As usual, this episode was filled with great anime-infused action, great character moments, and some nice DCU homages and references. I'll say it again. I like this show. I love the Clark/Lois interactions and arc. I love how deep it dives into the DCU. And even this whole storyline about Brainiac has been solid. This is a good show.
The depth of Brainiac's involvement in the destruction of Krypton ratchets him up as a villain. Although I do have to wonder about his overall strategy in some places. The theme about Clark feeling alone and how he overcame that on Earth is a nice parallel to how Kara was raised. I like how we see Superman as an inspiration, making some of the villains from earlier episodes rally around him to fight Brainiac.
And, of course, the season ends with the redemption of Kara. No surprises there. But, no surprise, we have to darken things up one last time to make the redemption that much brighter. We see, in no uncertain terms, that Kara was raised as a psychologically abused child. We know she is a killer of worlds, even if she was being controlled. You'd think she still feel some guilt about that. In this episode we see one more time how she has been controlled by Brainiac. One more fight against Superman ... of course.
Look, am I glad Supergirl is on a successful cartoon? Yes. Am I glad she is redeemed at the end? Yes. Do I hope we get a season three with Kara as a cast member? Yes.
But I still think Josie Campbell could have done almost this exact story without all the trauma, without all the carnage, without all the darkness. I will never say 'I'm glad she was a dupe and a weapon and an unwitting killer of worlds'. I don't need it.
Still, hopefully it's all in the past and if this show goes on she's a true hero.
With Superman and Supergirl unconscious from the end of last episode, Metropolis and our heroes are protected by some old friends and enemies.
Steel, Silver Banshee, Livewire, Heatwave ... they're all there.
I like that the villains recognize the bigger threat and fall in line. I also like they know that the Kryptonians are the ones that will need to save the day. There is a very well done aerial fight sequence, kinetic and wild and frenzied, to get the cousins to Kandor.
And Kara seems pretty focused in taking down her former 'father'.
Focused until Brainiac says 'Eradicator Override' which makes Kara scream and collapse.
I think we know where this is going.
But pretty cool to call it Eradicator Override, words loaded for Superman fans.
With Kara down, Brainiac gives us more backstory.
He was created as a war-time AI. Krypton was losing the war they were fighting (who were they fighting anyways? I have heard Apokolips!). Krypton wanted to end the war with Jor-El leading the peace talks. That would mean Brainiac would be put off-line. So he releases the greatest Kryptonian weapon the the world itself, destroying it.
Brainiac blew up Krypton.
Now I don't want to think about this too long. Why would Jor-El and Zor-El be making rocketships for their kids if this was a sneak attack by Brainiac?
So let's move on.
As expected, 'Eradicator Override' puts Kara under Brainiac's control and he commands her to kill Superman.
It reduces Kara to a snarling monster.
But I just can't help but again see some 'Berserker' EVA here, especially in these limp arms, the should spikes, and her growling.
Given all the Dragon Ball Z references I've seen in the show, I wouldn't be surprised.
But she becomes a true berserker, screaming, pummeling, and heat visioning everything in her path.
I don't need to see Kara like this.
With Brainiac drones, Brainiac missiles, and Kara all hellbent on killing him, Superman looks like he's in trouble.
So what does he do? He goes to his happy place, remembering a peaceful time he was flying over Smallville.
This has always been a wholesome country-boy Clark so I thought this was pretty cool.
This was one of my favorite moments in the episode.
It looks like there is going to be a throwdown between the cousins. We even see what looks like Superman throwing a left hook at Kara.
But it turns out it isn't a punch. It's the start of a hug. He pulls her in and begs her to overcome Brainiac's control.
I definitely don't need to see Superman punching Supergirl. Glad it was a rather nifty visual feint.
Brainiac floats out, creates a giant K sword, and flies toward Kara to kill her.
Then we see the trauma. The awful upbringing. How Brainiac called her weak, useless, and without his guidance ... alone.
I get that this is the crux of her character. It differentiates her from Superman. It gives her something to overcome and be stronger.
It also means that she has been traumatized, dominated, controlled, made into a weapon. and ultimately turned into a killer.
Have we seen the 'true' Kara peek through this season, the one who collects souvenirs and loves ice cream? Yes.
But I'd still prefer us not having this be the backstory for my hero.
Everyone gets into trying to help. Lois and Jimmy arrive and hug her.
And Clark reminds her that he knows what it is like to feel alone.
Of course, he was brought up in a loving home. His alone wasn't one of pain and derision.
But it is enough to have her shake it all off.
Then she and Superman team up and push Kandor into space, hurling it to the sun.
Remember, Brainiac is dying. Kandor is falling apart. He admits that he has been damaged beyond repair but he'll make sure he kills the cousins before he goes.
He suddenly shows us that he can create Kryptonite.
Now I don't want to think about this too long. If he can turn his whole place into Green K why do it now? Why not do it on Earth? Why not do it when Kara and Kal were on the bridge? At that point he had given up taking over Superman and was ready to destroy Earth. So why hold back with this ultimate end move?
In fact, Brainiac has been doing this illogical stuff for a while. For example, if his body is dying and he has utter control over Kara why not just download himself into her much earlier in this timeline???
Okay. Let's move on.
The cousins flee the satellite but Brainiac turns his now Green K cannon onto the 2 cousins.
Umm ... if he could make the cannon a Kryptonite cannon why didn't he use that last episode? All right ... all right, I said I was moving on.
In a great moment for Kara, one of heroic sacrifice, we see how she pushes Kal out of the way and takes the brunt of the beam herself.
She plummets into the sun. Superman follows her in to try and save her.
Inside, they realize that the sun is flooding them with power, burning away the K poisoning.
The two fly out of the sun. Kara uses ... ummm ... mind powers (?) ... to turn her costume into a classic red and blue one. The two smash Kandor.
There's one last fight though.
Brainiac floats out, creates a giant K sword, and flies toward Kara to kill her.
We finally see the angry Supergirl we saw waaayyyyyy back in the promo trailer.
She punches through him, grabbing his hard drive.
Hmmm, if he could manifest a giant K sword, why didn't he use that before?
Kara hears the cheers from the people of Earth and passes out.
She awakens on Earth, in Smallville, and meets the Kents. She sees what a loving family is like. She even gets to play catch with Clark (even if she is rather competitive about something non-competitive).
Note the scar.
When I saw it, I thought for sure she would have it forever, a reminder of her dark past and the scars she has. I cringed.
But it heals.
As does Earth.
The Planet writes an article thanking those who defended Earth and came together with the heroes. We see Amanda Waller is missing. We see Vicki Vale scooped the planet on a Supergirl intro article.
And we see Supergirl adapting to Earth.
We still need some closure on the simmering storyline about Lois.
Clark is ready to do a long-distance relationship with Lois moving to Gotham.
But she isn't moving. She isn't the next Vale. She's the first Lane.
It is a sweet moment. He says he'd do anything for her. She says she loves him.
Seriously, the Lois/Clark stuff is just perfect on this show.
And so we end with a new dynamic. Lois and Clark. Jimmy and Kara. Superman and Supergirl.
I hoped the Kryptonian shoulders would disappear on the costumes.
But I'm glad we finally have a proper sort of Supergirl uniform.
I would call this an overall successful season and a successful show. I like the anime influences. I like the progressive nature of the characterization. I especially love the Lois/Clark stuff. And now we have a redeemed Supergirl.
What did you all think?
8 comments:
My reaction to Supergirl's portrayal might have been more viscerally negative than yours. It's like they reused 2 elements, unchanged, a dozen or more times - an ugly, scrunched up face, while screaming out a horrendous yell: "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Snarling, as you put it.
Over and over. A really excessive number of times. I think if we had heard the Kiss-inspired Supergirl during the Infected arc in the last comic series - the story that I'd say was arguably responsible for the last solo series' cancellation - it might have sounded as bad. This was just an ugly, nasty portrayal. I cringed each time.
Things were better later in the episode, for sure - but I was so disappointed in this that it left a sour taste that was the impression I was left with.
Josie Campbell et al committed to this character arc, and I suppose once they went down this path they had to see it through somehow, but did the director have to make it so extremely painful to listen to? Did the storyboard artists have to design this painfully ugly look? Where was the creativity in repeating the same lousy sound and picture so many times?
Surely an angry person making an effort doesn't have just one look and one scream! This was just so badly done. Cheaply done, badly acting and terribly directed - and I think the scream was just recorded once and re-used each time - real cheap, at Supergirl's expense.
Was Supergirl speaking in a kind of weird Russian accent in all of her appearances in the show? I didn't notice it before, but she was in this finale.
T.N.
(My apologies if this comment appears more than once. The comment form requires hitting the Post button at least twice now, then says comments may take time to appear. It didn't used to do this. So here is the comment again.)
My reaction to Supergirl's portrayal might have been more viscerally negative than yours. It's like they reused 2 elements, unchanged, a dozen or more times - an ugly, scrunched up face, while screaming out a horrendous yell: "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Snarling, as you put it.
Over and over. A really excessive number of times. I think if we had heard the Kiss-inspired Supergirl during the Infected arc in the last comic series - the story that I'd say was arguably responsible for the last solo series' cancellation - it might have sounded as bad. This was just an ugly, nasty portrayal. I cringed each time.
Things were better later in the episode, for sure - but I was so disappointed in this that it left a sour taste that was the impression I was left with.
Josie Campbell et al committed to this character arc, and I suppose once they went down this path they had to see it through somehow, but did the director have to make it so extremely painful to listen to? Did the storyboard artists have to design this painfully ugly look? Where was the creativity in repeating the same lousy sound and picture so many times?
Surely an angry person making an effort doesn't have just one look and one scream! This was just so badly done. Cheaply done, badly acting and terribly directed - and I think the scream was just recorded once and re-used each time - real cheap, at Supergirl's expense.
Was Supergirl speaking in a kind of weird Russian accent in all of her appearances in the show? I didn't notice it before, but she was in this finale.
T.N.
I feel the same way about this depiction.
As I have said in other posts, I doubt DC would ever let Wonder Girl or Dick Grayson be a planet-killer, even if mind controlled.
The closest thing I can think of is Wally West in Heroes in Crisis. Tom King made him a murderer. There was extreme fan backlash. Then it gets retconned and mostly forgotten.
Will there be such outcry for Supergirl in an animated show? Will it be undone?
Maybe a Season 3 with a heroic Supergirl will wash this away.
And, Campbell isn't going to write her fav Mary Marvel like this, either!
T.N.
The finale was quite good, with nice heroic moments for all involved and showing the effect Superman has had on people and Metropolis. Showing people, even those like Livewire who might not like Superman, but are willing to come together when it matters. Vicki, despite being a rival to the Planet, helping Perry and the Planet gang get Jimmy, Lois, and Kara freed. Waller getting her just reward now of being a fugitive. Wish maybe more had been done to explain Lex’s final bits, but something for S3.
Clark and Kara had lots of great moments in this and I especially love that when Kara got taken over by Brainac, the solution to freeing her wasn’t fighting but showing her the love/compassionate she’s never received from Brainac. Ending with that great wake up and introduction to the Kents, and the showing of how her and Clark playing catch show how she’s part of the family now, and Clark isn’t alone. All great stuff.
TBH none of the ‘why didn’t Brainac do X, Y, or Z, really bother me. Typically, dumb villain mistakes stand out when the story/work itself is bad. You can’t suspend your disbelief for some things, because the story and characters are bad. Which hasn’t been the case with My Adventures with Superman.
Again, I’m not sure what people want here with Supergirl’s portrayal here. As I’ve said time and again, I get being annoyed and done with BAD takes on the angry or dark Supergirl idea. As am I, but I did not find this series to be another case of that. I think Kara’s story was handled well. She didn’t get the same good upbringing Clark got, but despite that, she at her core is a better person that what Brainac wanted her to be in the end. With the love and support of a actual caring family, Clark, Jimmy, Lois, etc, she broke free of Brainac’s control and started her own path to become who she is.
There’s been so many versions of the character, some done better than others. There’s early Silver Age Supergirl, the ‘oh I can’t get a man’ 70s version, confident and seeking to help others Bronze Age Kara. Earth-Angel Linda Danvers. Brash and eager to be a hero Animated Series Supergirl. Post-Crisis, Nu52, Rebirth, two different Superhero Girls versions with a very traditional Kara and then rock-loving PG inspired Kara. Not to mention SIX YEARS of my favorite Kara, Melissa Benoist’s version, on TV and IMHO adding to the return of Supergirl as a character to be recognized. There’s room for lots of ways to do Kara Zor-El. I dislike those I think are done dirty too, but I don’t think that’s been the case here.
At the end of the day, I want to see a good, well-written character. In this case, I think MAWS Supergirl/Kara is one of those cases.
Off my soapbox.
PREFEACE: I choose to believe the writers and fandom are good people. This comment is not directed at those involved, but the ideas presented on screen. Liking this story is A-OK. I get this story was (per IMDB) written before the current stage of world war. I'm super happy we got this show and looking forward to season 3 next year.
Regarding the topic of extermination(s) of 'othered' species, its not something the story even considers worth exploring. Unlike human victims in S1 'evil superman' hologram, we never even see a H'lventie or Euphorixian fleeing our mind controlled blond haired, blue eyed super exterminator. These species are deemed less than by Brainiac; and by lack of art, the show itself. In terms of story, only Kara and Brainiac know what happened.
The house of El serves as a symbol of hope for humanity, for maybe what, 50 billion 'others' this symbol served as only 2 things: who dies, and who dies sooner. Changing the mark of death from red and black to blue and red doesn't change its meaning to countless worlds.
Ultimately we got our 'Power of Friendship' moment that people came for. Didn't need a glossed over multi-genocidal Kara to get here. Sadly, now many in the fandom look forward to the survivors of genocide being S3 'villains' against our heroes.
At least they cradled Brainiac's core and took it home safely. Maybe Brainiac can become Brainiac-5 for his own redemption arc! /s
This is the Snyder of Supergirl's and people love it. A Supergirl without an S8E5 Khaleesi moment has no place in today's world :(
Again, these are my thoughts on the IDEAS presented on screen; not the team behind the screen.
Still No Justice for Thanagar eh? Too much to ask for, I guess.
:)
JF
They took the brianiac core home safely after a wholesome hug session and our shipping confirmed. Not sure what more justice there could be :/
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