Spoilers Supergirl - Season 2

[Mudd]

Where is "Mon-El is Cryogenically preserved to save his life (and set up for the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century crossover event that is the Season 3 premiere...")?

I don't know all the nerd stuffs, I just got suspicions about some of the TV action/drama stuffs.

 

[Christopher]

I think the show has suffered from the loss of Cat and the diminution of CatCo's presence. I liked how thoughtful the show was last season, with characters reflecting on philosophy and Cat leading an ongoing thematic exploration of positivity and hope vs. negativity and fearmongering in media culture and politics. I felt it had something to say that was relevant to the real world. It still does to an extent, with the alien allegories for immigration and prejudice and so on, but it tends to be more unsubtle, and there's been less of it lately. There was an attempt at media-culture commentary with the rush to judgment about Lena Luthor a couple weeks back, but Snapper is not as effective or engaging a foil for such a debate as Cat was. Maybe James could've been more effective at it if they'd kept him defined by his CatCo role, but these days it all has to lead into the Guardian arc. So the show just doesn't seem to have quite that same thoughtful, grounded quality that I liked so much in season 1.

 

[dahj]

I agree that the CatCo/DEO balance has heavily shifted to the DEO side, heck even when interacting with James she seemingly does it more at the DEO, but the thing is they can't just drop CatCo completely. They made a big deal of Kara wanting to be a reporter and to just forget about it now would be like dropping the James romance out of the blue all over again.

They wrote themselves into a bit of a pickle there with moving Winn out and Guardianing James, because the only character she interacts with at CatCo now is Snapper.
So now we have CatCo which is simultaneously looking more and more redundant, yet it's essential to the whole "Kara has a career" angle. But whenever she's there it seems more like a token appearance...

As much as I've enjoyed it, I have to admit this whole season has felt a bit overstuffed with plots and as a result has an unfocused feel to it.

 

[Romulan_spy]

I agree that the CatCo/DEO balance has heavily shifted to the DEO side, heck even when interacting with James she seemingly does it more at the DEO, but the thing is they can't just drop CatCo completely. They made a big deal of Kara wanting to be a reporter and to just forget about it now would be like dropping the James romance out of the blue all over again.

They wrote themselves into a bit of a pickle there with moving Winn out and Guardianing James, because the only character she interacts with at CatCo now is Snapper.
So now we have CatCo which is simultaneously looking more and more redundant, yet it's essential to the whole "Kara has a career" angle. But whenever she's there it seems more like a token appearance...

Personally, I think the show should forget about CatCo completely and focus entirely on the DEO. It's where the action is.

 

[The Old Mixer]

but the thing is they can't just drop CatCo completely.

It wouldn't be the first time that a series underwent a significant change of premise/format. If the CatCo angle isn't working and they don't know how to fix it, better not to compound a mistake than to let it drag the show down.

yet it's essential to the whole "Kara has a career" angle.

Simple solution: Make Kara a DEO investigator as her day job.

 

[Christopher]

They wrote themselves into a bit of a pickle there with moving Winn out and Guardianing James, because the only character she interacts with at CatCo now is Snapper.

Well, there's Eve.

As much as I've enjoyed it, I have to admit this whole season has felt a bit overstuffed with plots and as a result has an unfocused feel to it.

Yeah, it does feel a bit cluttered. That's part of the less thoughtful quality.

Personally, I think the show should forget about CatCo completely and focus entirely on the DEO. It's where the action is.

But it shouldn't be action all the time. I like it when it can slow down and focus on the characters, with something other than their romantic lives. That's easier to do at the office, which has that touch of everyday normality to it.


By the way, has anyone else noticed that Kara's apartment seems to have a different look this season? It seems like it's more linear now, that everything happens in a straight line between the door and the table and the couch, and the couch is oriented differently than I remember. In the first season, I had more of a sense of the couch and the TV as being in a different room to themselves, or at least oriented differently in the space. I'm not sure if the current set in Vancouver has actually been changed in its layout or dimensions from the previous set in LA (which was in turn a recreation of the real-world loft they borrowed to use in the pilot), but something about its presentation has changed to make it feel different. Maybe it's a rearrangement of the furniture, or maybe it's just a change in the camera positioning and lighting, the way the director of photography and the episode directors approach the set. Or maybe they actually did make the set a bit narrower and hoped we wouldn't notice. Has anyone noticed this? Any thoughts on this?

 

[Romulan_spy]

But it shouldn't be action all the time. I like it when it can slow down and focus on the characters, with something other than their romantic lives. That's easier to do at the office, which has that touch of everyday normality to it.

I am not suggesting it should be action all the time. Character moments and character development are important. The Flash proves that it can be done. When was the last time we saw Barry do real forensic work? That show focuses mostly on Star labs and has almost completely dropped Barry's day job yet it offers a lot of character moments in between the action.

 

[Rowan Sjet]

It's depressing how this show has made me miss things I didn't particularly care all that much about or even disliked from season 1 or earlier this season.

Kara and James' relationship? A bit dull and done no favours by that annoying love triangle with Lucy, but man would it be nice for her to be in a relationship with someone who actually respects her.

James being pushed into the CatCo CEO/Guardian roles seemed out of character, but that's at least better than not seeing the character at all.

Kara becoming a reporter felt like an unflattering rip-off of Superman, like they couldn't even think of any other job she could do, but the show doesn't even commit to it, she just slaps down a pile of paper in front of Snapper every few episodes and that's it.

This isn't even getting into the stuff I liked that I miss.

The show's plot has always been a dumb mess but the characters/acting made up for it. It just doesn't feel like enough any more.

 

[Christopher]

I am not suggesting it should be action all the time. Character moments and character development are important. The Flash proves that it can be done. When was the last time we saw Barry do real forensic work? That show focuses mostly on Star labs and has almost completely dropped Barry's day job yet it offers a lot of character moments in between the action.

Yeah, but as I said, the first season of Supergirl had a sort of real-world grounding and engagement with relevant issues that it doesn't have as much of anymore. One of the things I feared most about its move to The CW is that it'd lose its social relevance, because the other shows didn't really have that much of it. It hasn't entirely done so, especially with the alien-rights allegories, and if anything we've seen a bit more social commentary on the other shows, like the recent Arrow gun-control episode. But it still feels changed, more detached from quotidian life. Cat Grant was so deeply tied into pop culture and media shallowness and all that while still being a more thoughtful observer and commenter of society, and that was an engaging element of the show that I regret losing. The show's so much more about aliens now that it feels less like the everyday world.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Should we be putting "Mon-El" in quotes at this point? It's been plainly established that he's not who he says he is, and implied that Supergirl might know about who he really is.

The Legion geek in me is wondering if maybe he's really Dev-Em (originally a Kryptonian J.D., temporarily retconned as a Daxamite post-Crisis).

Spoiler

I assume his real name is Lar Gand and Mon-el was the name of his bodyguard.

 

[kirk55555]

So, another garbage episode. Why did Dean Cain (I refuse to even google the idiot characters name) betray them? Because DRAMA. No actual reason besides that ("protecting" his family from good guys by siding with bad guys isn't a real reason). Cadmus is actually a worse villain then Max Lord. I didn't expect to ever say that, since Lord is one of the reasons I dropped Supergirl in season 1 (along with Cat Grant and a generally low writing quality). But Cadmus is even worse. Cadmus is both the "generic prejudiced villain group" and inhumanly competent or incompetent depending on what the writer needs them to be.

Related to competence, Alex could have taken Dean Cain without killing him. While I know its not realistic, I think the show can get away with a "shoot him in the leg" scenario. Alex is definitely a enough shot, plus I doubt he was going to try to kill her to defend himself.

The last episode was garbage, and an insult to the source material that showed nothing but contempt for both the comics and the fans of the comics, but this might actually be worse. Its an insult to good writing and common sense in general. Again, I shouldn't be wishing I was watching some crappy season 1 Cat grant scene instead of anything in this episode.

I want to keep liking this show. Until last week's episode, i was generally enjoying it a good deal. It had won me over after I had basically hated season 1. I really hope that this is just a rough patch, and it gets better soon.

Also, because I have to say it even if its really unimportant compared to the other issues, one damn cyborg arm doesn't make someone as strong as the Martian Manhunter

 

[The Old Mixer]

I refuse to even google the idiot characters name

Jeremiah Jebediah Zachariah Danvers.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Jeremiah Jebediah Zachariah Danvers.

But you can call him "Fred".

 

[Phoenix219]

I was hoping, after they DIDN'T make him Cyborg Superman, that they would make him the Eradicator instead.....

 

[dahj]

It wouldn't be the first time that a series underwent a significant change of premise/format.

True, but this time it would sting a lot more.
Kara becoming a reporter has been her main, really only, personal storyline this season(outside of a romance).

 

[Mudd]

So, another garbage episode...

Bored now...

 

[Guy Gardener]

You know how we think that Mon-El's big secret is that he is the Prince of Daxam?

Seriously? That's not so much the deal breaker Jerry was making it out to be, unless he's somehow responsible for the destruction of Daxam and Krypton too...

What if he's her cousin?

HIS NAME!!!!!

THEY HAVE THE SAME DAMN SURNAME!!!!!!!

 

[Skipper]

So, another garbage episode.

There would be a book that you never had time to read, or some skills that you would like to acquire, like, I don't know, playing the piano or something?

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

You're very generous. Again, I hate the BIG 'idiot ball' episodes where we even have Alex going: "So he broke into the mainframe..he's my Dad, so that's okay...you've just a hater, and you're either with us or against us..."

I mean you KNOW the episode is going to be contrived when Mon-El is the smart one in it.

Well, the showrunners are tripping over themselves trying to make Metro-El do everything right so he's the off-the-shelf CW romantic interest a certain part of the screaming, James-hating fanbase desired. So, in the case of this week' episode, a guy who is often clueless suddenly becomes The World's Greatest Detective / Mind Reader, just so he will be "right."

true, but you would think CADMUS agents would either be armed with weapons that could do something (synthetic Kryptonite bullets - since they already established CADMUS doesn't have access to the real stuff -- Red Sun lasers or something.) When they pulled out the AK-47's and Supergirl just flew on in I was like <yawn>.

We're no longer in the period of comic adaptations where there's suspense or thrills when s person fires a gun at a super-powered character. Its a tiresome throwback concept, and you are correct--Cadmus should be beyond using common guns when their main foes are not threatened by them.

Should we be putting "Mon-El" in quotes at this point? It's been plainly established that he's not who he says he is, and implied that Supergirl might know about who he really is.

Jeremiah called him out on that--in the relative privacy of the hallway (away from the others). That did not seem to be misdirection, nor did Mon-El dig in to actively protest the charge. I would hope he is something no one was expecting, and not just a throwaway, overused plot gimmick like he was (for example) a hardcore criminal, somehow tied to Krypton's fate, etc. Gut feeling says the showrunners will di anything to turn this into 90210: The Cape Years.

I'm surprised by how much Jimmy's been sidelined considering that they went to the trouble of giving him a hero ID. He's starting to feel like an occasional guest character.

He's less than an occasional gues star, despite Brooks' billing. As noted above, the screaming, James-hating fanbase got their wish--he's out of the picture, and almost off of the series. I will not be surprised if the showrunnes have already Elmer's Glued a plot where James dies---and he has no lasting impact. As we see, James & his strong influence / moral center was to Kara specifically, is nowhere to be found. His reasons for being the Guardian were carried out well, but it also came off like a plot that had to be explored (the part concerning SG finding out his true identity), only to shove it to the side again.

I wouldn't be surprised if, in season 3, James and CatCo disappear entirely.

Same here. With James, the series had one of the few voice/minds of maturity (in addition to Hank). Without him, most of the characters merely jump from one eyebrow-raising, teenage-like reaction to another. Only the Alex and Jeremiah conflict rises above that for one interesting relationship.

 

[The Old Mixer]

If they were to get rid of James...since he's such a major figure in the Superman mythos, I suspect they'd just have him move back to Metropolis rather than kill him.

As for his frequency...he still appears more often than McGee did in TIH.