The Flash’s 11th episode (“Dead or Alive”) was so charming and so delightful. With the addition of HR and Julian, the dynamic is really working perfectly this season. And I’ve barely had the urge to yell at Barry, lately—something I honestly never thought I’d say. Julian’s role in this episode mostly involved snark masquerading as […]
Supergirl’s tenth episode (“We Can Be Heroes”—Bowie reference ftw!) fell pretty neatly under the heading of heroism: what it means to be a hero, who can be a hero, the imperfection of heroes, and being the ordinary hero. But moreover? I think it’s about preconceptions and second chances. How, sometimes, even the supposed “villain” can […]
The Flash’s 10th episode (“Borrowing Problems From the Future”) was a mesh of hopeless and hopeful. There are sweet, couple-y moments between Barry and Iris (guys, I love their new place, furnishing included. Is it bad that I’m jealous of fictional characters? Because yeah.). And then there’s having to re-watch the future, which means seeing […]
Supergirl’s ninth episode (“Supergirl Lives”) covers a lot of ground, but with deft purpose. No slouch in the least, Kevin Smith brings his usual flair for humor and complicated, emotion-laden scenes. In short, it was good to have Kara and the whole gang back on screen. First, let’s talk about Winn. His confidence gets shaken, […]
The holidays often end up being a time of Claymation specials, bright lights, spiked punch, and—of course—reflection. Yes, family can be a bit of a minefield, and there’s always that one uncle that everyone avoids like the plague. And yes, the world appears to be quite the flaming garbage fire in a lot of respects. […]
The Flash’s midseason finale (episode nine, “The Present”) is full of great life advice. (No, seriously.) Predictably, none of it comes from Barry, who needs Jay to be his Get-a-Grip friend FOREVER. Aside from a thorough redemption arc (by way of Julian—whose reveal was very Scooby Doo villain), the main theme of this episode is […]
The Flash’s eighth episode (“Invasion”) was just this side shy of Mars Attacks! Aliens descend like a pack of velociraptors (“Enough to give Ridley Scott nightmares.”), and Barry recruits a gaggle of (super)friends: Supergirl, the Arrow crew, and the Legends. And we learn a few things: 1) Cisco (Carlos Valdes) can’t stop behaving like a […]
Supergirl’s eighth episode (“Medusa”) is easily summed up in one line, spoken by Kara: “Be your own hero.” While this is directed toward Lena, it holds true for the majority of the characters in different ways. For Alex, she comes out to her mother. She makes peace with herself, with who she is, and the […]
The Flash’s seventh episode (“Killer Frost”) may seem like it’s centered around Caitlin’s descent into villainy, but that’s only a small part. Consistently, what I love most about this show are the relationships. The characters, no matter how flawed or prone to hideous mistakes, always show up for each other. They may not all be […]
Supergirl’s seventh episode (“The Darkest Place”) is rock bottom for a lot of the characters. For Hank (J’onn), it’s discovering that his friend, the woman who saved his life, is a White Martian. It’s nearly killing her, only to pull himself back at the last minute. And sure, he locks her in a cell, but […]
The Flash’s sixth episode (“Shade”) is full of revelations, steps forward, and steps in unknown directions. Let’s start with Wally. Poor emo Wally, who wants to be one of the cool kids—or, in this case, fast kids. He’s Alchemy’s latest target (ten bucks says that it turns out to be Julian, btw, who was conveniently […]
Supergirl’s sixth episode (“Changing”) covers a lot of emotional ground. Revelations abound, some good and some less so. But the central theme is all about stepping up the plate, showing up when it’s hard—even if that means shows up for yourself. Maybe especially then. Let’s start with Alex, because sweet mother of mercy—she made me […]
Supergirl’s fifth episode (“Crossfire”) is full of character development, and that’s what I want to focus on. There’s good, bad, and blah. Let’s talk about the good first. First and foremost, Maggie (Floriana Lima) and Alex. I’ve been shipping these two since they first crossed paths and argued. While this relationship dynamic could’ve rung false, […]
