Tuesday TV Touchbase: Supergirl

Today's Tuesday TV Touchbase will look at Supergirl which recently aired it's 100th episode. 

I've been there for Supergirl from the beginning with it's first season on CBS. It's not always an easy show to love with some really poorly thought out concepts of plotting and characterization along the way. 

The less said about that whole Reign business, the better.

And really, no one seemed to every figure out what to do with James Olsen.  

But when Supergirl works, it works very well and is the kind of super hero show we need right now. While the movie side of the DC Universe kept dimming the lights on a darker and darker view of DC's heroes, Supergirl has been a more positive influence. It's not just about the powers but also the conviction to do the right thing and to be an inspiration to our better natures. 

“It’s a Super Life,” Supergirl’s 100th episode, is good opportunity to reflect on this show and it's influence. 

“It’s a Super Life" is almost but not quite a clip show. Yes, there are clips courtesy of Mister Mxyzptlk's use of  a movie projector, the ever buffering Mxyflx and video tape
...Betamax, no less. But the clips are in service to an intriguing offer from Mxyzptlk: an opportunity for Kara to go back in time and tell Lena Luthor she is really Supergirl in an effort to not have Lena feeling pissed off and betrayed by it. 

So Kara watches clips from Supergirl to find crucial moments in her relationship with Lena where maybe she could have or should have spoken up sooner. Then with a helpful zap from Mxyzptlk, Kara goes back in time to relive that moment and fix things.

Spoiler: it never works.

Either Lena is still mad at Kara. And Kara winds up dead. With Alex weeping by her grave. (Geez! Did we not get enough of that sort of thing on Arrow?)  

Or Lena gets killed by Reign. (Oh no! Not her again!)  And Mon-El dies too. (Yep! Chris Wood is back again!) 

Look, season 3 was kind of hard on all of us. “So much exposition,” as Mxy puts it while fast-forwarding through season 3.

Or Lena becomes an evil overlord of National City with Reign (Oh no! Not her again!) as one of her enforcers. 

There is one alternative where Lena is happy that Kara has shared this secret with her and doesn't get killed right away. They actually team up and become a rock 'em sock 'em pair crime fighting bad asses. Lena sciences shit against evil and Supergirl punches evil in the face! 

Then Agent Liberty shows up. (Oh no! Not him again!)  He kidnaps Lena into a slow death trap type of thing he bought at a Penguin garage sale in Gotham City and threatens to kill her unless Supergirl reveals her secret identity to the world. 

Kara does exactly that and Agent Liberty actually keeps his word and doesn't kill Lena. 

But with Kara's secret identity exposed to the world, everyone Kara Danvers knows is killed. Including Cat Grant!

No! Not Cat Grant! 

OK, I have to admit in season one, I was fairly annoyed at the cutaways to Cat Grant and Catco in order to give Calista Flockhart something to do. But ever since Calista left the show, I have missed Cat's biting wit and wisdom. For the 100th episode, all we got was a still photo of Cat.  

Speaking of missing people, I didn't realize just how badly I missed Jeremy Jordan as Winn until these last few episodes. His recent 2 part adventure where he returned from the future was so good and he's has some new scenes for this retrospective. 

Anyway, Kara learns a very important lesson from Mxyzptlk's flashback fest. There was never going to be a way to tell Lena the truth her life as Supergirl without there being some form of consequence that would hurt someone in some way or another.  

The episode ends with Supergirl flying over to Lena's apartment and tells her what she's needed to tell Lena all along. 

"From now on, you’re accountable for your own actions. If you decide to forgive me, I will be there for you. But if you continue to work with Lex, if you go through with whatever the two of you are planning, I will do everything in my power to stop you. Just like I would any other villain."  

It is a cathartic moment for Kara. She's been under a heavy weight of guilt about Lena, about not sharing her secret with her and the hurt and betrayal felt when Kara did tell her. Kara's did her bit. The ball is now in Lena's court.  

The episode ends as a Supergirl episode should end, with Kara in her apartment, sharing a moment with her friends, with sister Alex and J'onn. They resolve to keep up the good fight and help each other for they are "stronger together". ("Stronger Together" was the title of the second episode of season 1.) 

Thomas Lennon as Mxyzptlk, Melissa Benoist as Supergirl and Nicole Maines as Dreamer.
OK, I have to admit I'm still not sure what does Dreamer do. What exactly is that energy stuff she shoots out of her hands? Dreamer has, I think, the power of whatever the plot requires of her.  

OK, I'm being a bit scattershot with this post but I have to comment on Thomas Lennon as Mxyzptlk (previously portrayed by Peter Gadiot in season two). Lennon's take on Mxy is at once chaotic and unexpectedly sweet. Mxyzptlk is supposed to be imp and Thomas Lennon plays him with an impish glee. The deal with Mxy this time out is that his peers in the 5th Dimension have ordered him to only use his powers to help those he has pestered in the past. And Supergirl is next on his list.  I hope the next time Mxy appears, it's still with Lennon. (Unless the deal is a different actor plays him...or her... every time.)  

"It's A Super Life" is, well, super and a great way to celebrate a significant milestone 100th episode.  

Sometimes, Supergirl, you can still try my patience. But when you're good, it's all worth it as I remain a loyal viewer. 

Melissa Benoist and the cast of Supergirl celebrating 100 episodes! 

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Quick hit on other TV stuff.

Into last week, Jeopardy had a good run from a contestant I though was just so adorable and incredibly smart. Mackenzie Jones scored over $200,000 in an 8 game run. She had a different hand gesture for each episode opening and a quirky sense of humor.



She also, apparently, is not a good speller. Some Final Jeopardy clues were right but misspelled.  My favorite was when the question was "What is the Filet O' Fish?" and she spelled it "Fillet O' Fish".  But Alex noted that they don't count spelling.  

I was sad to see her go in game 9 where she seemed to struggle more than usual to get to the buzzer. But Alex assured her we would see her again for the Tournament of Champions.  

That's that for this week's Tuesday TV Touchbase. I think next week I might chat about where we are with Outlander so far.