Supergirl Episode 205: Crossfire

Supergirl episode 205:Crossfire aired earlier this week and was an incredible episode for character growth. Obviously, the biggest moment was Alex basically coming out to Maggie Sawyer. But James, Mon-El, and Winn also had great moments as well.

In fact, I think this episode is encapsulates what the overarching theme of this season seems to be about. Self-discovery. Kara is trying to find herself as a journalist. Jimmy wants to be more than a publisher. Winn is happy and confident in his new role in the DEO. Lena wants to shed the negativity of the Luthor name and become something new. J'Onn is trying to grow into the role of mentor for M'Gann. M'Gann is trying to be a Green Martian because she is ashamed of her White heritage. And Alex ... well Alex is dealing with the fact that she has denied her sexuality for some time. Everyone is in some state of evolution. And it is incredible.

I also have to say that you need a strong cast of actors to pull off some of this stuff. And everyone of these performers has risen to the task so far.

And all this personal growth is happening with the threat of Cadmus happening in the background. Cadmus is a dark reflection of the DEO, looking to eliminate all aliens from threatening the world. And they are willing to sow the seeds of fear to sway people. Much like last episode, the allegory of fearing the 'other' is pretty big here. It is impressive.

Other than one awkward scene, maybe a personal issue with me, I thought this was the best episode so far. This whole season has been a fantastic. On to the episode details.

Supergirl Episode 17: Manhunter

Supergirl Episode 17, titled Manhunter, aired this week and was a wonderful world-building episode, bulking up the back stories of the primary cast while pushing some the current plot lines forward. We see this all the time in comics. After major plot lines, the creators will often take an issue to tell an 'untold tale of ...' to build up characterization while setting the stage for something coming up. For me, after the gut punches of "For the Girl Who Has Everything" and "Falling", I needed a chance to catch my breath. And this episode gave me that chance to pause, reflect, and understand the characters' motivations a bit better. So the plot of Supergirl being mistrusted by National City is mentioned but not really moved forward.

This episode is instead all about beginnings or new phases in people's lives. So we see a school age Kara just arrived on Earth. We see her first day at CatCo. We see a college age Alex. We see the 'real' Hank. And J'onn in hiding. We meet Jeremiah Danvers. These scenes add so much depth, helping us understand how everyone got to the point they were in episode 1.

As great as those flashbacks were, it was the ending that got me. Alex, Hank, and Lucy are all in very different places at the end of this episode than where they were at the beginning. I believe they are in better places, or at least more interesting places. Especially Lucy. I worried about her character arc a lot these last few weeks. But the writers and producers did something that made me cheer. I suddenly like Lucy even more than I did before.

Lastly, the ending of this episode seemed to be a set-up for a Season Two, something that we still don't know we will be getting.

I seem to say it each week. But I couldn't ask for a better show for the character of Supergirl.