Supergirl S2 Ep. 6 Thoughts

"Changing"

This week's episode of Supergirl (perfectly titled "Changing") was yet another solid installment for what can be noted as a pretty good season so far. The villain of the week was great strongly reminding me of one of my favorite horror/sci-fi films, "The Thing" (and with a couple of scenes that directly referenced that movie in my opinion). The final form of the creature itself was pretty amazing to see visual FX-wise showing me yet again (along with last week's episode of The Flash) that the producers behind the CW DC universe are slowly gearing up to show more bombastic characters for their properties in the near future.

Visuals and spectacle aside, I was mostly impress by the more character driven scenes and performances especially surrounding Alex and her new dramatic story arc. Chyler Leigh did an extraordinary job at portraying the sexually confused character struggling to "come out" of her shell to everyone while trying to understand what it all means. I've always stated in the past that Supergirl's greatest strength was in its depiction of real world issues and human conflicts taking place in a series that is surrounded by super powers and science-fiction. This week's story centering around Alex struggling to process the idea of possibly being gay alongside her questionable relationship with Maggie was by far the most emotionally impactful example of this strength.

Alongside the writing and direction, this is really on Chyler Leigh's incredibly nuanced and genuine feeling performance that carried these character driven scenes across. These were definitely some of my favorite interaction moments on the show as it presented characters being "human" and vulnerable while putting the more science-fiction stuff to the side. I'm actually really curious to see where this story arc goes in the future which is something that I never thought I'd say on a show that includes Superman flying around nearby and a plethora of alien comic book villains that can show up at any given time. Supergirl deserves high praise for focusing and presented the human elements just as strongly as everything else. Not every comic book series can claim this.

Last but not least is James Olsen as Guardain who I honestly wasn't 100% sure about when they first teased and announced it a while back. I remember glimpsing a promotional image of him in the suit thinking "Hmmm I don't think this is gonna fit in with everything else that is taking place on the show". Well, I am happy to say that I was completely wrong as not only did his debut as an armored vigilante perfectly pieced in with this episode's central theme of "change", but the costume itself was pretty awesome overall. Calling himself "The Guardian", James (with Winn's support) actually came across as a badass mysterious superhero fighting off the giant parasite alien with different gadgets and combat skills.

Much like Alex's scenes with Kara in this episode, we get to see a pretty dramatic scene between James and Winn about his obsessive and impatient drive to wear his new suit. It's a great scene not only for the actors to shine, but also for the writers to show just how much this change (there goes that word again) means to him. Because of their chemistry together alongside their excited reactions during their first time fighting as a dynamic duo, the final scene between the two smiling at The Guardian headline on the news had an even more impactful feeling. This transition could've easily felt forced which is why I have to give major props to the writing and pacing of this episode for making every character smoothly and organically develop into their own.

As far as the more background stuff, the blood transfusion scene with Megan and J'onn was great as it teased a potential future conflict regarding her secret while also showing the positive effect that she has on his life. However, the scenes with Mon-El were definitely the weaker links of this episode considering how they've been portraying him so far as being a trouble maker who obviously doesn't know any better. I honestly haven't gotten onboard with his character ever since he was introduced mainly because of how forgettable and insignificant he feels in the scheme of everything else. Of course, if the ending kidnapping scene is of any indication, things will eventually get interesting for him, but as for now, he remains to feel unnecessary in this season.

Aside from a couple of nitpicks here and there, this was definitely my favorite episode of Season 2 overall as it beautifully showed a sense of natural and game changing evolution within the cast of characters. This was also one of the best directed episodes of the entire series as the performances and action elements were all very well executed for the most part. What started off as being just a tad bit on the "watchable at best" side for me with the villain being presented as yet another human bound character turned into what felt like an amazing issue of a comic book series. I look forward to seeing what the rest of the season holds as Supergirl is shaping up to be one of the most solid shows of 2016.

Bonus Content

1. Alien Parasite

The alien parasite villain in this week's episode was arguably the best looking visual FX driven character in the entire series.

2. Super Friends Namedrop

As a big fan of the Super Friends cartoon series of my childhood, it was pretty cool hearing Winn utilize the title as a means to describe the dynamic duo relationship between him and James. I'm already enjoying seeing them as a badass and fun crime fighting team. Let's just hope that it stays that way.

3. Drunken Kara

One of the most entertaining scenes of the entire series so far is the scene in this week's episode where we see Kara drunk out of her mind. I'm seriously hoping we get to see more drunk Kara in the future.

4. The Guardian's Lead Concealment

Not only was it cool to see the bombs and shield tech of the Guardian, but the fact that he uses lead to conceal his identity from Kara was icing on the cake. This was by far one of the coolest character introductions on the show next to Martian Manhunter.

Episode Rating: 9/10