Supergirl 1.11 “Strange Visitor from another Planet”

Meh. That’s the reaction I had to the most episode of Supergirl. I felt let down. The previous episode had ended on such an exciting rush that I hoped “Strange Visitor from Another Planet” would jump directly into the after effects of Maxwell Lord’s discovery of Alex Danvers and Supergirl as sisters, but I felt a huge let down this episode. The writing is not great enough to delve into characters like egotistical Lois Lane wannabe Cat Grant. We tune in because this is a show based on a long legacy of comic books. The show works best when it sticks to the Supergirl mythos or creating its own origin stories for super villains with over the top evil plans. I do not tune in to this show for a watered down Shonda Rhimes melodrama. This episode was NOT an episode of Supergirl, it was an episode of The Cat Grant and Martian Manhunter Super Show.

The saving grace for this episode was the portion that centralized on J’onn J’onzz. During an anti-alien (the kind from space, not from other countries!) rally, Senator Miranda Crane (Tawny Cypress) does a pretty mean depiction of The Donald when she asserts that aliens are a threat to America and we should do anything to keep them from ruining our country and depleting our resources, even if it means putting up a dome to protect ourselves! Interestingly enough, she is not concerned about the threats space invaders may have on our planet, but just specifically America. Luckily for the Senator, the DEO and Catco recognize the rally is an obvious hotspot for an alien attack and some quotable news. As the Senator is rallying her voters, cue the alien attack! Good thing Supergirl is nearby to save her!

Hank Henshaw is still battling with his inner struggle of human personae vs. Martian past.  He recognizes the alien as a White Martian, a race of Martians that were responsible for a Martian Holocaust which led to the enslavement of Green Martian men and Henshaw’s wife and daughters being burned in an oven. Henshaw cannot face the White Martian and the pain of his past and Supergirl must save the Senator who is then put in protective custody until the White Martian is caught. The Senator continues her anti-alien dogma and asserts that there is an alien mole in the DEO. This would have been a great opportunity for some drama and anticipation to slowly build, but instead we find out a little too obviously and quickly that the White Martian simply shifted into the Senator who is really being held captive.

We do get to see some interesting internal struggles for Henshaw who wants to kill the White Martian instead of simply capture and imprison it. The Danvers sisters are able to help ground him and keep his emotions from ruling him. Thanks to Supergirl, an alien, saving her life, the Senator rethinks her position from one of bigotry to mere caution in regards to aliens. The writers would have been better served by focusing on this part of the plot, but instead…

Kara, always loyal to Cat, sneaks and sends a letter to Cat’s estranged eldest son, Adam Foster (Blake Jenner) on behalf of Cat, trying to establish a mother/son relationship. Cat botches it by only talking about herself and name dropping. Just when Adam is about to give up on Cat, Kara steps in as a mediator between the two and manages to patch up their relationship from awkward and bitter to pretty darn chummy. Of course, I am too distracted the entire time by hearing “Who Is Behind Those Foster Grants?” in my head to notice how predictable the Adam/Cat scenes are. I manage to tune back in to hear Adam ask Kara out on a date.

So, now the love triangle of Winn who loves Kara who loves James is now a square with the added element of Adam as a love interest. The addition of another love interest played by none other than Melissa Benoist’s real-life boyfriend and fellow Glee alum. A behind the scenes romance that leads to a romance on the screen can cause for some shaky chemistry between the characters and a possible shaky future for Kara and Adam. The only benefit is that it may lead to Winn finally snapping and becoming a villain (which is still what I am hoping for!).

The episode ends with Kara and Alex watching TV and sharing ice cream, which is what all sisters actually do, when they see an imposter Supergirl on the news! My excitement is now building for the next episode entitled “Bizarro” which must mean that the Supergirl look-a-like Henshaw saw in Lord’s complex is revealed to National City and should make for a much more exciting episode!