Everyone realises a new side to themselves in this week’s surprisingly mature episode of Supergirl…
‘Changing’ was the latest episode to incorporate a major Superman villain – this time it was Rudy Jones AKA Parasite. And, by Supergirl‘s standards, he was positively three-dimensional. As a scientist who passionately believes humanity is parasitically bleeding the earth dry, it was ironic that he himself would become infected with an alien parasite. His “purple people eater” final form was one of the most impressive CGI spectacles we have ever seen in the Arrowverse and the opening The Thing-esque scene was very effective. Just a touch more time spent with the bad guys really goes a long way.
Meanwhile, Kara continued to push Mon-El towards embracing his heroic side. Their mentor/student dynamic is surprisingly enjoyable and Chris Wood continues to make Mon a likeable guy. His reluctance to suit up is very believable – just because you have superpowers doesn’t mean you’d be brave enough to jump straight into danger. Of course, he does eventually take the plunge when Parasite attacks – and he has some help too…
Yes, now that it’s moved to The CW, Supergirl has caught the “everyone’s a superhero” bug from the rest of the Arrowverse and this week marks James’ first stint as the Guardian – a mecha-suited vigilante with a shield. Unfortunately, this was the weak link in this episode, as I’m afraid James’ subplots often are. The suit looked cool and yay for bringing him and Winn back into the main action but his need to be a hero still feels inorganic for the character.
But this episode was Chyler Leigh’s hour through and through. She shined in every scene she was in this week and it was impossible not to feel sorry for her as she faced so much emotional upheaval. First of all, Kara being taken aback and not immediately accepting of Alex’s coming out was a very real way to play it and another instance of when Kara is allowed to show some human flaws underneath her pure-of-heart superhero image. Then Alex gets an even bigger kick in the teeth when Maggie turns her down. Sorry Sawyer, but you’re not going to endear yourself to the audience if you upset one of the Danvers sisters.
Overall, this was another strong episode for themes – as Alex, Mon and James all accepted parts of themselves they had kept buried – and Alex’s storyline demonstrated some surprising emotional maturity and depth. More of this quality in future, please.
Krypto-notes:
- Miss Martian gave J’onn a transfusion of her White Martian blood. What affect will this have on his metabolism? Will it make him even more ill? Or will he just be revulsed that he has his enemy’s blood in his veins?
- Not sure Mon-El is going to quite so ready to help the helpless after being kidnapped by Cadmus.
- As could be expected, Supergirl is hilariously adorable when drunk.
Rating:
Fandom Factory 