Supergirl S3 E5 "Damaged": Discussion and Review

I also wanted to add something about the Alex-Maggie breakup. I have known a number of couples who broke up over the issue of having children. So, I see this as a real world issue for Alex and Maggie. I think the writers came up with a good solution when Floriana decided to leave the show. Unfortunately, they have crammed the issue because of the short time frame.

Argo

I believe this was a very good episode. Clearly, well acted, I am enjoying all the characters. Adrian Pasdar plays a wonderful villain and is a great add to the show. There is a lot of built in tension this season with Sam, Lena, Morgan, and Kara. I think they are delivering the goods and doing a good job at it. Are the writers producing an Emmy Award script? No. But they are delivering a very good one and I must note that this Season’s is far superior to last’s.

I think points, such as James being thanked by Lena is being picky. But note, that he offered Lena the option to call her Jimmy. Remember “only the big guy and his mother “get to call him that!

So questions of strength, and other issues I am not going to address. It was a darn good episode filled with a degree of tension.

Now for Alex and Maggie. There was no real good option to end this, considering Floriana’s wish to move on. So the writers had lemons and they made the best of making lemonade. I still believe it will open greater opportunities to explore the gay community in a positive light.

Again, this was a very good episode, but I don’t like the current poll grading. A very good is better than a “B” and I think “A” should be excellent instead of Amazing. To me Amazingly is the equivalent of a 5.0. Eric, can we come up with a better scoring system? This one deserved better than a B, but I would not term it amazing.

Again, it was on target for a far superior season than last, and one that honors season 1.

Argo

I'm open to suggestions. I would like to keep the scale at around 7 options.

Eric

What do you think we change Amazing Episode to Excellent. My thoughts are that Best in 20 is amazing. I think excellent conveys more the thought you want. I would raise Very Good to a B+. I might have rated this one Excellent if given that option. I also agree that 7 options are enough.

Thoughts?

Argo

Mostly a good episode.
Edge is developing into a "good" villain - by that I mean he is appropriately evil and schemes well. Lena is developing as a good character too. The story was better than the last few weeks.
Let's move on from all the soap opera stuff - finally.
Seeing what they are doing with Reign is a slow burn. That could be really good.
Overall about a 5/10 for me. Especially since the last two episodes were 2/10 or so.

Anyone happen to know how soon after an episode airs that it is available on Amazon?

The CW is not available through my cable provider. I've watched the first four on Amazon but, they had already long since aired when I watched so, I'm not certain on the time frame.

Thanks ahead of time.

It’s avalable the next day on iTunes and the CW app so I would assume it would be the next day on amazon as well.

As to how late in the day I think the CW app happens pretty early (I’ve watched missed episodes in the middle of he night and I’m on Pacific time) but I tunes could be into the morning of the next day. Not sure where amazon falls.

Amazon comes online with the newest episode 2:00 a.m. Central time the next morning. The first season, we got the "How Does She Do It?" episode that morning before it actually aired. That hasn't happened since then.

Okay well so far Morgan Edge is a very intimidating villain, but for a man like him he should be smarter than to get on Supergirl's bad side and to top it off him hurting Lena, her best friend, emotionally and physically well Morgan u r screwed. I wonder if Morgan will be making any direct hits towards Supergirl because so far it has just been about Lena and she is getting tied in the middle. Also is Sam not suspicious of why Kara just has like a testing tube thing that connects to her phone in her purse? She might think that she does that alot. And I just wonder what would have happened if Sam glanced down at the door when Kara broke it open, she would probably be very confused and like, "how did this door just randomly break like that?" I love seeing Sam and Kara Bond and I hope to God that it happens more before the Reign thing. Will Sam tell anyone besides her adoptive mom about the powers and hallucinations and dreams? Maybe Lena? I love the ending where Sam finds out that she might just have powers. It just made my jaw drop. Ruby in this episode is just so sweet in the beginning where she worries about her mom and how nice she is to her friends and when Lena comes over that bright smile she has when she brings out the pillows. I really want Kara to meet Ruby and if Ruby does get sucked in with Reign or something like that maybe when Alex adopts Ruby, if she does, will she find out Kara is Supergirl? At least once in the season will Ruby meet Supergirl and not when her mom Reign is trying to kill her?

Not quite as good as past season three episodes, but still enjoyable. I didn't get the ideas of using s remote controlled plane, with Lena onboard to dump the toxc chemicals.

I enjoyed watching this episode.
I thought it was interesting to see Sam and Kara work together. Edge is working well as a villain, with out being too mustache twirly (though I would like to know how he knows everything about Lena's actions during the Daxam invasion)

On another note, It looks like Lena is going to be this season's damsel in distress again.

.

At least, someone here who gets my problem with Lena's storyline. Lena centric stories are always about her being rescued by Kara; and her doubting her Luthor name and angsting about it; and whether she is good or evil. (The only time that didn't happen was when she was being conned by Rhea. And, I considered those stories good)

(I basically said the same thing in another thread about how Lena needs Kara more than Kara needs her; but still.. at times, it is frustrating.)

I am on James' side of the tiff.

Basically because, Lena has been treating James rather badly since she came in. The last episode, yes. but Also, this episode, where she does not even takes his input on adding a PR article pretending to be news to the newspaper. At least, a heads-up would have been nice, Lena. The guy is the editor in chief, you know, plus the person who has been running the company until you took it over. I'd have been happy if it was her Luthor (grey business woman) persona coming out; but the way everyone (viewers at least) seem to be treating it, it is as if she did the right thing and James is the one doing wrong. (I wish there was an argument and Kara would side with James in this; though that is wishful thinking.)

If a rich woman (or man) just bought your company, a company you have been running successfully, and then, just sidelined you, how fun would that be for you?

Also, it's only natural that he would have reservations about the reason behind the kids' getting sick.

None of them were sure yet, after all. It could have been the bomb. And James having some empathy for the kids parents' viewpoint is not bad. It does not mean he is blaming her.

Where the show dropped the ball is in not showing and emphasising that aspect of the bombing-that it was set off to protect Earth from an invasion and that, war, always has consequences. The people acted like Lena poisoned the kids deliberately.

Instead, if they had dealt with it the way you know how people from Nagasaki and Hiroshima would feel, it would have been better. As in, it was an action meant to protect but, it could have caused harm to some. Harm that was unavoidable. However, the show is also meant for kids, so I guess they needed to keep it black and white. But, they had actually considered this question in Season One with the Kryptonite bomb. Although, they did come to black and white.

[As an aside Sully, interesting thought on the Cobra effect; I didn't take the cobra story as good with a basis on evil at all; that was Indians being enterprising when their exploitative colonial masters tried to do something to ease their (the masters') own comfort; I was all for it. But, that is just me being me.]

I liked the episode by the way: mostly the Sam-Kara team up and Kara-Alex scenes at the beginning and the end. And wow! Kara's scene with Edge.

I enjoyed watching this episode.
I thought it was interesting to see Sam and Kara work together. Edge is working well as a villain, with out being too mustache twirly (though I would like to know how he knows everything about Lena's actions during the Daxam invasion)

On another note, It looks like Lena is going to be this season's damsel in distress again.

.

At least, someone here who gets my problem with Lena's storyline. Lena centric stories are always about her being rescued by Kara; and her doubting her Luthor name and angsting about it; and whether she is good or evil. (The only time that didn't happen was when she was being conned by Rhea. And, I considered those stories good)

(I basically said the same thing in another thread about how Lena needs Kara more than Kara needs her; but still.. at times, it is frustrating.)

I am on James' side of the tiff.

Basically because, Lena has been treating James rather badly since she came in. The last episode, yes. but Also, this episode, where she does not even takes his input on adding a PR article pretending to be news to the newspaper. At least, a heads-up would have been nice, Lena. The guy is the editor in chief, you know, plus the person who has been running the company until you took it over. I'd have been happy if it was her Luthor (grey business woman) persona coming out; but the way everyone (viewers at least) seem to be treating it, it is as if she did the right thing and James is the one doing wrong. (I wish there was an argument and Kara would side with James in this; though that is wishful thinking.)

If a rich woman (or man) just bought your company, a company you have been running successfully, and then, just sidelined you, how fun would that be for you?

Also, it's only natural that he would have reservations about the reason behind the kids' getting sick.

None of them were sure yet, after all. It could have been the bomb. And James having some empathy for the kids parents' viewpoint is not bad. It does not mean he is blaming her.

Where the show dropped the ball is in not showing and emphasising that aspect of the bombing-that it was set off to protect Earth from an invasion and that, war, always has consequences. The people acted like Lena poisoned the kids deliberately.

Instead, if they had dealt with it the way you know how people from Nagasaki and Hiroshima would feel, it would have been better. As in, it was an action meant to protect but, it could have caused harm to some. Harm that was unavoidable. However, the show is also meant for kids, so I guess they needed to keep it black and white. But, they had actually considered this question in Season One with the Kryptonite bomb. Although, they did come to black and white.

[As an aside Sully, interesting thought on the Cobra effect; I didn't take the cobra story as good with a basis on evil at all; that was Indians being enterprising when their exploitative colonial masters tried to do something to ease their (the masters') own comfort; I was all for it. But, that is just me being me.]

I liked the episode by the way: mostly the Sam-Kara team up and Kara-Alex scenes at the beginning and the end. And wow! Kara's scene with Edge.

IMO, Lena is on a massive learning curve when it comes to relationships that are truly self giving, working with other people that are more knowledgeable than her on something, as well as coming into her own as a Luthor....

We have only known her character for less than a year....her coming to grips with her Luthor name was barely getting started last season, as was her having someone in her life as self giving as Kara. NOW THIS SEASON, you throw in her having been a CEO of a company she ran pretty much on her own, to a company that she knows nothing about running and has someone (a man) that knows far more than she does about it, and answering to him, or asking advice, or comparing notes, or anything where someone else was involved at or near the same level as her is almost unheard of for her. She is still on a massive learning curve for all of those things. I think in this last episode she was spot on in her reaction to all of those things.

1. What little bit of separation she had from the Luthor name was wiped out in one press conference.
2. Her guilt over Mon-el having to leave was very much still in play with Kara.
3. She is now working with someone that she knows absolutely hates her brother and the Luthor name as a whole, and yet here they are needing to collaborate, as she learns a whole new set of skills.

Anyone would be off center if not on their face in these circumstances when they all hit you at once.

[As an aside Sully, interesting thought on the Cobra effect; I didn't take the cobra story as good with a basis on evil at all; that was Indians being enterprising when their exploitative colonial masters tried to do something to ease their (the masters') own comfort; I was all for it. But, that is just me being me.]

I'm not familiar with the original story, SSAV, is it based on an actual event? My point on good and evil goes along with the unintended consequences concept that you mentioned with the bomb. Sometimes, good things come from an event that had evil intentions and sometimes, something evil grows out of an event that originated out of goodness. How many people would choose to go back and change something terrible that happened in their life if, in doing so, it would also erase a very positive outcome that occurred because of the same event. Hence, what we think of as evil may have the possibility of bringing good and vice-versa.

I am on James' side of the tiff.

Basically because, Lena has been treating James rather badly since she came in.

I agree. I felt that Lena was being very unprofessional when she first arrived and ignored James' position in the company and what he had done for the company. He had every right to confront her about the way she was, most likely unintentionally, treating him. Personally, my prediction is that the writers are creating a bit of tension between the two as part of the beginning stages of a relationship. I'm not against it but, I just hope it doesn't overtake the character's or SG story.

Adding fuel to the fire on the shipping roles; might James and Lena become an eventual item?

IMO, Lena is on a massive learning curve when it comes to relationships that are truly self giving, working with other people that are more knowledgeable than her on something, as well as coming into her own as a Luthor....

We have only known her character for less than a year....her coming to grips with her Luthor name was barely getting started last season, as was her having someone in her life as self giving as Kara. NOW THIS SEASON, you throw in her having been a CEO of a company she ran pretty much on her own, to a company that she knows nothing about running and has someone (a man) that knows far more than she does about it, and answering to him, or asking advice, or comparing notes, or anything where someone else was involved at or near the same level as her is almost unheard of for her. She is still on a massive learning curve for all of those things. I think in this last episode she was spot on in her reaction to all of those things.

1. What little bit of separation she had from the Luthor name was wiped out in one press conference.
2. Her guilt over Mon-el having to leave was very much still in play with Kara.
3. She is now working with someone that she knows absolutely hates her brother and the Luthor name as a whole, and yet here they are needing to collaborate, as she learns a whole new set of skills.

Anyone would be off center if not on their face in these circumstances when they all hit you at once.

Oh, I realise that. I would not have a problem with it if the show and the viewers actually acknowledged that fact instead of behaving as if James is wrong all the time (just because they didn't like the guardian arc).

Even Kara supports Lena over James (though she sometimes does that; it's her tendency to believe the best in people). It'd be nice if James and Kara had a talk where she acknowledged that Lena is treating James rather badly.

Also, to be honest, being on a learning curve is never an excuse for treating your employees badly.

And... the other thing is... Kara-Lena relationship continues to be one-sided. I kind of understand why Lena is so dependent on Kara, but other than a generic concern for her well being that Kara really has for everybody (and esp. Lena because she does bring out the protective spirit in people), I have not seen a mutually rewarding/rich friendship between the two. There is no similar imbalance when it comes to Winn and Kara, or James and Kara. (I am not even bringing the Kara-Alex and Kara-J'onn relationships here because they are on a completely another level).

I'd appreciate all of this if the show actually acknowledged it. However, they are not doing it. Sometimes, fanoning it gets tiresome.

I am having flashbacks of Mon El. (And, this is not a jab at people who like Mon El-Kara romance. Just my opinion. I think the powers that be were not pushing Kara's side of the story in either of these arcs.)

Anyways... May be things will improve as we go on. As you said, learning curve.

Eh! I guess, I am starting to sound like a Lena hater; I am not. However, I'd like some story there which is not about Lena getting rescued. Episode 4 seemed like that.

Eric

What do you think we change Amazing Episode to Excellent. My thoughts are that Best in 20 is amazing. I think excellent conveys more the thought you want. I would raise Very Good to a B+. I might have rated this one Excellent if given that option. I also agree that 7 options are enough.

Thoughts?

Argo

I'm looking into stars possibly, something without so much nomenclature that can be confusing

Being Kelly and I are both teachers, I'm sure we could create a very awesome RUBRIC for ya, Eric

I say we use "care bear" emojis....... 5 "care bears" is Excellent 4 is Great 3 is Average 2 is below Average and 1 is sucks..... hehe

*GASP* What about using....*drum roll please*....the House of El symbol?? 5 "S's" is Excellent, 4 is Great, 3 is Average, 2 is Below Average, 1 is (to quote Dustin from Stranger Things) "Well Hell!" and 0 for D*mn that was Just Plain Bad, Y'all or even "You can't unsee that, y'all."

I meant: I should not let my frustrations with fandom detract from my enjoyment of the show. We all have our biases, and our favorite characters and things we want to see and things we don't want to see. And each of us is right. The show is right in how they write and the focus they want to use too.

So. Yeah. Sorry about that. And will try not to do that from now on.

I didn't see the bus scene as Supergirl, NOT taking down the bad guy. I see it as, she did the hard, dirty stuff.....let sista clean it up. BECAUSE, had Supergirl not stopped the bus, Alex would have never been able to do what she did.

As far as the plane and toxic stuff, the plane was going to dump the stuff into the main water system of National City screwing the entire population, not just the children, i, and Lena or whatever was left of her after it crashed would be found onboard, blamed...ooooooor, she would be saved by Supergirl after the stuff was dumped and Lena could still be blamed.

Adding fuel to the fire on the shipping roles; might James and Lena become an eventual item?

It certainly seemed like they were hinting at that at the end of the episode.

IMO, Lena is on a massive learning curve when it comes to relationships that are truly self giving, working with other people that are more knowledgeable than her on something, as well as coming into her own as a Luthor....

We have only known her character for less than a year....her coming to grips with her Luthor name was barely getting started last season, as was her having someone in her life as self giving as Kara. NOW THIS SEASON, you throw in her having been a CEO of a company she ran pretty much on her own, to a company that she knows nothing about running and has someone (a man) that knows far more than she does about it, and answering to him, or asking advice, or comparing notes, or anything where someone else was involved at or near the same level as her is almost unheard of for her. She is still on a massive learning curve for all of those things. I think in this last episode she was spot on in her reaction to all of those things.

1. What little bit of separation she had from the Luthor name was wiped out in one press conference.
2. Her guilt over Mon-el having to leave was very much still in play with Kara.
3. She is now working with someone that she knows absolutely hates her brother and the Luthor name as a whole, and yet here they are needing to collaborate, as she learns a whole new set of skills.

Anyone would be off center if not on their face in these circumstances when they all hit you at once.

Oh, I realise that. I would not have a problem with it if the show and the viewers actually acknowledged that fact instead of behaving as if James is wrong all the time (just because they didn't like the guardian arc).

Even Kara supports Lena over James (though she sometimes does that; it's her tendency to believe the best in people). It'd be nice if James and Kara had a talk where she acknowledged that Lena is treating James rather badly.

Also, to be honest, being on a learning curve is never an excuse for treating your employees badly.

And... the other thing is... Kara-Lena relationship continues to be one-sided. I kind of understand why Lena is so dependent on Kara, but other than a generic concern for her well being that Kara really has for everybody (and esp. Lena because she does bring out the protective spirit in people), I have not seen a mutually rewarding/rich friendship between the two. There is no similar imbalance when it comes to Winn and Kara, or James and Kara. (I am not even bringing the Kara-Alex and Kara-J'onn relationships here because they are on a completely another level).

I'd appreciate all of this if the show actually acknowledged it. However, they are not doing it. Sometimes, fanoning it gets tiresome.

I am having flashbacks of Mon El. (And, this is not a jab at people who like Mon El-Kara romance. Just my opinion. I think the powers that be were not pushing Kara's side of the story in either of these arcs.)

Anyways... May be things will improve as we go on. As you said, learning curve.

I'm not seeing this. James is almost always written to be right and even perfect to such a degree that some has said he is a Gary Stu, which is how I personally perceive him. Even as an antagonist against the protagonist much of last season, he is written to be on the right side of the equation.

Or maybe it's simply because he is a bit of a Gary Stu that it has the opposite effect and viewers just don't root for such a character.

Also, I'm of the mind that Lena and James are currently written that way for the sake of introducing them as a future couple. They are just trying to create sexual tension that's all. It's not working for me because I don't see any chemistry between the 2, just like I didn't see any between Lena and Winn when they tried it on early with them, but to each their own.

Whether people like the Guardian arc or not, you can't ignore his character development over the course of an entire season. And since he was so negatively perceived, it carries over. The writers are obviously responding to last season and giving us a Jimmy Olsen Version 3.0. And for a show in its third season, that's a problem. Lets hope they get it right this time around, because, other than forcing another couple onto us, I like his interaction with Kara this season.

I would say that having a relationship with someone doesn't necessarily mean that both parties should have an equal contribution to that relationship. Sometimes, just the love between the two will balance out everything. Lena was there for Kara in a year where she wasn't a part of Jimmy and Winn's partnership and Alex was in her own world with Maggie. People she turned to before. And Katie McGrath is right in that not knowing Kara is Supergirl, allows Kara to be 'just a normal girl'.

I would argue that Lena buying Catco for $650,000,000 just because Kara asked for help is fr beyond a fair contribution. Does anyone think that Jimmy and Kara would have a job there had Edge not announced his intent to buy Catco. He would have cleaned house for sure. His own hubris was his mistake there and Lena saved every job at Catco.

There is also the little matter of re engineering Lex' Kryptonite bomb to save the world. Ironically, it was all three Luthors that saved the world. Supergirl really didn't need to be the one to push the button, anymore than Winn needing to be there to hang out with Lena as she re engineered it. I love this irony.and I wish Olsen had pointed that out. It would have made his dialogue way more interesting.

Lena is a cerebral character, not a physical one. I actually love this and I don't ever want her to become some kind of physical bad ass. She is emotionally and cerebrally courageous. Takes intellectual risks that is unique in this show. It takes an awful lot of courage to stand in front of a hateful crowd and cop to your shortcomings.

She is an interesting character for me. I like that she is continually struggling in the grey area. That said, I don't want Morganna 2.0. I still haven't gotten over the first one.

Eric

What do you think we change Amazing Episode to Excellent. My thoughts are that Best in 20 is amazing. I think excellent conveys more the thought you want. I would raise Very Good to a B+. I might have rated this one Excellent if given that option. I also agree that 7 options are enough.

Thoughts?

Argo

I'm looking into stars possibly, something without so much nomenclature that can be confusing

Being Kelly and I are both teachers, I'm sure we could create a very awesome RUBRIC for ya, Eric

I say we use "care bear" emojis....... 5 "care bears" is Excellent 4 is Great 3 is Average 2 is below Average and 1 is sucks..... hehe

O geez. What if people confuse it with Cancellation Bears. !?!

the Supergirl rescue of the C-130 and Lena, now that was totally awesome to watch with the perfect Blake Neely music to go with it, Melissa is now an expert at selling the Superheroics, fantastic work Melissa and the Encore VFX team. Has now found a slot in my Top 5 of Superheroics from the series so far.

Something I thought they could have done towards the end of the episode was have Supergirl go and visit the children at the Luthor hospital, only needs to be a 30 to 60 second scene but would be nice to see on the show sometime.

I'm always gonna have your six on this Kiwi. Like every time.

Yeah, I find the neglect of Supergirl's 'Good Samaritan' achievements to be a great source of frustration for me on this show. After all, Helping people, lifting their spirits and saving the world is what Superman, and by extension, Supergirl does. You're absolutely right about spending a mere 30 seconds on these little uplifting scenes. And its not like you need special fx for that.

Well, it seems to me that we are down to an ensemble that seems to revolve around Kara more this season, so maybe we will be getting these now and again. I'm thinking once Mon-el comes back, and we get past the initial shock of that, and she realizes she is much better off without someone in her life like that at this time she will begin to move back into more of the happy Kara. However, this is very much the New 52 Kara, I'm thinking the writers must be reading some of them....haha