tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post3811568781603238585..comments2024-03-28T20:51:56.173-04:00Comments on Supergirl Comic Box Commentary: Supergirl 403: Man Of SteelAnjhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10023193805914075078noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-20755418839373210572019-07-20T13:38:03.577-04:002019-07-20T13:38:03.577-04:00Great episode, superbly written and produced.
An...Great episode, superbly written and produced. <br /><br />And yay, Porcupine Pete! Martin Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09574149543260175962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-60559407117943152522018-10-31T01:32:18.651-04:002018-10-31T01:32:18.651-04:00Apparently, both this “Origin of Agent Liberty” ep...Apparently, both this “Origin of Agent Liberty” episode, and the plot device of a “masked” Supergirl in the next episode were made necessary due to star Melissa Benoist's other obligations, but much like the similarly Benoist-less “Midvale” episode from season three, I thought “Man of Steel” was one of the best written episodes in the entire run of the show. That's not to say it was one of the best episodes overall, but the writing, specifically the way they crafted the story of a good man becoming radicalized in response to the decimation of his family and his life by forces beyond his control, was absolutely superb!<br /><br />As Anj pointed out, the use of continuity with events from previous seasons to establish Lockwood's timeline was exceedingly well done. By giving us a ground's eye view, from his perspective, of how several, large scale battles between super powered aliens have devastated not only his life, but the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of innocent bystanders, the viewing audience can't HELP but relate to them, and by association the Lockwoods, a typically imperfect, “normal” Earth family.<br /><br />I appreciated the effort to show that there were mistakes made on both sides that could've been avoided, such as the spontaneous attack on the Nth Metal truck, and its alien driver. We should not overlook the fact that, since the driver was unable to control the reflexive firing of his spikes (which I find hard to swallow, strictly on the basis of evolution), then the humans were RIGHT to consider him a significant danger to innocent people. Does that mean he deserved to have his brains bashed in with a pipe? Of course not! On the other hand, Sam Lockwood didn't deserve to lose his business, have his home destroyed, or to get killed when an alien attack destroyed his factory, just because he felt like his way of life was being threatened by uninvited, and unwelcome outsiders, and he expressed those opinions in less than politically correct ways.<br /><br />Sam Lockwood was NOT an evil man, and neither was his son, Ben. Telling his son to “Be a man who fights for what he believes in,” with his dying breath is NOT a horrible legacy for a father to leave his son, in fact, it's admirable. If left to his own devices, Ben would've probably gone into politics to address the wrongs he saw in this “Brave New World,” but unfortunately, he was corrupted by the Graves, who recruited him to help them recruit others to their cause, and he was seduced by their far more radical, and violent approach to solving the “alien problem.”<br /><br />Did this episode make Agent Liberty more sympathetic? No! He crossed a line when he committed, and there can NEVER be any justification for murder that, but it DID make his character's motivations more plausible, and it explained how he developed his ability to attract followers, as more and more displaced, disaffected, and ignored victims of alien activity flocked to his cause. <br /><br />During a speech before the United Nations in 1987, President Ronald Reagan spoke about how the he believed the entire Human Race would come together as one people, united, if we were ever faced with an extraterrestrial threat. He said...<br /><br /><i>“Perhaps we need some outside universal threat to make us recognize this common bond. I occasionally think how quickly our differences worldwide would vanish if we were facing an alien threat from outside this world.”</i><br /><br />In Supergirl, we're seeing how Reagan's view of human unity in the face of an alien invasion might clash with those who feel the answer to the alien question is amnesty for all. As I said last week, the real problem is being able to tell friend from foe. The consequences of making just ONE mistake with beings as powerful as some of these aliens should not be so easily dismissed as xenophobia, especially when we've already seen that one, slightly pissed off Kryptonian could easily end us ALL!Scrimmagenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-10495129143466992322018-10-30T18:36:18.360-04:002018-10-30T18:36:18.360-04:00This was a bold, Netflix-style villain origin stor...This was a bold, Netflix-style villain origin story that really worked for me. They showed a good man get radicalized, and even though he is wrong in what he's doing now, we can understand him a little better. <br /><br />My only complaint here is the writers have a hard time handling Brainy. He could solve this whole season in five minutes, figure out Mercy's plans, unmask Ben, etc. So we have a very underpowered Brainy here and that is slightly annoying.<br /><br />But damn this was a bold choice, to show that those who go down these dark paths don't start out as evil men and that experience can shape them.<br /><br />I don't know if the writers confirmed this, but I think the episode is called "Man of Steel" not just because of Ben's background, but because we get to see what happens to ordinary folk in the aftermath of destructive battles between superhuman beings, and that is something that would be at home in MoS or BvS.Jeremyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11561650765010596098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-5259762770451913452018-10-30T17:58:48.998-04:002018-10-30T17:58:48.998-04:00"How many spaceships do they have on tap?&quo..."How many spaceships do they have on tap?"<br /><br />Well, Brainy immediately nixed that idea, as he said that Supergirl was already too vulnerable from the poisoning to be transported into outer space (ala Mon-El), as the motion would kill her. However, the submarine idea might have been an alternative solution, if the DEO actually had one available at its disposal.<br /><br />KETKEThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13797904604074311480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-45603890995603428652018-10-30T17:21:37.235-04:002018-10-30T17:21:37.235-04:00I was slow; it took me a while to understand whose...I was slow; it took me a while to understand whose story this would turn out to be. Given that it was going to be a very unhappy story, they did well with it.<br /><br />>Maybe she is in that deep bunker we saw her digging, shielded by the Earth's crust, and breathing purified air that's pumped in?<br /><br />The fretting over how to protect Kara from green K was unconvincing. Any submarine, most mines or clean rooms would be safe. How many spaceships do they have on tap? We can easily mix pure oxygen and nitrogen and give her a place to stay.<br /><br />For a more DC-universe approach, ship her off to Earth 2 for a while. At least they mentioned Argo City. Writing in the DC universe is so tough; there are all these crazy possibilities to consider and eliminate.<br />Nutationhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06410413579935429580noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-91488589826750807752018-10-30T15:47:02.019-04:002018-10-30T15:47:02.019-04:00Hello Anj,
Let me start off by saying thanks for ...Hello Anj,<br /><br />Let me start off by saying thanks for posting your thoughts on this episode. I sincerely hope you continue <br />to do so. On the other, somehow I get the feeling that this episode will be the socalled "straw that breaks<br />the camel's back." On one hand, I think the writers genuinely tried to write Lockwood's backstory as a <br />complex, 3dimensional person with a family, a job, things he cares about, and this episode shows how things<br />are gradually stripped away one by one. On the other, as you noted Supergirl is a series that wears its <br />politics on its sleeve, and I suspect that's where all the hateon for this episode and Lockwood's portrayal<br />will come from. I'm hoping subseqent posts will be interesting and civil.<br /><br />My immediate thoughts is that the callbacks to the show's internal continuity were great, and definitely helps<br />with the overall universe. And the karoke scene where Kara disarms Lockwood while subtly using her superstrength<br />against him put a smile on my face. Very Reeves-esque, and shows the S-shield doesn't always have to be overt.<br /><br />The final scene with Alex, Lena, and the supersuit... LOVED Chyler's delivery of her plea to Lena to help, and<br />I'm still hoping for Lena to stay on Team Supergirl.<br /><br />And I'm with JF, where does that leave the doppleganger Kara with the atmosphere seeded with kryptonite?<br /><br />My only complaint is how Supergirl was basically a gueststar in her own show this episode. As I understand it,<br />it was done to accomodate Melissa B's schedule, but it kinda felt like reading a "Where's Waldo" version of<br />a Supergirl episode.<br /><br /><br />RegardsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-26998406708130997602018-10-30T15:34:09.185-04:002018-10-30T15:34:09.185-04:00Or, maybe being created by the harun-el protects h...Or, maybe being created by the harun-el protects her?<br /><br />Yeah good theory there.<br /><br />So lets see so far Supergirl's rap sheet this season is: she created her own private "Flashpoint" event and decanted her own personal super temporal paradox on the world, and she might be liable for obstruction of justice by keeping her yap shut as to the ex-president's space alien status. All of which have physical and catastrophic consequences but its the potential impact on her sterling reputation for chivalry & hopefulness that interests me.<br /><br />JFAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-70420470350742846982018-10-30T14:39:35.565-04:002018-10-30T14:39:35.565-04:00"Maybe she is in that deep bunker we saw her ..."Maybe she is in that deep bunker we saw her digging, shielded by the Earth's crust, and breathing purified air that's pumped in?"<br /><br />Yes, I feel it's safe to surmise that if she's still living underground, Kara 2.0 isn't being affected by above ground atmospheric changes that suddenly became very lethal to Kryptonians. Besides, show won't be placing much focus upon her until after December's crossover event, IIRC. Seems like there's plenty to deal with already, what with the Graves siblings and Agent Liberty stirring up the nation. <br /><br />"As to how Lena had a Sterile lifesaving anti-kryptonite suit..."<br /><br />...it had made a cameo appearance during the previous episode, when Lena and Mercy were dueling each other down in the lab. Probably was invented as a contingency plan, since Lena had been the one who tinker with making a lead dispersing bomb out of the original Kryptonite air dispersing one. <br /><br />Overall another strong episode, which threw a lot of shade at Supergirl and the DEO for not providing adequate follow-up to acts of terrorism. Seems that Ben was partly justified in feeling frustrated and angry over his and his family's bad fortunes in the past couple of years. <br /><br />KET<br /> <br /><br />KEThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13797904604074311480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-78013809693063542112018-10-30T10:37:47.581-04:002018-10-30T10:37:47.581-04:00I was wondering about her clone too.
Maybe she is...I was wondering about her clone too.<br /><br />Maybe she is in that deep bunker we saw her digging, shielded by the Earth's crust, and breathing purified air that's pumped in?<br /><br />Or, maybe being created by the harun-el protects her?<br />Anjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10023193805914075078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-548894914843779792018-10-30T10:28:20.939-04:002018-10-30T10:28:20.939-04:00This is the episode I was waiting for- to show the...This is the episode I was waiting for- to show the other side. Let me just say that I am glad the show isn't ignoring the canonical events which occurred. It does make sense why Ben became so and I do pity him. The scene where his house goes up in flames just as j'onn says 'you are safe now' was brilliantly ironical and made me feel for him. Although his father was misguided and was the example of a white supremacist- Mr Ben here has more shades which work within the show. So I find those calls of boycotting the episode just made up by delusionists who have no idea how to see the shades. Also there is an attempt going on to lower this episode's IMDb rating just because the show dared to do this- do vote it up everyone.<br /><br />Now, while I understand the events of the Reign attack- because team SG truly was up against a huge threat. I do feel that the daxamites attack could have been avoided if Kara had sent Mon el and Rhea packing. So is Supergirl responsible in some way? Should we/show hold her responsible? <br /><br />Also I find it appalling that the insurance doesn't cover alien attacks and yet people live there, that man telling 'we are going to gotham' in s2ep1 makes more sense now. <br /><br />Overall interesting for sure and I loved it and I liked how he didn't become a monster because of one incident but over a period of time. (remember flash s4 and how one technological accident makes the man a villain, yeah that now seems more bullshit). Written by Derek simon, that man did a great job. I am glad everyone like it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2669531469217423923.post-73066279584820635422018-10-30T10:26:06.202-04:002018-10-30T10:26:06.202-04:00This was a pretty good episode for a show routinel...This was a pretty good episode for a show routinely plagued by far-to-rapid pacing and clunky writing, chiefly because it stuck fast to two mutually reinforcing concepts 1.) What happens to plain people in one of these "interstellar crisises" isn't always a neat happy ending 2.) All Great Villains are Heroes in their Own Minds, Usually Avenging Great Wrongs on Behalf of Many.<br />And that is "Agent Liberty" in a nutshell.<br />As to how Lena had a Sterile lifesaving anti-kryptonite suit she probably wanted to give her "friend" Kara a chance to get away alive should she have to k-irradiate the atmosphere to stave off another Kryptonian invasion. It's classic "Luthor type thinking".<br />My question is, how does our K-irradiated atmosphere affect Kara's Kaznian Duplicate? "Pseudo girl" as I like to call her...<br />:)<br /><br />JFAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com