What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 5, Episode 3 “Blurred Lines” (B-)

I’ll start with one thing that I’m appreciating about this show at the moment, which is that many different characters who wouldn’t have otherwise interacted in the past are getting the opportunity to do so. Nia and Kelly working with Hank are just two of the examples, and I like that this show is committed to shifting roles around. That said, there’s a bit too much going on at the moment, with Lena, this spider woman, whoever killed her, and Ma’alefa’ak all serving as active threats, not to mention whatever both William and Andrea are up to at what used to be a journalistic institution of some repute. At the same time, Nia is having trouble putting up with Brainy, who made a fair point that he’s only wired to give one hundred percent and can’t actually turn that off even if he tried. I was surprised to see Sean Astin, recently a member of the cast of “Stranger Things” in addition to other cult roles before that, as Pete, the friend of Kelly’s that Ma’alefa’ak shapeshifted into in order to incept her. His delivery of “My inception power, it worked!” felt rather cartoonish, and I doubt we’ll see him in that form again now that only Kelly can identify who he is given their brief brain bonding. Hank discovering that he was the one who erased his father’s memory is going to haunt him for a while, and hopefully that knowledge will help him in burying the hatchet even if his brother isn’t willing to negotiate. Kara bringing Lena lunch from Paris was one thing, but now she’s playing right into Lena’s nefarious plans, and Alex’s counsel didn’t seem to convince her that it was a dangerous move. I have no idea what plotlines will continue in next week’s episode since this show is offering quite the menu of options.