REVIEW: SUPERGIRL - SEASON 5, EP. 2: "Stranger Beside Me"
The title for this episode of the Girl Of Steel couldn't be more appropriate. We look at Team Supergirl, and their respective relationships to their various significant others, or friends. We also get a surprise reappearance, and more questions.
J'Onn's story has been one of great hardship. Having to leave his homeworld, as his people are slaughtered by White Martians, losing his family, and having many a villain toy with his head...from Manchester Black, to Midnight, to now learning he has a brother. A brother who wants to destroy him. It's a mystery that will unfold as we get closer to CRISIS.
J'Onn's brother, Malefic, is experiencing pain---one that his White Martian is trying to help ease. At the same time, J'Onn is ALSO suffering from pain from his last encounter with his brother. We see him out cold at the beginning of the episode as he is discovered by Kara and James as they were going to see him. A quick check at the DEO shows that there's some sort of problem in his head...eating away at his memories. I liken it to a tiny brain anyuerism. Brainy suggests using Q-Waves to help him. Coincidentally enough, that's exactly what James' sister Kelly is working with at Obsidian.
Speaking of Obsidian---pretty high tech stuff...and Andrea is keen on keeping tabs on the VR lenses that they're developing, and working with Kelly. Kelly, meanwhile, uses the lenses to help J'Onn tap into his memories to see what happened in regards to the brother he just now discovered. It causes him some pain, but in turn, he learns more about his father, and the consequences of losing his brother to the Phantom Zone. The effect of the Obsidian VR Lenes has a two way effect---as it makes the pain both J'Onn AND Malefic have disappear. However, more of Malefic's powers were lost in the Phantom Zone...of which the White Martian agrees to help him.
Relationships of all sorts are abound in this episode, as we see Alex cooking for Kelly. Sadly, the blueberry pancakes she made would cause an allergic reaction to Kelly, who DOES have an epi-pen handy. These two are still feeling out this relationship, and it's still fresh and new. And while both are happy, Alex seems to have fallen completely and deeply in love with her. She describes to J'Onn how deeply she feels for her. She's frustrated that she doesn't know Kelly really well, but when Malefic shapeshifts into Kelly, Alex manages to use her knowledge of what Kelly told her earlier, and used to to expose Malefic, but not before he knocked her out. At the climax of the episode, Kelly and Alex manage to find that trust with each other to allow Alex to shoot Malefic, and cause him to shift back to his Martian self, and take off before he can be captured. In the end, they're both satisfied in where they're going, and we see them content with each other.
Brainy and Nia...different story. Nia is learning that Brainy is relatively new at human romantic relationships. He's trying too hard, but feels he is doing right by her by his "wooing". Mostly with food...LOTS OF IT. She gets him to lay off the food, but then switches to poetry in order to impress her. He's failing badly at this, but his awkwardness is what makes this relationship cute. However...Nia looks miserable. It's like he traded one bad habit for another,. We see her looking miserable as he continues to serenade her with poetry during the show's final scene montage.
Supergirl herself is juggling a few relationships: two work related, and Lena. While Kara feels good about having told Lena the truth...and she'll find out just how BAD an idea THAT was later on down the road, she also has to deal with Andrea Rojas & William Lee at CatCo. She tells James, and then J'Onn, that it's frustrating working there now. When she has William re-writing her articles to fit Andrea's tabloid-esque version of the site. She butts heads with Andrea, who wants her to write a fashion piece on what everyone wore to HER Pulitzer Party. Kara isn't keen on it...and when she isn't able to write it because she had to race out to meet Alex as Supergirl to take on the White Martian. William contacts the NSA to follow her. When she has to save him from the Martian, she rips him a new one as Kara once she gets back to CatCo. Kara later takes the copy workload back (that Andrea gave her as punishment), and decides to stick it out, and keep fighting against Andrea, and to try and restore CatCo to its original purpose. See...this is where I am upset that we don't have AT LEAST a cameo by Cat Grant. Cat is the voice of reason in Kara's life aside from Alex...and even Clark. Cat is that motherly figure she could count on to lift her up--albeit in a rough manner...but still gave Kara the tools to succeed. This show suffers a little without Cat. William, however? We see him volunteering at a shelter. Maybe he's not as bad as we thought.
James looking at being a Senator? Would be interesting if Mr. Olsen can bring some INTEGRITY to the job.
Andrea---as I said last week---there's more to her than meets the eye. When she finds out that her IP has been stolen, she immediately goes to the source: Lena. We see just how vindictive Ms. Rojas is when crossed---especially threatening Lena with exposure to the board of L-Corp about her...indiscretions. She is all flash and glam...sensationalism personified when it comes to CatCo. Her bottom line is money and exposure.
Which brings us to Lena---who spends the episode trying to fine tune the VR Lenses to do what she and her Artificial Intelligence, Hope, discuss her plan in using the VR lenses to destroy the human capacity to lie and be cruel. She also had Eve Tessmacher kidnapped in order to find out WHY she did what she did. Eve recalls her story about when she was younger, and was approached by "them", and they told her that she HAD to do what she did in working with Lex. But the thing is..Eve learned to ENJOY what she did. After Eve was able to eavesdropp on Andrea and Lena's confrontation, she agrees to help Lena. Which is good, because Lena uses Eve as a lab rat, and implementing Hope inside Eve's head, thus giving Eve a human host to help carry out Lena's plan. You know what they say about those who feel they have the best of intentions when they go to the extreme. Lena is closer and closer to becoming more like dear brother Lex. And they DID say this season was going to be a fight for Lena's soul.
We hope to learn more about the Martian Civil War as we continue to unravel the mystery of J'Onn's brother, Lena's plan, James' run for public office, and where the Maid Of Might fits in all this. We are off to a good start to this season, and there's plenty of intrigue to keep us guessing all season. So far, we have gotten a pretty even balance as far as time for each of our characters, and their continued development. It's never easy juggling that many balls in the air, but so far, they're giving us much to ponder upon, and new characters to check out.
Another quality episode for Krypton's Last Daughter. Thanks for checking out the blog, and PLEASE leave a comment, subscribe, and pass the good word around.
Until next week...Up, Up, and AWAY!
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