What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 4, Episode 4 “Ahimsa” (B)

It’s interesting to see how this show uses masks, with Agent Liberty more than happy to remove what he claims is a way of universalizing his cause and Supergirl hidden behind something that makes her look like the robot from “Lost in Space” because it was keeping her alive. And then we have Guardian, whose mask no longer serves any purpose since everyone knows his identity, and it would actually have been smarter for him to don a different helmet so that he couldn’t be re-prosecuted for the same crime. The horizontal pole on the bottom of the motorcycle was a nice trick, and one that helped to defeat his enemies in the moment. There is something warped about Mercy and Owen Graves using aliens’ powers against them, but vilifying the other by exaggerating the threat they pose is a common tactic throughout history. Mercy shooting a human also goes against Agent Liberty’s very specific code of only killing aliens is likely to be a breaking point between the two of them eventually. It’s good to see Brainy and Lena teaming up and helping each other alternately suppress and channel emotions, but the biggest new piece of help is Manchester Black, whose worldview doesn’t include the same resistance to violence that Hank’s does, though that’s fading each day, especially with the confirmation that Fiona did in fact die as soon as they found her. Our heroes are getting worn down a lot lately, and hopefully there’s a turning point coming sometime in the near future.