Stranger Beside Me, Blurred Lines, In Plain Sight, Dangerous Liaisons and Confidence Women
Season five has started off giving us little pieces to a bigger puzzle and, I am sure some of those pieces will lead us into the upcoming crisis.
After the pilot ‘Event Horizon’ the title that could be interpreted as the Blackhole in the episode or the fact, that we are heading past the point of no return. Supergirl viewers got a sense of the direction this season was going to take and for the most part, ‘The Stranger beside Me’ followed the same narrative. Unfortunately, sometimes with Supergirl, you tend to wonder if the writers communicate with each other because eagle-eyed fans will always spot any plot holes and inconsistencies. I will explain later in the review, but this niggled me during this episode, detracting away from an otherwise interesting storyline. It also raised the question Does Kelly Olsen know Kara is Supergirl? Any hopes for this to be explained in ‘Blurred Lines’ didn’t happen, in fact, it raised further questions as J’onn J’ozz storyline took on a whole new twist. It seems the Martian Manhunter had a brother and he learned he was the one who erased him from everyone’s memory on Mar’s. J’onn wants to keep it a secret as he is ashamed, but it soon gets revealed in the following week's episode ‘In Plain Sight’, which as well as addressing J’onn’s issues also saw the departure of Mechad Brooke’s character James Olsen. We then caught a first glimpse and the return of what Levithan could pertain to, definitely a shady organization but how is Andrea mixed up in all this and will Willam's suspicions about her be true. We also see Lena's manipulating her friendship with Kara knowing she is Supergirl for her own gains and capturing J'onns brother to carry out her plans.
A few major plot points have happened in these past few weeks I can only apologize for lack of weekly review due to circumstances beyond my control.
So, let’s look back and see what has happened and where it could lead.
A Stranger beside Me
‘The Stranger Beside Me’ which delves into, as the title would suggest, do we really know those close to us. New relationships and old rivalries are addressed. Lena, feeling betrayed by all those around her, wants to delve deeper into the brain to perfect humanity. Could this be another Myriad? Andrea Rojas isn’t happy about her destroying Obsidian North tech, but you get the feeling Lena seems to back down from her and after her threats towards Andrea in the first episode of the season, it was a bit of a surprise. As well as business relationships turning a little sour, things seem a bit out of sorts with the romantic entanglements on the show. Alex and Kelly seem to have had not much time to talk and after a near poisoning of Kelly via Blueberry it’s probably a good idea they do. Haven’t they been for a meal prior or breakfast? Didn’t they go on a road trip last year?
In Nia and Brainy’s relationship, there seems to be too much talking every time Nia says she loves something she gets it times 100 Brainy style which could be problematic in the coming weeks.
J’onn is looking for answers after’s his encounter last week and asks Kelly for help to retrieve memories of Malefic, J’onn doesn’t like what he finds. Malefic wants revenge on J’onn but says J’onn hasn’t got all the answers. Malefic takes his revenge out on those close to J’onn and endangers Alex and then Kelly’s life. Interesting to note due to old Martian scriptures and teachings, that sound very similar to Kane and Able. Siblings can’t hurt each other due to a curse in which it causes them both pain.
Meanwhile, Lena’s secret prisoner Miss Teschmacher (I am not sure how she grabbed her after the whole scene when the lady warned her Leviathan is coming and we know Eve was working for more than just Lex) gets an upgrade via an AI taking over her body. Lena now has her own walking, talking robotic assistant. However, be warned after seeing the New Terminator movie, Artificial Intelligence that evolves never ends well.
In ‘Blurred Lines’ a line is definitely crossed in this episode but shouldn’t Supergirl be above that? When Lena manipulates Kara into getting Lex’s Journals it shows the dark path they have led Lena down. It all takes place during Lena’s first lunch with Kara since she revealed she was Supergirl (of course Kara does not know Lena already knew). While Lena is acting as though all is forgiven, we know this is not the case. Lena tells Kara she isn’t sleeping and needs to read Lex’s journals to soothe her. Kara, eager to make amends, offers to break them out of the secure facility.
They are Lex Luthor’s Journals, seriously Kara should have learned by now nothing he does hasn’t got an angle and no doubt his journals were more than childhood ramblings. Also wasn’t Kara with Lena when she discovers the journals knowing their true value? Even the picture on his cell wall had a hidden meaning. Kara isn’t stupid so please don’t write her that way.
I am hoping they tried to play down the above as her eager to please her friend, but I am with Alex on this one; Kara shouldn’t have done it.
Kara is her light so to have Lena turn to darkness and manipulate Supergirl is exactly what James warned Kara about early in their friendship (that’s before he forgot he hated Lena and dated her). I would have liked to see them not turn Lena against Supergirl but break down and confess to Kara she has also held things back from her. Is there a soul left to fight for and can this friendship be saved?
Supergirl, as well as trying to help Lena, has an assassin on the loose who uses a very unique way of killing via spider tattoo (not one for anyone who has Arachnophobia). When it seems the victim has links to Catco’s new boy, Kara questions who is William Dey?
The other story is Kelly is tricked by Malefic in the form of an old friend to help him unlock his power. A power that was suppressed during his time in the Phantom Zone. He can control people. The side effect of this is Kelly can now see what form he is in, but it doesn’t end there as we find out next week. As James takes Kelly somewhere safe, we guess the departure is temporary and they will return.
In Plain Sight, Kara and Nia are determined to find out more about William Dey as he isn’t who he appears to be and, when another person is killed that links to William, Kara, and Nia dig deeper. It seems Intergang is at work and maybe connected to Andre Rojas. William was only pretending to be a jerk to scare Kara away for her safety and making up a fake wife, surely if he is a known journalist that can be found out as easily as Kara and Nia found it out!
J’onn is still reeling from the revelation last week when Nia helped him unlock the secret of his brother and that he was the one responsible for Malefic being wiped from existence in the minds of all green Martians. Wanting him captured at the start, their plan fails. For once Brainy hasn’t got the calculations right, could his romantic trouble be clouding his judgment?
James and Kelly go to visit their Aunt who raised them but their hometown Calvintown! isn’t what it used to be it's been overtaken by a corrupt prison (um where have I heard that story before?).
This sets up for James’ later departure, as after things calm down when Malefic has, as they believe, returned to the Phantom Zone, he announces he is going to buy the local paper to fight against the corruption. Giving his new apprentice his old camera given to him by his father… wasn’t that destroyed in season 2? While this leaves the door open for a possible return it was meant to show James Olsen coming full circle and it was a sweet scene in the bar regarding his goodbye. Kelly keeps getting headaches, but they are flashes as to what Malefic is doing, seems her helping him caused a physic link. When Alex is in trouble James and Kelly head back to National City.
So, if Malefic didn’t go to the Phantom Zone where did he go? Lena comes to the DEO and Brainy’s aid in helping to collaborate with the machine to return Malefic to the Phantom Zone. Sadly, her intentions aren’t good, and she wants to trap him in her own cell. The Superfriends’ scene between Supergirl and Lena was adorable and heart-breaking as you know Lena doesn’t mean it. (I do feel Katie McGrath and Melissa Benoist had some fun there) In fact, it’s noticeable she has made excuses not to hang with the gang since the reveal. Something I hope will be addressed.
Andrea Rojas's worldwide launch of her VR lenses happens to coincide with a massive tidal wave heading towards National city .. coincidence, I think not.
It's up to the Superfriends to stop a Doctor Octopus-like villain 'Rip Roar' from causing this to happen however all may not be as it seems.
William's motives for his quest against Andrea are revealed and he believes her shady business dealings got his friend Russell killed, is Andrea to blame?
Later in the episode when none of the evidence adds up and points elsewhere and we are left wondering who was behind the attack on the city as it would have destroyed Andrea's company costing her millions.
Lena has J'onn's brother in a cell and she has something to stop him from controlling her but after she harnesses his powers, she turns the tables on him. This advantage will make Lena a very dangerous opponent in the future.
With Rip Roar stealing tech which together can cause a massive tidal wave on course to destroy a large part of the population, J'onn and Supergirl stop him but not before the tidal wave heads towards National city. those who aren't caught up in the VR launch panic and Alex helps get them to safety, Kelly seeing her girlfriend in a dangerous situation suffers a PTSD flashback and I wonder if this will be addressed further.
Dreamer came into her own once again as a superhero by stopping the wave while J'onn and Kara plugged the hole in the ice. Crisis averted for now.
At the end of the episode we learn William’s friend Russell is, in fact, Rip Roar but with all that tech on him is it really still him. At the end of the episode Andrea meets with the lady we first saw with Miss Teshcmacher, is Leviathan already here.
Confidence Women
This episode takes us back to how Lena has become the woman she is today, hell-bent on saving people from making the bad decisions and wrong others. It also shows a series of betrayals and tries to explain the reason for her actions now. We also see the return of the shadow assassin that clearly is a woman and none another than Andrea Rojas
When Andrea Rojas comes to Lena for help to free her boyfriend from the DEO, we get to see her, and Lena’s friendship told via flashbacks and Andrea’s own journey as well.
From boarding school to later a quest to find a special medallion we can see these two were the best of friends turning to the other in times of need but when Andrea accidentally discovers the medallion first and is coerced into taking it. It takes her down a dark path, Lena learns the truth that Andrea betrayed her and turns her back on their friendship. Lena after Lex’s betrayal also turns her back on her boyfriend Jack Spheer (guest appearance by Rahl Kohli). At first, on Lena’s arrival in National City, she shuns ns Kara’s attempts at friendship but soon they do become friends. Only for her to feel betrayed again when Lex’s reveals Kara’s identity to her.
We get a picture painted of constant betrayals by those closest to Lena. So, you are a little bit shocked when Lena does agree to help Andrea free Russell aka Rip Roar (who had his own tech used on him rather than be killed by Leviathans agents after he found out Andrea's secret). Lena plays the victim to lure Supergirl away from the DEO. While also using her tech to take over DEO agents' minds and jam all signals its only Alex’s frantic yells that get her back but Arcadia and Rip, manage to escape.
Later Lena gets the upper hand however and using her newfound tech in mind control she soon gets the medallion of Andrea upon their return.
Trying to flee with Russell, doesn’t go to plan and he is killed by what we assume to be leviathan agents, we learn even though Andrea no longer has the medallion it has unleased the dark power inside her.
At the DEO Supergirl says the name Leviathan, that was given to her by Russell while he was in custody, everyone is concerned with the recent psychic attack that while it seemed to be J’onn’s brother it wasn’t and with Brainy on it I am sure he will track it down soon.
This week was clearly Lena's story and her ultimately pitting her two former best friends against each other was her goal all along. A chess game worthy of a Luthor some may say.
The irony of Andrea being a girl who is doing bad things for good reasons wasn't lost on me either. While some complained of the lack of Supergirl this episode I found the storyline gave us an insight into Lena's actions.
Supergirl continues with relevant a storyline this season regarding technology taking over and I am excited to see what transpires with the looming 'Crisis', even though we haven’t seen much of that in this series to date. With the upcoming reveal of Lena's betrayal next week and Levithan, this season seems to have found its gear after some lackluster moments and plot inconsistencies of previous episodes. It has a great cast that when given the right material shine, as demonstrated in the scenes between Alex (Chyler Leigh) and J’onn (David Harewood) in Plain sight. However, fans are getting frustrated by the lack of promotion for the show and glaring errors in plot points and continuity. We are 6 episodes into this season, and I worry The CW is going for quantity over quality of its shows, it isn’t the only network guilty of this just lately. Supergirl flew the flag for the first female superhero show on the small screen in 40 years. She deserves better and to be back to flying high.
So what are your thoughts?
Do you like the turn in Lena's character?
With a showdown between her and kara coming what do you think will happen?
Is Levithan in part responsible for the Crisis?
