Supergirl S01 E11- Dying is easy, young man.

Previously: Winn’s dad was a bad dude who trapped Supergirl in a block of quicksand.
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Strange Visitor From Another Planet

Marines: Our exposition-on-the-fly this episode is really Kara reading a letter from Cat to her estranged son, basically being like, “sorry I wasn’t a parent.” While that voice over plays, Supergirl saves a family stuck in a camper from a forest fire. Because FAMILY.

Catherine: At first I actually thought her ‘sorry I neglected you’ letter was about the earth. Like, ‘sorry I wasn’t saving you quicker’ and I was like, huh, this is cool. But no. And now I’m not sure why I went there. 

Mari: They should hire you.

Kara and Alex walk together the next morning as Alex looks at a cover story about Supergirl saving the family. Kara isn’t her usual, swaggery self, though, so Alex guesses that Winn’s still being distant. Kara confirms and whines because she wants her best friend back. Alex tells her to give him some time and space and Kara’s like, “uuuuugh.”

National City’s One Restaurant. Kara asks if Cat’s latte is ready and a man standing nearby expresses his condolences to Kara for having to work for Cat. Kara defends her, saying that Cat is strict but also a badass. Kara tells Random Dude (who could it be????) that maybe one day he’ll meet Cat (anvil) and form his own opinion. (S: Yo, who the jeff is this??)(C: It’s the guy from Devil Wears Prada that Anne Hathaway slept with in Paris. Remember when this exact same thing happened in that?) And then Random Dude literally sizes Kara up and maybe even does a little head title to check out her butt. Kara smiles, but Alex interrupts and reminds everyone that we’re here for a latte. Before they leave One Restaurant, they conveniently hear some news coverage about Senator Miranda Crane being in town for an anti-alien rally.

So, basically, they are going to use TV news to exposit things even out of the newsroom. OKAY.

Samantha: It’s MAGIC. It’s magical, totally subtle, exposition. 

Mari: CatCo. Kara passes Winn and tries to make some awkward small talk, but Winn asks her not to, but does wish her a good day. I have this same violent reaction to small talk always, so I don’t even know how to react to this.

Samantha: It wasn’t too bad for me. In that it felt believable rather than Winn-In-The-Friendzone whiney.

Catherine: Nope. Still over here on the Heartless Cow Ottoman, hating Winn. Why is he blaming her for him having feelings and getting politely rejected? 

Mari: Probably because being politely rejected still sucks, unless you are heartless, I suppose.

Staff meeting. Cat tells them about Senator Miranda. Their lead reporter quit so in addition to wanting Lucy to serve him a lawsuit, they need someone to cover the story. Jimmy volunteers because remember that his girlfriend getting an awesome job made him miss his camera. Or something. (S: Still don’t know what his job is if not using his camera.)

When Cat gets back to her office, it’s Random Dude! But it’s not really because in a twist of events no one saw not coming, this guy is actually Adam, Cat’s son. Cat is taken aback and asks what brings him here, now. Adam fishes out a letter Cat sent and Cat’s like, “oh yeah… my letter…”and looks back at Kara like she’s going to strangle her. Kara smiles awkwardly and sees herself out.

Samantha: Is there any way Adam did not notice that obviously awkward exchange?

Mari: I don’t take the intelligence of any of these characters for granted.

Cat has a lot to say to Adam, but she’s real busy right now. Adam takes that in stride and asks if maybe they can have dinner together. Cat agrees to clear her schedule. Adam hands Cat the letter (??) (S: Yeah this was so wtf and only happened so that Cat could know what the letter said later. Head canon he suspects.) and on his way out, tells Cat to have her cheerleader email him. Kara actually smiles at him, even though that’s a real condescending thing to say. But okay. Smile. (S: Meanwhile I’m like, whoa are we really giving Kara another love interest?) (C: She needs it. I’m not satisfied with the ones she’s got going.)

Once Adam is gone, Cat calls “Kira” into her office. This ongoing joke is one of my least favorites. Cat is very brash and straightforward, but the idea that she refuses to call Kara by her proper name is on the dehumanizing side. STFU, Cat, and just call the woman her own damn name. (S: Cosign. Cat doesn’t need this weird trait.) (C: Thirded, I think they think we think it’s cute but it’s not.)

Anyway. Cat’s the one who has something to be angry about because Kara took one of Cat’s unfinished letters to Adam, finished it and sent it out. Cat fires Kara for crossing a line, but then Kara pulls the dead mom card and the facing your past card and I guess she’s unfired.

Samantha: I was so uncomfortable with this line that she crossed.

Catherine: It’s messed up. SUPER messed up.

Mari: Indeed.

Cat reads the letter Kara wrote and tells her it isn’t completely awful. Cat tells Kara to make a dinner reservation and also that she’s going to make her life hell. Kara smiles that it’s worth it because family always is. (S: Would someone IM Superman and let him know?)

Anti-alien rally. Senator Miranda is talking about building a dome around the earth to keep out the monsters that are coming for their families and it’s a surprisingly low-key commentary on the current political landscape. I’m marginally impressed.

Samantha: Yes! They did commentary on society well this episode and I am stunned because I am a Millennial. Wait, that got away from me.

Catherine: That dome thing made me laugh for 10 solid minutes. Yeah, just build a dome over the earth. Or over America or whatever. We don’t need air or rain or any of that shit. And it would cost, like nothing. Totally do-able. Snaps for commentary. 

Mari: An alien attacks the rally. Chaos breaks out, but Alex, Henshaw and the rest of the DEO are there. Jimmy hits his Super Panic Button. Kara hears it at work and gets moving. The alien goes for Senator Miranda. Henshaw freezes because of some childhood trauma flashbacks. The alien takes Miranda into an underground garage, but when Kara follows them in there, the alien is gone.

After a commercial break, Alex tries to ask Hank what his childhood trauma was about, but he’s not forthcoming. They take Senator Miranda back to the DEO to protect her, but she’s spitting alien hate the whole time, about how aliens are all, “disgusting insects who come crawling from [their] own diseased, backwater planets, looking to suck our resources for yourselves.”

Alex violently administers a sedative and Supergirl can barely contain her laugh.

Senator Miranda says she’s not staying at the DEO but Henshaw puts his angry authoritative voice on so someone better make themselves comfy.

In another room, Henshaw says they are looking for a White Martian. Alex asks if that means they are looking for something like him. He puts on his growly, shut your trap voice, so someone better just wait until story time is over. Henshaw explains that the White Martians basically killed all his people. He says that bad Martians and good Martians share a kind of link, and he must’ve drawn this creature to National City when he used his abilities to investigate Carlisle Maxwell Cullen Lord. Supergirl scared it away, which is a good thing, because Henshaw wasn’t prepared to fight it. Supergirl says that he’ll be ready next time, and he won’t be alone.

Samantha: So there’s also this whole “White Martian” killing all the other martians social commentary. Powerful imagery in some ways.

Catherine: Also canonical, btw. 

Mari: Henshaw says that he needs to ask a favor of Supergirl. He needs to be the one to face the White Martian, but if he reveals himself, that’ll be the end of Hank Henshaw and General Lane will get the DEO. I’m not entirely following that logic, but it’s okay, because Supergirl does and she’s like, “I GOT YOU.”

CatCo. Kara is going over Cat’s schedule with her, including dinner with Adam. Cat is confident that she’ll do just fine at dinner because she’s interviewed all kinds of people. Kara tells her this isn’t an interview, though. And if she could talk to her mother, she’d want her mom to ask if she was happy, to explain her decisions, and to be honest. Cat insists that she’s got this. (S: But Calista also gave the vibe of “I am hella overcompensating due to nerves” that was really well done. I’m making Cat Grant fan club t-shirts.) (C: I want one!)

Dinner. Cat is telling some story about how she invented the tablet, or something. Adam is not really a fan of Cat story time. She gets the picture and asks him one question about himself, but then starts talking about herself again. Adam asks if she even wrote that letter. With a very obvious sideways glance, she says she did. Adam wonders why she did, if she’s not even trying right now. He wants to hear her say that she’s sorry. Cat says that she is sorry, but that he has to understand that she wasn’t ready to be a parent. Adam says it’s all about her, grabs his coat and leaves. (S: Never go for the but in a genuine apology, Cat!)

Catherine: I feel compelled to note that during this scene a slowed down, sort of sexy version of the song ‘Maneater’ by Hall and Oates was playing. So this show is back to it’s weird thing with remixed, weirdly slowed down, sexual versions of upbeat pop songs during family scenes, I guess. 

Mari: That’s a weird thing to try and make a think.

Kara is looking over the pictures that Jimmy took of the event. Jimmy discovers something about the pictures: in negative, the alien’s eyes glow. And after Supergirl saved Miranda, her eyes glow too. BECAUSE SHAPESHIFTER, YOU GUYS.

We go to the DEO just to see Miranda’s eyes glow, in case we didn’t get it yet.

Senator Miranda tells Henshaw that there are rumors about another alien working within the DEO. Because there are some aliens that can look like anyone, see? Miranda proposes conducting an internal investigation and Hank’s like, “no.” (S: Miranda does the classic “reveals that she knows more than she should” move here too. Rookie.)

Meanwhile, Kara calls Alex to let her know that Miranda is actually the White Martian. Alex tells her to hurry over and pulls out her gun, confirming to Hank that he’s in danger. Hank puts his hand on his gun, and instead of whipping it out and shooting, he let’s the alien know that he knows it’s an alien. Like, WTF. Worst plan ever. White Martian lashes out, sending people flying through glass.

We get an extended scene of White Martian taking a whole bunch of DEO agents out, because she can fly, fight, knock people out with what I’m assuming is really bad breath, and regrow limbs. Henshaw faces off with her, but he just gets sent back into a trauma flashback. Alex stands in front of him, gun drawn. (S: White Martian is actually kind of scary. Or I’m a big fraidy cat.) (C: Nah, it’s scary. It looks like what I assume the Cloverfield monster looked like but no one saw that movie.) 

Supergirl shows up and fights with White Martian for just a bit before she breaks out of the DEO. Supergirl takes a minute to tell Alex that she’s going to go follow it, so of course when she gets outside, White Martian is gone.

Cat calls Kara and says she needs her in the office ASAP.

Back at the DEO, Hank is having lots of emotions. Alex tells him that she can’t imagine what he must be going through, but he isn’t alone. They can protect this planet from the White Martians. Hank tells us a little more about what happened: the White Martians didn’t only conquer, they enslaved the Green Martians. J’onn and his family were taken into a labor camp where all the women and children, including his wife and daughters, were burned to death. Alex bows her head and cries for J’onn and what he’s lost. The Strings of Supreme Sadness are pulling double time here, and yet, the story and acting are surprisingly effective.

J’onn says he escaped the camp, to his great shame, and the screams of his family will haunt him to his dying day. Alex tells J’onn that there is no shame in surviving.

Samantha: Holy shit you guys. I legit had to pause to cry a little. This was so unexpected and an obvious parallel to the Holocaust but it really did work. It rang true and Chyler Leigh gave her best acting yet. Where have these chops been hiding?

Catherine: Also, it should be noted that this whole thing plays out with Hank narrating over a surprisingly well done flashback of the Martian civil war. Like a Bradbury fever dream. I got downright giddy to see Martian Manhunter’s origins played out on screen like this. The CGI wasn’t AMAZING but it makes the CGI on 10 years of Smallville look like it was done in fucking Paint. Which is probably was. 

Mari: Kara arrives at CatCo, where Cat is taking out her failure on Kara, telling her to walk off the balcony for not bringing her tea. Then she blames Kara for not prepping her for dinner. Because Kara is too, too good, she says she’s going to fix this. Cat sighs, “Kara” proving that she knows exactly what her name is and she’s just doing this to be awful. (S: Okay. But also some fine acting on Calista’s part and I do not take back my Cat Fan Club even though she’s kind of sucky right now. I need something and Cat is it for now.)

Kara goes to see Adam and convince him that Cat is really awesome and really sorry. Adam figures out that Kara was the one who wrote the letter and she laughs awkwardly, but comes clean. Adam agrees to meet with Cat again if Kara comes with him. (S: But like, didn’t she only just finish it?) (M: Yep, but maybe all Cat wrote was “Dear Adam.”)

National City’s One Restaurant. Kara is mediating the conversation, that starts off not that great, until she tells them to say something real, even if it terrifies them.

Cat says that she never got to be there for Adam, but she is his biggest fan. (S: Her whole speech had me teary and whatever, I’m easy in the feels department.)

Adam looks emotional but says that Cat didn’t want him. Cat says that isn’t fair, but Kara tells her to let him talk. Adam asks if she even missed him. Cat insists that she did and still does. They are holding hands and tears are running now, so Kara takes her leave. Cat apologizes to Adam.

DEO. Hank is examining a chopped off finger from the White Martian. (C: It is just.. it is awful to look at. It looks like a dildo with a witch fingernail.)(M: Thank you for that…) Alex wants to know what the plan to bring it in is. Hank is all growly and pretty sold on murder. Alex tells him he’s not a murderer and he’s like, “I’M AN ALIEN, HOMIE. YOU DON’T KNOW ME.” Something like that. Alex tells him that they have to find the real Senator Miranda and also not murder anyone.

Samantha: His growling about his alien-ness is also pretty loud for being a secret.

Mari: Imagine if someone overheard that. “I am 317 years old!” “Damn, Henshaw is going cray-zee.”

Henshaw uses the finger to track White Martian to the sewers.

Alex goes to the parking garage to see if maybe Senator Miranda is hanging out there, I guess. And what do you know! Senator Miranda is down there, calling for help. (S: Well hot damn!) Alex calls this into Hank, but he says that’s impossible because he just found Senator Miranda in the sewers, tied in alien gunk. (S: Well hot no!) Alex and her men start shooting at the White Martian. She growls at them with her alien face and I don’t like it. (S: Sorry, what? I’m hiding under the covers.)

After a break, White Martian has Alex. Henshaw uses a telepathic link to… call… White Martian and set up a meeting. They agree to meet in the desert. Henshaw tells Supergirl to go get Alex and he’ll deal with White Martian. I think he means he’ll let White Martian kill him, because he’s real tired of being the last of his kind, and Kara should understand that. She says she does, but dying is easy, young man. Living is harder. (Basically.) (S: Yes.) Henshaw’s like, “yeah, I’ll take easy then.”

Henshaw meets White Martian and surrenders. White Martian gets ready to deliver the killing blow, but Supergirl flies in and knocks White Martian back. J’onn sheds his Henshaw skin and these three take their fight to the skies. It’s dark and fast so basically the next part of this recap is: punch, punch, punch, fly! (C: YAY! I helped because I punched the air.)

With Catherine’s help, they take White Martian down. Supergirl is says it’s over and J’onn, back in Henshaw skin, puts her in kryptonite handcuffs he apparently packed in his back pocket for just this moment. He tells Supergirl that he doesn’t want her to stop him. He goes over to White Martian and prepares to slit her throat, but Supergirl appeals to him. She’s lost everything and everyone too (and Superman doesn’t even call for Thanksgiving, that asshole) and that makes a hole in your heart, but you can’t fall into it. He can’t throw away (his shot) who he is.

Samantha:

Mari: We cut to White Martian in a DEO cell. She says that her kind will come for her.

Outside, Supergirl tells Henshaw he did the right thing, though she’s sorry he had to. Henshaw says his daughters were named K’hym and Tanya. I’d laugh at that, but my sisters are Debbie and Sarah and I’m MARINES. Anyway. Hank says that it’s not the same, but any man would be luck to call the Danvers girls his daughters. Supergirl gives him a hug and it’s sweet, even when he’s like, “okay, enough hugs.”

The next day, Kara passes Winn at CatCo. She keeps her head down and doesn’t say anything and Winn asks why she’s so quiet. “Space and time,” she replies and he smiles appreciatively. (S: Honestly though, I did not miss Winn this episode. So.) (C: I didn’t even realize till this moment that we went an ENTIRE episode without Winn and I regretted not enjoying it more while I had the chance. This was partly why this episode was slightly better than normal, you have to admit.)

The real Senator Miranda gives a press conference about how it’s wrong to hate entire groups of people. Or aliens. She’s revised her stance because Supergirl saved her and thousands of other people by taking down White Martian.

Cat watches the news cast and thinking Kara is behind her, tells her to get the senator on the line. It’s Adam, though. He’s decided to stay in town a little while longer. Cat is genuinely pleased. Adam asks where Kara is and Cat says she’s probably in the bathroom, picking muffin out of her hair. MEANIE. It’s okay, though, because Adam thinks Kara’s hair is pretty.

Kara rushes up to deliver Cat’s latte and Adam gives his mom an AHEM. Cat gets the hint and goes to her office.

Adam thanks Kara for everything she did and asks for her thoughts on Korean BBQ. Kara is a little slow on the uptake but when she figures out this is a date invitation, she says she’ll have to see if she can. Cat calls from her office that Kara’s available. It’s cute. Date on for the next night. (S: So they are giving her another love interest. I’m not sure yet but I don’t immediately hate it.) (C: I support her dating all but Winn. Stupid butt Winn.) 

Super Pad. Kara tells Alex about her date, as they eat ice cream on the couch.

Catherine: And thankfully this week they manage to take more than a single bite each. 

Mari: Kara is nervous about the date and Alex tells her to go on the date first before worrying about what happens if it goes bad. Also, Alex tells her she needs boundaries. She can’t save everyone.

The news coverage they are watching starts a story about Supergirl at the scene of a crash, but uh, Supergirl is sitting on her couch so something is up.

We have to wait until next time to find out what. Doppleganger time! (Maybe.)

Samantha: Oh god no, that’s my episode and you guys, I typically do not like episodes of TV structured like this. TRADSIES?!

Catherine: NOPE! *runs away* 

Mari: I love you, girl, but that’s where I draw the line.

 

Next time on Supergirl: A whacked out version of Supergirl is in town in S01 E12 – Bizzaro.