Supergirl was the last mid-season finale of the DCTVU, and surprisingly, also the first one back!
The plot picks up right after the cliffhanger of the mid-season finalé, but unfortunately, slows down to a grind for the rest of the episode. Blood Bonds was evidently a setup episode, hence the lack of any bombastic action, and a surplus of antagonistic characters turning up.
Related: Supergirl Faces A Hostile Takeover
All in all, the recurring antagonists are pretty much set in stone: Maxwell Lord, a.k.a. Lex Luthor duplicate, plus Non and Astra, who’re pretty much Zod and Faora.
Maxwell Lord remains a Luthor-in-Training, seemingly having no unique traits by himself. I mean, yeah sure, Lex Luthor has been one of Superman’s most enduring and capable enemy. However, I’m afraid that Lord would be unable to develop into as a unique nemesis, much like Reverse-Flash was to Flash, and Malcolm Merlyn was to Arrow. Despite these characters (or even due to) them being quite a bit different from their comics’ counter-part, they still remain compelling. It’s OK to not be a carbon copy of another villain!
Astra still remains a diamond in the rough: there is potential for her to be a great character, torn between familial ties from both niece and husband, and the need to seek revenge and fulfill her duty as a solider.
However, Astra often comes across more confused than conflicted. I wish that Astra can improve over the season.
I feel like it’s a disservice to Cat Grant’s character for her to be unsure whether Kara is Supergirl or not. Where is the cocksure Cat Grant that we have seen, such as during her interactions with Lucy Lane or Maxwell Lord? That being said, it’s hard to refute solid proof in the form of Martian Manhunter taking Supergirl’s form, providing a stone-cold alibi for Kara Danvers. This was particularly cool because J’on J’onzz does this as a favour for Superman regularly in the comics.
I liked that Kara acknowledged Cat Grant as a mentor, and there is sort of a grudging respect blooming between the two, not as Supergirl and Cat Grant, but as Kara and Cat.
Also, although preachy, the power of friends pretty much saved Supergirl from a lifetime of regret. James and Winn was forced together again, but the surprising lack of animosity was refreshing. I look forward to seeing Team Supergirl improving their chemistry and trust in each other, but I also dread the day when a love triangle will destroy this…
Also, PLEASE stop teasing Clark Kent in text messages. It doesn’t make much sense plot wise, considering there is literally a prison’s worth of super-powered beings just floating around National City, and Superman doesn’t even come to help? For the love of Krypton, please just show Superman or keep him otherwise occupied in Metropolis.
This episode definitely wasn’t the best, but forgivable as it was merely a setup for the rest of the season. With that said, I will always look forward to Supergirl and crew saving the day, but it might help if the villains are little more than cardboard placeholders.
Next, on Supergirl:
https://youtu.be/J5spyWI9kkg
[divider]Easter Eggs/Theories[/divider]
52, 52, 52
Well, we all know DC has a thing about 52, and Supergirl is no exception.
Bizzaro
The girl we see with pitch black eyes right at the end is likely to be Bizarro-Girl. Bizarro-Girl is pretty much the complete opposite of Supergirl: coming from the planet Htrae (Earth spelled backwards), and possessing a contrasting power set. For example, instead of having heat vision, Bizarro-Girl possesses freeze vision, and being only able to see through lead, instead of lead being the only thing that stops X-ray vision.
The cool thing here is that Bizarro-Girl would prove more than a match for Supergirl, and since Maxwell Lord is convinced that people can’t see Supergirl for the alien that she really is, it kinda makes sense that he wants to make a more evil-looking “super-alien”.