Supergirl takes on a different kind of villain and deals with an insufferable Jimmy Olsen.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Picking up right where “Stronger Together” left off, Supergirl gives the big “exclusive” interview to a delightfully smarmy Cat Grant, which amounts to little more than a brief conversation before Kara lets it slip that Big Blue is, in fact, her cousin. While it definitely doesn’t have the impact of the classic “first interview” between Lois and Superman, Supergirl does get a pretty definitive moment that confirms the show’s devotion to feminism. When Cat asks her if she intends on starting a family, Kara replies “Nobody ever asks my cousin these questions.” It’s a great commentary on sexism in the media, while doubling as a powerful moment for our hero.
We want to hear it.
The main plot deals with the tech-based villain Reactron and his thin-but-buyable motivation to destroy Supergirl in order to hurt Superman, the man he blames for the death of his wife and the accident that made him what he is. It’s the first episode of this show that gives a villain any real depth, which was a nice change of pace from the cliché-spouting Kryptonian villains of the first two episodes. Most importantly, Reactron’s backstory gives us a chance to see one of Kara’s most important superpowers in action: compassion. One of the highlights of this episode was Supergirl’s determination to talk it out with Reactron and appeal to his better nature. Of course she’s not without a Plan B, which is to “punch him real hard until he falls down.”
“Fight or Flight” deals with a very important question that is both a sort of meta logistical question as well as a very important character beat: why doesn’t Kara call Superman for help? I’m glad to see the show addressing this so early on, because it stands to reason that, yes, Kara could conceivably call in the Man of Steel for back-up when she’s feeling overwhelmed (but then there’d be no show). The key here is that Kara wants Supergirl to stand on her own – she makes a powerful point about how Clark didn’t have help when he first started, even if he wanted it – and that’s what helps the show answer this question. At least, until Superman shows up to save the day.
We want to hear it.
It was disappointing that Superman literally swooped in to save Kara from Reactron during their junkyard battle. While my initial reaction was to shout at the television about how Superman would never betray faith in his cousin like that, my sudden disappointment in the Man of Steel was alleviated when it was revealed that it was in fact James that undercut Kara’s trust. I was glad to have the chat/text sequence at the end of the episode to explain that Superman “had a talk” with James about the situation and assured her that it wouldn’t happen again. Even better, Clark Kent, award-winning journalist, uses smiley faces in his chats.
Because of this whole scenario, “Fight or Flight” was a very odd episode for James. Last week, he was a standout because of his desire to make a name for himself in National City without help from his best pal. Ironic, then, that James would be so blind to the exact same desires in Kara. So much so that he would go behind her back to call in Superman to help her when she specifically asked him not to. It was also quite strange that James would slip up so easily and reveal Clark’s secret identity to Winn by accident (though Winn’s reaction got a laugh out of me). He’s kept that secret for years and he lets it out in front of a guy he just met like a week ago? While Jimmy did ultimately come around and risk his own life to prove his faith in Supergirl, it felt like a bit of a misstep in the development of his character.
We want to hear it.
However, I did like how the drama with James helped to reinforce the brewing rivalry between him and Winn. It’s not so extroverted (yet) as to be considered a love triangle, but the pieces are definitely in place. It’s a typical set up: Winn is the nice, do-it-all-for-you guy, while James is the handsome and talented perfect match that’s just out of reach. It’s amusing how Winn is, classically speaking, more of a Jimmy Olsen-type that’s competing with Jimmy Olsen himself. It’s like watching the Silver Age Jimmy and the modern Jimmy duking it out in the office. “Fight or Flight” goes a long way to endear us to Winn as a character, despite it basically being at the expense of our like for James. The introduction of Lucy Lane as James’ ex-girlfriend was a nice touch that helped to put a new spin on what we assumed the Kara/James dynamic would be, and I’m excited to see where that leads.
The other major component of this episode was Maxwell Lord, whom Reactron kidnaps when he needs help repairing his suit. Peter Facinelli’s Lord isn’t all that appealing, offering a typical playboy cockiness that tries to capture the spirit of Tony Stark but is one third as convincing. Lord isn’t particularly likable, even when he’s paired with the delightful Cat Grant in a cringe-inducing dance scene littered with bad sexual innuendo. Cat is a standout in this episode (her treatment of poor Ginger Dave was a definite highlight); Flockhart is able to walk that line of insufferable and likable that Facinelli doesn’t manage this time around. I’m attracted to the idea of these two egos clashing with one another, but it just doesn’t work in “Fight or Flight.”
Supergirl’s third episode leaves the Kryptonian villains behind and instead focuses on Supergirl’s desire to prove herself. It’s a good episode that takes a few too many missteps with James and gives a lot of screen time to an unlikable Maxwell Lord, but it also goes to great lengths to endear us to Winn – a character that’s been underserved thus far – and give Supergirl some real solid internal drama to wrestle with.
