Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Supergirl Episode 319: The Fanatical

Supergirl episode 319, titled 'The Fanatical' came out this week and was an decent episode. This one pushed the season long plot of the World Killers forward a bit. We learned of a possible solution to Reign, one that would save Sam. We revisited the Coville cult and saw how people can define themselves by their faith. And, given the name of an upcoming episode, we are that much closer to seeing Erica Durance as Alura.

But the main thrust of this episode was character growth as once again we see how the events of this season are bringing people together or driving them apart. Every member of the DEO team is struggling a bit these days with some personal crises. And as a result, everything seems a little uneasy. Supergirl and Lena are bristling with each other. Mon-El is dealing with his conflicted feelings. J'onn is dealing with his father. Alex is trying to mother Ruby. James is pulled between alliances. All this while their friend is captured and threatening the world. Add to this a relatively heavy dollop of political sentiment and you get an episode more memorable for character moments than for punches.

While I love the cast and the well developed characters, this is another episode where Supergirl seems like part of an ensemble show instead of a lead. J'onn and Alex carry the emotional heft here. James is the political figure crying out for social justice. Mon-El gets most of the action.

Hopefully when all this plays out, Supergirl is the center of all the action and the actual hero of the day.

We start out with the Reign back in Lena's cage. We get a lot of comic book science talk from Lena. She can try to inject a heavy metal vector into Sam's blood to stop the Reign DNA overwrite but every thing she has tried hasn't worked. Appropriately everyone is worried. I don't know if I followed all the science steps but it is clear, a novel heavy metal is required to complete a possible cure.

While the group muses, Reign opens up. She let's loose a wonderful venomous tirade of how she is going to rip out Lena's spine and crack the world open once free. As I have said before, Odette Annable is really killing it in this role, switching from loving mousy Sam to the monster Reign fluidly.

Not needing to hear the rant, Lena brings up a force field which blocks all of Reign's super-senses, inflicting pain on Kryptonians who try to use Xray vision on it. It is another piece of tech designed specifically to stymie or hurt Kryptonians. Once again, Kara is miffed. But Lena won't have any part of it. She coldly brushes off Supergirl's concerns, crossing her arms defiantly, a visual closing off of any reconciliation.

I tell you, Lena is the big bad in Season 4.

Back at CatCo, Kara asks him how he could open up to Lena about Supergirl asking him to break in. She effectively states how confusing her relationship is with Lena now with Luthor hating Supergirl and being friends with Kara. In a nice touch, Kara remembers Lillian's warning. When Lena learns of this betrayal, she will never forgive. Everything is simmering.

Their talk is interrupted by the young woman who stole Coville's journal at the end of the last episode. Her name is Tanya, a linguist who cracked Kryptonian and helped Coville. She had been saved by Supergirl and in the beginning felt Coville had a good message to deliver. It felt good to connect to people. But now, the group is worshiping Reign. The members now are seemingly building a bomb from instructions in the book.

This idea of connecting to people, to feeling part of something, to loving and helping each other has been part of the underlying theme this season. Here we see it as something which can be twisted.

Meanwhile, Ruby is in Alex's care and clearly depressed.
We see her sullen on the couch, in pajamas, and not motivated to do anything.

And Alex? She is acting like the divorced parent who sees their kid once a month, promising rides on motorcycles, letting Ruby dye her hair blue, buying her a cat, or just playing games.

It is clear that Alex has good intentions. But superficial stuff like that are simply band-aids. Ruby's mother is a mass murderer hellbent on destroying the world. A kitten won't solve that.


With the location of the cult divulged by Tanya, Mon-El and Supergirl go to investigate.

They find the place a mess.

In a nice creepy image, we see the equivalent of an atomic shadow on the wall, a pile of ash before it. A necklace is fished out of the dust. This was a person, somehow vaporized by what the group was experimenting with.

I have to say, this is pretty dark for a show like this. Hit home nicely.


Members of the cult arrive at CatCo with the aim of kidnapping Tanya. They still need her to translate the book. Firing their gunsand led by Olivia (one of the faithful from Coville's group earlier this season), they drag Tanya into a luxury sedan. With Supergirl and Mon-El away, the only one close enough to help is James who suits up as Guardian and gives chase on a motorcycle.

Ending up in a conveniently abandoned warehouse, James skirmishes with the thugs. We see some of his Guardian gear like a throwable Denver boot (which stops their car), a grappling gun which ties up someone else, and the usual shield.

In the battle, his helmet is shot off at close range. And when the police arrive, they assume James is villain of the peace. They aim their guns at him while the cult members skulk off. Not willing to be captured, James smoke grenades his way out with Tanya in tow.

So here is the political message of the episode. James is black and therefore the cops assumed he was the villain. Tanya says her father and her brother both have had cops draw guns on them.  James wonders if the world is ready for a black superhero.


J'onn and Alex are able to commiserate about their problems.
Alex has been reading books about raising children exposed to trauma. J'onn is still trying to figure out how he can help M'yrnn. M'yrnn is still struggling with his issues of dementia.

Both seem pretty depressed about what is happening. In a dim locker room, they sit, shoulders slumped. They are separate here too, not hugging or leaning into each other. There is a sense of individual problems here, problems each person needs to solve on their own.

J'onn decides that perhaps 3-dimensional video games will help M'yrnn concentrate so they decide to go on a field trip to an arcade. Hmmm ... seems a bit contrived but okay.


In what I think is the best scene in the episode, Supergirl decides to extend an olive branch to Lena. Supergirl says she can sense the tension between them and she would rather it all be out in the open.

With an icy stare, Lena shuts down the idea. She doesn't need to be friends with Supergirl. They are working together on a problem; it's business. She cannot abide by people who scheme and lie. And she certainly won't enter a friendship with someone who breached her trust.

It is an effective door slammed in Kara's face. This won't be easily patched up. The ending shot, the two small and separate gives that sense of distance nicely. This is a very nice shot.


Even at the arcade, Ruby mopes. Alex tells her that she can either sink in the quicksand of despair or elevate with those who love her. This is very similar to the 'rise up' mantra we have heard in the last couple of episode.

Can I say out loud that bringing a demented Martian with unstable mental powers to an arcade isn't the best idea.

Unhinged by the noises, lights, and electronic gunfire, M'yrnn loses control and smashes a game.


It is insane for me to say this but Mon-El acts pretty mature in this episode. He tells Kara that she can't be everything to everyone. She can't please Lena. And revealing her secret to Lena is almost selfish. The secret is there to protect Kara's friends. Holding on to it is almost a sacrifice. I don't know if I 100% agree with the sentiment but it at least shows another angle to consider.

Meanwhile, the cult continues to push forward. They have footage of James unmasked and will send it to the media if he doesn't turn over Tanya.

As for the remains of the person in the cult headquarters? The ashes had a heavy metal not of Earth. The book talked of the rock of Yuda Kal, the Kryptonian goddess of life. Somehow it means that the cult is hoping to utilize Kryptonian science to create a fourth World Killer.

For a comic guy like me, used to hearing of five World Killers, this was pretty cool.

But even better, Lena figures that the idea could be retrofitted to be a cure, a way to unmake a World Killer and save Sam.

I said it before and I'll say it again. Sam/Reign is going to die at the hands of Lena. This will drive the final wedge between Supergirl and Lena.

In an effort to get ahead of the story and with the location of the cult members unknown, James decides to hold a press conference and reveal he is Guardian.

When asked if he should be Lena, he talks of how he has to. He needs to control this. And he needs people like him see that there are heroes who are similar.

He then tells a story of being handcuffed as a seven year old by police at a hotel. 'Racism is the oldest form of bullying.' I don't know if I needed both Tanya and James to have police brutality in their family backgrounds to get the point across. I don't know if I need all police portrayed this horribly. But for the drama of the episode, this adds some grist for the mill. Plus, Mehcad Brooks just nails the monologue.

With J'onn dealing with the arcade fallout, Ruby and M'yrnn can talk.

These two have a lot in common. M'yrnn had to deal with the loss of his family. He had to overcome that pain. He needed faith to do so.

Ruby sees that perhaps she can get past this and survive. Maybe she needs some faith and some support, but it can happen.

I hope we see more of these two together. I like the idea of them helping each other out.

Of course, this means J'onn and Alex are missing out on all the awful current events because they are at an arcade. Doesn't anyone think the head of the DEO should be aware of a potential new World Killer?

One thing I like is Tanya saying that she will turn herself in rather than make James reveal himself. She needs to stand up on her own. Perhaps she is motivated by James? Even more than by Supergirl.

She is thrown into a van at the drop spot. And who jumps in by 'Mike', Mon-El's human identity, pretending this is his Lyft.

With little choice, the cult members grab him as another hostage and head to the rendezvous point.

For me, this makes Mon-El the hero of the show. Why couldn't Kara get in the van?

Now this is where things get a little more wonky.

At the new cult setting, the experiment continues with Olivia taking the lead. She has the rock of Yuda Kal, the key ingredient. She has Tanya reading the chemical equation out loud from the book, adding the ingredients as needed. She will become the fourth World Killer and finish Reign's work!

In the background, "Mike" becomes Mon-El and begins taking out worshipers while also signalling the DEO.

Tanya reads the 'recipe' and the new World Killer begins to form, glowing with red energy. Why did Tanya read it correctly?? Why not replace 'nitrogen' with 'water'. Why actually give them the secret? Hm ...

We then get a nice shot of the battle.

Supergirl and the 4th World Killer are in the foreground fighting.
James as Guardian is behind the glyph screen fighting others.

This 'two layers' of fighting worked very well as a visual.

Kara grabs the rock but it seems to overwhelm her with power, maybe trying to turn Supergirl into a World Killer? Maybe this is the 'you need something as strong as a World Killer to kill a World Killer' answer. Kara levels up with this in the finale?


Throughout the season, Kara has said that she wants to talk villains down before lashing out. Here, with the new World Killer crackling with energy, Kara is able to reach her human side. Supergirl says that Olivia doesn't need to live Coville's life. She has "more to offer than just this."

But the new World Killer wonders who she is without this faith. It is all she has. Now that is interesting. Maybe that is how they can reach Reign, remind her of all the other things in her life.

While she wants to power down, the Yuda rock is fused to Olivia's hand. It takes a blast from Supergirl to knock it loose.

I'm glad we got to see Supergirl's inspiration help this woman. We have been waiting for this!


Nothing left but the wrap-up.

James felt powerful when he was thinking of revealing his identity. He knows when the time is right, he'll be ready.

Ruby is out of her doldrums with blue hair ends. She is ready to move on a bit.

Mon-El feels he should tell Supergirl about his feelings for her. But he won't. That would be selfish on his part. He is listening to his own advice.

And their wasn't enough of the heavy metal in the small Yuda rock. But there is a lot 5 million light years away on a meteor. We know what this is ... Argo City!!! Hello Alura!

Mon-El and Kara jump into J'onn's ship and fly off.


But even that cliffhanger wasn't enough.

We see Coville at the site where the fourth World Killer was almost formed. And he seems happy.

Remember, in the comics, there were FIVE World Killers. Maybe Coville makes himself the fifth. Maybe Sam redeems herself by dying in battle with him. Hmmm ....

So another decent episode. I wasn't floored. I find the Lena/Supergirl scenes the most intense and entertaining. And I think we got enough plot progression to make me smile.

Four episodes left!
Coville

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Three episodes left!"

Four. If I remember correctly, this is a 23-episode season.

Decent episode. I have several gripes with the story, but I'll put them aside for now.

Okay, things between Kara and Lena are heating up. Kara is trying to apologize and mend bridges, but Lena is having nothing of it. It sounds like Lena will be the next big bad. A pity.

I wonder, though, if the writers aren't trying subtly to bury Supercorp.

I can't blame them.

Related, it seems Brainy is returning, which is awesome. I want Kara and Querl to interact, whether romance develops between them or not.

I'm glad it's Argo City and not Kandor. Enough with plunder Superman's mythos when Supergirl has her own lore.

Still, Argo possibly returning, Lena disliking Supergirl... Someone else thinks New Krypton will be the next season's main storyline? Someone recasts Sam and Lucy Lane, please.

Anj said...

Youre right! 4 episodes. So editted.

I'd hate to think shippers got so under the skin of the writers they'd bury the friendship. Wouldn't it be an even bigger feather in Supergirl's cap if she was friends with a Luthor! Something her cousin couldn't do?

Anonymous said...

"I'd hate to think shippers got so under the skin of the writers they'd bury the friendship. Wouldn't it be an even bigger feather in Supergirl's cap if she was friends with a Luthor! Something her cousin couldn't do?"

Yes to both. I don't want a gender-swapped El/Luthor enmity.

All things considered, though, it almost sounds like their relationship in Cosmic Adventures: Lena loves Kara and hates the alien. Or a maybe unintentional callback to the Pre-Crisis era, when Lex hated Superman because he felt betrayed by his friend.

Anonymous said...

I think this was the strongest episode in a while, and hosts maybe the best moments of both James and Mon-El. The problem with the episode is the same as always nowadays, Supergirl is almost a supporting role in her own show, and yes... She kneels again. Zod's favorite girl.

I am really really happy that Brainy might return. I'm hoping that with Argo/Kandor/Kryptonopolis returning, Season 4 will be Supergirl's arc, where she struggles with balancing loyalty to troublesome Kryptonians with Lena seeing more proof for her "Kryptonians think they are gods"-fear.

Martin Gray said...

Any Guardian-heavy episode is a bit of a downer for me, I just don’t like a costumed Jimmy (even though he is a bit of a Mr Action).

I still don’t think Lena going to the dark side is investable, she’s constantly talking about how she hates lies and wants to do the right thing; sure, Lex thinks he’s doing the right think for Earth, but Lena doesn’t have his mania. She knows Supergirl is a Good Thing, she just reasons she has terrible people skills.

And Emma Tremblay’s scene with Carl Lumbly was really nice.

Red Forever said...

Hearing what Jimmy said is hugely juxtaposed by the legacy of his name and who he's supposed to be again in the show. Every time Guardian does or says something it seems assinine for being "Jimmy" instead of Mal Duncan. Dammit, I wanted Guardian to do a Tony Stark only for him to return in action as Vox later.

As for J'onn, that was kinda of a dumb move, making his father go to the arcade given he basically went through the WW1 equivalent of the trench wars for Martians with Martian Kaiser winning. Of course he's gonna react poorly to Terminator the Game. Though Alex said something about DDR so why didn't J'onn steer his dad towards that direction? At least he can now play with little Ruby and discover the joys of mini-soccer.

Lena becoming a villain isn't something I wanna see but a strained relationship with just Supergirl is fine if it means she's still a good guy. Be friends with Kara all you want.

Fingers crossed that if Argo City is intact it's not gonna be a repeat of the Super Alura arc from pre-52, because that was daft and she came out really bad and she died a stupid death.

As for Tanya, I swear, the whole thing was almost set-up so she could find an excuse to become Power Girl but to my surprise, nothing of the sort happened. I'm really genuinly surprised here. And perhaps a tad disappointed?

Anonymous said...

Let me comment on some things in the review of this show, which I recorded, but will not watch as James is a weak character...badly written and the show goes back to its well of progressive politics after about five or so pretty good showings.

'Racism is the oldest form of bullying.'

And it's even worse when (NOT) knowing it's those on the left responsible for racism...namely the Democratic Party and their founding the Ku Klux Klan.

"I don't know if I need all police portrayed this horribly."

Neither do I. In seeing a trailer for the show, I saw, at least from my point, white male cops go after Guardian/James. The writers DELIBERATELY did this to shove a leftist agenda down people's throats. Especially when there are cops of ALL RACES, CREEDS AND EVEN WOMEN COPS. Let me remind them in their Vancouver bubble, that cops, including those in that city and the RCMP..are the people's last lines of defense. In some counties in the US, the county Sheriff.

I say this after the death of Baltimore County (MD) police officer Amy Caprio. The four black teens who allegedly did this are being charged with first-degree murder and burglary as adults.

One thing though, why did Mehcad Brooks get cuffed by the police at 7 years of age? Was he that much trouble? Did not appreciate him going too personal here.

I back the blue in saying BLUE Lives Matter, no matter what skin color wears the uniform. I also back the firefighters, EMT's and armed services. Though like Melissa Benoist I am against war, I find it an outrage vets and those injured in active duty are getting the middle finger.

KET said...

"Why couldn't Kara get in the van?"

Because the cult members would probably recognize her, since she had visited the cult before. 'Mike' wasn't around for that episode, so this made him the perfect candidate for the deception.

"Let me comment on some things in the review of this show, which I recorded, but will not watch as James is a weak character..."

..which is the point where your racism starts showing right away, making the rest of your moronic rant of self-righteous distraction perfectly meaningless. Derailing the discussion with tired, RW alternative reality garbage talking points like 'leftist agenda' and 'blue lives matter' really didn't help state your case, either. You betrayed your blatant trolling so easily.

KET

Scrimmage said...

First of all, this James guy, who calls himself Guardian is NOT Jimmy Olsen. I don't know WHO he is, but he's DEFINITELY not “Superman's Pal.”

Secondly, the cops didn't draw down on him because he was BLACK. They responded to a disturbance call to find a six-foot, four-ish guy in full body armor, who was probably carrying concealed weapons, threatening what appeared to be a couple of unarmed civilians. Who would YOU have pointed your gun at if you were a cop in that situation? I'm getting really tired of the false, media created narrative that COPS are the “REAL” bad guys in our society, who systemically oppress innocent minorities, because police officers are inherently racist bullies. I beg to differ! Police, and other first responders are HEROES, who deserve to be, and SHOULD be treated with RESPECT! They have the most difficult, and most thankless job imaginable.

Despite James' whining, and self-pity, I thought the cops were perfectly justified in everything they did, INCLUDING cuffing him when he was seven years old, and sneaking around a resort hotel unsupervised, until his mother finally showed up.

James (to the cops): “It's all right! I'm Guardian!”

Cop: “Yeah, and I'm Colombo! Now, drop to your knees, and put your hands up!”

If he's going to play “Batman,” James should at LEAST come to some kind of understanding with the local authorities. Batman has Commissioner Gordon to run interference for him, just like Superman has Inspector Henderson, but Guardian hasn't got ANYBODY with any real authority on his side. The DEO doesn't have jurisdiction over street crime. As far as the cops are concerned, they don't care if he's black, white, or aqua-greenish, like Brainiac-5. To them, he's just a street vigilante in a high tech suit, who's a danger to himself, and others.

Without the great Calista Flockheart, they should've eliminated the whole CatCo aspect of the show, and James' character along with it, a long time ago. The whole “Guardian Olsen” plot device has been nothing more than a contrived way for the writers to prop up this version of Jimmy Olsen, and keep him in the middle of the action, now that Kara's job as a reporter has been all but ignored this season.

Kara Danvers should just follow Winn's example, and QUIT CatCo, and “work” for the DEO, like Winn and her sister. It would just be more efficient that way. Kara can STILL have her secret identity in her off hours, or while working undercover, but she CLEARLY doesn't need to be wasting her time, pretending to be a female Clark Kent (which never worked for me), especially when she's never there. Has she written a story all season? NotJimmy should fire her, immediately!

Anj said...

I won’t let this become a political site so let’s end here.

Let me say, these were bad cops in the episode. They should have said ‘nobody move’ but instead let the cultists just run off. So, like all lousy cops, they should be chastised.

But James has worked with the National City PD before, was friends with Maggie, and never mentioned what he thought was inherent bias on all the force. One line about working with Maggie would have gone pretty far.

I’ll say it again. Well acted by Mehcad. And a worthwhile problem to discuss. But heavy handed in presentation, similar to other episodes in the past.

Mary said...

Kara couldn't go along with Tanya, because the cult members had already seen her earlier this season so they'd be more suspicious of her suddenly showing up again after all this time.

Mehcad nailed the story he told because it was his own story from childhood. He told Entertainment Weekly that he shared the story with the writers of the show and they included it in the episode.

A fan noted on Tumblr that Alex's idea of getting Ruby a cat was a nod toward the cat that helped Kara to connect with Alex, Eliza, and Jeremiah.

And could Tanya turn out to be Tanya Spears?

Anonymous said...

yeah, this episode was not about Mon-el's conflicted feelings but about him dancing around how to get with Kara without looking like a douch and so on. His little speech about sharing a secret would be selfish was totally about himself and the love triangle, it wasn't intended to be about anyone else.

Scrimmage said...

The predictable, and incredibly boring “Ruby / Alex bonding” subplot seemed like it belonged in an After School Special, NOT a superhero show. Ruby is the LEAST compelling character to appear on the show since Cat's son showed up, but at least HE could act a little bit. Ruby? Not so much. I'll give credit where it's due and say that Ruby's scene with M'rynn was probably her best effort to date, but that's setting a pretty low bar, considering the fact that she's usually unwatchable. Perhaps the credit REALLY belongs to the great Carl Lumbly, who often overcomes some lousy writing with his wonderful performances. It's hard to imagine anyone else delivering that “I LOVE foos-ball!” line, and making it work.

Clearly, Ruby is being positioned to take Maggie's place, as the focus of Alex's personal life, which if you think about it, really should be her super-sister, Kara. For some reason, taking on the responsibility to protect, and look out for her adopted little sister, who also happens to be the most powerful woman on the planet, doesn't seem to be fulfilling enough for Alex. First, she decided she was a lesbian, and now she's trying on the role of “mother” to a moody pre-teen. Alex needs to forget all that gooey family stuff, and focus on what she does best, namely kicking some super villain ass as a soldier for the DEO, and as a part of Supergirl's support team. THAT'S her REAL purpose in life!

I sure hope that Reign / Sam can be cured, just so Sam can take Ruby far, far away, where they can both live happily ever after, OFF SCREEN! Oh sure, I'll miss the lovely Annabelle Odette, but it'll be a small price to pay to get rid of Ruby for good!

Scrimmage said...

I remember Sofia Vassilieva from the TV show “Medium,” where she played psychic Patricia Arquette's daughter, but she was miscast as Olivia, the “bad guy” in this latest episode. First of all, someone with her unusual features was BORN to play an alien. Secondly, she looked completely out of place, first as a trigger happy religious fanatic (did anyone get shot upstairs when she fired her gun, or were they on the top floor of the CatCo building?), and then later on as cherub faced WorldKiller wannabe, who, like Purity, was talked out of killing the world by Supergirl's super-power of persuasion. It's hard to get young people to stick with anything these days!

Mon-El was a hoot channeling his inner Clark Kent, but the idea that Supergirl and a Luthor aren't getting along shouldn't come as a shock to ANYBODY who's been paying attention for the last fifty years.

I think there also was some lame stupid bomb making plot in this episode, mixed in with something about a new (or old) FEMALE Kryptonian Goddess who is EASILY superior to Rao (because she's a WOMAN, naturally), and we met some chick who can read Kryptonian cook books, who has a crush on Guardian Olsen, since he needs at least ONE fan in the whole Multiverse, but none of that stuff, or the motives of the Reign Cult, made much of an impression on me.

I'm tempted to save this episode on my DVR, just in case I ever need help falling asleep. Watching THIS snoozefest will surely do the trick in NO time.

Anonymous said...

I have been coming to this blog for over an year and I have mostly witnessed civil discussions which benefit everyone. Sure there are trolls who sometimes sneak in and then there is scrimmage.

Martin Gray said...

Oh for crying out loud Scrimmage, change the record. We get you don’t rate Emma Tremblay as an actress, do we need a rant every single time she appears? And I know you’ve said previously that you don’t hate the show, so how about finding maybe TWO positives per episode? You’re nearing self parody with the relentless negativity. I love this blog because it celebrates Supergirl, all this slagging off of the show is so wearying.

And yeah, Luthors and Supers have bad history, but this is a version of Lena Thorul, Supergirl’s best friend. It’s not inevitable they’ll be enemies.

Red Forever said...

Tanya from the local cult is a dead ringer appearance wise to Tanya pre-Power Girl, short and meek etc before she got hit by the energies and turn tall and muscular and becoming Earth-1's Power Girl.

As for Lena, let's not forget that current DC has a tendency to crap all over characters for "bold new directions", like making Lena a psychopath with the powers of Atomic Skull and the good old Superman-killer armour for a body. So the possibility is unfortunately there.

Anj said...

I have to ask Scrimmage. Do you like the show?

Nothing seems to please you.

Just curious. I try to celebrate the positives of Supergirl while pointing out things that irk me. I hear few positives from you.

Anonymous said...

Given the assembly line beat downs Kara has been racking up the last few weeks, I count it a major victory that she had the ruthless audacity to burn that rock off whatzername's hand. I wonder if the rock's power enhancing profile is the edge Supergirl needs to defeat Reign or incapacitate her so Lena can cruelly kill the villainess off.
But, at this point we have to start looking down the road to the next season, is Allura Alive? Maybe the instigation of a Kryptonian Colony on Earth will be the final trigger for "Full Villain Lena".
That'll be another season of emotional torture for Kara, but then I've already said the producers are very dependent on MB's skills in this area.
I'll be sorry to lose Lena to the dark side, but if she stayed on the side of the angels Lena would be another techie on a tech-heavy super scooby squad...think about that.
BTW everyone seems to be in a real ranting maniacal mood this week...must be the price of gas or something.

"And it's even worse when (NOT) knowing it's those on the left responsible for racism...namely the Democratic Party and their founding the Ku Klux Klan." See what I mean? :)

JF

Scrimmage said...

Anj wrote: “I have to ask Scrimmage. Do you like the show? Nothing seems to please you.”

Asked and answered.

I already addressed that question a few weeks ago, but let's not make this about ME! I'm just a guy offering up an honest critique of the show as I see it. I welcome anyone who wants to have a civil discussion about the points I raise, or debate the merits my opinions, and I will do the same regarding OTHER posters' comments, but the one thing I have NEVER done, and will never do, is criticize or berate anyone for expressing an opinion, just because I happen to disagree with it. It's a little thing called “tolerance.” A lot of people talk the talk, but relatively few walk the walk.

It's too bad that I'm not afforded the same courtesy here, but it doesn't really matter to me if anybody agrees with me or not. If the best response someone can come up with is to make ANONYMOUS snide, passive-aggressive remarks, or personal insults, it says a lot more about you than it does about me. I would suggest, if you find my comments and opinions so disturbing, perhaps you should avoid reading them in the future, because I'm not about to stop writing them.

Anonymous said...

You don't critique the show, you bash it. A sensible critique would include the positives as well as the negatives and then dissect it. And it's all done without sarcasm or snarkiness which mind you is the lowest form of wit.
Anj and so many other commentators point out the critique in such a way that a civil discussion is possible.

As for you not stopping to write them, sure you can be the fly in the tea for everyone or you can learn how to offer critique properly. Which I doubt you will and it shows.

Anonymous said...

I like the Bangarang reference. Melissa has had it on her Twitter for a long while. I can almost imagine it's a thing Melissa and Chris say to eachother in real life.

The biggest surprise that CW could throw at us now is having managed to secure Doomsday for use, and we get the final worldkiller in Coville.

Anj said...

Well Scrimmage, I keep,your comments up and I let people respond.

I will admit your comments tend to be more biting than many. I certainly point out the things I don’t like about the episodes in every review. Lots of people do.

Please don’t say this place is being intolerant or that you have some moral,high ground here. I’m just trying to understand.

Scrimmage said...

Anj, I would MUCH prefer to limit my comments to the show, but since you asked, what I find interesting is that the posters who criticize me, never say that my opinions are wrong, or take issue with the points I raise, apparently because they don't (or can't) disagree with me as much as they seem to have a problem with the way that I express myself. I guess it's a question of style over substance.

It's hard to tell if some of them ever bother to comment about the show, because they often choose to remain “anonymous,” but instead of contributing to the conversation by sharing their own thoughts about the show, like I do, for some reason, they prefer to post their opinions about ME. I just want to discuss the show, and I REFUSE to get into some pointless exchange of personal insults with people I don't know, and who certainly don't know anything about me.

I don't know about any “moral high ground,” but I DO know that I try to respect other people, and their opinions, even when I don't agree with them. I believe it's important to be able to disagree with someone, without being disagreeable, because that can lead to better, mutual understanding. That's why I would never presume to tell anyone else that they need to be more “this,” or less “that” when they're commenting on a television show, or anything else, and I'm CERTAINLY not going to let anyone else dictate to me how I “should” express my own personal opinions.

I don't care one way or the other if anyone likes, or agrees with what I say, or how I say it, because I'm not trying to please anybody any more than I'm trying to offend them. It makes no difference to me if I'm the lone voice in the wilderness, or expressing the thoughts and opinions of the majority. I just say what I think, and let the chips fall where they may.