Martin Carr reviews the seventeenth episode of Supergirl season 4…
This has nothing to do with the Bette Davis movie before anyone asks. That film which won numerous Academy awards and cemented Davis in the firmament of great screen icons. This forty minutes of television is not in possession of a single tenuous link but instead focuses on father son relationships, political chicanery and mother daughter bickering behind bars. Russian superhero clones are running rampant, there is no bald headed baddie in sight but rather a singular case of PTSD front and centre.
Alien amnesty which is currently in affect within National City holds more than one or two comparisons with America’s current sense of unease. Governed by an advocate of Eastern Europe and more specifically Germany, as his father was apparently born there, this particular POTUS is defined by preposterous pronouncements and a hairpiece with a heartbeat. Running alongside this hot topic and woven into the fabric of Supergirl sits the ethical dilemma of invincibility. Even if medicine were radically advanced enough to make disease obsolete or super humans of us all, whether we should and the repercussions of that sit at the heart of any debate playing out on screen.
Placing something so transparent as an identity crisis or search for self alongside these heavy hitting discussion points works well, as audiences sometimes need a little light to balance that darkness. In all fairness the implied cold war element which comes through as the all American apple pie eating Supergirl comes up against her Russian counterpart, has yet to gain momentum yet neatly sidesteps xenophobia. Character wise David Harewood and Carl Lumbly own this episode as their chemistry makes for an intriguing dynamic. Harewood especially plays off the scenes between them adding another layer of gravitas, while Lumbly is calm yet stoic.
Interestingly although Jon Cryer’s Luthor is absent without leave in All About Eve his presence is very much felt throughout, as that sense of behind the scenes manipulation pervades everything. As the White House ramps up in line with a tangible threat which only super villains deserve, Supergirl inches towards an endgame laden with menace and foreboding. Never have the odds been so completely stacked against this superhero and her allies both on Earth or elsewhere. Boxed in but still swinging these final episodes possess great promise and the opportunity to leave an audience well and truly hanging.
Martin Carr
