Superman on Television
Supergirl: Episode Reviews
Season 2 - Episode 6: "Changing"
Reviewed by: T.A. Ewart (aka liheibao)
Originally Aired: November 14, 2016
WRITTEN BY: Andrew Kreisberg and Caitlin Parris (based on a story by Greg Berlanti)
DIRECTED BY: Larry Teng
REGULAR CAST:
Melissa Benoist (Kara Danvers/Supergirl)
Chyler Leigh (Alex Danvers)
Mehcad Brooks (James Olsen)
David Harewood (Hank Henshaw/J'onn J'onzz)
Jeremy Jordan (Winslow "Winn" Schott)
Ian Gomez (Snapper Carr)
RECURRING CAST:
Chris Wood (Mon-El)
Katie McGrath (Lena Luthor)
Floriana Lima (Maggie Sawyer)
Brenda Strong (Lillian Luthor)
GUEST CAST:
Sharon Leal (M'gann M'orzz)
William Mapother (Rudy Jones)
Nikohl Boosheri (Kelly Sotto)
Jason Gray-Stanford (Rand O'Reilly)
Rating - 4 (out of 5): The progress that Supergirl has made in terms of overall story quality should be commended. Supergirl, herself, is incredibly rounded only six episodes into her sophomore season, and characters such as Martian Manhunter follow in that vein. While his power-level fluctuates from standard to groan out loud, Harewood makes the most of his screen time, and Manhunter, despite the aforesaid shortcomings, benefits from it. Winn has successfully been integrated in a supporting role that is nearly innocuous, but at the same time vital... and that is no mean feat. Jimmy Olsen goes from being Esquire in distress, to masked avenger of the night (and in record time!), while also taking on the responsibilities of Catco, and while the jury will still be out for many, as he replaces the much beloved Cat Grant, partially, the transition has been smoother than expected. The biggest treat is Mon-El, super-powered slacker from another planet, with poor judgement and laziness on par with mortal men. Mon-El working as an enforcer, and not understanding why this was wrong, or just not caring, allows for levity, and growth on his part.
Still, there is something missing from the world of Supergirl. The development given to much of the regular cast, is denied any of the villains, and so it's the bum of the month club in full swing. The dependency on real life events to drive the narrative doesn't work well, for while amnesty for humans may be fathomable, doing such with visitors from other worlds could prove disastrous, and we've been given an idea of how much when we we're shown that the President of the United States may be an alien herself. Real world happenings being used in fiction isn't new, but they work best as inspiration, and not the petrol in the engine. Election season is over, and with the hullabaloo done, what seeds have germinated from its usage, is a question that probably will never be answered. While I was happy to see Supergirl have a stronger direction this season, there is still the nagging imperfections of the former year, and frustration on this critics part that those easily solvable problems haven't been addressed. Cadmus, Lena Luthor, Lena's mother, Alex, and Maggie have taken up considerable screen time, and the results are questionable at best. Did Maggie need to be introduced for the sole purpose of leaving and leaving Alex thrown over? Does the Cadmus leader need to be Lena's mother, a trope worn as a Roman road? Did we need to see the Parasite introduced to considerable effect, only to have him done away with, and have Supergirl in kill in the act? Supergirl has much going for it, but it still needs to settle down, and focus on storytelling. What is going on and why, and how these choices will play out later. That's the only agenda it should have... if any.
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