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Badass Girls and a Cult on SUPERGIRL

Supergirl’s fourth episode (“The Faithful”) really knocked it out of the park. The villain, Thomas Coville, was played by the wonderful Chad Lowe. He was, honestly, brilliant. He walked the knife edge of crazy, misguided devotion (aka a cult). But there was a strange softness to him at times. He was a relatable zealot, which is perhaps the most dangerous kind. He inspired people to put their lives in jeopardy, devised a plot that nearly got thousands of people killed, all as a litmus test for faith. (And he also inadvertently woke up some beings who were in pods, so that will be interesting at a later date.)

But we have to talk about the fact that he immediately recognized Kara as Supergirl, during their one-on-one chat. It made me want to punch something. I mean, this buffoon who saw her once saw through her glasses and called her out—yet Lena is still in the dark? Are you kidding me? That was absolutely preposterous. And frustrating. Lena isn’t an idiot. So, I feel like she needed to be in on the secret, out loud, before this schmuck who saw Kara once.

What wasn’t maddening was the lovely array of girl time and girl power scattered through the episode. Girls’ night was particularly interesting right up until it got really awkward—relationship questions for Kara and kid questions for Alex/Maggie. One of the things that bothers me so much about the kids storyline is that Maggie is so clueless about how Alex really feels. I mean, I know Danvers puts on a good show, but Maggie is supposed to know her best. You’d think she’d have picked up on all of Alex’s Sad Doe Eyes. It’s weird. Annnnyway, that culminates in Chyler Leigh doing some damn fine acting and breaking down so spectacularly. The intense moment with Kara was so raw and so real that it made my heart ache for Alex, especially these lines: “I wanna teach her how to read, and how to throw a punch. … I want all of it. I want to be a mom. What am I going to do?” That last one is the kicker, because how do you choose between someone you love and someone you want to love? That’s a tricky spot to be in.

But the girl power doesn’t end there! Sam (Odette Annable is fitting in really well) and Lena bond, because Sam is totally killing it at her job. And I love that so much. But by java, she’s tightlipped about Ruby’s dad, which gives me alllll kinds of pause. I assume we’ll hear about him at some point. But that aside, I loved Lena giving Sam a pep talk and reassured her about Ruby: “Because I actually have the worst mother, objectively speaking.” and “That is how you raise a girl to be a badass.” And the first one made me laugh, while the second one made me cheer. Yes, Sam should go over the song with her daughter, but it is also healthy and good for a child to see her mother being awesome and succeeding. Like all things, it’s about finding balance. Sometimes hard to do, but not impossible. I do have about three thousand questions about Sam’s hallucinations and such. I hope that we gain more insight into that soon, because it feels like a touch too much of a slow burn.

I also think Jimmy was excellent this episode. Mehcad Brooks shines when he gives heartfelt, impassioned speeches. When he spoke about the first time he met Superman—not Clark—it was a powerful moment. I like that the show has him and Kara interacting more, returning to the core of their relationship.

I do wish that we’d get a little more of Winn. It seems like he only pops in and out, cracking a joke and solving a problem. His friendship with Kara was a major tenet of the first season, so I would like to see more of them just hanging out. And find a way to let Jeremy Jordan sing. Karaoke, guys! Come on, it’d be amaaaaazing.

PS I still hate the recasting of Kara’s mom. Just…BOO. (Picture the old shouting beggar woman from The Princess Bride, and that is me.

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