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 15 of Supergirl, “Solitude” where we discuss our relief over Alex finally coming clean about Astra’s death, James and Lucy’s failed romance, and this week’s villain Indigo.
What were your overall thoughts on “Falling?”
ALYSSA
I really enjoyed “Falling” because it showed us a darker side to a superhero’s journey than we typically see especially with a lighter hero like Kara. It was definitely one of my favorite episodes of the season because of the issues it addressed and how it portrayed them. We got to see a darker side to Kara and how she dealt with coming back from that. There was a strong emotional connection with the whol J’Onn J’Onzz of it all with J’Onn revealing his identity because he’d do whatever he needed to keep Kara and Alex safe. Supergirl is at its best when its digging down deep emotionally with these characters, and “Falling” was one of those episodes that was so much more than the superhero of it all.
LIZZIE
I don’t even know what to tell you – this was a great episode, it was just a very uncomfortable one. Like, I literally could not watch at times. All the good cheer and general campy vibe of the show just went bye bye at the sight of the red kryptonite. And though mean Kara was, at times, fun Kara, in the end, it was just too much. Which is good. I mean, it advances the plot and all that. But, ugh, ugh, ugh.
But, hey, I gotta give it to Supergirl, they still do the family relationships very well (Jon/Alex/Kara had me at the brink of tears), and the Cat/Kara relationship is still the highlight of the show. And don’t even get me started on that scene with the little girl at the beginning. That was, literally, what this show is all about.
LYRA
As usual Supergirl has it’s shining moments crippled by trope like occurrences that drive me crazy. They’re still teetering back and forth on what works. Hopefully they’ll escape this and cement what kind of show they want to be veryyyyy soon. Besides that I really enjoyed the development between J’Onn, Kara, and Alex. They’re becoming more than a unit. They’re a family.
We saw the effect of Red Kryptonite on Kara as it brought out the worst in her. What did you think of this storyline?
ALYSSA
This storyline was one that I really enjoyed because it’s essential when it comes to Kara’s hero journey – and it was executed beautifully. Kara might be the epitome of the lighter, jovial superheroes out there, but she’s not without her faults and she’s not without the darkness. This storyline served a couple of important purposes, for me. The first was that it showed us that deep down Supergirl isn’t perfect; she doesn’t only think the best of everyone and everything. She’s like us. The second thing was that there wasn’t an immediate resolution to the problem. It wasn’t all, “Oh, well Supergirl wasn’t herself so all is forgiven.” Kara is going to have to redeem herself in the eyes of the people of National City and earn their trust back. It’s not going to be easy, and it’s not going to be immediate, but it’s going to be significant in helping Kara develop as a hero.
LIZZIE
Again, I’m not sure how to explain. I loved what it did to the storyline, and I loved what Melissa Benoist brought to it, especially in that scene after Kara is cured, because that was some acting, but this was just painful to watch. PAINFUL. I like my Kara fun and happy and just, hopeful. And by the end of this episode everything was just a mess. Well, the important things weren’t, except for J’Onn being in jail, but ugh. I think it’s going to take a while for the show to go back to being my Monday night fixture of hope and rainbows.
My favorite part of this, though, was that it didn’t just make Kara into a different person, but brought out the nasty thoughts that we all have and made her act on them. This is just very real to me. We all think stuff like that, and in a way, that’s okay. We don’t act on it. We don’t let our worst impulses rule us. It’s just that, in Kara’s case, she just couldn’t help herself.
LYRA
Ohhhh ‘going bad’ trope. How very nice to see you. I knew you’d come around eventually. It was only a matter of time until they pulled something like this off. At first I wasn’t buying it. Kara turned evil and she did exactly what always happened. She wore edgier clothes, darker makeup, and suddenly gained a love for intimate dancing in dark and smokey clubs. *insert eye roll here. points deducted for originality* Then she really started to gain some traction. She didn’t care. Her secrets, fears, and wants that she hid in the deepest parts of herself started coming out of her like birthday confetti; scaring and shocking Alex. It was brilliant! That’s what I wanted! Unhinged and not afraid to destroy all that is around her. They should’ve started with that from the beginning. Here’s hoping that Red Kryptonite will make a return!
Given the circumstances of this episode we saw J’Onn J’Onzz reveal his identity as a Green Martian and turn himself over in order to protect Alex and Kara. What were your thoughts on that?
ALYSSA
Supergirl is at its best when it’s focusing on the relationships of the show that really bring a level of emotion that is touching. There’s no doubt that one of the main emotional relationships of this show is Kara, Alex, and J’Onn J’onzz and that whole father-daughter bond between them. While we’ve seen J’Onn try to hide from who he really is in fear of both losing his authority at the DEO and also because he was afraid to be himself, it was quite telling how quickly he was willing to give that up in order to protect Kara and Alex. When it comes to those girls, J’Onn cares about them like they’re his daughters, and there’s nothing a father wouldn’t do for his daughter. So when J’Onn ahd the chance to escape when it was all said and done, he stayed to take responsibility and be locked up because he was protecting Kara and Alex, as he told Alex later at the DEO. Now that J’Onn is locked up at the DEO, I’m really hoping that those at the DEO find a way to trust him again so that he retakes command of the center and help stop the real threat headed their way with Non.
LIZZIE
I love this relationship. I can’t understand how I love it so much, because it came out of nowhere and I really didn’t like Hank in the beginning, but at this point, he’s the only male character in this show that I can stand. Well, fine, I can more than stand him, especially when he gets to interact with both Alex and Kara. J’Onn lost his family all those years ago, and now, he found a new family in these two girls. Alex and Kara lost their father, and Kara lost her whole planet before that, and they’ve found, in Hank, someone they can trust, someone who will put them first – always. And on a show that’s all about the family that you choose, that’s everything.
LYRA
That was the best part of the episode! God J’Onn…just…why did you have to give me all the feelings? I don’t think Kara and Alex realized until that moment how much he loves them. (Hell I didn’t even know the depths of how much he cared.) They are his family. He will protect them from anything that comes their way, even if he has to step in the line of fire. Now it’s their turn to support him. I have no idea what’s coming next. The one thing I am certain of is that they’ll do this as a family.
We saw a nice moment at the end where Cat sort of encouraged Supergirl in her determination to win back the people of National City. Do you think we’ll get to see more of Cat helping Supergirl win back the trust of the city?
ALYSSA
I really hope that we’ll see more between Supergirl and Cat because that’s something that has been severely lacking in the show since early on. There’s been a divide between the two for some reason as the storyline has sort of taken a backseat, but I believe that this storyline featuring Kara’s redemption is definitely something that will help reignite that relationship. There’s a reason that Supergirl went to Cat. Not only did she feel sorry for the whole throwing her off a building thing in her heated-rage, but for Kara there’s something about Cat that sort of draws her to Cat. And Cat dished out some advice that proved to be quite helpful, as well as hinted that we could see Cat help Kara with earning back the trust of the people of National City.
LIZZIE
Well, Cat does have a vested interest in this. And Cat is also a pretty kickass, strong woman. Because Cat was scared, make no mistake about it. But Cat, who had more reason than anyone to be wary of Supergirl, she didn’t just get yelled at or had some uncomfortable truths thrown in her face, she got thrown off a building and almost died, was, in the end, pretty forgiving. It brought back a memory of one of the earlier episodes where Cat confided in Kara about her mother and about her always pushing herself and never feeling like it was enough. In a way, I think Cat feels sort of motherly towards Supergirl, in the same way that J’Onn feels sort of fatherly – and though Cat is not a soft woman, not one to hug it out, she can and will be there for Supergirl in the only way she knows how.
LYRA
I think Supergirl might come back to Cat for advice when it counts or when she’s desperate. Cat doesn’t seem like the kind of person to be bosom buddies with anyone. She’s not going to go out on a huge limb for Supergirl, especially after denouncing her and being thrown off her building. Supergirl has to the heavy lifting herself if she wants to see any change in the way National City sees her.
With James and Lucy calling it quits it looks like the show is ramping up for this Kara/James romance. But it doesn’t appear to be a calm ride. What do you think lies in store for the two?
ALYSSA
To be honest I really wish that I gave a damn about Kara and James’ romantic relationship, but it’s just sort of fizzled out for me. Not to mention James’ attitude for the past few episodes has kind of tainted my liking of the character. For some reason James is the one that needs space. Really? Dude, you’re the reason this is happening. But I definitely feel like the writers are going to try and milk it for all it’s worth and bring the angst. Hell, at this point we might have a season finale kiss in store. I’m hoping that the show can find a way to make me love them again, but right now it’s just another storyline.
LIZZIE
Nothing? Can I hope? For James to stop being such a whiner? I don’t know. I haven’t liked James for a while, but his attitude in this episode just clinched it for me. He needs space? HE NEEDS SPACE? Forgive me, but did you get thrown off a building? No. You just had some uncomfortable truths thrown in your face, and so now you can’t deal. Give me a break, James. You have no right to hold this against Kara, because she didn’t do anything wrong. She was your friend, and she respected YOUR girlfriend, that YOU chose. You were the one who continued to have a girlfriend when you knew you had feelings for another girl. So this is on you, not on her. And you were also the one giving her hope speeches not so long ago – except, when push comes to shove, you’re not the one standing by her side.
Okay, rant over. I think the romance is going to go ahead and I’m going to hate every second of it because James is the least interesting character in this whole show for me and I wish he would go away.
LYRA
Annoying bouts of will they/won’t they with hints of jealousy sprinkled about. Lucy calling it quits was the best thing she could do. James fell in love with someone else. That means he didn’t love or respect her enough to call it quits. He played games and tried to have his cake and eat it too. Now he’s playing this game with Kara. She deserves better than a man who makes her feel like his pain is all her fault. It’s takes two to tango James. TWO!
Kara’s attachment to him appeared so quickly because for the first time in her life there was someone of the opposite sex that could understand all the crazy aspects of her life. It’s natural and was bound to happen. But it doesn’t have to be love! They can be friends. Can’t wait until Kara realizes that there are better people out there that will treat her with the respect she deserves. More fish in the sea Kara.
So Siobhan got fired as Cat’s second assistant in this episode because of what this Red Kryptonite-infected Kara did in selling her out. Do you think this is Siobhan’s origin story to becoming Silver Banshee?
ALYSSA
That’s definitely what it appears to be. Thanks to a little tease about Siobhan’s debut as Silver Banshee in episode 18 when The Flash comes to town, seeing how Kara was responsible for Siobhan’s downfall definitely provides that initial motivation for Siobhan to embrace the bad. But I still don’t feel like it’s entirely earned. There needs to be something more emotional behind it. Sure, Siobhan has some things in her past, but somehow I don’t feel like Kara throwing her under the bus is the push that Siobhan needed to become a villain. I feel like this is a story that will continue to unfold. While Siobhan might suit up as Silver Banshee something tells me her villain’s journey is only beginning.
LIZZIE
Oh, yes. I don’t think there’s any doubt Siobhan’s going bad. I’m not sure if she knew it was Kara who sold her out, but either way, the Siobhan that left Catco was not a happy camper. She wants revenge, and she wants it now. And Cat might be first on her list, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Kara AND Supergirl both make the list, separately. My only real question about her right now is – what about Winn? Was that just a little thing they threw in there or is it going to come back to bite her in the ass when she’s all supervillain?
I kind of hope for the latter.
LYRA
Not yet. I think it’ll give her the spark that will set her down the path towards Banshee. But she’s still got more to lose, more pain to twist her into something unrecognizable, before she gives up. She’s got big dreams and it’ll take more to derail her. If anything this just set her sights on Cat as the beginning of the end.
What are your thoughts on “Falling?” Sound off in the comments to keep the discussion going!
Join us for another Supergirl roundtable next Monday.
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8/7c on CBS.