"Resist"
This week's episode of Supergirl may not be the dramatically and visually powerful follow up that I was expecting from last week's spectacular cliffhanger, but it does hold its own as an entertaining entry for the season. There are a few things that I really enjoyed about this episode such as previously desired elements finally being woven into the series, but there are also a couple of major nitpicks from the past that make their presence known here.
The opening Daximite invasion sequence was a treat for fans like myself who have been itching to see a grand scale alien attack take place on the show. The imagery of ships hovering over the city as soldiers teleport down on the streets opening fire on civilians is the type of visuals that I've always hoped for ever since the series was announced. The CW DC universe is usually known to hold their most climatic action sequences during the pilot, mid-season finale, and season finale (in addition to the episode(s) leading into the finale), so it's no surprise here that I'd find myself completely glued to the screen from the wow factor.
Another positive is the fact that Rhea herself has finally proven to be the series' first legitimately powerful and somewhat captivating season villain which is interesting to say considering how many episodes are left. A bit too late in the game? Yes, but it does feel good to be able to actually see Supergirl and the team face a threat that can actually dominate the planet if given the time as opposed to just some easily forgettable terrorist organization stealing alien tech and experimenting on...stuff. Honestly, who else completely forgot about Cadmus at this point? With Rhea, although I'm still not a fan of the whole "angry mom forces son to follow her lead" plot, I am intrigued by the idea of Supergirl having to face a mad driven queen who is simply trying to save her people.
And with that tiny negative rant about Cadmus out of the way, it was interesting to see Lilian show up to help the DEO fight off the Daximites as it does open the door to the concept of potential future alliances during desperate times. Keep in mind that Cadmus was associated with the DEO at one point, so it makes absolute sense that the writers would have them work as a team in order to take on a common enemy. Being that I've always found Cadmus to be a dull addition to the show's roster of villains, I am hoping to see the organization perhaps given a new anti-hero like image whenever global threats show up down the line. So for this case in particular, Cadmus surprisingly wasn't the weakest link of an episode for me personally.
That honor goes to a character that I've never really liked, yet the show always seemed to give her a couple of genuinely significant moments every now and then, Cat Grant. Now, don't get me wrong, Calista Flokhart has always done a fantastic job in the role as the self-absorbed media queen ever since the series first premiered. However, and again this is just a personal nitpick of mine, I've never found the topics of celebrity gossip or social media highlights interesting whatsoever, so having a character that is completely soaked into that world goes right over my head. I actually try to mute the volume whenever some random celebrity related discussion pops up during her scenes just for the sake of the series to seem relevant to our times.
Fortunately, despite there being a little bit of that cringe-worthy dialogue sprinkled in here, it is easily overshadowed by the bigger story taking place. With alien ships flying around and innocent civilians dying left and right, there's really no time for a Kanye and Taylor Swift joke to be forced into the episode now is there? Well, on an even more positive note, we also get one of Supergirl's traditional Cat Grant motivational speeches to Kara which is always a big win for me being that it displays another layer to our hero's circle of influences. One of my favorite things to see with any superhero property are the moments where our larger than life hero gets a nice pep talk from someone who is clearly not as powerful, but makes up for it with necessary wisdom. This is where the Cat Grant character works at its best.
Now, as far as the actual conflict of the episode goes, I do wish that they didn't focus so much on the forced marriage plot point, but instead highlighted the carnage of the invasion itself. Unless, they're saving that for the finale, it would make much more sense from an entertainment perspective as well as a dramatic outlook to actually show the destruction happening in the streets as characters like Guardian or Maggie struggle to save lives and fend off against waves of the Daximite troops. It's a wasted opportunity in my opinion as it would've given audiences a wider scope of not only Rhea's wrath and power, but also our ensemble of heroes all having their own spotlight moments in this battle.
I do understand the importance of the marriage itself regarding Daxim's culture, but I'm pretty sure a few minutes of Mon-El and Lena looking angry at Rhea's demands could've carefully been shaven off for some jaw dropping and much appreciated battle sequences. The same can be said for some of the other sequences regarding Cat and the president's scenes. It's one of those situations where you have to ask yourself "What would actually be more impactful to see here at the end of the day?".
Speaking of the president, it's alway great to see Lynda Carter show up on here and I did like the fact that her alien identity was finally revealed to everyone else. I've always found it fascinating within the CW DC universe that the president themselves never really show up in shows like the Flash or Arrow given the type of cataclysmic events that take place within them. It's nice too see Supergirl at least counter that bizarrely lacking component by having not just the president pop up every now and then, but actually given an interesting background and position on the show. I look forward to seeing Lynda hopefully reprise her role in future seasons especially now that her secret alien origin is known to the DEO. Something tells me that secret will be known by many others in the near future.
Overall, this episode was definitely one of the more entertaining entries in what has been a pretty mixed to positive season for me. The action sequences and sci-fi visuals were handled pretty decently as was the villain's rise to power having a stronger sense of weight than before. With a now seemingly mind controlled Superman randomly showing up under Rhea's command, and Alex's one shot of taking down the Daximite mothership shattered into pieces, I eagerly look forward to seeing what the next episode brings. Supergirl seems to be ending things off on a high note for its second season run. Let's hope the finale keeps this momentum going even stronger than the last.
Bonus Content
1. Alex's Promotion
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| With J'onn still temporarily placed in a comatose state (something that I hope the finale will talk about as far as his experience goes), it's interesting to see Alex being promoted as the new acting head of the DEO. This is something that the show has explored in the past, but I do wonder if they're teasing the idea of her fully ranking up while J'onn perhaps becomes a full on superhero like Kara. |
2. Superman's Ultimate Weakness: Mind Control?
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| This isn't so much a big nitpick as it is an observation, but it is ironic seeing our big season villain completely taking control over Superman yet again as we've seen this done during Season 1's Kryptonian attack. Let's just hope that the writers don't make a habit of turning the man of steel into a puppet for the 3rd or 4th time. As for now, let's just say that they're somewhat safely standing on thin ice. |
3. Daximite Soldiers
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| Despite having the same color palette as the Guardian suit, I absolutely loved the design of the Daxamite soldier gear. Their suits came across as something out of an alien royal arsenal which is exactly how it should be. I also like their staff-like gun weaponry and teleportation tech. I do hope that we get to see them shown off a little more in the finale. |
4. Admirable Visual FX
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| It's easy for many fans to simply look over certain action sequences on a show as just something to temporarily smile at whereas I like to take into consideration the budget and series in question. Supergirl is no stranger to surprisingly amazing FX shots, but it's during several moments in this episode such as the spectacular plane explosion scene that makes me truly admire what the producers have given us here. |
5. Familiar Sci-Fi TV Imagery
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| This is probably just a coincidence, but I immediately thought of the scene heavily shown during the marketing for the ABC series "V" where a giant alien ship hovers over a city projecting a smiling woman's face to speak to the people. It also doesn't help that in both cases, both women say something to the effect of "Do not be frightened" in their speech. |
6. Amazing Set Design
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| Just wanted to take this time to point out the highly underrated set designs on Supergirl. Unfortunately, there aren't many to highlight from the series, but the Fortress of Solitude, Slaver's Moon, and now the Daximite mothership interiors definitely need a round of applause for looking absolutely gorgeous and imaginitive. |
7. That One Badass Shot
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| Every now and then these comic book TV series would throw in a pretty cool and unfortunately overlooked shot of one of our heroes pulling off an amazing stunt. Here we see Alex jumping off of a building to her possible death while still managing to get one last shot in at a Daxamite. Let the Matrix references begin. |
Episode Rating: 9/10
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