What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 3, Episode 3 “Far from the Tree” (B)

Forget the fact that Hank and Kara drove to Mars in a classic car reminiscent of the super-powered vehicle from “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” For me, this was a flashback to 2002 when I got into two popular, award-winning hip shows of the time thanks to the two guest stars who played never-before-seen characters of two increasingly relevant characters. The first was Carl Lumbly, who played the endearing Dixon on “Alias,” who here starred as Hank’s father, another Green Martian to have survived despite the alleged extinction of the race. It was good to see Hank bond with someone since he doesn’t get that chance often, and maybe he’ll even become a recurring player at this point. The other visiting father is very unlikely to return thanks to his harsh reaction to his daughter living her life as a lesbian after he worked so hard to get acceptance of his foreign nationality, and he was played by Carlos Bernard, whose hairstyle is far more deliberate than when he went into the pilot episode of “24” without realizing that he wouldn’t be able to shave his soul patch for the entire season. Let’s hope that Maggie and Alex can overcome this latest hurdle since an intolerant father isn’t the biggest of their problems. The visit to Mars was fun but didn’t feel all that emphatic, and I’m more eager to get back to Earth and to get to know Samantha a bit more. Plus, we can see more of Lena and James struggling for control of Catco.