Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Supergirl 413: What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, And The American Way

This week's episode of Supergirl was titled 'What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way'.

Comic fans know that as the title of the story in Action Comics #775, written by Joe Kelly with art by Doug Mahnke. In that story, Superman is confronted by Manchester Black and his elite, a group of heroes who are willing to be judge, jury, and executioner against perceived villains and despots. It is up to Superman to not only live up to his ideals but to defeat this group. It is a brilliant story, near universally beloved by Superman fans.

We have seen the show borrow from comics in the past. From the Black Mercy episode in season one (borrowing from 'For the Man who has Everything') to this year's take on Crisis on Infinite Earths, the show knows when to pillage from good comic stories.  As a result, that title carries a little weight to it. This episode does borrow from that comic. In it Supergirl is asked to confront her ideals and figure out how to fight Black and his gang. But when you name yourself after Action Comics #775, you better be fantastic.

I actually like this episode a lot. We got to see Supergirl's hero squad grow. We got to see Alex act like Alex. We got some comic Easter Eggs. And there was plot movement for both Agent Liberty and Lena Luthor. When it was done, I was quite happy.

But then I remembered the title. And it isn't Action Comics #775 good. I think I just need to forget that piece of it. Perhaps my main problem is that in the comic story, Black and the Elite are embraced as heroes who make the tough decisions about crime. That is the biggest issue facing Superman in the story. People like Black and his violence. I don't think there would be as many people happy about the show's version of the Elite, killing the military, stealing from the British royal family, and otherwise acting like a murdering terrorist group.

Anyways, I am not damning this episode. Remember, I liked it! On to the details.




At CatCo, Alex shows up for a planned lunch with Kara only to discover that Kara has made other plans, a 'research meeting' with Nia. Alex is quick to forgive, after all Kara is only human. (Nice line there given Alex's mind-wiped state.)

Nia and Kara meet Brainy (or 'Barney' as he calls himself in his very conspicuous 'human' attire). It is a good thing Alex didn't run into him there. That would open up a whole can of worms.

The three head to the Fortress, the perfect site for Nia to train. I love how Nia is just in awe of the place. And I adored this loving look between Brainy and Kara. So wonderful! Give us this romance next season!

One thing that comes out of this is that there is some animosity between Brainy and Kelex. They exchange barbs all episode. Any guesses? I think it is that Kelex carries some animosity around the Brainiac family given Kandor.

In prison, Manchester Black asks to see J'onn. During that meeting, The Hat shows up. Wielding a magical derby, the two drop J'onn with some sort of lightning gun. It does seem like Black wants to antagonize J'onn, saying it is a bad time to be a good man. It is almost like he is baiting J'onn into doing something.

With J'onn down, The Hat and Manchester fight there way out of the prison including a hallway fistfight. I wonder if the popularity of scenes like this in NetFlix's Daredevil made them include this.

Supergirl arrives to stop them. I love how she calls The Hat 'Clockwork Orange'. Our girl sure is a movie buff.

But it isn't just the two of them. We see Black's Elite - The Hat, a Morae, Menagerie, and him. And they swear they'll kill all alien hating racists.

And they mean it.

Shortly thereafter there is a feed from Rio where they Elite have stumbled onto a mercenary cel who torture aliens. They killed 4 aliens, so the Elite killed 13 of them.

Black says it outright. They'll terminate prejudice with extreme prejudice.

There is something engaging about the group, hitting social media and being rather charismatic. I like how Menagerie grabs the camera from Black saying selfies don't use low angles. And then her closing line of 'like and subscribe' is a nice line to appeal to the youth of the world. She speaks that language. And this extreme view could fit the internet crowd.

I also like how J'onn recognized the derby as utilizing 5th dimensional energy. Yep, that's a backdoor Mxyzptlk reference.

We get a drop in on another subplot.

Lena has accepted the government offer and is now using the DEO lab. Alex figures out that the project is to give humans powers and worries about how these results will be used and protected.

Lena makes an odd statement about how she is working with the government not for them. She'll keep her results safe. But if that is true, why even work with them? Surely she has the money and tech to do this on her own, or in her own lab.

I didn't really understand Lena's reasoning here.

And we check in on the recently freed Ben Lockwood.

He is in DC to meet the President. But that doesn't sit well with a local Children of Liberty leader. The real Liberty was a man of action, a man of the people, and out on the streets. Not some bureaucrat in a suit.

Lockwood seems a bit disheveled and shaken, even before this interaction, like a man unsure of himself.

But this local guy is the poster boy for 'toxic masculinity, racist, white male'. He talks about how neutered dogs don't bark the same. He points at Lockwood's pink drink and says no one will follow 'that'. And he orders Jack Daniels, three fingers.

I suppose part of what the show is trying to give us is the idea that zealots on the extremes of either side are villains. But Manchester Black and his elite come off way more sympathetic and charismatic.


In a scene that really leans into the Action Comics #775 story, Black and his Elite steal the British  Crown Jewels. (After all, that is Menagerie's love.)

But he gives a speech of how Supergirl's attitude is outdated, a fairy tale. She is ill-equipped for the modern times.

He mocks the Michelle Obama famous speech saying "when they go low, [Supergirl] goes high. But we put them 6 feet lower." It is time for might to make right.

He again plays the media very well. He is a dynamic and engaging speaker. He tells Supergirl to meet him alone to discuss things. But this is the Era of the Elite as punk music blares.

If you are looking for charming counterculture call to violence, this is it. 


That unsettling nature in Lockwood is only exacerbated when he meets the President.

President Baker is quick with a photo op but isn't interested in hearing anything Lockwood has to say. He dismisses Lockwood by saying 'I like your show'.


Later we see Lockwood talking to his wife on his phone only to have it turn out to be her voice mail. He seems to be filled with loathing about how he has become some sort of powerless figure head.


Back at the Fortress, Supergirl says Black embedded a message in his British video that only she could see. So it is off to Britain, alone. She realizes that Black is trying to not only hurt her but what she symbolizes. She'll defeat him. That is very much like Action Comics #775.

Meanwhile J'onn is struggling. He is trying to be a pacifist like his dad. But he is a Manhunter at heart. And he feels like Black is connected to him, trying to lure him into doing something.

Supergirl tells him that even Myr'nn fought against Reign. If J'onn 'picks up the sword' for Justice, his father would understand. I do wonder about this internal grudge between J'onn and Manchester. Maybe it isn't Supergirl Black is attacking. Maybe he wants to sully J'onn.


Supergirl heads to Manchester England to meet with Black at an empty Fish and Chips restaurant. Again, I love that our hero is a film buff. She asks if this is going to be 'the diner scene from Heat'. That's funny.

But Black didn't come alone. The Elite is there. But this is just a meeting.

Black offers a deal. Supergirl gets to stop bank robbers, super-villains, and generic crime. But she has to leave the racist killing to him. As he says, she won't join his cause. And he can't beat her.

When she says she can't abide by it, Black tells her about a government operation Claymore, a weaponized satellite pointing out to destroy any alien ship entering Earth's atmosphere.That could be considered defense if the ship was warned but this seems like any ship nearing Earth would be destroyed.

I do like how Black says Supergirl's story is similar to Moses.

Also, one satellite can't defend the whole planet, can it?

Shocked by the revelation of Claymore, Supergirl confronts the President.

But here claims of it being immoral, of it endangering innocent people, fall on deaf ears. The voters will fight him if he does this.

The President tells her to not interfere.
When she leaves, he moves the launch of the satellite up to that very night.


Back at the Fortress, Brainy and Nia spar with her using her precog powers to predict his blows. He uses something taught to him by Val (Karate Kid!!).

But Brainy quite angrily won't tell Nia about Naltor, claiming a paradox could occur. But I don't understand this. It is one thing to not tell Nia about her life or her descendants. It is another to just tell her about Naltor's history.

She finds an end-around, getting the info from Kelex. And from there does her own training trying to astrally project and also unexpectedly shooting hand beams.

I don't understand those powers either.

Dream beams? Weird.

Perhaps my favorite part of the episode was seeing Alex finally act like Alex.

In a daring move, Supergirl heads to Alex's balcony and asks about Claymore. Turns out that Alex has never heard of it. And something like that should be under the DEO's jurisdiction.

When Supergirl says she is going to try and stop the launch, she asks Alex to join her. But Director Danvers can't compromise the DEO. Still, Alex supports Supergirl's decision.

This felt very right. After episodes of Alex having scrambled eggs for brains, we got to see her act more classically.


The Elite head to the Claymore launch site (ironically at Close Encounters of the Third Kind site of alien friendship, Devil's Tower).

Supergirl brings her Super Friends to fight them.

It's a throwdown.

 Black seems to focus again on J'onn. He wields the Atomic Axe (getting heavy use on the show) and is about to behead the Manhunter when who shows up to save him? Alex!

And then we get the fight I have wanted for a while. Alex vs. Black, hand to hand.

And after a brief skirmish, she tosses him to the ground.

Love it!


Elsewhere, Brainy and Dreamer fight the Hat. She even shoots beams out of Dream Gloves. (What??)

But in the battle, Brainy's hand goes into the hat's portal and he loses his Legion ring on the inside.

Meanwhile, J'onn fights Black again. This time J'onn figures it out. Black has a death wish and he wants J'onn to kill him. In fact, Black seems gleeful to see J'onn fighting again.


The satellite is actually launched by the Elite with the White House as the target.

Luckily, Alex brought along the Lena Super-Suit from way back in the early episodes. It allows Kara to head into space and divert the laser, saving the President's life.

But then, she makes the choice to destroy that satellite.

It is a nicely rendered sequence.

But this is a big deal. Moral? Yes. Illegal? Probably. Let's face it, that is domestic terrorism. Isn't it? And if Supergirl thinks she is above the law, isn't she a short leap to being Black. What if she decides the 'right thing to do' is kill the President?


Nothing left but the wrap up.

Alex and Supergirl celebrate working together again. How nice to see the sisters working together even if Alex doesn't know they are sisters. This was Alex being Alex, breaking the rules because it was the right thing to do.

The President tries to get Supergirl to admit that she destroyed the satellite. She claims it was the only way to save the President. So she is lying now.

In response the President officially deputizes Ben Lockwood, naming him the Director of Alien Affairs.

And Director Haley didn't know about Claymore either. Perhaps her redemption arc is still on course.

Finally, Alex tells Lena she will work with her to keep the government away from her experiments. The government has some corruption within.


Also, we get a Daily Planet Ron Troupe Easter Egg.

Kara can't believe that Lockwood has been named Director. She tells James that she simply did what was right regarding the satellite.

Hearing that nudges James to let the CatCo reporter Mackenzie begin investigating Lena's affairs.


Finally, Lockwood shows that he is unhinged, living two lives.

He is the button upped Director.

But he also is the leader of the Children of Liberty, willing to kill a lieutenant who would try to push him out. He bashes this guy's skull in with the Agent Liberty mask. Chilling.

Remember way back when Lockwood said he would never harm a human; that he only wanted to fight aliens? Well, that is long gone. In fact, this reminded me of the scene in The Untouchables where Al Capone beats one of his men to death with a baseball bat.

Okay. So the whole point of Action Comics #775 was that Superman rose above the dirtier aspects of The Elite's ways. Here, unfortunately, Supergirl isn't that pure.

Yes, she can say she had the best intentions. But she destroyed government property, lied to the President, and followed her own heart. Can't Black say exactly the same thing?

These are murky waters we are in, of course mirroring real life. I thought about all this a lot, I suppose showing that this was a good episode.

So what did you all think?

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I need to watch it again (and will), but FWIW, I don't think Kara technically lied to the President. Instead, she dissembled, saying there was no other choice than to destroy the satellite. Meaning, of course, that there was no other choice for her.

Anj said...

That is true. More of a little Jedi mind trick than an outright lie.

Scrimmage said...

I can understand why some ALIENS would rally behind Manchester Black and the Elite, even to the point of emulating their murderous tactics, but I find it hard to believe that vicious killers and terrorists like MB and his gang would capture the imaginations of the general public enough to become “popular” with humans sympathetic to the cause of alien rights. It's far more likely that their attacks would galvanize anyone who had previously been sitting on the fence, into joining the Children of Liberty, who have been warning everyone about just this sort of alien attack. What The Elite is doing is more counterproductive than Counter Revolutionary.

Unfortunately, there are no “good guys” on either side of this conflict, OR on the show. Ben Lockwood, who started out as a VICTIM of an alien invasion, a man who not only lost his home, his family's business, AND his father, due to the growing alien presence on Earth, has now gone completely mad, and is just as much of a murdering psychopath as Manchester Black, or any of his human hating crew. The DEO has been neutered, marginalized, and rendered ineffective, the President's priorities are out of whack, and even Supergirl, herself is operating outside of the law, and lying about her actions to cover her ass. None of the major players' hands are clean in this sorry affair, especially Kara's.

The President realized immediately that Supergirl didn't have to destroy the satellite to disable it, but what he failed to mention was that by smashing it to pieces, she's created an enormous orbital debris field that could not only damage or destroy every other satellite in orbit, but it could also endanger everyone in the International Space Station for YEARS to come. If Kara's REALLY a movie buff, she should've known that from seeing “Gravity” (2013). Her intentions may have been good, but her actions were not only reckless, but irresponsible. No one ever said that the satellite would automatically shoot down EVERY approaching spacecraft, only those with hostile intent. The Earth has every right to defend itself!

Anything as immobile as a space based platform in geosynchronous orbit above the Earth was obviously only designed as a DEFENSIVE weapon. What if it had also been intended to target asteroids on a collision course with Earth? How could Supergirl justify destroying a TWO BILLION DOLLAR satellite then?

When Kal-El gets back, Kara's gonna have a lot of 'SPLAININ' to do.

KET said...

"But when you name yourself after Action Comics #775, you better be fantastic."

Not really. Story remains overrated by Superman fandom, which usually craves idealism in simplistic, done-in-one fashion. But Supergirl is a longer form serialized story-telling vehicle, which has been exploring the often illogical natures and conflicting emotional terrains of humanity. Seems that the series smartly chose to stretch out a final resolution, while also keep the gray areas of its current season story arc percolating longer. Besides, why defeat The Elite on the first try? There's plenty more motivations within this group to explore.

Of course, there are still plenty of seemingly disparate elements yet to coalesce together for this season...don't want things to tie up in a bow just yet, with the President's puppet master still off stage...

"But then, she makes the choice to destroy that satellite....But this is a big deal. Moral? Yes. Illegal? Probably."

Not necessarily. Haley didn't seem to have any knowledge of the project, which could possibly mean that President Baker has been going rogue under somebody else's bidding, and this could be merely part of it. Kara probably decided to risk being blamed (which she was anyway) to help flush out the real perpetrator behind this covert 'government' project.

KET

Anonymous said...

"She'll keep her results safe. But if that is true, why even work with them? ", given the magnitude of her project, Lena probably thought sooner or later her research would be forcibly appropriated by the government. Cooperation over the short term gives Lena some leverage over her own research.
I have a counterintuitive thought about Ben Lockwood, he is an Agent of Darkseid or whatever simulacra Berlanti et al can acquire from DC. Whipping up Anti Alien Hysteria is a classic Darkseid move with Lockwood substituting for Glorious Godfrey...I mean this was pretty much the plot line to "Legends" circa 1987 or so.
This would also account for President Baker's behavior and policy choices to date as well...
I don't think Berlanti could get the rights to Darkseid, but Brainiac is still sitting there unused...Just Sayin' thats all.
as for Supergirl costing the Feds 2 billion large, big whoop. To date she's likely cost the government, 20 billion fending off the Kryptonians, the Daxamites, the extra dimensional National Socialists....she's already demonstrated her value as a retaliatory system far in excess of some space based laser.


JF

Scrimmage said...

Anj wrote: “Alex figures out that the project is to give humans powers and worries about how these results will be used and protected. Lena makes an odd statement about how she is working with the government not for them. She'll keep her results safe. But if that is true, why even work with them?

I didn't really understand Lena's reasoning here.”

Lena said her agreement was only to supply the government with a “product” - super soldiers – not to share the process that she uses to create them. Her research and methods remain her own, proprietary property. Since Lena IS a Luthor after all, it's a pretty good bet that she'll have some kind of built-in “fail-safe” to disable the superhumans she creates, just in case her “partners” in the government ever try to use her creations against her.

What's interesting about Alex joining forces with Lena is that, all season long, even before she had her brain scrambled, Alex has either been flirting with, or overtly committing TREASON, and conspiring against the Government she CLAIMS to be a part of. Even though her intentions are good, like Kara's, I find Alex's disloyalty disturbing.

J'onn's continued gullibility when it comes to Manchester Black also disturbs me. What good is it being a mind reader if J'onn never scans MB's mind to see if he's about to be ambushed by that smooth talking Son of a Brit? How many times is J'onn going to fall for the same trick?

I thought it was very interesting when Manchester brought up the “Moses Analogy,” which has been made more often in comparison with Superman's story, but applies to Kara as well. Very similar heroic narratives can be found in the histories, religions, and folklore of MANY disparate cultures all over the world, some of which predate the Bible by THOUSANDS of years. I thought that the show missed a great opportunity a few seasons ago, when they didn't do more to explore Kara's image as a messianic figure. It would be fascinating to see how Kara would deal with the idea of being worshiped by something other than a cult bent on mass suicide.

Scrimmage said...

Brainiac 5 is always fun to watch, but Brainy vs Kelex is an unexpected treat! I'd like to see more of them snarking at each other, but I think I'd rather be kept in the dark about the origin of the animosity between them. It would be more fun NOT knowing.

I thought the loss of his Legion Flight Ring was a brilliant plot device, although I have to question how someone like Manchester Black could master 30th Century technology so quickly. You would think that since each Legion Ring has the ability to establish a telepathic link between wearers, that they would only work for their rightful owners. It's too powerful of a weapon to not have some built-in safeguards against just this sort of thing. It should also have some kind of “recall” function. Maybe Brainy will do an upgrade once he gets his ring back. That should be a fun quest for Brainy and Dreamgirl, just as long as Brainy doesn't start drooling, and whining about his “Precious.”

Speaking of upgrades...

Brainy gave Nia gauntlets that channel “pure DREAM ENERGY” into physical blasts??? Um... NO! Instead of blasting people unconscious, Nia's glove rays should just put her targets to sleep. Maybe they could even put them into a highly suggestible, semi-hypnotic state, where she could command her opponents to go stand in the corner, or cluck like chickens. Wouldn't THAT be more thematically consistent for someone called “Dreamgirl?”

One thing's for sure, the Fortress of Solitude needs a serious media upgrade, starting with a big screen, HDTV! Projecting images on a slab of ice seems awfully primitive for a supposedly “advanced” culture. Also, a couple of comfy chairs wouldn't hurt, and a nice rug would really bring the place together.

I loved the salute to “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” with the choice of Devil's Tower for the climactic showdown. That place will forever be associated with aliens. I also enjoyed the battle between The Elite and the … um... “Super Friends??” (Did Kara REALLY call them that? Where's Cisco Ramon when you need him to come up with a catchy name?) My favorite part was the confident look on Supergirl's face while she was taking machine gun fire as if were a light Spring shower. Now THAT'S how you portray INVULNERABILITY!! I DIDN'T like the idea that Menagerie's snake headed ponytail could take Supergirl off her feet. There's just NO WAY that should be possible.

I'll never forget a scene in a Superman comic, where he was going toe-to-toe with a VERY strong adversary, and then, after he had lured the bad guy to a remote location where no civilians were in danger, he simply stood there, and let the villain wear himself out, punching an immovable, and invulnerable object – namely Superman's face! Superman explained simply that “There's no force in the universe that can move me when I don't WANT to be moved.” I thought that was fascinating, and I interpreted that ability as a kind of reverse analog to his power of flight. Just as Superman can DEFY gravity at will, perhaps he can be ANCHORED by it as well.

The same goes for his cousin. Supergirl shouldn't be letting alien snakes toss her around like that. Menagerie shouldn't be anywhere CLOSE to Kryptonian power levels.

Speaking of power levels...

I think it's clever that Hat's power is pulling weapons out of "Hammerspace," the name coined to describe the pocket dimension from which cartoon characters can whip out impossibly large objects, like sledge hammers, from someplace small, like their back pockets. Cartoon physics are FUN!

I wish we knew more about the capabilities of Alex's battle suit. What EXACTLY does it do for her? Does it give her enhanced strength and agility? Is it bulletproof? I know she can magnetically retrieve her ray gun, if she drops it, but can she affect OTHER metal objects as well? Can she repel small arms fire? Could she use the magnetic components of her suit to FLY on a limited basis? Inquiring minds want to KNOW!

KET said...

Some more replies:

"Meanwhile J'onn is struggling. He is trying to be a pacifist like his dad. But he is a Manhunter at heart. And he feels like Black is connected to him, trying to lure him into doing something."

It's quite possible that Black wants J'onn to share his pain of loss, by goading him into remembering the loss of his immediate family on Mars. When J'onn initially came to Earth, he was hunted by humans who were bent on dissecting alien races. Black does have a knack for backing all the heroes into defensive emotional postures...and also has an affinity for paraphrasing Robert Bolt. :)


KET

Anonymous said...

Thanks for pointing out the comics easter eggs, Anj. Alot of those went over my head, so I
appreciate you pointing them out.

Annoyed that we had a couple week hiatus before we got this ep, but that being said, I liked
it ALOT better than the last ep, and seemed to have a better flow, and a more tangible Big
Bad to take down in the form of the Operation Claymore satellite.

I also have to give kudos to Jessie Rath and Nicole Mains, and their chemistry together while
training in the Fortress. And the scene where Kara's talking about subtlety, and the elevator
doors open up to Brainy in the LOUDEST, most inconspicuous clothing you can imagine! :D

One thing that didn't make sense for me was Supergirl's comment to Alex about "We could kick ass,
like we used to." While it was another great Danvers Sister moment, not sure a mindwiped Alex
would get the "like we used to" part, unless I'm missing something.

> I suppose part of what the show is trying to give us is the idea that zealots on the extremes
> of either side are villains. But Manchester Black and his elite come off way more sympathetic
> and charismatic.

Personally I think that'll be an interesting playground for the writers, if they can pull that
off better. They tried that last season with Reign and Coville's more extreme followers, but
let's not revisit how clunky things had become by that point in the season.

And speaking of charismatic, I _LOVED_ Manchester's vitrol against Supergirl. NASTY but great
vitrol an antagonist should spew against the protagonist to tear their spirit down.

> But in the battle, Brainy's hand goes into the hat's portal and he loses his Legion ring on
> the inside.

Just to ask you and everyone here Anj, were there ever any stories about lost or stolen Legion
rings in the comics before? To me, seemed like they went for the classic cliche "I lost my
[insert here] to the guy I was fighting" trick, and Scrimmage makes a good point about there
should be some sort of security / defence mechanism to prevent unauthorized use / theft, no?

> My favorite part was the confident look on Supergirl's face while she was taking machine gun
> fire as if were a light Spring shower. Now THAT'S how you portray INVULNERABILITY!!

Yeah, total "Come At Me, Bro!" moment there! :D


Regards

Professor Feetlebaum said...

"I'll never forget a scene in a Superman comic where he was going toe-to-toe with a very strong adversary, and then, after he had lured the bad guy to a remote location where no civilians were in danger, he simply stood there, and let the villain wear himself out punching an immovable, and invulnerable object-namely Superman's face! Superman explained simply that 'There's no force in the universe that can move me when I don't WANT to be moved.'"
the
I wonder if you might be remembering the scene of Superman versus The Hulk in Marvel Treasury Edition #28, Superman and Spider-Man. Written by Jim Shooter and penciled by John Buscema, the story also features Wonder Woman, Dr. Doom and the Parasite. While the Hulk is punching Superman over and over again (though not in the face), Superman just stands there. He says "...You caught me by surprise-once! This time I'm READY!" (earlier the Hulk had punched Superman a far distance) "And when I'm ready...and I don't want to be moved, no power on Earth can move me!'

The Hulk tires himself out punching Superman and changes back to Doctor Robert Bruce Banner.

That scene in The Untouchables was based on a true incident, although I believe the man Capone beat to death was a rival and not one of his own men. I wonder if that scene appeared in the '50s TV show. Desi Arnaz, who produced the show went to school with Al Capone's son.

All of which has nothing to do with Supergirl.

Anj said...

Thanks for great comments. Some thoughts.

1) One of the big things about the comic story 'What's so Funny' is how Superman is upset that the public rallies behind Black. As has been said here, I doubt there would be as much fervor for the show's rendition.

2) Yes, there are no good guys on the show right now. Everyone is the hero in their own story.

3) Good points about Lena building in a fail safe with her tech. And that her point was she would give the government their soldiers while holding on to the process itself for other modifications.

And yes, I loved her walking through the machine gun fire with the 'you gonna get a whuppin' look on her face.

Steve said...

"Here, unfortunately, Supergirl isn't that pure." And this, in one short simple sentence is why I love the modern version of Supergirl. Even with all the, uh, weirdness that accompanied her return in the mid 2000's the more-or-less clean slate approach they took meant we get a character with a more modern take on the traditional Super mindset. Still a Hero with a capital H, still a moral force but who understands it's not always good vs evil. Which leads nicely into:

"Yes, there are no good guys on the show right now. Everyone is the hero in their own story."

This is something I've loved about the show pretty much from the pilot. While the writing doesn't always do a great job of paying it off every major villain or arc has a flipside that's understandable from their perspective. I genuinely think when we get to look back on season 4 as a whole it's going to get a retroactive upgrade as it's dealing with more than one viewpoint on the subject matter even if, of course, it'll come down on the side of Hope, Help and Compassion *for all*. Which leaves poor Kara tap-dancing on a very thin line that's constantly shifting under her feet as she's trying to do the right thing when there's no "right" answer. The world is big and complicated, people have different opinions and you're stuck in the middle trying to keep it all together. Same sort of problem we saw with Alex getting mind-wiped. Everyone acknowledged in-universe it wasn't a fabulous idea but was the best option they had.

One little thing that made me chuckle. Remember back before Elseworlds when the President demanded Supergirl tell him who she was and then fired her from the DEO? Remember that "the United States doesn't want a war with Supergirl" line and the 'no, your really don't' look he got in return? Ladies and Gentlemen, exhibit A, the finely pulped remains of a very expensive death ray satellite.

Oh and fully agree with the comments about the bullets in the hall shot. Damn... wouldn't be upset if that was the last shot in a movie trailer. Should be used to it by now but occasionally I still get caught out by just how much screen presence Melissa brings to the party.

Anonymous said...

So, is #775 similar to the animated movie 'Superman vs the Elite' (2012)?

Anonymous said...

"So, is #775 similar to the animated movie 'Superman vs the Elite' (2012)?"
Not just similar. The animated movie is a direct adaptation of the comics story.

Scrimmage said...

Well done, Professor Feetlebaum! You are correct, sir, that IS the scene I was referring to. Thanks for providing the issue, and the context, as well as the exact quote. I always thought it was particularly memorable simply because Superman so seldom ever brags about just how incredibly powerful he really is. It really put the "super" in "Superman!"

Anonymous said...

Anyhow, how much did "The Red Tornado" cost the government when Supergirl cooked it like Home Fries in Season One?



JF