Supergirl’s 10th episode (“Suspicious Minds”) had me shouting at the television a lot. And I mean that in a good way. First off, Haley is terrible and must be stopped. She’s come to represent people who follow orders, without a sense of right, without a moral compass. You know, like the Nazis did. Good times. I wish she wasn’t so much of a villain, that there was some conflict within her, that we got to see her struggle. It could’ve made for an interesting dynamic.
While I don’t believe that people can’t be redeemed, I don’t think Haley can. When her mind was wiped, she didn’t lose the dogged tenacity that kept her following orders—orders that were morally bankrupt and terrible. I found that disappointing, but I guess it makes sense for a person who trained child aliens to be assassins—and then didn’t blink at eye at the thought of murdering them. I mean, what? That’s not the mark of a good guy. That’s a villain. Funny, how the bad guys never seem to see that.
But what I found most interesting (read: horrifying) was her unrelenting desire to control Kara, because of the president’s wishes: “I know who you are. And from now on, you will do exactly as I order.” That’s chilling, because it would strip Kara of her agency, her personhood. And Haley is remorseless about it. There are people in life who are like that, yes. But I cannot wrap my head about such a deft ability to ignore humanity.
That said, my heart broke for Kara and Alex, mostly Kara who will have to bear the burden of her sister’s memory wipe. I’m not entirely fond of how that need came about, but I think it made for compelling tv, because the Danvers sisters are the heart of the show. This episode did an excellent job of illustrating how they lean on each other and how connected they are. Text messages, secret backup plans, food and wine. To cut that off suddenly won’t make Kara less than she is, but it will make her lonely. Chyler Leigh did a monumental job giving Kara permission, and Melissa Benoist conveyed Kara’s grief perfectly (“I’m going to have to lie to you every day.”).
Oh, and Brainy and Nia—I love them. Although, for Nia’s sake, I hope Brainy sharpens his flirting and wooing skills, because calling a date a meeting is a big old NOPE. I do appreciate how much he believes in her and that he is trying to figure out customs and such. He makes me cringe and laugh, often at him. But they’re cute together.
And as much as I love souffle, I wasn’t overly thrilled with Lena and Jimmy’s big reconciliation. Yes, they saw each other’s side of things. And that’s a good thing for couples to do. But something about that scene rang a little hollow for me. I enjoy getting to see more of them kicking ass at their respective jobs. And y’all know they’re not my favorite ship, so.
Let’s see about the side effects of the mind wipe next week. Although, you would’ve though J’onn would’ve given everyone a heads up about that, no?
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