Supergirl for the first time has been on a two episode streak of greatness. Last week's episode alongside the winter finale has been what I can confidently label as "Awesome Comic-book TV". This is definitely one of those situations where I get to say "I told you so" to someone who decided to leave the show after I've told them that everything might be leading into something special. With Martian Manhunter being a significant character on the show now and other interesting characters beginning to surface, I do believe we've finally reach the point in which I can actually say that I'm genuinely excited to see what happens next on this show. So with that out of the way, let's see how the winter finale of Supergirl holds up.
Continuing fresh from an amazing character reveal in the previous episode, we finally get the follow up and long awaited Astra rematch. Much like the first time that they squared off with each other, I had many issues with the obvious green screen/wire work fight choreography completely removing the spectacle of the battle at hand. I do have to admit the visuals have improved slightly this time around making things a little bit more easy to get around. However, my biggest praise isn't necessarily in the visuals but the scale of the fight itself. We see (in an obvious Man of Steel visual style) Supergirl punching Astra through the city while flying at super speeds.
We also see buildings being destroyed during the fight with Supergirl having to save civilians from falling debris as well as the environment being used as a weapon due to their super strength. It was amazing to see what the studio was able to pull off with an obviously low visual FX budget and I'm very much pleased to see that the show isn't afraid to take bold directions with their action set pieces.
Action aside, we get a much deeper backstory regarding Astra's connection to Kara as well as her eventual imprisonment in Fort Roz. It was interesting to see Astra seen as an anti-hero more so than a straight forward villain. Much like characters in the same vein as Magneto or ironically General Zod from Man of Steel, Astra is depicted here as a hero in her own mind who is not afraid to step over certain boundaries (as it is told that she has killed people in her mission) to save a dying planet. It actually made the character a lot more interesting as well as her lieutenants. I couldn't officially state that Astra makes a great season villain but her motives as well as her close connection to Kara does make for an intriguing story arc for the star hero to overcome.
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| Supergirl be careful! That might've been a Wayne Enterprise building!! |
That's another thing that I enjoyed in this episode was seeing that wildfire side of Supergirl as she emotionally breaks down in front of her mother's hologram after discovering that she was used as a tool to capture Astra. We also see this power being showcased during her sparring with her sister in the kryptonite chamber. It's great to see that the character can definitely be taken to a darker place and I hope the writers know how to handle this aspect without completely going overboard or the exact opposite. Balancing the Supergirl character is one of the most significant parts of this show as we're constantly being shifted from the emotionally driven super powered hero to the day to day life as a CEO's assistant.
This is actually the first episode where I really enjoyed the Supergirl adventures a lot more than the Kara chronicles. I've always praised the show for at least giving us some decent grounded character drama yet I felt we could've done almost completely without the Grant hacking fiasco. The only significant moments that came out of that story was the final confrontation between Jimmy and Wynn acknowledging the awkward love triangle thing going on (actually enjoyed that scene a lot more than I thought I would). We also got the bigger discovery as Cat finally figures out Supergirl's identity in Kara which is then interrupted by an emergency call (but of course it is!). It was a nice quick scene between the two, but I'm pretty sure we'll get the real heat of the situation in the next episode.
The highlights of this episode was definitely in the action scenes and although I've praised the episode for the citywide battle between Supergirl and Astra, the biggest spotlight comes at the final action scene where we're fully introduced to Astra's team of lieutenants. Now, I won't get into the characters individually as we've only really been introduced to Astra's husband (the leader of the team), but I will mention how thrilling it was to see each of them utilize their own unique skills to take out Henshaw's men. I was so happy to see that they weren't all carbon copies of each other shooting beams and flying around but instead showcasing various abilities such as super strength, multiplying, heat vision, flight, and their may have been something else that I've missed.
Either way, it was quite an engaging action scene and simply refreshing to see a group of villains worthy of being on the show as I've frequently expressed my negative feelings towards the rouges gallery that we've had so far. We've also got a glimpse of J'onn J'onzz in action which was awesome (interesting how Supergirl quickly brushed past Alex's comment on Henshaw having nothing to do with her father's disappearance).
Overall, I am more than happy to say that I've been enjoying Supergirl quite a bit in these past two episodes as I feel the series has finally reached the quality that it needs to be at least in its story and entertainment value. With still a bit of a shaky visual FX showcase, the show still has what it takes to reach the high caliber levels of other great comic book series such as The Flash. Perhaps, after the winter break, Supergirl may have quite a few surprises up its sleeve for the audience. Until then, I'll be happily anticipating the next episode which is something that I am beyond relieved to finally be able to say.
Episode Rating: 9/10
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