Every week, Fangirlish writers will be discussing new episodes of Supergirl and sharing their thoughts, feelings, and speculation about the hour’s hot topics in a little something we like to call Fangirlish Roundtables.
Today, we’re breaking down episode 12 of Supergirl, “Bizarro” where we discuss our hatred for Maxwell Lord, James’ feelings for Kara, and the introduction of Bizarro.
What were your overall thoughts on “Bizarro?”
ALYSSA
I actually really enjoyed this episode because it made me hate Maxwell Lord more than I thought imaginable and trust me that’s for the best because this show has really set Lord up to be an incredible antagonist that can rival even Astra in terms of threat-wise. “Bizarro” was touted as an episode where Supergirl comes into contact with a bizarro version of her and must stop her. But this episode became more than that; it became about defining what makes someone a victim vs. a villain. Heading into this episode and for a good while of it I believed that Bizarro was a villain, but after watching what Maxwell Lord was telling her and how he was brainwashing her, it was obvious that Bizarro was the victim in all of this. This was an episode that had an array of emotions – from that feeling of sympathy for this Jane Doe who never asked for any of this to that feeling of “OHMYGOD” when James confessed his love for Kara to Bizarro to terror at that last scene with that alien slug on the ceiling. This set up some nice things for the future.
LIZZIE
I thought it was a good episode, a bit slow, but very strong for Kara’s character, in particular. Bizarro was there less to be an effective villain and more to show us how compassionate and kind Kara can be. And maybe, how far Alex is willing to go to protect her family.
The other thing the episode was meant to do, I think, was try to unravel Kara’s love life. In that respect, however, the episode failed. Adam is gone, Winn’s attitude is getting on my nerves and James …well, I’m just not feeling James. At all. Right now, the best relationships Kara has are with the women in her life – and with Hank. And I find that I don’t even mind.
LYRA
It was a combination of classics that work. On one hand you have Bizarro, a reoccurring star in the DC Verse who causes strife with it’s simplistic nature and drive to destroy to destroy the Superman/Supergirl. And on the other hand you have our superhero fighting against the love that surrounds her because of the life she leads. She’s at the beginning of a downwards journey where the mission to save the world is more important than her own personal happiness. She doesn’t know that she can have both of them, Overall I’d give this episode two thumbs up. One for breaking my heart with Bizarro and the other for keeping Winn a relatable character who’s still there for Kara (he isn’t as boring as James either.)
We saw the introduction of Bizarro in this episode, who was everything that Kara was in appearance, physical ability, and emotions. What were your thoughts on Bizarro, and do you think we’ll see her again?
ALYSSA
I was expecting something different from Bizarro in this episode. I went into this episode assuming that she’d be a one-dimensional villain of the week, but she proved to a three-dimensional villain that actually got an emotional reaction out of me. Bizarro’s entire story was heartbreaking. She was a brain-dead Jane Doe who was forced to become one of Maxwell Lord’s experiments and brainwashed to do terrible things. One of the things that really stuck out to me at the end was how Bizarro was essentially being put on a path for redemption. Once she had been removed from Lord’s brainwashing tactics and able to appreciate Supergirl as being someone that is good and Lord as bad it seemed like the show was setting up for a possible return as Henshaw and the DEO wanted to find a way to save her from whatever Lord had done to her. This entire storyline – how Bizarro was teased and depicted as the villain early on only to be revealed as the victim of this entire thing – was really intriguing and really stops to make you think about the different kinds of villains there are. There are those that are forced to commit unspeakable acts against their will – the victims; and then there are those villains that make the active choice to commit said acts knowingly and willingly.
LIZZIE
The way the character was set-up, I’m pretty sure we’ll see her again. I just want to know if we can see her go against Maxwell Lord. Can she even do that? Would her programing allow her to? I don’t know, but that’s what I want. Mostly, because I want her to get her revenge. I hate, hate, hate Lord for what he did to her. I mean, I hated him before, but he was amusing, and a good antagonist. Now? Now I want him gone, and surprisingly, it’s not because of something he did to Kara or Alex, but because of what he did to this girl.
LYRA
In the beginning I didn’t care for her. She was after my girl Supergirl. No one gets to mess with her image and get away with it! Plus she ruined Kara’s date with Adam (something truly unforgivable.) Then a friend, aka Lizzie, made me take a step back and look at her once more. Maxwell Lord tried to turn countless girls into his own plaything because he wanted to play God. With Bizarro he finally lucked out! Here was his shining star, his greatest work to defeat Supergirl and harness her power for his own selfish reasons. He twisted the lost girl underneath into a shadow of her former self because he was selfish and self centered. Bizarro is the victim in all of this. She’s the one who deserves redemption and someone to fight for her.
We’ll definitely see Bizarro again. She was put to sleep with a promise to find a way to help her. It would be interesting to see if they can regain the girl that she was before while keeping Supergirl’s powers running through her veins. They’ll come a moment where she’ll prove herself and be as brave as the Supergirl DNA introduced to her body.
Let’s talk about Maxwell Lord. What did you think of this entire situation with him and creating Bizarro Girl? And even though he’s locked up do you think he’ll get free?
ALYSSA
Maxwell Lord may be one of my most hated characters on DC television right up there with Arrow’s Malcolm Merlyn because of their actions and the way they’ve tried to justify them. Lord is a walking cockroach with a God complex, but that may not be such a bad thing because it makes him such a great villain. It’s nice to come across a villain that is human and not an alien that poses such a great threat to Kara and this city. While he believes he’s helping National City in trying to rid it of Supergirl and other aliens, he really isn’t. And that’s what makes him so scary and such a great villain for this show. How incredible is it that in a show where Supergirl is supposed to protect her city from this alien threats that perhaps her greatest threat is a human that lives among them?
Regarding Lord and what he did to Bizarro, I was completely appalled. Even when I believed it was just one Jane Doe – not seven – that he’s tried this procedure on, my hatred for this man ran strong. He didn’t see this girl as a person or care for her like he repeatedly told her, he saw her as an instrument to inflict pain upon Supergirl. While Alex did manage to bring Lord into the DEO and locked him up – like a BAMF! – there is no way that he stays locked up for too long. His potential is too grand and his threat too great for that to be the end of his story. So I trust that he’ll find a way out of there, and he’ll come back swinging with a vengeance.
LIZZIE
This is a super-hero show, so I’m going to go with he’s going to find a way to get free and cause problems. Mainly because, yes, that’s what villains do. And also because, he’s not going to get his due sitting in a cell. That’s not how these stories are set up. And, as much as I cheered for Alex when she took him in, I think it was a bad, bad idea. He know knows where they are, and he probably caught a glimpse of things we didn’t really want him to see. So, when he escapes, he’s just going to be an even bigger problem.
I remember thinking, when the season started, that they might be setting him up to be a bigger villain than Astra. Was I right, or what? Because Astra I want caught and locked up ….Lord? He needs to disappear.
LYRA
Maxwell Lord creating Bizarro Girl was his play at being God. He’s so desperate to destroy Supergirl that he’d make a copy of her? That makes no sense. He doesn’t care that Supergirl is out there saving the city. All he cares about are his own interests. And right now Supergirl is all up in his business and destroying any chance he has to rule all without impunity. For all we know he doesn’t have any crazy backstory on why he hates anything otherworldly. He could just be a self-serving jerk.
Will he get free? Oh please. He’ll definitely be set lose or escape. He’s an egomaniac who’s always me, me, me for some unfathomable reason. I’d be surprised if he didn’t play some sort of trump card while on lock-down. One things for sure with that man, he’s always got a plan.
We got a huge love confession from James about Kara in this episode — only not to Kara. Now that we know how James feels, do you think he’ll get the courage to tell her how he feels?
ALYSSA
While I’m someone who appreciates a good love story, I find myself conflicted as someone who ships both Kara & James and Kara & Winn. While I still believe that there is plenty of story to be told regarding Kara and Winn – regardless of how Winn seems to have accepted Kara’s rejection – I do believe that this show is aiming to explore Kara and James’ relationship. There had been a stall with Kara and James’ romantic relationship what with James being involved with Lucy and him being content with Winn to go for it with Kara. It was almost as if James had accepted things. But in this episode we saw that that couldn’t be further from the case. From the beginning when he learned that Kara was going out with Cat’s son Adam, there was a jealously that he couldn’t hide on his face. Kara didn’t pick up on it because she’s Kara, but Winn caught it.
But the major confession happened after Bizarro had kidnapped James because – being that she essentially feels what Supergirl does – she knows that James is someone that Kara deeply cares for and loves. As James is trying to talk his way out of the situation – knowing that this Bizarro essentially is a replica of Kara’s thoughts and emotions – he appeals to that emotional aspect. He tells her that he doesn’t love Supergirl because of what she looks like. He loves her because of who she is – how she’s kind and always tries to do the right thing. While James didn’t confess to Kara herself, there’s no coming back from that kind of confession now that it’s been voiced out loud. And you saw the impact of that the next time James saw Kara. This is something he can’t ignore no matter how much he tries. We’re going to see this come to a head very soon.
LIZZIE
Ugh, James. I wish I could feel about you the way I felt in the first few episodes. Amused, interested, excited. Now I’m just …blah. You bore me. And that’s like the kiss of death for a character. I don’t care if you’re kidnapped, I don’t care if you’re trying to bond with Winn, I don’t care if you’re dating a woman who you clearly don’t love because you’re too, what …scared? I don’t care. As long as you stay away from Kara, you can continue to be man-candy that I don’t have to care about. Yes, you’re still pretty. But you don’t interest me at all.
LYRA
I certainly hope not. James and his ‘love’ for Kara is boring. James has no substance, nothing that makes him pop as a character. So when he announced that he loved Kara I didn’t believe it at all. I think it’s wishful thinking. Working with Superman he was always surrounding by great things without being a true part of it. Now here comes Supergirl, someone that he can fall completely into. With her he can become part of her world in a romantic way he could never with Superman (unless you like slash fic.)
Let’s not forget he fell in love with Kara while still with Lucy. He didn’t have the courage to tell either women the truth of his feelings as they were developing. Now it won’t make any difference. He’s a coward who will string both women along until they both turn away from him. Kara and Lucy are leading ladies who deserve to be loved without hesitation or second thought.
With Kara going out with Cat’s son we saw a Cat Grant who was much nicer to Kara. But when she broke things off Cat was hurt by the whole thing. What are your thoughts on Cat and Kara’s relationship moving forward?
ALYSSA
Kara and Cat’s relationship is one of my favorite things about this show, and I’m always looking forward to the different developments in their relationship. While Cat has never been nice per say to Kara, she has conveyed a level of respect. But Kara dating her son changed things. She began to show acts of kindness to Kara – like getting her her favorite latte – and it kind of freaked me and Kara out immensely. But you quickly realize Cat is being nice to Kara because she doesn’t want to lose her son. She recognizes that if Kara is a part of Adam’s life that she needs to be nice to her if she wants to remain in Adam’s. So later when Kara essentially breaks her son’s heart – and also causes him to head back home – Cat is noticeably hurt and angry by it all. But she remains calm and cautious about the entire situation saying that her and Kara should keep their relationship professional moving forward. I found this interesting because it showed just how close Cat had considered her and Kara to be before this situation that she felt the need to distance herself. It’s another interesting layer to Cat’s multi-layered character.
LIZZIE
What in the world did Kara expect, really? It’s funny how naïve she can be at times. Or, sad, I can’t’ decide which of the two it is. Because, of course Cat was hurt. She’s Adam’s mother, and she seemed to be actually invested in the possible relationship. I think Cat really, really likes Kara. She sees something of herself in her, and she’s thankful for what she did to help her get Adam back, and maybe, in a way, Cat thought Kara getting together with her son was just ….well …fate. As silly as that sounds.
So, at this point, Cat is mad at herself for actually entertaining these ridiculous notions and Kara is just …trying to hold on to a status quo that doesn’t exist. She can’t have it both ways. Either she lets Cat into her life, with all that entails, or she just …doesn’t and they keep their relationship professional.
LYRA
Let’s have a moment of silence for Kara and Adam’s relationship. How can I ship something so hard after two episodes?! Thank the stars that they’re married in real life because that quickly became OTP for me. They were fresh, energetic, and had a connection that popped because of the easy chemistry. I need a ship name stat.
Now onto Cat and Kara’s relationship. Hard times are coming for this frigid yet motherly coexistence. Cat is trying to change herself. She’s made mistakes in the past and with Kara’s help she’s trying to change what she values in life. So she’s completely baffled that the person who pushed her forward is now backing down! She sees no reason behind Kara’s hesitation. And since she’s a woman who surrounds herself with like minded people she doesn’t want to have Kara in her inner circle where feelings are involved. She will treat Kara like her assistant and nothing else until our hero realizes that she deserves good things.
At this point, who do you think poses the biggest threat to Kara: Maxwell Lord or Astra?
ALYSSA
I’m definitely going to have to say Maxwell Lord. I understand that Astra and Non pose a significant threat to Kara and National City, right now Kara needs to worry more about Lord than Astra. Lord is a villain that is driven by personal motivation obviously as a result of a significant event in the past, whatever that may be; we still don’t know. But Lord is someone that has come out with a direct shot at Kara and equipped with that kind of intelligence it makes him incredibly dangerous to Kara, anyone that helps her, and essentially the entire city. Plus, Astra is one of those villains whose grand plan is going to come later rather than sooner this season. Worry about the now. But when you think about it, Lord poses a threat for not only Kara but Astra and her band of sinister aliens. Sure, Lord is targeting Supergirl, but it surely doesn’t stop there. He’s intent on destroying all of the aliens.
LIZZIE
Maxwell for the win, for many reasons. First, because he has no reason to actually hold back, like Astra has done. Second, because he’s locked in a cell in the middle of the supposedly secret lair of an organization that isn’t even supposed to exist, which, bad idea, if you ask me. When he gets out, because it’s just a matter of time, they’re going to have to relocate. He knows where they are. But mostly, the reason I think Maxwell is more dangerous than Astra is because Maxwell is acting with his head. He has a reason to want Kara gone. We might not agree with his reasons, but he’s not overly emotional about it. Astra is. And emotions always end up being your downfall.
LYRA
Maxwell Lord hands down. Astra loves Kara and wants to save the world. And sure she sounds delusional half the time, but she’s part of something bigger than herself who will (probably) not kill her niece when it comes down to it. Maxwell just wants to be the top dog with the best play things because…he wants to. Since he’s got no reason he’ll go to any lengths to protect his interests.
What are your thoughts on “BIzarro?” Sound off in the comments to keep the discussion going!
Join us for another Supergirl roundtable next Sunday.
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8/7c on CBS.