What I’m Watching: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 2, Episode 5 “Crossfire” (B+)

Adjusting to life on Earth is not an easy task, and in this case, it was particularly entertaining. I enjoyed a number of Mon-El moments in this hour, starting with the alien eating a pile of pancakes like a sandwich. Talking about bribery coffee and reciting his social security number when introducing himself were innocent enough mistakes, but giving all his work to Eve and then using her “plastic rectangle” to buy a suit were far less forgivable offenses. His relationship with Kara is fun, and I enjoyed watching him come over to her while she was stuffing her face with appetizers. Operation Doubtfire was a great codename for Kara being in two places at once. All this silliness aside (protection? Like a sword?), there were some dramatic developments as alien weapons were used around National City, and some clarification about who is bad and who is good. Lena, who wants to be best friends with both Kara and Supergirl, is not only seemingly good but even wants to fight evil in an intellectual way, one that has enabled her to bond with Winn. Speaking of the newest DEO employee, he’s now going to be keeping secrets again to help James as he becomes a bona fide hero even though he doesn’t have powers. Alex navigating her relationship with Maggie is interesting, and it looks like romance is in her near future. We saw our big bad guy take down all of the henchmen who managed to get themselves caught with a remote-controlled aneurism of sorts, and then we got the big reveal of who she is: Lena’s mom. That’s not a huge shock, but it does help give her character some needed context.

What I’m Watching: Homeland

Homeland: Season 1, Episode 9 “Crossfire” (B+)

I would say that this episode features the most responsible and sensible behavior from Carrie that we’ve seen yet, and it stills has her plotting to extort the FBI. This show wouldn’t be nearly as enticing without its wild lead character, who nearly gives herself away when Saul walks into his office a moment after Carrie is popping her pills. With her relationship with Brody ended, she’s able to focus much better, and her conversation with the imam and his wife gave her the first lead she’s had in a long time, which will now find her searching for a Saudi Arabian diplomat. I was very much afraid for Dan, the poor guy who happened upon Walker doing target practice in the woods, and my fears were confirmed when, upon realizing who the man he had just met was, he was promptly killed by Walker’s sniper rifle. Walker seems enormously capable of laying low, and his lack of emotions give me a certain advantage in the path to accomplishing his mission. Much more disquieting is the fact that, contrary to what had been indicated in the previous two episodes, Brody has in fact been turned and is serving Abu Nasir. It’s intriguing to learn the reasons behind this, and to understand that Brody was conditioned to fight for the cause after developing a bond with Abu Nasir’s son. The call from Jamey Sheridan’s Vice President means that this plan is going into action, and it’s considerably more nerve-racking now that there are two marines walking around DC with a strong vendetta against America.

What I’m Watching: Smallville

Smallville: Season 9, Episode 6 “Crossfire” (C-)

The premise of this episode is absolutely ridiculous. There’s no getting around that. However into journalism Lois might be, trying out for television does not seem like something she would do. She’s also got it wrong – television isn’t the predicted way to survive the death of the newspaper, it’s the web. Having Clark come along with her to the audition didn’t really make a lick of sense, and his befuddled expression continues to be in stark contrast with his ultra-suave, very secretive blur personality. I realize that’s the point and that it’s a throwback to the old days of the geeky, bespectacled reporter Clark Kent changing quickly into Superman in the phone booth, but the two don’t seem to align here. I can’t understand the purpose of this show and the way that the producers give the two of them so much responsibility with so little monitoring right at the beginning of their short-lived careers. The cardboard cutout of the two of them is pretty ridiculous, and I can’t imagine the two of them actually posing for it. Oliver’s story is so completely disconnected from anything and everything, though I’m hopeful that Mia will be a positive addition to the cast. The return of Zod in businessman form was a good reminder that all of the Kryptonians are out there, and the improbable takedown of his Kryptonian disciple by Tess signifies that she really is one tough chick. I’m a bit uncertain of her green plan for Metropolis being so effective if she’s insistent on leaving her holographic display on for hours at a time. The most satisfying part of this episode, and possibly the last six or seven seasons of “Smallville” in general, is the ending kiss between Clark and Lois. With Oliver’s insistence on confessing his feelings for Lois on camera and Clark whining to Chloe about how Oliver keeps popping up at the wrong moment, it seemed like this would never happen. The most wonderful surprise was that the usually hapless-in-love Clark was the one who instigated the kiss and not the considerably bolder Lois. No need for conversation, just a kiss. What’s next? I’m excited. Let’s forget about the rest of this episode and focus only on those last thirty seconds.