Supergirl S1E4 - "LiveWire" Review

                                             

After the recent events this past weekend, CBS made the decision to bump up a Thanksgiving themed episode of "Supergirl" instead of a bomb-related one. Personally, I feel this was a bad move (all they needed to do was place a disclaimer ahead of the episode), but I can understand why the channel felt the need to make this decision. So now we start with an episode that was originally slated to air next week, called, “Livewire”. Any chances this messed with continuity? I'm still not sure if I should call this episode 4 or 5. For everyone's sake, I'm gonna just call it 4.

The episode begins with an escaped convict/alien taking on the DEO. Supergirl shows up and takes on the alien. All in a day’s work for Supergirl. Now she has to deal with the home-front and a panicked Alex, who is preparing for their mother’s visit. If she is angry with Kara about coming out to the world, she doesn’t show it initially.

We are introduced to a radio show (yes…radio…) called LiveWire, where the host, named Leslie, trashes Supergirl in every possible way, whether it’s her personality or manner of dress. This comes back to bite her, as Cat makes it clear that her brand of negativity is bad for business. In other words, Supergirl is off the table. The two get into a heated exchange. Something tells me we’ll be seeing more of her later. Lucy Lane makes another appearance, as it appears both she and James have rekindled their relationship. (Although…it looks like James would rather be spending time with Kara…)

After having been transferred to traffic, Leslie finds herself in a dangerous situation as the helicopter begins losing power due to the bad weather. Supergirl to the rescue! While she was able to save the pilot, Leslie is not so lucky; she is struck by lightning. While in the hospital, Cat moans about wanting to leave and although she acts like she doesn’t care about Leslie’s condition, it’s evident, after Kara leaves, that she does. Leslie, it turns out, isn’t as comatose as we were lead to believe.

Back at home, Mama Danvers, is upset at Alex for letting Kara put on the cape. She blames her for not keeping her safe. We get a flashback to the Danvers clan, and a young Alex and Kara, where the latter takes her sister flying.

For some reason, Leslie left the hospital, with a new hairdo and attitude. She now has abilities and tests them out on a creep. I’m sure we know how this one ends.

The dinner at Kara’s is awkward and tense, to say the least. But James calls and though brief, his conversation with Kara was adorable. I’m telling you; they have amazing chemistry. Anyway, Alex finally comes clean to Eliza about what she really does for a living. It doesn’t go over well. At.all. Kara wants to know why Eliza is always so hard on Alex. Before she can answer, we’re treated to another flashback. The girls were discovered by their parents. They get a scolding, but not before a knock appears on the door. It’s none other than Henshaw on behalf of the DEO.

In the present, Kara is at CatCo, having to deal with a last minute crisis. The power is out and it’s pretty evident who the perpetrator is. Leslie, now calling herself Live Wire, is on a mission to take out Cat. Leslie and Supergirl duke it out, while Cat tries to escape. Live Wire effectively shut down all the power in National City, so now everyone is celebrating Thanksgiving without power. Henshaw, posing as an FBI agent, figures out how Leslie was able to gain abilities. It was due to Kara’s Kryptonian DNA.

What I love about this show is how it peels back the layers of characters that, on a lesser show, could be one-dimensional. I love what they’re doing with Cat Grant. In the pilot, you get a sense that the “Devil Wears Prada” stereotype was all there was to this character. But in this episode alone, we learn that Cat was married once, has a child, and has a very difficult relationship with her mother. She isn’t satisfied with herself and she blames it on her own upbringing. When Kara tells her that her own parents died, Cat is visibly shaken. Perhaps she’s finally learning that Kara is more than just a minion. Cat blames herself for Live Wire.

Alex returns to Kara’s, where she confronts Eliza. With Kara, Eliza felt she had no choice but to accept her. But she pushed Alex because she wanted her to be better. It echoes slightly what Cat was saying about her own mother. I live for these moments, if you haven’t realized by now.

Cat confronts Supergirl, wanting to deal with Live Wire, once and for all. It is a partnership she’s proposing. Henshaw and the DEO have found a tool that can contain her. As promised, Cat draws Leslie out. They meet back where it all began for the two of them, but Supergirl is now invited to the party and the two have a rematch, with Leslie adopting new techniques. But, water is no match for electricity and Supergirl gets the upper-hand.

Winn sort of tells Kara how he feels about her (I’m not entirely sold on his character being in love with her) and she immediately bolts to James and Lucy. James, by the way, is totally into Kara, even if he’s back with Lucy. I like Lucy. I’m hoping she and Kara get to do something together. Soon. Also, the walls between Cat and Kara are breaking. I think the events with Leslie, as well as Cat learning about Kara’s parents’ deaths really changed how she talks to Kara. I like how this relationship is blossoming. Cat is becoming like a mentor to Kara, as well as Supergirl. More of that please.

Eliza had been wanting to tell the girls something for a long time. She knew about the DEO and apparently, Jeremiah Danvers worked for them. The deal was, he would give them his work and knowledge about Superman while Kara remained off limits. Eliza doesn’t believe he died in a plane crash either. She reveals that he died for the DEO and he was working with Henshaw, which makes the girls nervous as he’s their boss. They’re determined now to find out what happened to their father. ASIDE: The DEO has a pipeline (a place where they house all the bad guys they catch), much similar to the one used on The Flash. END ASIDE.

While I hate that this episode was aired a week early and I have no idea if they’re ever going to show the one that was supposed to come before it, I will say that a lot of character relationships were strengthened. This was also the first episode that didn’t make liberal use of Superman, which I know for some viewers is a welcome change.

Supergirl airs Mondays at 8pm Eastern Standard Time on CBS.