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Welcome back, folks! This week I’m joined by one of my Arrow Squad co-hosts, The Shadow, a.k.a. Brian, and we had the great pleasure to talk about Supergirl Season 1 Episode 17 entitled “Manhunter”. This episode originally aired on March 21, 2016 and features special guest star Eddie McClintock of Warehouse 13. Dean Cain reprises his role as Jeremiah Danvers, and we also see the young actresses who portray the younger versions of Alex and Kara, Jordan Mazarati and Melina Weissman (respectively).

One actress we do not give enough credit to is Briana Venskus, who plays the role of Agent Vasquez. Her character really stood out to me this week for some reason. She has been in nearly episode of Supergirl, and yet she’s still such a minor character that we don’t know anything about her. What I really like about the use of her character is that you can see that she observes her colleagues and the way they operate, so that in a situation like this episode presents, she knows where her loyalties are. And we love her for it!

Mighty Morphing Manhunter

The background we received this week on J’onn J’onzz becoming Hank Henshaw was exactly what the doctor ordered. What I love most about getting this information now is that it came out organically. It was woven into the sg-117-campfire-donutsstory, and the story was allowed to be told so that we’d be ready to hear it and it wouldn’t feel randomly injected or thrust upon us before we actually had the heart to care for what J’onn has done for the DEO and for the world.

It took a long time for all of us to get a feel for who J’onn was, especially when it was still uncertain who Hank was! But as our little Supergirl family developed, bonded, and struggled, it became very clear that there was a unique vibe between them that enables them to work together so well.

Interestingly, the former Hank Henshaw was as black and white as we thought J’onn was in the beginning, when we didn’t know who he was. The Hank we saw on mission was fierce, blinded by the mission objective, and unyielding. What surprised me most was that he stabbed Jeremiah during their brawl. He went for the kill. That’s very strange.

Upon taking over Hank’s responsibilities, I can see how J’onn had to play that up. And yet I wonder how, if Hank and this Colonel James Harper were such good friends, he didn’t know about Project Cadmus. Not that it was a secret, as James knew what it was, but that J’onn had to ask questions about it and that he didn’t know Jeremiah was being held there.

Holy reveal, Batman! Jeremiah is still alive.

Agent Party Girl

Interesting back story we get on the Danvers sisters as well. From their first interactions as kids, Kara dealing with the nuances of Earth and Alex dealing with the nuances of Kara, to the very different paths they were brought down, a lot about the girls’ relationship makes more sense. Even though this season has brought them closer together, Kara’s diatribe in the previous episode cuts a lot deeper than I imagined.

While Kara gets the “This World Already Has Superman” speech from her foster dad, Alex grows up in the shadow of someone with extraordinary powers. Insurmountable, inexplicable powers. She’s brimming with intelligence, but has no aptitude to apply it. Either that character trait wasn’t developed, or she allowed the insecurity of inadequacy to consume her, and she wasted her nights away trying to forget her directionlessness.

sg-117-party-like-a-rockstar
From Partying like a rockstar…
sg-117-jailbird
…to jailbird

Anyway, I really enjoyed the exposition here about the girls. It reminded me that it hasn’t been easy going for them, even though Alex has taken care of Kara, it isn’t until recently that they both were able to see that they are who they are because they grew up together.

Lucy, Lucy, Lucy

Will I be shooting myself in the foot later for saying that I really like the direction they took Lucy? I wasn’t happy that they just had her up and leave Catco after her split with James “Don’t Make Me Answer Your Phone” Olsen, but I was a fan of them bringing her back, confronting the issue that broke them up, and then thrusting her into this position of authority. I hesitantly trust who Lucy is right now. sg-117-never-send-a-manI’m hesitant because I’m bombarded with all of these uber comic fans who are like, “Lucy is terrible in the comics! Ugh!” But through the lens of this series, I’ve been extremely surprised by my enjoyment of her arc.

Now that Alex is on the run and Lucy is head of DEO, I can’t help but wonder how Kara’s primary relationships will change. Kara-Alex, Kara-James, Kara-Hank… They’re all on a very narrow precipice, none of which really bear any risk of falling off entirely, but are just very uncertain due to present circumstances.

Is it next week yet??

Next Week

Season 1 Episode 18: WORLD’S FINEST! Featuring Grant Gustin as The Flash
Watch the crazy awesome promo

Feedback

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