Supergirl Recap: 1.18 "World's Finest"

So, last episode, we found out that Siobhan is an alien or something. She had fallen from a tall building, but then right before making impact with the ground, she was able to stop herself in mid-air. In today's episode, the DEO runs tests on her. Apparently, she's a human. She had just emitted a high-frequency screech that cushioned her fall. As one does.

But that is a distraction from the following Very Important Subtext Moment (VISM?).

At CatCo, Cat and Kara have a talk about cupcakes. I won't add my own commentary. Just.... just observe:

Cat: [opens box of cupcakes] Aren't they exquisite?
Kara: [nods] Yes, they look very yummy.
Cat: I can see it in your eyes, Kara, that you want one. But, you're too scared. So instead you gaze longingly from a safe distance wishing that you had one all of your own. Well, let me tell you, cupcakes like these. They don't last.

The truth is, I want to be your cupcake.

Allegedly, Cat was referring to Kara's crush on James, but thank you Team Supergirl for the sapphic catnip anyway. I will take it.

Shortly thereafter, Siobhan begins having weird headache visions. As if possessed, she storms into CatCo, lets out a screech, and sends Kara shooting through the window. Before Kara hits the ground she's saved by..... The Flash? Oh yeah, this is the Season 1 Supergirl/Flash crossover. Okay, I can roll with this. Apparently, The Flash (aka, Barry) is from another universe, he accidentally ended up in Supergirl's version of Earth, and he needs help getting back home.

Wanna race?

Kara brings Barry back to her superhero den and introduces him to James and Winn. There's some interesting dynamics. Winn geek fanboys out and it's funny, but James is jealous of the new guy. Meanwhile, when Kara introduces him to Cat, Cat names him "The Blur." LOL.

In Siobhan news, she is next seen visiting her aunt, who runs what seems to be a Wiccan store. The aunt explains that their family was cursed by a banshee in Ireland many years ago and to make the curse go away, she'll have to kill whoever the object of her anger is. In Siobhan's case, that would be Kara.

Siobhan realizes she needs help in this endeavor, so she frees previous villain Livewire from the DEO Bad Alien Jail. They quickly become BFFs and Livewire helps Siobhan come up with a villain name and costume. Apparently, she now goes by Silver Banshee and looks like this:

Together, they kidnap Cat and beckon Supergirl to a park for a Hero/Villain showdown. (I miss Alex and Hank, by the way). During the fight, Supergirl flies in front of a bolt of electricity intended for a helicopter. When the good citizens of National City see that she was willing to risk her life to save them, she re-earns their trust (which she had lost during her Red Kryptonite Extravaganza). The citizens then pitch in to take down Livewire and Silver Banshee, and it's just like Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol. Except with 99.9% less racism, sexism, and accidental walking-into-gay-bars. So, not at all alike, if you think about it.

Supergirl then helps The Flash get home by running alongside him and giving him a little boost. Or something. *shrug* I don't really get how he makes it home, but I'm not sure if it matters. After all, there were cupcakes. #NeverForget

Later that night, Kara invites James over and tells him that she wants him to be her cupcake. They kiss. And immediately afterwards, all humans in National City are put under some sort of trance and he walks out of the room.

Well hell, they may not be my preferred 'ship, but those two really can't catch a break.


Deep Thought of the Week: Do you like crossovers? I do. It's fun to see how characters from different fandoms might interact with each other. Like Alex Danvers and Scully, for instance. Or, Supergirl and Bo Dennis. Hmmmm.

 [Note: In November 2017, CW/Supergirl Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg was suspended after allegations of sexual harassment.]

Resistance Quotes of the Day

From Traitors or Patriots?: A Story of the German Anti-Nazi Resistance, Louis Eltscher notes Hitler took power "after suffering a significant electoral defeat":

"Just how did Hitler and the Nazis secure power? The answer is as simple as it is tragic. The tipping point of 30 January 1933 came when these three men and their supporters, thinking they could control Hitler, named him chancellor."

The "three men" referred to were the president of the Weimar Republic Paul von Hindenberg, Minister of Defense General Kurt von Schleicher, and former military officer Franz von Papen. Author Eltscher describes these three men as conservatives who saw Hitler as a means to the end of restoring Germany to its traditional values.

Eltscher further describes resistance movements that existed throughout Hitler's reign. However, it lacked both organization and leadership:

"Germany never had a political leader capable of challenging Hitler's almost magical - one might say it was black magic - ability to dominate public life."

As I've alluded before, I struggle with being simultaneously wary of making gratuitous comparisons between Trump and Hitler, and with the masses potentially not making these comparisons soon enough.

What continues to give me hope, for now, is that we can dissent, still, and not be killed or censored. Although, when Trump labels critique "fake news," polls showing he's unpopular "rigged," and protestors as "paid," and have his followers believe him, he doesn't have to censor or kill us in order to be effective. He can claim that we still live in a free society as long as he is the god who defines reality.

The left, however, does need a charismatic leader who can effectively challenge Trump. Relatedly, we need factions on the left to not tear down whoever this person is going to be when that person turns out to be imperfect. I am no "Berniecrat" lover but I would support one over Trump a million times over.  Republicans in Congress, as they confirm Trump's Cabinet of Incompetence, have demonstrated that as deplorable as Donald is, he is a means to achieving their conservative ends - restricting immigration, banning abortion, passing anti-LGBT laws, and de-regulating.

They tolerate imperfection, rarely denounce their neo-nazis and extremists, and they win. The left demands purity, gazes into its navel about the propriety of giving white supremacists speaking platforms, and we lose.

And, importantly, as the Democratic Primary* continues to be re-litigated, we need a leader who can appeal broadly to people who supported both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton.


(*Spoiler alert: I'm not going to be that person who orders people on any side to "get over it," because that's not helpful either. All I will say on this point, for now, is that I don't think calling someone "an ass" in an email constitutes an event that tipped the primary to Clinton, let alone rises to the level of "rigging." The vote tallies were not close.)

Femslash Friday: My Totino

I've watched the Saturday Night Live "Totinos" Super Bowl sketch approximately eleventymillion times since it aired last weekend.



What I find impressive is that it begins with the bro-iest setup ever but then crescendos through a series of over-the-top tropes from queer women's cinema, totally redeeming itself.

First, there's the guys sitting around watching the big game. It's clear that the only woman present is in attendance in a mommy-wife capacity only, and not as a peer or true sports fan. She asks, "Is everyone enjoying the big game?" And the husband responds, "Come on babe, don't act like you know sports." She agrees, saying, the only thing she knows about is feeding her "hungry guys."

More of the husband's friends arrive, then, one of them bringing his sister (played by Kristen Stewart, who is looking very Shane, I might add). And then, the Sapphic plot thickens, as the tropes are employed:

• First, the sister's name is Sabine, because of course it is. Her brother is an American super-frat bro, but she's apparently a sexy French queer woman. Meaningful, prolonged eye contact between the protagonist and Sabine is made, because Sabine is apparently a sexy French queer woman.
• We then see extreme close-ups of Sabine's various body parts: lips, an eye, a strand of hair.
• As they spread the pizza rolls on the tray, their hands graze. Is there anything sexier than spreading Totinos for hungry guys, with Sabine? Probably not.
• The women are then suddenly holding each other, and what I can only describe as the Sapphic camera filter is employed (there may be a technical term for this but it's, like, the background is suddenly smoky and candlelit. Sensual!)
• The protagonist is then drawing Sabine. There is a brief water fight, and then they are suddenly actually speaking French.
• (This is all happening while the bro-dudes are in the same room, 100% oblivious)

LOL Forever.

Kristen Stewart and Vanessa Bayer both did an excellent job, in my opinion. And, I bet it was intentional not to include KStew and Kate McKinnon together, as that would have resulted in queer women everywhere spontaneously combusting.

But seriously, may you all find your Totino(s).

McConnell Fuels the Resistance

You might be super surprised to learn that I had some thoughts about Republican Mitch McConnell silencing Senator Elizabeth Warren two days ago, as she attempted to read the words of Coretta Scott King in opposition to racist Jeff Sessions' nomination as US Attorney General.

I wrote about it Shakesville today.

Recap: Supergirl 1.17 "Manhunter"

"Manhunter" begins with Supergirl majorly down in the dumps. Her Red Kryptonite Extraganza from last week has led to the people of National City losing trust in her. So, she's pouting by eating donuts while half-wearing her hero outfit. As one does.

*sad trombone*

We also get a flashback of little Kara. There is one awful moment where, when she had first arrived on Earth as a young girl, Kara saved a family from a burning car. Jeremiah (Alex's dad) had told her that the world already has Superman and that she needed to hide her powers. And, my heart breaks for every little girl who has had her ambition and potential stifled.

BUT anyway.

Things aren't so great with Hank, either, as he's been put in the DEO Bad Alien Jail for having revealed himself as an alien. The military has taken over the DEO and is conducting an investigation into Hank's alien identity. Also, Lucy is back in the military. Apparently you can be in the military, go AWOL/corporate for a few weeks, and then just be back in the military again with minimal hassle. 

Dressed like a woman.

During the investigation, we get a flashback of (the real) Hank Henshaw and Jeremiah Danvers (Alex's dad). They apparently hunted J'onn J'onnz, thinking he was a dangerous alien. However, we learn that J'onn had actually saved Jeremiah's life. And, Jeremiah, in turn, had learned that J'onn wasn't actually dangerous, but was a refugee from Mars. Jeremiah then killed (the real) Hank, when defending J'onn. From then on, J'onn shape-shifted into Hank, stole his identity, and ran the DEO. I hope that made sense. Stolen identity/body switch plots are hard to describe, it turns out.

Overall, Lucy seems to become more sympathetic to Hank/J'onn's story than the authoritarian anti-alien military dude who's leading the interrogation. (I don't know his name, so let's just call him Colonel Bannon.) The Colonel thinks J'onn should be locked away forever for being an enemy of the state. Supergirl and Alex, however, are not having it. So, good luck, Bub.

#Resistance

Alex is then hooked up to a lie detector machine and interrogated about whether she knew Hank/J'onn was an alien. The first question asked is, "Is your name Alexandra Danvers." Alex clarifies that it's just "Alex." Because of course it is, honey.

Alex then free-form narrates the tale of how she first met Hank/J'onn. And, I just don't think that's how polygraph tests work, but then again, everything I know about the topic comes from Homeland so whaddoIknow.  We're also treated to clips of a femmed-out Alex downing shots and dancing in a club, just before Hank recruits her into the DEO. With last week's Dark Supergirl Red Kryptonite Extravaganza, I'm realizing that drinking + sexy dancing is like the obligatory way that TV Shows Featuring a Strong Female Lead show that a "good girl has gone bad." (See also, Buffy 4x16).

ANYway, during her interrogation, Alex tries to lie, saying she didn't know Hank was an alien, but Lucy knows she's lying. The DEO transports Alex and Hank to something called Project Cadmus. In response, Kara outs herself as Supergirl to Lucy, hoping to sway her to release Hank. I guess Kara's speech works because like 10 seconds later they're on motorcycles together wearing matching black outfits, on a covert mission to free Hank and Alex. That is some serious U-hauling ladies. I mean, hauling ass. And, it works. They free Hank and Alex.

El mayarah

Hank and Alex then flee, since they're fugitives now. Nooooooo! When Supergirl and Lucy return to the DEO, the "Alex's Ex" agent tells them that Lucy has been named the new Head of the DEO.

In Siobhan news, she's back to hating Kara, since Kara got her fired from CatCo. At a certain point, she sneaks into CatCo when no one else is there (whu? how?), gets on Kara's computer (which apparently is not password-protected), and sends a mean email to Cat, "from Kara." However, Cat doesn't fall for it, and she tells Siobhan to scram.

Also, PS: Siobhan is an alien or something. BYEEEEE!

Deep Thought of the Week: What's Carter been up to? Why are all the kids different in each National Lampoon movie? Did Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch turn out okay? When is there going to be a re-boot of My So-Called Life, except where they're all adults?

I'm here to ask the important questions, friends.

 [Note: In November 2017, CW/Supergirl Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg was suspended after allegations of sexual harassment.]