My Thoughts on 5x02
The things I liked:
- I liked everything about Alex and Kelly. I think it’s a moment of growth (and a realistic one at that) that Alex is more conscious of her feelings for Kelly, and that while she isn’t necessarily tapping the brakes just yet, she’s got an eye on the speed limit. I was one of the people who was disappointed by how close she came to actually marrying Maggie, so this more mature approach is a great moment of self-examination without falling into the tired trap of “gotta bail before they other shoe drops”.
- I liked that J’onn is being given real time to explore his arc. He deserves it, and I’ve long bemoaned the fact many of his storylines are almost an afterthought. Allowing him to have scenes with people other than the Danvers sisters is all I’ve ever wanted, and I’m thrilled they’re finally giving David Harewood room to flex.
- I love that James is being given time to explore options that give him new directions to grow. I’m glad we’re getting moments of him and Kelly hanging out. I loved his throwback moment to last season, when he had to confront his suppressed memories. This show is rife with opportunities for their characters to connect over similar circumstances, and help each other through difficult times, and you will never see me complain when they finally take advantage of one. (Also, it’s worth pointing out that the three black characters on the show were given screentime together and to themselves. That’s important.)
- My next point is kind of on the edge, but I’m going to be lenient: I liked Nia and Brainy’s arc right up until the very end. It was totally adorable for Brainy to try and one-up himself to make Nia happy, and for Nia to be torn over whether she should say anything. Now, by the end of the episode, I was kind of, well, done, but did Nia actually tell him to chill? I thought she did, so the fact they had Brainy still reciting poetry to her while Nia miserably stuffs a pillow over her head is a weird and OOC moment for them to end on. That said, I can overlook it as a bad attempt at a joke, depending on what comes next for these two.
The Not So Good
- I am officially on the fence about Kara’s interactions with the new guy. I see some good things that could come out of it: namely, Kara being more responsible at her job and having to work just a little bit harder to put as much onscreen effort into maintaining Kara Danvers as she does Supergirl. But at the same time, it does feel like they’re aiming for their old, old theme of “they hate each other so they must eventually fall in love.” It’s not a message I feel we need to see these days, and we’ve already seen it with Mon-el. Just once, I would like our leading lady to have a romantic relationship that is easy and warm and instinctive, and... “wa-pow”, y’know?
The Other Thing
- Is going to be its own separate post. You know I gotta.
