The third season of Supergirl started last week, and so far, I've been enjoying it! I'm not invested in much television anymore, and I didn't agree with every creative decision they made in season two, but this show is always a solid bet for me. So, this week, I'm talking about my five favorite episodes, which were frustratingly hard to narrow down. These are in chronological order. First up:
Episode 1.06, "Red Faced"
Kara faces frustrating circumstances in her job at CatCo and in her life as Supergirl. Meanwhile, in the non-superheroic story line, James has dinner with Lucy and her Army general dad who disapproves of him. What makes this episode stand out for me is the exploration of anger. Kara and James bond while boxing (James with a punching bag and Kara with an actual car) and talking about how, as a woman and a black man, they're often told not to express their anger. It's a good reminder that anger can be a force for good.
1.13, "For the Girl Who Has Everything"
I'm a sucker for episodes focused on the Danvers sisters. They're definitely my favorite relationship on this show (with Alex and J'onn being a close second) and pretty much my favorite relationship on television. With that said, it's no surprise this episode is on my list. It features Kara succumbing to a Black Mercy, a parasite that traps her in a vision of a life on Krypton had the planet not been destroyed, and Alex risking her life to save her. I love that the show allows Kara to be saved because it argues that strength doesn't have to mean being the hero and being alone all the time. Sometimes, it means letting people help you. It's pretty wonderful, too, that Alex is the one doing the saving because fiction, in my opinion, doesn't focus enough on relationships between women, sister relationships included. The Danvers sisters save each other because they love each other, and I love them.
2.04, "Survivors"
I love this episode not because it's heavy on the drama and mythology (as much as I appreciate the feels) but because it's just bad-ass and fun. Dichen Lachman guest-stars as Roulette, a villain who runs an underground alien cage-fighting club. That single sentence in promo form was enough to get me excited about this episode, and it really followed through with the premise. This episode also introduced us to M'gann M'orzz, a white Martian living in self-imposed exile, and lets Alex get to know Maggie, who was introduced in the previous episode, a bit more. And since Maggie's a National City detective with the science division, I like getting to know her more.
2.09, "Supergirl Lives"
Another one of my favorite things this show does is explore Supergirl's humanity. Sometimes, that exploration is figurative, like when Kara has to deal with very human emotions. But sometimes, like in this episode, it's literal. She ends up on the planet Maaldoria, which has a red sun. Since her powers come from Earth's yellow sun, she has to figure out how to be a hero without them. The ending isn't a surprise. She's our protagonist. Of course she's going to save the day. But the fun comes from watching her figure it out, and there's something to be said for stories where you know the good guys are going to win.
2.15, "Exodus"
This episode has so much going on. Jeremiah betraying Alex and Kara. Forced alien emigration. Alex getting benched at the DEO. Maggie figuring out just what "ride or die" means when talking about a Danvers sister. Kara facing a crisis of conscious at her job. But amidst all that, this episode has what might be my favorite moment of the entire series. Alex hops onto the ark that Cadmus is using to forcibly emigrate aliens right before it launches, because she's selfless like that. The only catch is once it hits the upper atmosphere, it's going to jump right to FTL and take her and everyone else to who knows where in the galaxy. Supergirl diverts from her original mission to help stop the ship, but it seems she might not be strong enough. She's pushing against the ship right below the windshield, which means she can see Alex in the cockpit and Alex can see her. Alex puts her hand against the windshield to give her sister strength, and I'm getting all goosebumpy just writing about it because it's such a great moment between the sisters. They use the same music theme from "Red Faced," and I love the Supergirl soundtracks (by Blake Neely) in general, but that's one of my favorite themes.
Episode 1.06, "Red Faced"Kara faces frustrating circumstances in her job at CatCo and in her life as Supergirl. Meanwhile, in the non-superheroic story line, James has dinner with Lucy and her Army general dad who disapproves of him. What makes this episode stand out for me is the exploration of anger. Kara and James bond while boxing (James with a punching bag and Kara with an actual car) and talking about how, as a woman and a black man, they're often told not to express their anger. It's a good reminder that anger can be a force for good.
I'm a sucker for episodes focused on the Danvers sisters. They're definitely my favorite relationship on this show (with Alex and J'onn being a close second) and pretty much my favorite relationship on television. With that said, it's no surprise this episode is on my list. It features Kara succumbing to a Black Mercy, a parasite that traps her in a vision of a life on Krypton had the planet not been destroyed, and Alex risking her life to save her. I love that the show allows Kara to be saved because it argues that strength doesn't have to mean being the hero and being alone all the time. Sometimes, it means letting people help you. It's pretty wonderful, too, that Alex is the one doing the saving because fiction, in my opinion, doesn't focus enough on relationships between women, sister relationships included. The Danvers sisters save each other because they love each other, and I love them.
I love this episode not because it's heavy on the drama and mythology (as much as I appreciate the feels) but because it's just bad-ass and fun. Dichen Lachman guest-stars as Roulette, a villain who runs an underground alien cage-fighting club. That single sentence in promo form was enough to get me excited about this episode, and it really followed through with the premise. This episode also introduced us to M'gann M'orzz, a white Martian living in self-imposed exile, and lets Alex get to know Maggie, who was introduced in the previous episode, a bit more. And since Maggie's a National City detective with the science division, I like getting to know her more.
Another one of my favorite things this show does is explore Supergirl's humanity. Sometimes, that exploration is figurative, like when Kara has to deal with very human emotions. But sometimes, like in this episode, it's literal. She ends up on the planet Maaldoria, which has a red sun. Since her powers come from Earth's yellow sun, she has to figure out how to be a hero without them. The ending isn't a surprise. She's our protagonist. Of course she's going to save the day. But the fun comes from watching her figure it out, and there's something to be said for stories where you know the good guys are going to win.
This episode has so much going on. Jeremiah betraying Alex and Kara. Forced alien emigration. Alex getting benched at the DEO. Maggie figuring out just what "ride or die" means when talking about a Danvers sister. Kara facing a crisis of conscious at her job. But amidst all that, this episode has what might be my favorite moment of the entire series. Alex hops onto the ark that Cadmus is using to forcibly emigrate aliens right before it launches, because she's selfless like that. The only catch is once it hits the upper atmosphere, it's going to jump right to FTL and take her and everyone else to who knows where in the galaxy. Supergirl diverts from her original mission to help stop the ship, but it seems she might not be strong enough. She's pushing against the ship right below the windshield, which means she can see Alex in the cockpit and Alex can see her. Alex puts her hand against the windshield to give her sister strength, and I'm getting all goosebumpy just writing about it because it's such a great moment between the sisters. They use the same music theme from "Red Faced," and I love the Supergirl soundtracks (by Blake Neely) in general, but that's one of my favorite themes.
