'Supergirl' Season 1 Episode 11 'Strange Visitor From Another Planet' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This episode may be the best episode of 'Supergirl' yet and I think the show's steady climb in quality is due primarily to the increased significance of Martian Manhunter.

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. Martian Manhunter's backstory- I am really enjoying how Martian Manhunter's being included in the series and I loved that this week went back and not only explained more of his backstory but showed it as well. I hope to see more about J'onnz's past and more team ups between J'onnz and Kara.

2. Bizarro girl- The episode ends with Bizzarro girl's revelation to everyone and I'm quite interested to see how this is further developed in the coming episodes, especially next week's that seems to center on that conflict.

3. White Martian- I loved how the White Martians were brought to the series and I thought the visual effects on them were incredible and looked very awesome!

4. Martian Manhunter & Supergirl vs White Martian- I really enjoyed the team up fight between the White Martian and Supergirl and Martian Manhunter. I especially liked when J'onn used kryptonite cuffs on Kara to prevent her from interfering with his attempts to seek justice. I thought that was a big crazy moment and liked how it strengthened both characters when kara talks him out of revenge.

5. Adam- Adam was finally introduced this week and I liked how he interacted with Cat Grant but felt the relationship between him and Kara seems a bit forced, especially since the actor and actress are married in real life. I hope to see his character given more depth and see him play in more interesting character dynamics. 

Promo

'Supergirl' Season 1 Episode 10 'Childish Things' Review

Non Spoiler Review- This episode was a rollercoaster with some high highs and some very low lows. I wouldn't go as far to call it the worst episode of 'Supergirl' because there are some interesting subplots, some awesome action, but there was just so many awkward moments that made it slightly less enjoyable. All unrelated to the episode, I've started a blog called TV Assessment, which will deviate from this blog and am currently in the process of transferring all my television reviews to this new blog but will continue to initially post them her until that is complete. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. Martian Manhunter training Supergirl- The best part of the episode was the beginning sequence in which we see Martian Manhunter training Supergirl on proper flying technique. This opening just evokes how great a crossover with 'The Flash' or 'Arrow' could be. It's possible that we could see this happen as the executive producer has stated he would love to see it but a decision would have to be made relatives quickly. 

2. Maxwell Lord makes a few discoveries- Maxwell Lord is becoming the most interesting villain on the show in my opinion and I think that's in large part to his character's development on the show thus far. Each week, more and more is revealed about his schemes and he's becoming a more complex interesting character. At the end of this episode we see that he managed to put a camera on Alex's purse and learns that Alex and Supergirl are sisters. Thank goodness they never referred to Kara by name or he would know Supergirl's secret identity as well. 

3. Hank finds Bizarro Supergirl?- The most interesting subplot to me was J'onn  J'onnz infiltrate Lord Tech disguised as Lord. I really like that Martian Manhunter's becoming more involved in the show instead of the series choosing to possibly hold him back. When he infiltrates he discovers the Bizarro Supergirl, the Red Tornado arm and is interrupted by one of Lord's men, who realizes that J'onn is not Maxwell Lord. J'inn then knocks him out and erases his memory. We later learn that the memory erasing essentially wipes all of a person's memory and not just specific memories.

4. Toyman- Toyman made for an interesting villain, especially with him being Winn's father. I liked having a villain that's more human although he didn't have too much to do in the episode aside from "blowing toys up". I hope to see more villains of this nature on the show that are more personal for Kara.

5. Awkwardness ensues- The ending of the episode was filled with awkward moments. First off, Winn kissed Kara which seems to have strained their friendship. Then when they finally talk it out, that only seems to make things worse and theres a very generic sequence of Kara flying around National City with background music that I'm pretty sure has been played in a Starbucks. Also there was an awkward moment when Kara lands in Alex's apartment and the two eat pizza (while Kara's in her Supergirl costume). So essentially the ending had many awkward moments. 

Promo

'Supergirl' Season 1 Episode 9 'Blood Bonds' Review

Non Spoiler Review- A satisfying midseason premiere that picks up right where the midseason finale left off. This episode has some intriguing subplots and reveals that help set up the remainder of the season, which looks to bring some stronger villains.

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. The Ending- At the end of the episode reveals what was inside Room 52, which is an easter egg to the New 52, including what appears to be Red Tornado's arm, and what appears to be Bizarro Supergirl. Bizarro Supergirl is essentially a clone of Supergirl. Usually Bizarro is a clone of Superman but in this case it's been transferred to Kara for the purposes of this series. 

2. Kara fools Cat- One fun moment was when Kara manages to remove Cat's suspicions that Kara is Supergirl when she has J'onn impersonate as Supergirl using his shapeshifting abilities and so the two can meet in cat's office thus confusing her. I liked that for once in a superhero series a superhero is able to deceive someone who discovers their secret identity in a clever way. Usually, the hero just allows them to be in on the secret.

3. Astra tells her men to stand down- One moment I really liked was when Non had his soldiers se up an ambush for the DEO after the exchange of prisoners and Astra shows mercy asking them to stand down. I liked that this gave her character some good making her more of a conflicted villain. 

4. Maxwell Lord captures Jimmy- I really was intrigued when Maxwell Lord essentially reveals himself as a villain to Jimmy when he captures him after he trespasses on Lord's property. I like that then entire team working with Kara are now knowledgeable that Lord is up to something although they don't quite know what that is yet. I also really liked how Lord decided to harm Jimmy himself rather than leaving it to his henchmen. 

5. Henshaw and Alex tell Kara the truth- I liked that Kara quickly found out about Henshaw's secret rather than it being prolonged throughout the season and so I hope that means we could see a Martian Manhunter and Supergirl team-up this season. 

Promo

'Supergirl' Season 1 Episode 8 'Hostile Takeover' Mid-Season Finale Review

Non Spoiler Review- Another good episode of 'Supergirl' but there wasn't anything too impressive in this episode aside from some great visual effects and some interesting story bits. Overall a tad mediocre for a mid-season finale but I'm excited for the series to return. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. Cat discovers Kara's secret- At the end of the episode Cat Grant finally pieces together all of her evidence that Kara is Supergirl and confronts her about it. I liked how Cat Grant showed she was brighter than we suspected and pieces together evidence brilliantly. I'm interested to see how this changes her perception of both Kara and Supergirl now that she knows the truth.

2. Battle between Kara and Astra- The best action sequence of the episode which featured some great visual effects, that were among the best of the series. I hope to see more action and visual effects on this level throughout the season.

3. Kara learns alot from her aunt- This episode also revealed much more backstory and Astra tells Kara the truth about much that occurred on Krypton which angers Kara. I thought this was an interesting little subplot for the episode and how it influenced my next highlight.

4. Kara's rage- I thought it was awesome to see Kara angry and expressing that rage towards her mother's hologram in her Fortress of Solitude. It was interesting to see and I just love the visual effects for the heat vision in this series. 

5. Cliffhanger- The episode's cliffhanger involved Non and Astra's followers attacking Maxwell Lord's facility and I'm curious to learn the reason why and what their plans are. I'm also interested to see the fallout of this attack. 

'Supergirl' Season 1 Episode 7 'Human for a Day' Review

Non Spoiler Review- A huge improvement for 'Supergirl' with the series' best episode yet with a huge reveal, some very interesting and compelling character development for Kara, and some very brief awesome action sequences. 

*******There will be Spoilers from this point on*******

Highlights of the episode

1. Henshaw's true identity- This episode reveals that Henshaw really is J'onn J'onzz, aka Martian Manhunter. This really excited me and made me more hopeful for a crossover with the Flash/Arrow universe for a mega mini TV version of the Justice League. I say this because there have been many rumors lately suggesting this for both series. I really can't wait to see Martian Manhunter in action as I know it will eventually happen later in the season and it would be great to see him team up with Kara. I'm also curious to see when Kara will learn the truth and what her reaction will be to this.

2. Kara talks down a gunman- One of my favorite moments of the episodes was when Kara decides to try to be a hero without her powers increasing the risk for herself and ruling heavily on her negotiation tactics. She is able to convince a gunman to stand down just through talking to him and I really liked how Jimmy Olsen took a photo of the occasion although the picture's somewhat awkward looking.

3. Alex takes on Jemm- The cool action sequence of the episode was when Alex takes on an escaped alien prisoner, Jemm, with a very interesting fight scene and I liked how alex coordinated her defense with everything prepared for Jemma. I also liked when Henshaw arrived to save the day.

4. Solar Flare after effect- Another aspect I really liked was the introduction of Solar Flare power that causes Kara to temporarily lose her abilities, which previously had only been seen very recently for Superman in the comics. I thought it was interesting that it made her character vulnerable and really allowed for great character development for Kara. 

5. Astra confronts Kara- The end of the episode sees the return of Astra and I had wondered where she went as she hasn't been seen in a few episodes and I'm curious to see what her plans are for Kara and if she found a defense to Kryptonite since she obtained a sample.

Promo