Supergirl: Bizarro
February 3, 2016 5:21 PM - Season 1, Episode 12 - Subscribe
A twisted version of Supergirl tries to destroy Kara.
*Alex puts Maxwell Lord in DEO prison
*Kara breaks up with Adam
*Alex puts Maxwell Lord in DEO prison
*Kara breaks up with Adam
fun cat: "she's skittish that one. like... like a horse." cat's face at their inept hug/awkward mating ritual. cat knows or found out kara's coffee order. "oh. well. i guess i'll go roam the hallways of my building." *prance*
the danvers sisters have no chill when it comes to family.
kara: *demands max lord*
alex: *illegally kidnaps max lord*
max: *threatens eliza*
kara: *turns on laser eyes*
i really liked the laser eyes, i really like it any damn time kara gets mad. it's a nice counterpoint to her usual ray of rambly sunshine. also alex wearing unnecessary full tactical gear and smashing his head on the table was delightful. (yes, like immlass i frown upon IRL police brutality and govt overreach but fuck this fictional dbag.)
tough ep for kara. people she lost in one way or other: adam, cat, james. bizarro, kinda. reference to ongoing stuff with winn. max lord threatening her secret identity means everyone she knows is at risk.
what's the deal with bizarro? why did they have to put her under? they obviously tried to show kara connecting with her but rushed that and i thought it was much more interesting than The Fucking Romance (james, james and winn, adam and 2 dates, christ). i um don't count cat's reactions in this category because she makes it interesting.
posted by twist my arm at 7:17 PM on February 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
the danvers sisters have no chill when it comes to family.
kara: *demands max lord*
alex: *illegally kidnaps max lord*
max: *threatens eliza*
kara: *turns on laser eyes*
i really liked the laser eyes, i really like it any damn time kara gets mad. it's a nice counterpoint to her usual ray of rambly sunshine. also alex wearing unnecessary full tactical gear and smashing his head on the table was delightful. (yes, like immlass i frown upon IRL police brutality and govt overreach but fuck this fictional dbag.)
tough ep for kara. people she lost in one way or other: adam, cat, james. bizarro, kinda. reference to ongoing stuff with winn. max lord threatening her secret identity means everyone she knows is at risk.
what's the deal with bizarro? why did they have to put her under? they obviously tried to show kara connecting with her but rushed that and i thought it was much more interesting than The Fucking Romance (james, james and winn, adam and 2 dates, christ). i um don't count cat's reactions in this category because she makes it interesting.
posted by twist my arm at 7:17 PM on February 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
I feel like this show has 3ish characters that can anchor a storyline right now - Kara, Cat, and Alex+Henshaw. Just Alex, just Henshaw, Winn (though the episode about him and his dad shows the actor is certainly up for it), and James really need some work or get cut for the show to keep getting better.
posted by humans are superior! at 8:03 PM on February 3, 2016
posted by humans are superior! at 8:03 PM on February 3, 2016
I simply do not care for this Maxwell Lord character. Yes- he and I share similar concerns about the presence of Kryptonians on Earth, not to mention other super-powered aliens (there are two sorts of Martian now?). However, my concern comes from the very real threat that these beings of unknowable and almost unlimited power present to the continued survival of the human species. This Lord person, on the other hand, seems to view this extraterrestrial menace primarily as an obstacle to his own aspirations to become some sort of global authoritarian techno-Caesar; aspirations, I might add, that are fueled entirely by his obvious megalomania and antisocial tendencies rather than by any sort of altruistic feeling. If we, as humans, are to present a response to these alien interlopers that is in any way effective, or even coherent, it must be based in unity and consensus, and not the whims of a jumped-up strongman who happened to go to M.I.T.
Anyway, that's why I'm announcing my intention to run as an independent for President of these United States. Vote Luthor 2016.
posted by Alexander J. Luthor at 8:18 PM on February 3, 2016 [15 favorites]
Anyway, that's why I'm announcing my intention to run as an independent for President of these United States. Vote Luthor 2016.
posted by Alexander J. Luthor at 8:18 PM on February 3, 2016 [15 favorites]
Also, what sort of a name is "Maxwell Lord"? Was "Bigdude McGod" already taken?
posted by Alexander J. Luthor at 8:19 PM on February 3, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by Alexander J. Luthor at 8:19 PM on February 3, 2016 [7 favorites]
i saw 'trashwell' come up on tumblr if you prefer
posted by twist my arm at 9:09 PM on February 3, 2016
posted by twist my arm at 9:09 PM on February 3, 2016
Just Alex, just Henshaw, Winn, and James really need some work or get cut for the show to keep getting better.
Unfortunately, that runs against Berlanti's approach to showrunning: "I threw it aganist the wall and it didn't stick? Let my try throwing it again twenty more times!"
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:49 AM on February 4, 2016
Unfortunately, that runs against Berlanti's approach to showrunning: "I threw it aganist the wall and it didn't stick? Let my try throwing it again twenty more times!"
posted by 1970s Antihero at 6:49 AM on February 4, 2016
Oh, well - blarg.
posted by humans are superior! at 10:55 PM on February 4, 2016
posted by humans are superior! at 10:55 PM on February 4, 2016
I kind of want Wonder Woman to show up and Man-Of-Steel Max.
OTOH, is next week Whatever Happened to the Girl of Tomorrow?
Because, I can forgive a lot if they do that well (shitty, shitty plots from this show, mostly).
Also, can Alan Moore watch? Online? Can we watch Alan Moore watching that?
(Spoilers: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow is one of my favourite Superman stories, ever, and what a time to be alive!)
posted by Mezentian at 6:46 AM on February 5, 2016
OTOH, is next week Whatever Happened to the Girl of Tomorrow?
Because, I can forgive a lot if they do that well (shitty, shitty plots from this show, mostly).
Also, can Alan Moore watch? Online? Can we watch Alan Moore watching that?
(Spoilers: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow is one of my favourite Superman stories, ever, and what a time to be alive!)
posted by Mezentian at 6:46 AM on February 5, 2016
Also, what sort of a name is "Maxwell Lord"? Was "Bigdude McGod" already taken?
Using Marvel Jessica Jones jokes on a DC show? Woo intra-publisher crossover!
Max Lord comes from the very campy and funny Justice League comics from the 80s, where this rich well-meaning philanthropist (who is not above making more money along the way) puts together the new Justice League using a bunch of very much b-list heroes (at least for the time). So even beyond the comics' tendency towards goofy names, his was an effort at amping it up.
I am sad to see that the powers that be have decided to expand the Flash's unethical (and no-bathroom) detention policies to Supergirl as well.
posted by phearlez at 9:54 AM on February 5, 2016
Using Marvel Jessica Jones jokes on a DC show? Woo intra-publisher crossover!
Max Lord comes from the very campy and funny Justice League comics from the 80s, where this rich well-meaning philanthropist (who is not above making more money along the way) puts together the new Justice League using a bunch of very much b-list heroes (at least for the time). So even beyond the comics' tendency towards goofy names, his was an effort at amping it up.
I am sad to see that the powers that be have decided to expand the Flash's unethical (and no-bathroom) detention policies to Supergirl as well.
posted by phearlez at 9:54 AM on February 5, 2016
OTOH, is next week Whatever Happened to the Girl of Tomorrow?
If I remember correctly, next week is the episode with the Black Mercy - it's based on a Superman story from 1985 (For The Man Who Has Everything) that was made into an animated cartoon in 2004. Could mean we'll also see Mongul.
posted by Roger Pittman at 2:39 PM on February 5, 2016
If I remember correctly, next week is the episode with the Black Mercy - it's based on a Superman story from 1985 (For The Man Who Has Everything) that was made into an animated cartoon in 2004. Could mean we'll also see Mongul.
posted by Roger Pittman at 2:39 PM on February 5, 2016
This show is really starting to hook me. I've binged all 12 episodes in 3 days and now I'm caught up. I can't wait for the Flash crossover and I'm excited for whatever comes next!
posted by numaner at 5:02 PM on February 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by numaner at 5:02 PM on February 5, 2016 [1 favorite]
Damn. I can't believe I mucked that up.
Now I'm wondering if I have read For The Man Who Has Everything. I must have.
posted by Mezentian at 6:52 PM on February 5, 2016
Now I'm wondering if I have read For The Man Who Has Everything. I must have.
posted by Mezentian at 6:52 PM on February 5, 2016
The question of holding various lifeforms prisoner in both The Flash and Supergirl is an interesting one.
On the one hand, they're not going to kill them.
On the other hand, for the most part, these creatures/aliens/etc cannot just be allowed to run amok.
Ergo, a special prison, because conventional prisons wouldn't be able to hold them.
But it never did sit right with me on The Flash and I don't really like that happening on Supergirl, either.
I think what I find the most fascinating about it is that until this episode of Supergirl, I always saw these incarcerated beings as "the other" and was able to just think of these prisons as a silly plot device. But now that a human with no additional powers (even though he's a total jerk, knows Kara's secret and is rather dangerous) is in DEO custody, now I'm thinking "okay, no, there's got to be a better way than how they're doing it".
I know it's supposed to be fluffy, but it really does call into question the idea of vigilante justice and just who the hell gave these people the power to do what they're doing? Does the DEO have the authority to hold people for extended periods with no rights? Does Supergirl herself need to read someone their rights, particularly if it's not related to the DEO?
And honestly, hauling in Maxwell Lord is just too self-serving for comfort. Yes, he did bad things. Yes, he's a bad person. Yes, he knows Kara's secret and could reveal her to the world. But throwing him into a cell designed to hold aliens? He can't break out of a normal prison the way most of these prisoners on either show can. It doesn't sit right with me. (And now I feel dumb for not wanting to think it through on a deeper level until a normal human got tossed in there.)
posted by juliebug at 12:50 AM on February 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
On the one hand, they're not going to kill them.
On the other hand, for the most part, these creatures/aliens/etc cannot just be allowed to run amok.
Ergo, a special prison, because conventional prisons wouldn't be able to hold them.
But it never did sit right with me on The Flash and I don't really like that happening on Supergirl, either.
I think what I find the most fascinating about it is that until this episode of Supergirl, I always saw these incarcerated beings as "the other" and was able to just think of these prisons as a silly plot device. But now that a human with no additional powers (even though he's a total jerk, knows Kara's secret and is rather dangerous) is in DEO custody, now I'm thinking "okay, no, there's got to be a better way than how they're doing it".
I know it's supposed to be fluffy, but it really does call into question the idea of vigilante justice and just who the hell gave these people the power to do what they're doing? Does the DEO have the authority to hold people for extended periods with no rights? Does Supergirl herself need to read someone their rights, particularly if it's not related to the DEO?
And honestly, hauling in Maxwell Lord is just too self-serving for comfort. Yes, he did bad things. Yes, he's a bad person. Yes, he knows Kara's secret and could reveal her to the world. But throwing him into a cell designed to hold aliens? He can't break out of a normal prison the way most of these prisoners on either show can. It doesn't sit right with me. (And now I feel dumb for not wanting to think it through on a deeper level until a normal human got tossed in there.)
posted by juliebug at 12:50 AM on February 7, 2016 [1 favorite]
The question of holding various lifeforms prisoner in both The Flash and Supergirl is an interesting one.
Yeah.
I mean, toilets?
Worse: lack to toilet + Big Belly Burger.
Does the DEO have the authority to hold people for extended periods with no rights?
On screen they haven't said, but... Gitmo.
He can't break out of a normal prison the way most of these prisoners on either show can.
Can we talk about comics here, from about 25 years ago?
Because, is Maxwell Lord Max, or is he a low-rent Luthor?
posted by Mezentian at 4:38 AM on February 7, 2016
Yeah.
I mean, toilets?
Worse: lack to toilet + Big Belly Burger.
Does the DEO have the authority to hold people for extended periods with no rights?
On screen they haven't said, but... Gitmo.
He can't break out of a normal prison the way most of these prisoners on either show can.
Can we talk about comics here, from about 25 years ago?
Because, is Maxwell Lord Max, or is he a low-rent Luthor?
posted by Mezentian at 4:38 AM on February 7, 2016
Very interesting question, Mezentian. I guess if we see a trickle of blood come out of his nose, he's Max. If not, he's cardboard Luthor. The real question is when are we going to see Oreos in the DEO headquarters?
posted by sardonyx at 8:13 PM on February 7, 2016
posted by sardonyx at 8:13 PM on February 7, 2016
It's really a shame that DC took Max Lord in that direction and he's basically just a low rent Luthor in both places now. He was way more interesting and different the way Giffen created him, as a borderline good but self-interested schemer. But I am biased in that the Giffen Justice League will always be my league. That series was all the more special for being fun during a time comics were all sliding into the grimdark but it was good on its own merits.
posted by phearlez at 6:35 AM on February 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by phearlez at 6:35 AM on February 8, 2016 [1 favorite]
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Also Maxwell Lord isn't just evil, he's gross. The way he psychologically abused the Bizarro girl made me want to hit him. I know I'm not supposed to be enthused about Alex breaking every kind of law to throw Lord in super-secret black jail, but I wasn't sorry to see him slammed around a little.
posted by immlass at 7:05 PM on February 3, 2016