Martin Carr reviews the fourth episode of Supergirl season 5…
Things finally ramp up this week as certain people reveal their true colours, home town reunions bring about some soul searching and alien threats are neutralised. Thankfully there was little time for navel gazing as the Legion came up trumps and supported each other through difficult times. With over three hours of this season eaten up it was nice for things to finally get moving.
In Plain Sight was instantly effective by using psychic links between characters to build tension and maintain narrative connections. A segue for James and Kelly back to Calvintown could well have been meandering and saccharine soaked, but through the psychic link they remained relevant. Harewood and Leigh as J’onn and Alex shared some solid screen time even though they came to loggerheads over certain issues. Harewood especially adds a much needed sense of depth to proceedings as he battles with torn loyalties, inherent guilt and compromising revelations which continue to pile up. There was also a renewed sense of urgency as everyone was pulled into set pieces making events more frenetic and drama more engaging.
Unfortunately J’onn’s brother who has been the perceived threat for four episodes was yet again let down by substandard CGI. In close up he is obviously a computer generation which sucks some of the reality from any confrontations. While between Lena’s cloak and dagger manipulation and William Day’s obnoxious act of supposed superiority there is still work to be done. Much of Lena’s issue remains the fact she will be persuaded by Kara to fold in any finale, whereas William Day has already lost any dramatic punch which a reveal might have provided.
Thankfully Benoist still carries the show with ease even after five years while everyone else has grown bringing an honesty and realism without drifting into cliché. Unfortunately even the best ensemble casts are fighting a losing battle when they have nothing to bond over. Corporate villainy even within a family tree such as the Luthors offers nothing new into this world. Alien amnesty acts, invading races and interdimensional possession has already been covered, so it will be interesting to see what else these showrunners do to make season more compelling.
Martin Carr
