Superman on Television

Supergirl: Episode Reviews

Season 5 - Episode 1: "Event Horizon"

Originally Aired: October 6, 2019
WRITTEN BY: Derek Simon and Nicki Holcomb
DIRECTED BY: Jesse Warn

REGULAR CAST:
Melissa Benoist (Kara/Supergirl)
Chyler Leigh (Alex Danvers)
Mechad Brooks (James Olsen)
Jesse Rath (Brainiac 5)
Katie McGrath (Lena Luthor)
Nicole Maines (Nia Nal/Dreamer)

GUEST STARS:
Azie Tesfai (Kelly Olsen)
April Parker Jones (Colonel Haley)
Andrea Brooks (Eve Teschmacher)
Staz Nair (William Day)

Rating - 3 (out of 5): This was a very uneven season premiere. It wasn't terrible. I didn't want to turn it off. I'm not quitting the show. It's just the episode was very uneven and couldn't seem to decide what it wanted to be.

Midnight was set up in the ads to be this major threat and she wasn't. Sure, she was a means to an end for J'onn's brother, but I just didn't feel anything for her. I didn't dislike her, but I didn't like her either. She was just kind of there. The J'onn's brother subplot at least gives J'onn something to do, but the fact that we're five seasons in and he's still getting knocked around bugs me.

The buying out of CatCo was dramatic, but the whole "technology is ruining things and people need to look up from their phones" subtext was even more heavy handed than the social commentary from last season. And it feels a tad hypocritical. Supergirl is a show on the CW, which is a subsidiary of CBS and AT&T. This show airs on television and on the CW website. The CW has a strong presence on Twitter and other social media platforms. If I open my Twitter app when the show is airing there is a shortcut to tweet about at the top of my feed.

I'm sure the producers and the network want people to share clips and use hashtags and post about how they're watching the show. Before the Batwoman premiere we were encouraged to live tweet.

So...yeah. Feels a bit hypocritical.

It's not that I disagree with their premise. I want people to be more informed of their elected officials and the news of the day. At the same time, I really don't need this lecture from a show that lives off of the very interaction it was complaining about.

If this is their social commentary for the season, it's going to be a long year.

The whole thing with Lena and Kara was...actually, it was really well done. I can understand why Lena feels the way she does and the fact that she's feigning forgiveness adds a lot of depth to her and Kara's relationship. Lena is acting like a Luthor and like all Luthors she believes her actions are for the greater good. The fact that she didn't upload the story that Kara was Supergirl works out better for her. This is the part of the season I am looking forward to the most.

Well, this and Crisis.

The new owner of CatCo and James quitting is just more of the "we are having trouble finding something for Jimmy to do" that has been part of the character since season two. Jimmy quitting to find his own path makes sense considering Mechad Brooks is leaving the show, but he's not gone yet, so it feels weird.

Again, it wasn't a bad episode. There were plenty of things I liked. Brainy and Nia's relationship continues to be a joy and the new costume is great. I am hoping that the season proves me wrong on my issues with this episode.

We'll see where it goes.

Back to the main TELEVISION page.