Supergirl’s 18th episode (“Ace Reporter”) had everything I ever wanted: female friendship, science, and the fantastic Rahul Kohli. Kohli may have been a plot device for us to get to know Lena Luthor better (her strength makes me cheer: “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never stood behind a man.”), but portrayal of Jack Spheer was excellent. Granted, he was part human, part nano tech—but, hey, it can’t rain all the time, right?
Kohli brought charisma and depth to what could’ve been a blasé ex-boyfriend role. Whenever he laid on the charm, there was a palpable sense of loss beneath it, a persistent hopefulness that can only be read as one person missing another. His relationship with Lena, past and present, was full of sparks. He is, as she phrased it, her Kryptonite. But so, it turned out, is she. Before Jack goes accidentally evil at the hands of his cold-hearted CFO (Claudia Doumit’s Beth), we’re treated to witty banter (including: “throwing said microscope at my head when I was insufferable.”) and sweet, sincere admissions (“I’m not here to make it harder. I just miss you.”). The scene where they exchange regrets in Lena’s office (before he nano’s out) was beautifully done. Pitch perfect, honestly. I found myself suddenly invested in the relationship and even a bit choked up when Lena has to (oops!) kill him to save Kara.
Speaking of Kara, she took up “grief-baking” (not to be confused with kummerspeck, the German word for “grief bacon”), which Lena hilariously called her out on. And this episode did a lot to showcase the brilliant friendship here (plus, I need Lena’s blue trench coat like yesterday. Please? Pretty please? Look, I have a coat obsession. Don’t judge me.). Kara and Mon-El crashing Lena and Jack’s date (“very creepy journalism!”—witty and goofy is apparently how I like my Daxamites. Also acceptable are incidents of awkward hugging when pickpocketing) was hysterical. Nano tech aside, crashing the date was a very best friend thing to do, especially if said best friend is trying to rescue you. Adorkable, really.
The scene with Kara comforting Lena at the end was another glimpse at their bond. Kara utters words everyone needs to hear, now and again: “I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere. … I will always be your friend, and I will always protect you.” It was a sweet moment, where Lena shows her vulnerability by staying carefully (temporarily) numb. Only time will tell if Rhea manages to take advantage of her broken heart, but she and the Daxamite queen would make a fearsome pair.
Speaking of, I enjoyed Snapper Carr in this episode, despite his derision of Millennials (get a new line and get off my damn lawn, Carr—yawn). He encourages Kara in his gruff way, gives her a byline as reward for sharing her research with him, and actually thanks her, despite his snarky stance on thank you. The Girl of Steel even gets her job back (fiiiiinally). Obviously, it helped that Kara apologized for her blob (still funny): “CatCo will get the truth to more people. … You were right. I got lucky when I published my first blog on Cadmus without permission.” I still miss Cat Grant more than Alf misses Melmac, but that’s neither here nor there.
Speaking of everyone’s favorite cat-consuming alien, Lyra is a hoot. She teams up with Jimmy and Winn, slaps around a teen burglar, has a fight with Winn at the bar, and still manages to be hideously charming. Plus, I like the friendship between Jimmy and Winn very much: “It’s been a while since I had a best friend. You’re my brother. And I haven’t felt like that since Clark. And working with you…it makes me happy.” D’awwww. The feels, you guys! Adding Lyra as their third (that is not as dirty as it sounds…is it?) brings an interesting slant to the crime van squad. I like that they’re bringing Lyra onto the show more. She’s a great addition. Let’s just hope Mrs. Ochmonek doesn’t get wind of her…
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