Supergirl: Season 4
Based on: DC comics character Kara Zor-El, created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino
Developed by: Greg Berlanti, Ali Adler, Andrew Kreisberg
Starring:
Melissa Benoist (Kara Danvers/Supergirl), Mehcad Brooks (Jimmy Olsen/Guardian), Chyler Leigh (Alex Danvers), David Harewood (J'onn/Martian Manhunter), Katie McGrath (Lena Luthor), Jesse Rath ("Brainy"/Brainiac 5), Sam Witwer (Benjamin Lockwood/Agent Liberty), Nicole Maines (Nia/Dreamer), April Parker Jones (Colonel Haley)
As a repeat of my Flash review intro, the "Arrowverse" refers to a shared on-screen universe of multiple CW network TV series based on DC comics properties. Arrow aired first and Supergirl was one of several spinoffs of it.
I personally jumped into the game late; I didn't initially think I'd be interested in Arrow or The Flash (the first spinoff). But once it became a whole shared universe of DC characters, I knew I wanted to see what was going on.
Supergirl has been my favorite Arrowverse series for its entire run. As anyone who's been following my blog might have noticed, I'm a major fan of fantasy and sci-fi, and this show contains those elements much more strongly than, say, Arrow--and takes itself a touch more seriously than, say, Legends. I've greatly enjoyed Kara's journey in discovering her origin and powers, coming to terms with who she is especially in relation to Superman, and how the show brings in other alien characters from the DC universe like Martian Manhunter and Mon-El.
This season, in specific, felt flat over its first half in terms of its antagonist, Benjamin Lockwood, who's simply a xenophobic public figure who speaks out on the dangers of alien immigrants in their society. Supergirl has been very blatant on its pro-immigration themes (in addition to its strong feminism). I've never minded these themes, even though they veer close to being preachy, because they suit the show's alien themes quite well, but Lockwood seemed a touch on the nose and flavorless. That first half still managed to keep my interest as Alex, who is Kara's (AKA Supergirl's) adoptive sister, becomes endangered due to her knowledge of Supergirl's secret identity. The team is forced to wipe Alex's memory of Kara to keep Supergirl safe from the government, which leads to massive emotional consequences: their entire sibling relationship is erased from Alex's mind.
The second half of the season was far more captivating, especially due to the above plot carrying forward. Lex Luthor was introduced, masterfully portrayed by Jon Cryer. The Superman archnemesis approaches Lena in a bid for his life: he's been diagnosed with terminal cancer and only Lena's meta-human research has the potentially to save his life.
I was blown away by not only Cryer's acting but also by the writing. Lex's genius is mirrored in Lena; the half-siblings share a similar intellect and more mannerisms than either would like to admit, despite the latter trying hard to use her powers for good. The dichotomy was powerful and poetic and made for a brilliant episode in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (also a great movie reference), Lex's onscreen debut. One of my favorite scenes involved Lex and Lena working together to complete her research. "Add a touch of that," goes Lex, indicating a chemical. "I added a smidge of that last time and it killed the subject," Lena retorts. Lex smirks, "I said a touch, not a smidge." Lena casts him a perturbed eye, but then a glace at the data on screen before them brightens her face. "You're right," she says, and vocalizes how a slightly different quantity would change the outcome. This interaction brilliantly depicted their temporary alliance and shared expertise. It was loads of fun to watch Cryer and McGrath's smooth chemistry, the actors beautifully portraying the bond of a shared (if traumatic) childhood and the resulting undeniable amiability despite foundational and devastating differences.
Lena and Lex completing their research together
I was glued to the screen for the entire episode, absolutely devouring the chemistry between Lena and Lex, and also clamoring for a breaking point in the Supergirl-Alex plotline, as the latter was breaking down with confusion on "missing pieces" she continues discovering in her memory. The end of "O Brother" only left me screaming louder as multiple background characters in Lena's employ are revealed to be working for Lex behind her back, and they facilitate Lex as he steals the results of their research, cures himself, and vanishes with the bounty, leaving some of Lena's friends injured in the wake.
True to the supervillain's character, the subsequent episodes reveal the true reach of Lex's plot, and it is expansive. As the season reaches for its finale, we discover Lex's true intentions and discover that Lockwood was one of his pawns all along, the xenophobic campaign just a piece in Lex's global plot against aliens worldwide. And, as if all that wasn't enough, the season pulls of a "Red Daughter" subplot that also involves Lex-- a hypothetical "what if" some comics and animated movies have explored of Superman ("Red Son" in that case) landing in Russia instead of the US.
The season also introduces Kelly Olsen (Azie Tesfai), Jimmy's sister and I believe an original character to Supergirl. She doesn't have a major impact on the season, but her presence in the second half of the season serves to shake things up in a very positive way, and her interactions with the main casts seems to bode very well (in my opinion) for the next season.
The season finale wraps up its individual plotlines very succinctly and also introduces some rather plot-shattering information drops that bode terrifyingly for the next season. I'm very excited to see how everything goes down.
Comments
Post a Comment