Series: Supergirl
Episode: 104 "Livewire"
Previous Episode Review: "
Fight or Flight"
REVIEW
The fourth episode of the hit CBS series,
Supergirl, debuted this week. The series may be a hit, but with diminishing ratings and polarising reactions from fans, CBS should probably be asking themselves how long it will stay that way. For me,
Supergirl isn't a bad show, just a really mediocre one. For all of its strengths, there is a weakness. However, the series continues to show very small signs of improvement with each episode. At this rate, the series may actually become good during its second season. That's obviously a long time to wait, so let's hope my prediction is incorrect and the series finds its footing before then.
I thought it was nice that they got former Superman, Dean Cain, and former Supergirl, Helen Slater, to portray Kara's adoptive parents in the pilot. I was pleasantly surprised when Slater returned in this week's episode. Sadly, we won't be seeing much of Dean Cain, except in flashbacks. His character is dead.
I thought it was interesting that Supergirl's family are far less willing to share their secrets than Supergirl is. It's very ironic considering that she's the one with the secret identity. It's a nice contrast to most superhero stories, where the main hero is the secretive one. In the series, Supergirl is the most trusting of her companions. Slater's character is not at all approving of Kara's Supergirl persona, nor is her reaction to the discovery of Alex Danvers' profession a positive one. Honestly, I felt Slater's reaction was very believable and natural. The sister, who is meant to look after Supergirl, is working for the government. Alex can't see how that would be dangerous? Then again, this is a heightened reality where aliens are a dime a dozen. But still, the reveal of Hank Henshaw's secret history with the Danvers family certainly adds tension to the series. It's becoming apparent that
Cyborg Superman Henshaw will be an antagonist sooner than we expected. While we're on the subject of antagonists, Toyman was finally mentioned in this week's episode. He's apparently incarcerated in an undisclosed prison (Stryker's Island?).
Two of the worst aspects of the series so far have been its portrayal of Jimmy Olsen and Cat Grant. Thankfully, we don't see much of Olsen in this episode. And Cat Grant is finally starting to become an actual character, even showing some depth. Behind that
Devil Wears Prada exterior, there may lie a human being.
The villains of the series are slowly improving, in addition to the series in general. This week's villain was Livewire, a character that was originally introduced in the fan favourite
Superman: The Animated Series. I must say that the character certainly looked like Livewire in the series (at least after her transformation), and the actress perfectly captured the character's snarky personality. Before the transformation, however, the character did not look like Leslie Willis. However, the series nailed the character's rebellious vibe. With that being said, her origin was cartoony and generic. Come to think of it, the series as a whole feels like the live action equivalent of an animated series, but with inconsistent logic. I don't see why this series couldn't remain exactly the way it is now, but in animated form. I guess it's only fitting that a character like Livewire makes an appearance. Parts of the episode even felt like a rehash of the Livewire episode from
Superman: TAS. The series also falls into the whole cliche of "[Insert character name] is dead! Call me [insert villain name]." If only the writers of
Batman '89 knew the can of worms they were opening before they placed that line in the film.
Like the episodes that have come before it, parts of "Livewire" struggle with logic. For instance, if the city has no power, then how was there a news broadcast on a television telling us that there was no power? Televisions run on electricity, you know. And why does Livewire immediately leave right when she's about to kill Cat Grant with the elevator? True, Supergirl stopped the elevator, but that doesn't explain why Livewire just left. This reminds me of the scene from 1997's
Batman & Robin where Mr. Freeze has Robin frozen and Batman cornered, but decided to just leave and let Batman save Robin, saying "I'll kill you next time!" even though that was the perfect moment to kill Batman then and there. There is a difference between cartoon logic and no logic at all.
VERDICT
Score: 6/10
Supergirl continues to struggle from nonsensical scenarios and a lack of logic, but the DEO storyline remains unpredictable as a few other plot threads become more interesting.