Season 5 - Post Mortem Thread

Oh... and let's see Kara go nuclear in season 6 and raise her internal and external temperature to 1000 degrees to defeat an opponent, perhaps whatever Gamenae has become... wasn't aware she could do that... but it appears she can!

https://screenrant.com/supergirl-heat-power-temperature

This season never got into the swing of continuous episodes week after week. The season was plagued with delays caused by the pandemic which hurt the show's rhythm. But even without those bumps the season was weak but stronger then season 4.

I'm not going to get into each episode's likes and dislikes. In a general sense I would like to see more of Melissa's talent on display. And of course more of her being a hero and saving the day. I thought the decision to change her suit was a big mistake and was an abuse of power. If they want to change a character's suit let's start with Nia's and then rethink Alex's new get up.

Season 5 like all of the shows before have very talented actors and actresses but you need superior writing and stories to keep the fans engaged. That's what I'm hoping for going forward.

I had very mixed feelings about this season. I think overall, it ranks last for me: 1, 2, 4, 3 & 5.

I will ignore the fact that CW moved the show to another time slot for the second year in a row... oops, I went there.

I thought things started off pretty good for season 5. Event Horizon and Stranger Beside Me had their moments: Supergirl revealed her nanotechnology enhanced new suit (pants!), she got to punch a dinosaur, she did a little fancy flying to catch a bullet in mid air, she was creative and used a truck side mirror to deflect a ray. So far so good . I felt things got a little meh after that ... until Tremors , which I thought was the best pre-Crisis season 5 episode. I thought, the momentum has arrived! Next up, The Wrath of Rama Khan... I thought this is gonna be awesome... I was soooo wrong.
It landed with a thud. Rama, well cast, but ultimately he was not much of a threat . A real disappointment. Then, it was here COIE Part 1 . That was a huge undetertaking and I thought they pulled it off nicely and Supergirl was well represented throughout. Well done. The Bottle Episode was a outstanding showcase for Jesse Rath and kicked off what I hoped would be a solid post-Crisis world for Supergirl. Next up, Winn's return Back from the Future Parts 1&2... Again, my expectations were high, but I was left underwhelmed . Not a bad episode, just not a very good one either. I expected more, possibly too much. Apparently, I didn't miss Winn as much as I thought I did. But that was ok... the milestone episode 100 Its a Super Life really delivered . Kara gave Lena notice. Thomas Lennon was great as Mxy . The Bodyguard was perhaps my least favorite episode of the season. It essentially irritated me from start to finish. Next, we got the Dreamer and Alex showcases. Both had their moments... again, not bad episodes but neither would rank as a favorite with me . Deus Lex Machina was a favorite . I really like Jon Cryer as Lex and when he released his rage at Lena, I was floored. One of my favorite episodes. The show hit its stride and it was followed by the standout penultimate episode where I think Rama Khan was redeemed as a formidable adversary and Lena came to her senses. The makeshift finale made for an excellent cliffhanger/season finale. Loved the final 3!

What didn't work for me or what I found clunky...

That awful wig in Its a Wonderful Life !

I think they could have covered and concluded the Leviathan threat in the first half of the season. It did not need to be stretch out over the entire season.

I feel somewhat the same way about the Lena season long pity party. It seemed to drawn out. We did get 3 of my favorite episodes out of it (Tremors, Its a Super Life and).

Andrea/Acrata was somewhat wasted... Next!
William... Next! I didn't not like William, but.. Next!


Things to come...

I do know what to make of Gamemnae at the end of the finale or who she works for... did who she works for prevent her from being trapped with Rama and the rest in Brainy's bank tube? Could a gender swap new take on the [New Earth] "Annointed One" be who she works for?

I loved that Lillian popped up at the end. Can't wait to see what she is up to next season. Lex had better look out... she may have her own agenda.

Things I'd like to see....

They could film some green screen scenes of Kara talking with Kal and Lois and the nephews (hologram, zoom, skype) for Superman & Lois to ease the wait until mid season. Has Kara even met her nephews?

I think we need a shorter, more tightly written season 6.

Maybe Kara can go to Argo City and visit Alura. I just can't believe Kara would not visit more often. Earth might be her home now, but that's her mom and people!

Enhance the biosuit with the sun lamp emitters. Let Kara use the biosuit for an outerspace or underwater adventure. Could she fly to Argo? Could she search for Atlantis? If the show is going to add more cgi instead of hand-to-hand combat scenes, try something new.

I would like a return visit from Phil LaMarr.

I want the Supergirl/ Batwoman World's Finest... we don't need other shows involved in this one. I was very upset when I read on bleeding cool that CW was doing World's Finest with Superman and not Supergirl. This cannot happen! It must be Kate and Kara.

I wouldn't mind other pair ups like Kara and the original Vixen or Kara and Black Lightning. Maybe have coffee and donuts at Jitters with Iris and Caitlin? Kara likes her donuts!

I think they should do some stand alone, self contained episodes.

How about a hybrid live action/animation episode. Mxy could send Kara into a comic book or video game... for good obviously as he is reformed.

A little subtle cross pollination with other Arrowverse shows in the background. Perhaps Gambi (Black Lightning) has history with Lillian Luthor. (I liked how Black Lightning revealed ASA Odell is from Gotham... little easter eggs here and there).

I REALLY, REALLY want Cat Grant to take back CatCo Worldwide. I think they could include Calista remotely (ZooM and Skype sessions), she wouldn't have to relocate to Vancouver. Sign of the times people. It would be very reflective of our lives now. Besides, CatCo is worldwide, nothing say Cat needs to be in National City all the time.

Show Brainy in his true green form more often. Another follow up from Meaghan Rath. Make her green too...

Last but not least... let Supergirl save the day from time to time without any outside assistance. At the end of the day, the show is called Supergirl.

For me it was a very long and ultimately frustrating season.

The Good
- The primary strength of the show has been and continues to be the stellar main cast. They elevate whatever material is given to them. On and off camera they seem utterly committed to their roles. Obviously, they struck gold with Melissa, but it might be the best ensemble cast in the Arrowverse so far. The only negative is that it has continued to expand, as with Flash and Arrow.

- Guest casting this year was really impressive as well. Snagging Sean Astin and Cara Buono in particular speaks to how attractive the show is to actors. Mitch Pileggi delivered a powerful presence as Rama Khan. Phil LaMarr was also a standout.

- The technology theme was overall a plus, I think. Not as heavy-handed politically as last year, but it was still relevant. Examples of technology's potential to harm and help and the ways it can be twisted were generally effective. The worst I can say is that here and there, the writers struggled a bit to say something of value, becoming trite or moralistic.

- I particularly enjoyed J'onn's pre-Crisis arc.

The Bad
- The biggest flaw this year was much the same as last season--it just took too long to get anywhere. For too much of the year, Leviathan's goals and motivations were painfully vague. Part of this was probably due to the Crisis build up.

- Speaking of Crisis, I liked the crossover, but I am not a fan of the changes made in the post-Crisis world. I don't like that the main characters are largely strangers to the world they live in. The Department of Extranormal Operations becoming a subsidiary of Lex Luthor's company made zero sense.

- I've said it elsewhere, but the show has evolved from "Supergirl," though "Supergirl and Friends," and now to "Supergirl's Friends." Dead horse re-pummeled, I shall move on.

- I think somewhere along the line, the show decided to take itself way too seriously. Yes, there are moments of goofiness, but the sense of fun that was almost palpable early on has given way to occasional pop culture references thrown in a stew of malaise.

- You know what this show needs? Even more costumed vigilantes.

The Meh
Things I could take or leave:
Lena's arc
William
Kelly
The destruction of the DEO

Conclusion
Last year, I said nailing the ending was just enough to make Season 4 worthwhile.

This time, no resolution would have been enough to save the season. I simply quit caring. There is zero chance of me buying the blu-ray.

The Future
Obviously, I hate the show, right? At this point, in all honesty, a little, yeah. To my mind, a fan of a character can only be poked with a stick so many times before becoming resentful.

I saw Brierrose use the term "hate watching" in the news feed comments. That is a point of concern for me--and the last thing I want or intend to do. Toward the end of Arrow's 7th season, I just had enough. During the "Previously on Arrow" recap, of an episode, I decided I didn't want to do it anymore. I turned off the television and never looked back until COIE. I didn't miss it. Unless there is a change in trajectory, I expect that will happen at some point next season. I will take it episode by episode. I'll be sad if it happens, because it was my favorite by a country mile.

My hope is that the break gives them a chance to formulate something a little more towards the fun/aspirational end of the spectrum.

Maybe Trump will lose the general election and the writers will take the stick out of their collective butt.

Honestly, I just continue watching out of hope that it'll improve, or that somehow the story will focus on Supergirl, again.

I was underwhelmed, almost front to back, this season.


The real shame is, there were some really great stories, this season. J'onn's arc with his brother. Dreamer's focus episode, Reality Bytes. The Bottle Episode was a fantastic Brainy story. Back From The Future was a wonderful 2 part story where Winn was the lead. Alex in Wonderland was a great Alex episode, and Deus Lex Machina, while it featured more Supergirl than I expected, featured Lex as it's lead.

The only truly Supergirl-centric episode this season, in my opinion, was It's A Super Life.

The writing has improved, overall. Really, it has. But the writing for KARA is the problem. If they could give Kara/Supergirl some episodes as impactful and dynamic as Reality Bytes, The Bottle Episode, Back From The Future, or Alex In Wonderland, we'd be in good shape.

That's where I stand. I'll continue to watch until this show ends. I don't always know why. Out of some sort of hope that we'll get some fantastic stories for our lead.