Supergirl TV Series

Two things. 1. What is up with CW characters and addiction?! 2. Why does this show treat Alex so badly?

Lynn Stewart of Black Lightning is addicted to Green Light and the season finale shows she fell off the wagon so even though Black Lightning is done for the season we don't need someone on the Arrowverse with an addiction problem. Laurel Lance in season 2 was enough.

And why does Alex have go through hardships that are sometimes worse than Kara's? Alex and Maggie broke up, Alex struggled to be a leader, Alex had her memories stripped away, Alex had to quit her job, recently lost her dad and now Alex could become a VR addict. Considering the kind of stuff it would be a miracle if Kara could successfully pull Alex out considering that even the Danvers of Steel bend sometimes.

The episode from Sunday was also pretty good but it had the subtlety of a locomotive.

...So you want no drama, in your drama TV?

I just think the amount of drama Alex and Kara go through shouldn't be so different. Kara has her job, a love interest of debatable quality, an arc, and her head is on straight. Alex has an arc and possibly Kelly as a love interest. I like when character go through turmoil but I think Alex has to be hit harder with drama than Kara for reasons I don't know.

So nobody is gonna talk about alex' subconscious dreams?

They are gonna become the focus of next episode it seems.

Oh, okay. I didn't watch the preview because I didn't want to spoil myself.

Relatively mild leak spoilers: we actually saw super-Alex a while back via filming leaks. Was very confused as to how that happens until we figured out it was VR

Catching up on Season 5.

I liked seeing Winn again. I felt his father was a bit weak. I think they should have made him saving Winn a surprise rather than showing him earlier in the episode.

It's a Super Life

Really glad to see Kara call out Lena over acting as a villain.

Pretty sure I saw a couple of digs at Mon-El's writing in that episode.

I guess Al's Bar is now the name of the Alien Bar

The Bodyguard

Also really liked seeing Alex beating up patrons of the alien bar for information coming back to haunt her a little. Since the guy spent prison time afterwards, I would have preferred it if she'd had a consequence though. Like the guy refusing to talk to J'onn until she left.

It'd lose them a setting for the gang to meet up. But I really think Alex should have been asked to leave and not return from the bar at some point given her actions + the fact she works/ed at the DEO.

Like her breaking down the door when they're just looking for the alien on a hunch? A lot of Alex's actions towards aliens are really easy to read uncharitably. He turned out to be connected to the bad guy, but she didn't know that when she kicked in the door!

I feel like the attention drawn to the fact Alex has had a gun at all times for the last 8 years should connect to the way she interacts with aliens she perceives to be "not on her side".

Really liking the meaty plotline Brainy is getting. This is probably the most I've enjoyed his character.

I've been against Lena for most of this season. But if the technology was safe and reversible I think you could make a case for its use in prisons to reduce negative emotions for rehabilitation.

It's a very slippery slope though. Especially since Lena has been designing it with far too many vulnerabilities for abuse.

I really wish they used the bar a bit more in connection to Kara's alien heritage. I really want to see stuff like Kara chatting to another alien refugee about their planet she visited as a kid. Or eating food she can't get on Earth normally.

Reality Bites

Solid episode.

Really liked how Kara didn't initially deal with Nia's reaction to the trans hate crimes perfectly.

Edited by 32ndfreeze on Mar 22nd 2020 at 4:32:27 AM

I'm starting to think the Crisis may have made a boo boo regarding Leviathan. In this universe, Hope is no longer a product of the Luthors' science and machinations, but she evidently ended up somewhere. And that somewhere appears to be "fused with Leviathan," which explains their lack of visible presence so far and their very different MO.

They're trying to control people's minds within VR, which... well... we kind of figured that was going to happen somehow as the result of someone this season, but now how.'

I didn't, given that Kara went through literally the exact same experience less than a year ago and is being very naive in suddenly believing "psh, marginalized communities always get justice, because it's the right thing!" It's not a great writing decision.

I feel like they should've picked a different hero to be the foil in Nia's arc, like maybe J'onn - who has a history of not recognizing privilege. Or Alex, who has always been adjacent to things like this but never personally affected, and so fits much better as a lawwoman who doesn't immediately understand that the law doesn't always work.

Really, the perfect foil for this would have been Brainy, but the romantic drama made that impossible.

Edited by KnownUnknown on Mar 22nd 2020 at 7:08:19 AM

So I watched Alex in Wonderland and I am glad that they made Alex's addiction to VR for this single episode. I was genuinely concerned that what happened in this episode would be spread over Alex over the rest of the season but it didn't. I am also glad this was Alex's episode to do things with. I am a J'onn fan due to him being the mature mentor often but a good story can make anyone shine brilliantly an achieve investment. And now we can classify the Obsidian Platinum product as a Lotus-Eater Machine.

Jesus, these red eyes from the people trapped in the VR are creepy as fuck.

https://youtu.be/RcH-3d-BZn4

I don't think we can call it an addiction if the system itself is actively trying to make you forget about the real world. Would you call a Lotus-Eater Machine an addiction?

I don't have enough experience to say whether using a Lotus-Eater Machine is an addiction but from what we have seen of the Bonnie and Alex that use this VR to get through their tough lives like someone would through drugs or something and Al's Brother and that Chlorophilian that committed suicide. I think it is an LEM by accident and Leviathan is using it for their own ends maybe.

So, I think I tuned out on a plot point:

Did Lex use Eve to kill Jeremiah?

Edit: Well, that answered my question.

Edited by HandsomeRob on May 3rd 2020 at 8:03:25 AM

Jesus Christ, is there any line Lex WON'T cross? I think he is now my second favourite Arrowverse villain ever, alongside Prometheus. This guy is just straight-up diabolical, and he loves every moment of it.

EVERYONE is a pawn in his game and he is so good at it, I really wonder how they'll get him this time.

This is probably the most effective/successful Lex for a long time, of ever. I mean he does lose eventually but he gets a fair few hits in along the way and they feel earned not just handed out to make things more dramatic.

You know if you told me that my favorite live action version of Lex Luthor would be the guy from Two and a Half Men. I probably would have laughed. But low and behold here we are.

Edited by Bullman on May 5th 2020 at 9:40:29 AM

Well, he is familiar with petty resentment and sliminess.

We all should have watched Lenny Luthor more closely.

He always had it in him.

You know, I think the worst part about this is that even if Lex loses, he's permanently shattered any chance of Lena and Kara reconciling. Kara is probably going to think Lena brought that White Martian with her (it was a White Martian right?) on purpose, and considering Lena is already prone to absolutely thinking the worst, being accused of sabotaging Kara isn't exactly going to make things better. At this point Lex has succeeded in making Lena like them.

It was a Morae. The same things Haley enslaved last season.

Oh. Ok. Well the rest of my point still stands.

Looks like Kara will have a Luthor as an enemy whether she likes it or not.

Edit: So I have to ask this again.

Since it's likely Kara and Lena will truly be enemies after this, who do you hold responsible for the eventual deterioration of their friendship (ignoring what Lex did here today): Kara or Lena?

Edited by HandsomeRob on May 5th 2020 at 10:26:56 AM

Oh, Lena, 100%. I mean, yes, Kara did make a mistake in waiting so long to tell her about being Supergirl (I mean, I'd personally argue this wasn't really a mistake and no one is entitled to learn about her being Supergirl, mostly because this also means revealing herself as an alien, and I think that information is something she should have the luxury of choosing who to tell and not to tell. Not to mention she's only willingly told Winn and Nia, really. Everyone else who knows either already knew, found out, or Kara was forced to tell.), but Lena just kept lashing out and doubling down on her bad decisions. Kara kept something about herself from Lena for pretty good reasons, IMO. Lena decided to mind-control the world because she was hurt by one mistake. Also her attitude of "if you disagree with me or hurt me EVEN ONCE, then you're CLEARLY AGAINST ME and you hate me because I'M A LUTHOR" isn't... great.

Then again, I will admit I am a little biased because I like Kara and I really do not like Lena at all.

Edited by DeathsApprentice on May 5th 2020 at 7:52:04 AM

Lena definitely. She just kept making bad decision after bad decision. Kara had every right to keep her secret identity, you know, a secret.

This season managed to make me stop shipping two. (Which is no mean feet. As I am notoriously stubborn when I start shipping something) But on the plus side I have moved on to shipping Kara with Kate. So I'm still not that mad.

Edited by Bullman on May 5th 2020 at 7:34:46 AM

I feel the same way.

I'd be hypothetically fine with Kara and Lena together after some character development on Lena's part (you know, assuming it was done well), but at this point I think Lena's done too much.