I’ve never watched The Flash, so I didn’t see Kevin Smith’s episodes, but does he even have a directorial stamp? I’ve always thought that Smith’s touch was most evident in writing, and he didn’t write this episode. Maybe The Flash allows more on-set dialog changes than Supergirl for some reason.
Over on The Flash thread, some folks were unaware that Kevin Smith was directing until afterwards, but nonetheless still noted a change in tone. Some dialog was extra snarky and the delivery was extra snappy. In the first episode he directed, some scenes were especially emotional (due to overarching plot reasons) and Smith managed to make them heartfelt without getting maudlin or overly sentimental. There was also the Jason Mewes cameo. Smith’s second Flash episode had Greg Grunberg guest star.
Thinking about it further, the bit with Jimmy and Kara pitching their respective stories to Snapper had a definite Kevin Smith imprint. Jimmy even managed to show some character for a change.
I hated this episode, and didn’t realize Smith directed it. I should have, as I spotted his daughter Harley because I tried watching Yoga Hosers on Netflix recently.
Supergirl/Kara repeatedly stating she would fix everything without the slightest idea how or doing anything remotely rational, Jimmy (acting head of a media empire and former photographer) writing a story to compete with a cub reporter. (Heck, don’t they all write for a magazine rather than a newspaper, anyway? By the time they publish, such an article will be old news. Which begs the question why mom is there about her missing daughter…) Winn didn’t nearly die because he lost a fight, he nearly died because he was so busy celebrating a lucky punch like an idiot he didn’t notice the fight wasn’t over. So what’s he do next time? Endzone dance after a couple of lucky hits instead of confirming is opponent was down for the count. And c’mon, Alex was practically bi-polar in this ep.
I don’t expect gritty realism from the CW shows (Arrow is gritty, but not realistic) but the characters usually act somewhat rational.
Cat Grant isn’t called “Queen of All Media” for nothing. The flagship of CatCo Worldwide Media is certainly the magazine, but they’re also in radio (Leslie Willis/Livewire was a shock jock) and television (as shown in the Season 1 finale). Snapper Carr is editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper.
It seems Kara the reporter has spunk. Why Snapper doesn’t hate spunk is beyond me. Mon-El is a strange hedonist from another planet with powers and abilities not so different from half the other aliens. Sixpack Olson and Toyman Jr. need to get a room. Seriously. I miss Cat Grant. And I am a firm believer in the glasses being an inexplicably effective disguise. Fun, silly show for as long as it lasts.
I loved the friendly alien who returned to Earth with the gang. He reminded me so much of Mongo from Blazing Saddles.
This is the fault of the script, not Kevin Smith (who did a fine, if fairly anonymous, job), but boy do I wish that people didn’t do stupid stupid stupid stupid things quite so often on this show. (Mainly the good guys, but also the bad guys.)
Agreed, her character was irrational plot filler. I also really disliked her relationship with Cop-girl, it seems slightly creepy and future-abusive that Cop-girl is giving Kara a “just once” ultimatum for showing a small bit of emotion and doubt. That isn’t love, that’s control.
^^^I meant Alex, not Kara above
He’s just a pawn in the game of life. 
I’m worried he’s going to be a regular as comic relief (thinking Screech) - which is nearly as bad as introducing a baby.
And agreed that cop lady was way to quick to immediately give up on Alex, assuming she is also ‘in love’. Particularly since she had the Kara/SG thing figured out, so knew why Alex was upset. And asking your BAE to leave the office so you can get some work done (particularly when in general your job is saving the world) doesn’t seem like an instant breakup offense.
No, it’s saying I’m into you, but I can’t handle the (or at least this particular) roller-coaster, and if this is who you are, I’m getting off at the next stop. She’s being up-front about what her deal-breakers are. That’s being honest about whom she (Maggie) is.
Sure, but there’s a difference between saying “hey, this behavior really bothers me” and “if this happens literally one more time ever no matter what we are done period”.
The second is appropriate for, say, physical abuse… but pretty arbitrary for understandable if unpleasant emotional behavior.
[ol]
[li] Good comedy with Mon-el’s training.[/li][li] The return of Livewire, who makes for a great nemesis for Supergirl.[/li][li] Spunky Kara actually being a reporter.[/li][li] Good drama with Kara finding out that Jimmy is Guardian.[/li][li] Good understated interplay between Alex and Maggie.[/li][li] Great twist with Livewire being used by a different bad guy to make copies of her.[/li][/ol]
On the last point, however, said bad guy turned out to be just another disposable villain-of-the-week, all too easily dispatched once all the super friends got together, and whom we’ll never see again.
They also had to go and sideline J’onn having to watch over M’gann with a completely unrelated B-plot. I know they are using those scenes to set up for a future episode The next episode is entitled “The Martian Chronicles” but their placement here was out of place and distracting. If they had moved the M’gann scenes out of this episode, they could have used the extra time to develop the Livewire copier (what was his name, anyway?).
I’m convinced that Mon-El and Supergirl will be doing the interplanetary nasty before the end of the season. Disappointed in Mon-El’s uniform, if that’s what it’s going to be. I like the 1960’s version better.
So how does Mon-El fight crime? Being vulnerable to lead has major disadvantages.
Live Wire is cool. Hope to see some more of her.
I hated this episode. Kara isn’t (or shouldn’t be) stupid. She’s 20 years younger than Jimmy Olsen and completely unrelated to him. He’s a grown-up man and it’s condescending (with a vaguely racist subtext) for her to be telling him what he can and cannot do with his life.
I still hate Himbo Mon-El (and…why is he called “Mon-El”? His name is Lar Gand and was only named Mon-El because of a convenient '60s bonk-on-the-head=amnesia plot contrived to make Superboy think Lar was his older brother. So why’s he called it here?
I agree with Terminus’s comment about the J’onn/M’gan thing–it was crammed in and the build up took longer than the actual event.
I dunno–to me, this episode was utter crap.
PS: What’s wrong with Alex? Vegan ice cream is probably made of tofu and not inherently disgusting. They should have said “Vegan Turkey” or some such.
Oh, vegan ice cream! I didn’t hear the key word clearly, and so couldn’t figure out what was so disgusting about it. I agree with Alex. There are some proper Asian-style silken tofu desserts that don’t depend on disguising it as something else.
Imagine a show where he just solves every problem at telescopic range.
(Getaway car? The tires get lasered. The bank robber in that car? His gun gets lasered, too; the cops can take it from here. Look, up in the sky: I see nothing!)
Yeah, Mon-El needs something to wear besides a button down shirt, slacks, and a pair of shades.