Supergirl: Bunker Hill

December 3, 2018 5:24 PM - Season 4, Episode 8

After noticing something is bothering Nia, Kara and Brainy helps her figure out a dream she's had. Meanwhile, Manchester Black pays Ben Lockwood a menacing visit.

AV Club: Supergirl wins the battle but loses the war of public opinion

Don't miss the last scene!

posted by numaner (7 comments total)

This was a pretty intense episode, but well done overall. I really didn't know if Manchester was going to be able to kill Ben Lockwood (well I guess it's obvious he wouldn't, this show doesn't kill major characters, like at all). I liked that it didn't give Kara the default moral high ground that Supergirl usually gets, with her not revealing her identity. While I agree with her, I can see how the secret can be turned against her. We've seen this done before, but I think this is the strongest case of public opinion being against the hero, even more than the last season of Arrow. I liked this line from the AV Club review: "Supergirl may make the argument that Manchester’s killing mission was the wrong tactic, but Supergirl doesn’t necessarily agree." It's hard to really stomp out this kind of hatred, and you have to wonder if it would've more effective if Ben was killed. He might still be made a martyr, but he's certainly much better at doing that with himself alive and imprisoned.

I'm not as bothered by the very quick reveal of Nia's powers and her origins. I know nothing about Dreamer in the comics, so this was a good introduction to me. I also like that Brainy knew about her this entire time and that's why he was so flustered when they first met, and he's totally hero-crushing. The "hey girl" scene was hilarious! I think he's filling in for Wynn's comedic bits just fine.

I actually think it's about time Supergirl left the DEO. It's always kind of silly that a hero like her has to be tied down by rules and bureaucracy. But what this means for her and Alex I'm not sure, since presumably they'd have to have an episode where they butt heads since they're not on the same team. I'm not setting myself up for disappointment though, and I expect they'll return to status quo and have her working for them again by the end of the season.
posted by numaner at 5:49 PM on December 3, 2018 [3 favorites]

So if you watched the stinger at the end, you know the crossover episodes are coming up next while the show takes a mid-season break. If you are wondering about all those bodies strewn around, here's a rundown. And the menacing guy that Earth-90's Flash ran away from is The Monitor.
posted by numaner at 5:51 PM on December 3, 2018 [1 favorite]

OK, here's the thing?

You want to know Supergirl's identity?

She's Kara Zor-El from Krypton. She doesn't even wear a mask.
posted by mikelieman at 9:22 PM on December 3, 2018 [3 favorites]

yeah I dunno why she didn't just state that. but I'm guessing the government knows more about her life than they care to admit.

For some reason last season I thought the whole DEO knew Supergirl was Kara. I could've sworn there are scenes where she's wandering around DEO as Kara, but I could be wrong. Also they all probably know Alex has a sister named Kara and really, come on now.
posted by numaner at 10:07 PM on December 3, 2018

How the hell does Supergirl "work" for the DEO, on a volunteer basis with no paperwork? Does the girl get paid? If so, how? Does the government do cash under the table?

I don't recall "Kara" being around the DEO, but yeah, Alex having a lookalike sister seems like a thing that might have come up at work.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:06 AM on December 4, 2018 [1 favorite]

It seems like Alex has been sidelined this season. The number of times I thought Alex was going to show up to a fight and just didn't, without explanation is weird. Nice touch that Lockwood's wife, instead of being ashamed of her xenophobic husband, leads the "Liberty" chant. I was appalled, but it was probably more honest (in today's world) than having her be on Supergirl's side.
posted by pjsky at 7:59 AM on December 4, 2018

she's a ride or die.

I think they couldn't reasonably have Alex out there all the time now that she's director. J'onn used to stay back until they really needed back up or he has his own story. I think the problem is Alex needs her own story too this season and she hasn't gotten one. Every character have their own plot except for Alex. It's frustrating because we've seen how good Chyler Leigh can be.
posted by numaner at 9:08 AM on December 4, 2018 [1 favorite]