Supergirl Episode 412: Menagerie

Supergirl episode #412, titled Menagerie, aired this week and overall was a very solid episode. Every plot that has been percolating this season was moved forward. Every character had strong moments. This was mostly an Alex episode and that was needed given that her brain has been made into a frappe in recent times. We needed to know that *our* Alex was still in there somewhere. We even got a new villain! So I was overall pleased with this one.

That said, there were two moments in this episode that will stick out in my mind and neither are good. One is a terrible continuity gaffe for anyone who has watched this show since its inception. The other is an unintentional 'laugh out loud' moment about a plot twist which has irked me since it started. And both involve Alex's mind wipe to some extent. I am sorry, I can't align myself with any universe where that was a wise decision.

Still, we get Dreamer. We get Agent Liberty. We get a proactive Brainy. And we get a lot of Kara and Alex, something which I think elevates the show every time we see it. In fact, we got so much good Danvers stuff that it was only on the second watch that I realized we only see Supergirl in costume in one scene at the end.

I know. I shouldn't curse the darkness. I should light a candle.

Let's accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.

The opening shot is a jewel thief couple driving away with their ill-gotten booty when the are distracted by a flaming meteor/ship overhead. Driving off the road, the woman investigates. Out of the wreckage slithers a giant snake which flies at her.

I couldn't help get a little whiff of Superman's origin from this. After all, it was Kal's rocket which had Ma and Pa drive off the road. But he was a wee bairn ... not an ophidian symbiote.

In the light of day, the Danvers sisters visit J'onn's office to drop off his Valentine's Day gift. According to Alex, this is the first time she has seen it. Ah yes ... the mind wipe raises its ugly head. Her brain must be oatmeal.

But during this visit, both sisters divulge reasons why they are personally unhappy. Alex has let her career overtake all her personal hopes. She hasn't taken advantage of the 'stable' role of DEO director to find someone special or applying for adoption.

After Alex leaves, Kara says that she is unhappy because she misses Alex. They don't work together any more. Their relationship is diminished.

At the very least I was thrilled that Alex mentioned all her goals. We haven't seen much of them this year. And that growth was a big part of her arc last year. Amazing she can remember those goals. The mind wipe hasn't erased them.

Brainy arrives at Nia's house.

He wants to train her and his computer mind says she is 87,4% likely to be ready.

But she is still mourning her mother's death and reeling from her sister's reaction. She just isn't ready.

I love how he advises her to compartmentalize her grief the way he has structured his mind. She tells him that isn't very healthy and he snaps that it could be.

Jesse Rath has been killing it as Brainy and this interaction is no different. He is awkward and about as subtle as a bull in a china shop. But she doesn't mind. In fact, she asks him to attend her Valentine's day party as her date.

Look, I will ship Kara and Brainy all the time. These two are cute together. But this isn't my one true pair.

We also get a peek at Ben Lockwood. He is still in prison but his followers have grown. There are still protests around the country.

Ben further radicalizes his son, telling him to become a man of action and defend the world. He should become the man his grandfather would want him to be. It is a nice call back to show just how far Ben has come. He didn't agree with his father at first. Now he is preaching those ways. And this timid kid has bought in.

Alex had been called away to examine the car wreck from the opening scene. The woman is gone. But the man is there ... missing his heart. The wound is sealed cleanly, no blood anywhere. Colonel Haley repeats her weekly dialogue. The DEO needs to keep this story out of the news. The President is unhappy.

At least we learn she has a daughter. I wonder if that will be the ultimate hook to warm her. I still see a redemption arc for Haley.

Back at the DEO Brainy surmises the alien is a snake-like creature. And, oh by the way, he has a fear of snakes. I don't know where that came from. There is no comic history behind it. And you would think someone as logical as him wouldn't have simple phobias as that.

J'onn arrives at CatCo to enlist Kara's help on a case. The Director of Alien Affairs, the author of the Alien Amnesty Act, has gone missing. His wife wonders if he is the victim of a hate crime. Figuring CatCo could do some digging for him, J'onn asks Kara for help. And then, he goes one more step. As it involves alien, maybe Alex can join in, an attempted healing of the Danvers split.

Not a bad idea J'onn.

I did chuckle when J'onn notices the new layout of CatCo. It almost looks like an actual newsroom! Too funny. Because I don't know if CatCo is a new agency, a magazine, a newspaper, or all things communication.

And I love that it actually makes Kara be an investigative reporter, a side of her we don't see enough on this show.

Remember, this is the Valentine's Day episode.

James gives Lena her gift, a photo he took of her while she was sleeping. Then he says this is how he sees her, without all the world around them, the time when she is perfect.

I don't know about you ... but it skews to the creepy for me. I felt my skin crawl a little.

But he knows Lena. She loves it and says that she will fly them to Paris for an impromptu romantic getaway!

This James/Lena thing has never really worked. Not much chemistry.

Now maybe you thought the 'CatCo IS a newsroom' comment was one of my two weird moments. Or maybe you thought James' off-putting gift was one of the two moments that struck me as wrong. But neither of those made the cut.

It was this one.

Brainy is distracted, trying to buy a Valentine's Day gift for Nia. He asks Alex for advice. She tells him she hates Valentine's Day.

Ummm ... no.

We know she LOOOOVVESS Valentine's Day. There was a whole episode about it. She tried to warm up Maggie to it. She loved Eliza's cards. She loved it all!

This is a clear break in continuity. With one line ... like 'since Maggie I have a hard time with it' ... I would have let it pass. I suppose this could also be a mind-wipe effect. But this was way off for me. It was so jarring it took me out of the episode.

That said, after some advice that he should just buy a gift that represents his feel, the two get back to the case. The heart-eating alien has struck again. And at every crime scene, all the jewelry is missing. There is a pattern.

The new alien serial killer does make the news. It gives Ben Lockwood's son the moment he needs.

He posts a video to the Children of Liberty. They need to rise up. They need to kill this alien threat. And it needs to be clear that it is their group that are the heroes.

Later, back the the prison, Ben reinforces that point. The people need to know it is the Liberty group that is defending them against these threats.

J'onn and Kara's investigation leads them to a new understanding. The Director wasn't a victim of a hate crime. He was having an affair with a diamond importer. When they go to her house, they discover them both dead, both with their hearts missing.

Shortly thereafter, the DEO arrive. They deduced she would be the next hit because of the jewelry connection. Of course, Alex doesn't like Kara being at a crime scene. It isn't safe.

Kara has to fake her way through staying by saying she isn't shocked by the findings. And she has to secretly use her x-ray vision to uncover some clues. It is awkward and strange. Thanks mind wipe!

I did find it funny that Kara wouldn't use her xray vision when they first arrived because she was too afraid she'd find the couple getting it on. Ha!

With a clue in hand, Alex, J'onn, and Kara head to Nia's party to find Brainy.

While there, Alex runs into someone she casually dated named Becca. Becca seems very likeable, supportive of Alex's hope of being a mother and wanting to catch up. But Alex can barely remember her name. More Mind wiping nonsense?

While everyone is partying though, Nia is alone in her room. This leads to some old fashioned Kara advice.

Nia wants to honor her mother. She wants to dream and be a hero. But her sister's response is still too painful. For once, Kara gets to be the voice of experience. She held herself back too long in the past. No one should force you to not reach for your destiny. When the time is right for Nia, Kara will be there.

The clue from the crime scene, a sample of venom, showed that the alien had killed Pamela Ferrer. Imagine the team's surprise to head to Ferrer's apartment and find her alive, kicking, and fused with the alien. Now calling herself Menargerie, they attack.

It is an interesting fight. Brainy is clinging to the ceiling, scared witless of snakes. J'onn is wrapped up in smaller snakes she can seemingly spit out at will. And Kara has to pretend to be helpless. She even has to do the 'fake sneeze' trick again to blow some away.

Ultimately, the main snake tries to bite Kara and is hurt, forcing a retreat.

Here Alex lays her main problem on the line. She can't believe she let her sister be in this war zone. Kara's protection has always been her number one priority. Perhaps this is what is holding her back from her own life.

Earlier in the show, Col. Haley asked Lena to share her superhuman research with the government.

On the way to Paris, Lena tells James this and he says he can't back her. The government will weaponize the 'cure'. He can't stand by her if she makes that decision. He knows she is better than that.

Lena is angry at his judging her and kicks him out of the car. I guess we are step closer to full Luthor.

Umm, wasn't it Lena who asked James to be her conscience a couple of episodes ago. Now that he does it, she dumps him. Hmmm ... not exactly a great take on Lena.

Now you might think Lena taking a 180 on asking for James advice might be the second moment that stuck out. But Luthors are unpredictable.

No, it was this moment when J'onn and Kara realize that the mindwipe is really effecting Alex for the worse. J'onn says 'I feel like this mind wipe has hurt our family in ways we didn't intend.'

Ummm ... DUH!

This was unintentionally hilarious. I actually laughed out loud when he said it.

Of course some lifetime mindwipe is going to have unintended consequences!!
Kara and Jonn – realizes she is what is holding Alex back.

Okay, somehow the Children of Liberty figure out Ferrer is the killer. They track her back to her apartment where she has returned and killed the DEO guards staked there.

Needing more capital (and jewels), Menagerie heads to a local high-priced charity event. It is the fight of four armies as Menagerie, the Children of Liberty, the DEO, and Supergirl all converge.

In the only Supergirl scene, our hero scoops Menagerie up and tosses her from the penthouse party. When Menageriee gets the upper hand, a fifth contingent arrives. It is Nia, dressed as Dreamer. She helps Supergirl rid herself of the pesky snakes.

I do like how in battle Supergirl says that she protects everyone.
I don't like that somehow this snake has enough constricting power to immobilize and choke her.

And it is nice to see Nia don the costume and join in.

The truth is the battle is chaos with the DEO having to protect the Children of Liberty more than fight Menagerie. Still, after Supergirl blasts Menagerie with her superbreath, it is the younger Lockwood who ends the battle, beheading the main snake.

He declares the Children of Liberty as the true heroes, the ones who saved humans, something Supergirl couldn't do. And the DEO, led by Haley, let them take the glory. It is that or let Supergirl be deemed the hero, something they are loath to do.

There's nothing left but the wrap up.

Supergirl says she is glad Nia is joining the fight but she needs better control of her powers.

Nia in turn asks Brainy for help.

Back at Kara's, Alex confesses that she realizes that it is her compulsion to protect everyone else that has led her to not protect her own interests.

It is time for Alex to let some people protect themselves. She will try to proceed with her desires too.

There are some nice flourishes in the scene. I am pretty sure Kara is watching an old version of Count of Monte Cristo. And I like how she has to rush to put her glasses on when Alex arrives.

But the real wrap up are rapid fire looks at the villains.

Lena says yes to working with the government.

The President releases Ben Lockwood because the anti-terrorist laws only talk of protecting humans. Lockwood has technically not committed a crime. He leaves the prison to cheers and signs like 'Make Earth Human Again'. Hmmm ...

And Ferrer? It turns out the Menagerie snake isn't truly dead and still inside her. From within the prison she gets a letter from Manchester Black. Hello Elite!

Okay, I have jabbed at this episode a lot. But for some reason the sum is more than its parts. I thought this was a good episode. Outside of Alex now hating Valentines and J'onn realizing the mind wipe was a bad idea, the rest I could sort of roll with.

What did you guys think?