ever could have thought. So it frustrates me I'm going to have to give the episode a negative grade. He deserved to debut during a better one.

My problem with the episode starts and ends with Supergirl. And I cannot overstate how much she sucks, and how much the show sucks for validating her behavior at end with an "Everybody gets an apology" trophy. I am literally furious.

Supergirl believes she doesn't have to follow the chain of command. Do you know the specific reason she believes that? Because nobody can actually stop her. And it doesn't occur to her that she isn't merely "not playing by the rules". She's undercutting Alex's entire authority with her troops in a time in which her department is already crumbling and people are already skeptical of her. The shaky people in the DEO don't need to look for outside examples of aliens flouting the law because they don't believe it applies to them. Supergirl is right there proving Agent Liberty's point for him.

What drives me nuts is that this is the opposite of what Superman does. A lot of people think Superman is a boring character for never breaking rules, but they are misreading why he does it. I personally don't think it's because he's a square, or a Boyscout, or even because he's super virtuous. It's because if he stops following orders from the humans in charge of the country and the world, that is an act of public disobedience and an affront to the law-abiding people he tries to protect every day. It's menacing when a superpowered person flaunts the laws, no matter how small the law is. In fact, Superman (correctly) believes he has to follow the rules even more strictly than non-superpowered people do. He doesn't raise TOO many objections to Batman, but he knows that the only way this can ever work is if his relationship with law enforcement is above reproach. He doesn't actually HAVE to answer to anybody, but chooses to to show that even with him around, society still has rules and order. It's MORE imperative he follow orders to the letter, not less, because he CAN ignore them. And he doesn't always follow the rules because they are right, or because he always agrees with them. It's that the public will accept what he does easier if they believe he is operating under the same legal guidelines everybody else is. And that's the precise reason Superman is one of the few heroes in the DC Universe who isn't considered a vigilante. Because he follows those rules, and doesn't show up any place where he's legally not wanted. And he does it to not only set the proper example to the humans of Earth, but also to the other powered people or vigilantes who don't take the notion as seriously as he does. A lot of fanboys think the fact that Superman follows the rules makes him boring. They are wrong. It is in fact what actually makes him interesting. It's the morality he has to navigate which is actually what his hero struggle is, as he's otherwise nearly indestructible. He is literally always living in a "world of cardboard". He's interesting because he never actually bends it. He is just as fascinating psychologically as Batman. He's just not as damaged, which is what a lot of people's objections actually boil down to. And I'm just gonna say they are wrong.

But Supergirl disobeying a direct order, and then not using the well-worn trope "Better to ask for forgiveness later than permission," and not apologizing afterwards cheeses me off. She thinks she's right for making it so the new President with a chip on his shoulder reads her sister the riot act. If Supergirl were a better sister and friend she'd realize the position she is putting Alex in, and that her behavior is actually quite threatening, if only because she is showing that nobody can stop her from doing whatever she wants. And it is beyond ironic that Manchester Black of all people, debuted in the very episode she did this. This is the precise reason Superman considers him a villain in the first place. Yeah, maybe Supergirl isn't a murderer (although she has killed a few people that the series just wants us to somehow forget all about) but it's not like Superman hasn't brought in criminals he knew the justice system would eventually execute. He follows the rules and lets due process take its course. And the fact that Supergirl is telegraphing to everyone in that department that she answers to no higher authority is outright frightening. Basically, the only reason Agent Liberty is a villain this year is because he's a racist and a murderer. For this episode at least, Supergirl proved him otherwise right. She's out of control.

And that's the thing that angers me about the show. They don't actually realize that. They are so clueless about what the moral is that Alex apologizes to HER for Supergirl breaking protocol (twice even!) and they never actually raise the proper parallel once. It doesn't even occur to them that it exists. As if what Supergirl did wasn't a huge deal and completely appalling, and is merely something that can be waved away with an "Aw shucks!" And this isn't the first, or even second time, Supergirl has done something like this. What kills me is that when she used to do it, I accepted and allowed it because she was a rookie hero learning the ropes, and being allowed to make mistakes that Superman probably did at first too. I had foolishly assumed she would get wiser and safer as the series went on, but this is season 4 and they still are pulling that crap. In the precise season they are trying to get us to root against villains who think aliens are dangerous. And it never occurs to the writers the specific message they are sending by doing that.

I am especially frustrated that when Supergirl throws out an untrue "You would have done the same thing!" to Alex, that the writers weren't insightful enough to have Alex say, "Of course I wouldn't have. I'm a professional federal agent. I ALWAYS follow the chain of command." And she always has. Instead the show has her wince as if Kara just landed a fair point. Which is total b.s.. C'mon, Alex. You DO suck. But you don't actually suck THAT much. Deny it. She's got nothin'.

I am convinced that a good story lives or dies by the message it sends. Most people will disagree with me fiercely, but if a project does not have legit point of view, or an actual moral code for the heroes or villains to follow, it winds up a total mess. This is what three seasons of Preacher and four seasons of Gotham have taught me, each worse than the last. If the writers don't have a message, and are just showing the viewer weird and random crap, the show sucks. Now The Arrowverse isn't weird or random crap. And it doesn't have the nihilism that Gotham or Preacher do. Which is what is so frustrating. The only thing worse than not having a message is not being consistent with your message, or even understanding the actual implications of it. And I cannot take the message of Supergirl being a beacon of hope for the world, while she is embracing fascism, and believes human laws don't apply to her because nobody can stop her. And what especially frustrates me is that this sort of thing happens in ALL of the Arrowverse all the time. They are all shows about what is means to be a hero. Written by people who don't understand what it means in the slightest. I don't feel like Berlanti and pals are sociopaths like Danny Cannon and Bruno Heller. I doubt they are bad people in real life, which I am convinced Cannon and Heller are. But they are bad at their jobs of writing superheroes, or at least bad at the part of writing superheroes that matters personally to me. To be 100% fair to them, these are not concerns that every single fanboy has or even cares about. For other people it's the soap opera / 'ships, or the fights, special effects, and smackdowns, or the powers, costumes and gimmicks, or the literary allegories, or the sci-fi high-concepts. And the Arrowverse is great and above average in all of the rest of those things. But the reason I watch it, and the reason I watch anything on TV, is for the simple human drama. And the Arrowverse is a failure in that department in every show, on every level, in every regard. And if it were simply as universally terrible as Gotham is I could write it off a lot easier. But it's the fact that it's so great in all of the other superficial stuff that matters to most viewers, which is why I am unhappy. I would be able to hate the franchise a lot easier if the rest of it were worse. Unfortunately, the part that sucks and matters to me is the context, which is not something the show could ever possibly hope to fix with the writers involved. And I wish I hated the Arrowverse, or thought the writers were stupid or bad people. I just think they were put in charge of a franchise too large and important to handle, and things got out of control. And the more Berlanti DC shows that hit the air, the more out of control things are going to get on the rest of the shows. I don't see an easy answer here. DC has spread itself far too thin on TV, with one producer, and it's effecting the work. This was one of the episodes that made me notice that the most. And it's because the episode's moral is bogus, and that the writers don't actually understand what being a hero or a good person actually entails.

I almost wish the Arrowverse had no redeeming qualities like Gotham does. I'd be less disappointed in it on a weekly basis if that were true. *1/2.

 

[hobbyfan]

Apparently, Penguin was on holiday over the weekend.

Season 4, episode 4:

Now that I've had more time to think this out, the body armor Kara was given at the end of last week's show is a call-back to another Legionnaire, Wildfire The color scheme matches Kara, as Wildfire wore an orange costume, and the suit was designed to keep his molecules contained, as he had become an energy being. More astute Legion fans will know the rest of the story.

Mercy & Otis get taken down again, and it appears for good this time. Stress "appears". You can never tell, but now Lockwood is taking point as the big bad du jour. Don't see this as a full-season arc, though, and the fact that the Graves sibs have been taken out of play so soon suggests that when Lex arrives, he'll be the big bad for the rest of the season.

Supergirl "Ahimsa"


And what especially frustrates me is that this sort of thing happens in ALL of the Arrowverse all the time. They are all shows about what is means to be a hero. Written by people who don't understand what it means in the slightest. I don't feel like Berlanti and pals are sociopaths like Danny Cannon and Bruno Heller. I doubt they are bad people in real life, which I am convinced Cannon and Heller are. But they are bad at their jobs of writing superheroes, or at least bad at the part of writing superheroes that matters personally to me. To be 100% fair to them, these are not concerns that every single fanboy has or even cares about. For other people it's the soap opera / 'ships, or the fights, special effects, and smackdowns, or the powers, costumes and gimmicks, or the literary allegories, or the sci-fi high-concepts. And the Arrowverse is great and above average in all of the rest of those things. But the reason I watch it, and the reason I watch anything on TV, is for the simple human drama. And the Arrowverse is a failure in that department in every show, on every level, in every regard.

The problem is that, after all this time, the writers on these shows haven't bothered with the one important aspect of their jobs that would help them out, and that's researching the characters they're tasked to write. We understand why characters like Manchester Black are now being played by African-American or African-British actors. What frustrates you, Fone, is that the writers are being asked to string out the simplest of stories because the CW wants a soap opera format for all of their shows, save for comedy programs like Whose Line is it Anyway? Thus, they can't get all the necessary nuances in where they belong.

Someone wrote on Reddit that former Arrow producer Wendy Mericle didn't know squat about the comics. Why am I not surprised? That same mentality applies across the board, it seems, although for now Black Lightning is safely away from this nonsense.

The shows are being written more for casual, non-comics fans than comics fans themselves, and that will frustrate people to no end. There is no happy medium yet, and probably won't be unless someone convinces Geoff Johns to get off the high cloud and try to help.

 

[Fone Bone]

I am not a comic fan so that doesn't bother me in this slightest. I am simply a fan of good television, of which the Arrowverse is not.

 

[The Penguin]

"Parasite Lost"
Sunday, November 11, 2018 @ 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on The CW
Colonel Haley makes a surprising decision regarding Supergirl.

 

[Fone Bone]

Supegirl "Parasite Lost"

This was a very significant week for me, because after last week's episode (and Arrow's) I knew going in, I would be approaching the series entirely differently when I both watched and reviewed it from now on. Before last week, I viewed the show and the Arrowverse through the lens of a fan. I am no longer a fan. I no longer give the shows in this franchise that particular benefit of the doubt. Now I view both this show and Arrow (and probably The Flash before long if history is any indication) as a skeptic, and as an actual critic. This is no longer a show or group of shows that I will automatically enjoy just by showing up. They have to do better than that to get my approval.

I think this particular episode did a lot of things right, but it did a few things wrong. And I've decided I am no longer under any obligation to look past the things they did wrong. That being said, it's also only fair to praise what they did right. So I will.

I like that Haley turned out to be a bigot. Her and Alex were getting far too chummy for her not to have any real flaws. What's interesting to me, is that I think her bigotry will play out the opposite of Agent Liberty's. I think she is going to soften as the season goes on, and admit she was wrong in the finale. She strikes me as a middle of the road bigot if there is such a thing.

But there isn't in real life. I admired James for outright dismissing Agent Liberty's idea that we had to listen to bigot's fears or they'll explode with rage. We actually don't. I disagree with the economic anxiety argument in our universe for the same reason. I do not have to debate the indefensible. I do not have to pretend people who voted for somebody who bragged about sexually assaulting women on camera are worthy of my debate or my time. They should already know that. I feel dumber for having the argument, and am not going to play along. I am not going to act like a bigot's fear is valid just so fewer of them will shoot up Churches. And do you know why? Because by Agent Liberty framing it that way, it IS a direct threat. Not only to the safety of the people, human and alien alike, but to the entire concept of the American rule of law. I don't have to pretend to understand a KKK member's feelings "or else". That is not the way public opinion is supposed to work. Agent Liberty is talking about James dismissing these people's concerns out of fear, but isn't that entirely what the movement is about to begin with? I liked James telling him it wasn't on him.

I'd almost criticise him at the end of the episode for backtracking a little, but when he reveals it's merely to get in deeper to find out what's what, I admire him. There are liberal bloggers who watch Fox News and Rush Limabaugh for that precise reason, and I could not do that. James (and those bloggers) are doing heroes' work.

And as a critic of the show, I have to point out that the show did a REALLY bad, unforgivable thing that I would have simply rolled my eyes at two weeks ago. It said after reading the article, the mother came around to the Healer's point of view and forgave him. That's back asswards. That should not have been a moment of personal growth for her. She should have been arrested for attempted murder, and helping out in a terrorist attack. I do not feel the need for someone who calls her own daughter a roach to be redeemed. Screw her. She not only should be in jail, she should get the chair. Oh, yes, I'm on of THOSE liberals. Whiny losers like Michael Moore who think Osama Bin Laden deserved to be brought in alive can suck it. I AM against the death penalty in most circumstances. But holy crap, when it's actually necessary I'm not. And when it comes to plotting with terrorists, I'm on Team Osama Bin Shark Chow every single time. God bless President Obama. Terrorists and flies alike fear him.

I'll tell you what moment I really liked, but to be honest, it would have been hard for the series to screw it up, and it probably could have been even better than it was. But J'onn picking up the fedora as he realizes the next step on his journey is private detective was like fanbait in the very worst way. Only thing better would be seeing him eat an Oreo. I loved that moment because of course I did. I may now be a critic, but I am also not freaking made of stone. That put a big smile on my face. And I don't even read comics!

A modestly successful week. ***1/2.

 

[hobbyfan]

J'onn getting an addiction to Oreos in the books in the 80's was a slap in the face to J'onn's very character, courtesy of Keith Giffen & J. M. DeMatteis and their decision to do post-modern camp comedy. Give me J'onn with a fedora any day of the week.

I guess Parasite will find a new host, which makes this Parasite different from the original concept in the books. Meh.

The sooner Agent Liberty's Trumpian crusade ends, the better.

 

[Fone Bone]

Supergirl “Call To Action”

For the life of me, I can’t really pick out anything the episode did wrong. But I can’t really see what it did right either. It was thoroughly average. Not objectionable to my sensibilities, but not good either.

I hate the stuff with Lena and James. They are making this a bigger deal than it needs to be. Couples disagree all the time. They even fight. And sometimes they do horrible stuff that the other person doesn’t like. That doesn’t mean they automatically think about breaking up or ending the relationship. If we were only allowed to hook up with people who never cheesed us off, every single person on the face of the Earth would be celibate. You’re allowed to be mad at each other, guys. It’s emo that you think it’s unusual.

The Manchester Black stuff was technically good, but I felt like it didn’t direct anything major in the episode like the way it could have. He’s a magnetic, gamechanger of a character. And they pretty much have him in the background for a subplot. And since he didn’t bring J’onn in after all, I think the torture scenes probably happened a few episodes too early. There is no actual conflict with the heroes with him doing that as long as nobody knows. Black is an interesting character because he disagrees with other heroes on what the line should be. As long as they aren’t debating it, they aren’t writing the character properly.

In fairness, it’s possible the show is using a light touch with his interactions with the other characters right now, so that when they DO see him cross the line, it will effect and trouble them more since they’ve grown to like him. But that’s not a sure thing, and goes back to the fact that while the episode didn’t do anything bad, it also didn’t really do anything good.

Speaking of which, the dragon felt random, and didn’t fit into anything else. I imagine crime-fighting is a job where random stuff pops up all the time. But as far as fiction goes, I am more comfortable watching television if I know what I’m getting into. On the plus side, now I know dragons are on the table, and can plan accordingly. Did I mention this episode was neither good nor bad?

Is he named Spike after the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic dragon? I’ve never seen that show, because the male fandom creeps me out, but I own one of the stuffed animals of the dragon. He’s super cute. If that’s what they were referencing (his owner IS a little girl) that’s fabulous.

I liked Brainy’s fight scene although it was a bit insufferable with the slow-mo. Similarly Brainy misunderstanding what Alex wanted was amusing, but I can’t imagine it will be amusing for all that much longer. It’s already starting to get old.

I found the idea that Haley knew Alex was disobeying her the entire time, half impressive, and half disappointing. Because it’s good if she’s smart enough to know when she’s being b.s.-ed. What’s not good is that it would probably have been in her best interest to keep that to herself, and not spill those particular beans. Now Alex will be much more careful than she’s been, which makes her job of Umbridging harder. Forgive me for suggesting ways for Umbridge to be a better Umbridge, but that’s the kind of night it’s been.

The debate over who should get powers might be fascinating to the writers, but I don’t really think it’s a debate. If you have to have a committee to decide which people do and don’t get powers, that probably means the whole project is needlessly complicated, and not worth pursuing. I’d take a debate over the right to play God a lot easier if they didn’t make it sound like God’s job actually sucks. Usually the people who want to play God don’t have to debate the paperwork and minutia with people affected by their Godplaying. And I think that’s usually the right storytelling decision. Because this was just dumb.

Nia having narcolepsy is interesting and bad at the same time. Interesting because I don’t know any other main TV character who suffers from that, so it’s getting attention to an illness that many people don’t known much, if anything about. The problem is that in the specific job she has, it should have come up LONG before now. That specific thing in that specific job is not something a person should be able to keep hidden for half a dozen episodes. Maybe in a less stressful job where she isn’t around the office so much, I’d accept her being caught in Episode 6. Otherwise people should have freaking noticed.

I didn’t much like this week. But I didn’t much hate it either. **1/2.

 

[hobbyfan]

I think we'll all learn about Manchester's true intentions before the season is over.

Lockwood is starting to remind me of Glorious Godfrey, one of Darkseid's minions from the books, who also was a persuasive speaker.

James gets lured into a trap, and abducted by the Dweebs of Liberty. Where did they find those dime store Mr. Roboto-esque masks, anyway?

As one story reaches its end, another will begin, as Lena will face some dire consequences for her attempt at playing Dr. Frankenstein.

With Jon Cryer (ex-Two & A Half Men, NCIS) coming in to play Lex, though he's older than he looks, well, we have to consider the age diff between Lex & Lena now, don't we?

 

[The Penguin]

Sorry for the delay, I'm having some trouble with my computer right now.

"Rather the Fallen Angel"
Sunday, November 25, 2018 @ 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on The CW
James falls in deeper with the Children of Liberty in his efforts to meet Agent Liberty.