By the time we publish this article, Supergirl's 4th episode will have aired on both coasts! Livewire was an incredible success and focused heavily on the female relationships on the show. First we open with a captured alien in the D.E.O. breaking free from HER chains. Luckily Supergirl is there to subdue the alien. However throughout the battle, Alex is incredibly worried about something and is begging Kara to be at her apartment with her. Within a flash of her superspeed, Kara arrives at home just in time to welcome Eliza (Helen Slater's Character) and Alex's birth mother.
Our Reactions: We loved the comedy in this scene as we learn the monster Kara fought was a woman. Supergirl sums up the fight by saying, "respect".
Alex and her mom clearly have a strained relationship. For some reason Eliza puts all of Kara's behavior at Alex's feet. Alex has not told her mother that she is a D.E.O. agent yet. We flash forward to a brief scene with James and Lucy who are ditching their family for the Thanksgiving holiday to be together for a romantic weekend. Once learning of James' plans we hear Leslie Willis on the radio talking about the things she hates about Supergirl. Her lack of sex appeal, her goody-two-shoes attitude and her in your face look at me cheerleader meets gymnastics costume. The screen pans to everyone's reaction upon hearing these negative comments and finally lands on Cat.
Our Reactions: What jumped out most to us in this segment was that Kara calls her adoptive mother by her name Eliza and not mom. We suppose that makes sense since she was 12 when she arrived on the planet but it certainly shows that the writers are thinking these relationships through!
Cat calls Leslie into her office to tell her that Supergirl is off limits. It's actually a rather charming scene as Kara uses her super hearing to listen in. Cat makes it very clear that Leslie is to leave Kara alone and to make sure that it happens, she assigns Leslie to traffic duty in the Catco media helicopter. There is a break where we get to see a flashback of young Alex and Kara are sneaking out at night to fly around Midvale but they caught by Jeremiah and Eliza on their return. Back to present day, Leslie is flying over National City when a storm hits and her helicopter struggles. The pilot is ejected from the craft after a bolt of lightning hits the tail. Supergirl is fast enough to catch and save the pilot and fly back up to the falling helicopter to save Leslie. When she sets the helicopter down, Supergirl is struck by lightning and it travels through her into Leslie making her Livewire! Livewire falls into a coma and is taken to the hospital.
Our Reactions: The effects in this show are getting better and better. This was at the 20-minute mark and Supergirl had already held a helicopter! On top of that, Jordan Mazarati and Malina Weissman were quite a treat playing the two young Danvers sisters.
Cat and Kara go to visit Leslie in the hospital after her accident. Cat shares a rare moment of compassion with Kara and also gives Leslie some tough love saying "She's tougher than a bolt of lightning". Leslie awakes after their visit and leaves the hospital. She is cornered by a would-be rapist when her powers manifest and she takes him out with a blast of lightning! She then jumps into the city grid of power through a street lamp! This shuts down the city's power as we join the Danvers plus Winn for Thanksgiving dinner. Alex, drunk at the end of the table challenges her mom and vice versa throughout the dinner. Kara tries to play mediator but in a horrible attempt to say what they are thankful for, Alex and Eliza's relationship hits its boiling over point and the dinner is disbanded. Cat calls Kara into work to help fix her powerless problem in the office.
Our Reactions: While Winn was there at the dinner, he was largely ignored by Kara and family. Kara was thinking of James and trying to be referee to her mom and sister and Alex and Eliza were ready to put on the boxing gloves and go at it. More than anything, this scene was shocking because we have such high opinions of Helen Slater. To see her not be the perfect mom was out of character. That said it shows how good of an actress she is since it was very much in character for Eliza Danvers!
At Cat's office, Livewire makes her appearance known by talking with Cat through her monitors. She takes physical form and begins to attack Cat around the office. Cat sends Kara to go get help and bring back security giving Kara a chance to change into Supergirl and fight Livewire. The fight is vicious as Supergirl's punches are strong enough to send Livewire flying into the air yet she jumps in and out of electrical circuits avoiding most of Kara's attacks. Livewire, made of energy, absorbs Supergirl's heat vision and adds it to her battery of power. The two end in a stalemate as the Catco elevator begins to fall with Cat inside. Livewire escapes as Supergirl catches the failed elevator.
Our Reactions: Clever acting and writing are taking place here. You never know if Cat knows Kara is Supergirl or not and the way it's written and the way the two play off of each other always leaves you guessing. The Cat and Kara relationship is building in a great way and is becoming a fan favorite for sure.
Henshaw shows up at Catco under the guise of being a FBI agent. He and his team investigate the site and also grab some one on one time with Kara to discuss how to bring Livewire down. It's noted that a being/alien of pure energy was recently caught by the D.E.O. and the device that was used to capture this being could be modified to capture Livewire. Hank heads back to headquarters to begin the necessary work. Meanwhile Alex checks up on her mother at Kara's apartment and the two have it out and begin to mend their relationship. Eliza has something she needs to tell Kara and Alex together but Livewire is on the attack again and Alex needs to go.
Our Reactions: Unlike Harrison Wells, Henshaw seems to have some honesty in what he is doing. While we don't know if he is good or bad or what he really is, his help for Kara has been constant. It's clear there is so much more to the character but what it is isn't clear at all. You knew Wells was a bad guy early on. We don't believe the same can be said for Henshaw.
The final battle between Livewire and Supergirl begins with the help of Cat Grant calling Livewire out on the radio. Kara, armed with the D.E.O. tech is ready to try and capture pure Livewire energy while protecting Cat from certain death. The battle fairs roughly the same on the streets of National city but when Livewire gets the upper hand she moves in for a killing blow against Supergirl. Cat makes a desperate plea to save Supergirl's life and Leslie Willis' soul by attempting to convince her not to take a life. Supergirl, disarmed by the battle, reaches into the street and pulls out a pipe blasting water all over Livewire. The interruption in her energy knocks Livewire out and the threat is over. The next day in the office, Cat and Kara share another odd but somewhat nurturing moment before Cat regains her prowess and demands breakfast from her assistant.
Our Reactions: This episode is all about female relationships and the Kara Cat Supergirl dynamic grows on the viewer this episode. It's like when the Grinch gets a heart and tries to show love for the first time. Cat wants to be appreciative of Kara and of Supergirl but her nature doesn't allow it. And you still never quite know if Cat knows who Supergirl really is.
Finally, a finishing scene with Elisa and the sisters reveals that Hank Henshaw and the D.E.O. actually came to Midvale to take Kara away from the Danvers when she was only 12 years old. In a true heroic fashion, Dean Cain's character told Henshaw he would not put one finger on Kara and that he would go and work with the D.E.O. Jeremiah knows more about Superman than any other person on the planet. He helped Superman learn and control his powers. Henshaw agrees to the deal. Eliza later reveals that Jeremiah died while serving Henshaw. The sisters make it their mission to find out why.
Final Thoughts: It's hard to say that each episode is better than the last but it's been true so far! For any comic fan, this episode was littered with so much goodness. You have Dean Cain and Helen Slater guest starring, and you have beloved villain Livewire making her first physical debut on TV and you have the Henshaw twist bringing in Jeremiah for the D.E.O. All in all, it was perfect for moving the story along and for giving out treats for the comic fans. Another perfectly balanced episode by the cast and crew of Supergirl.
News Item: While it isn't official yet, by the looks of the "coming next week on Supergirl" preview, the originally scheduled episode, "How Does She Do It" will air next week. This is good because the only continuity item we saw out of place was the James and Lucy relationship. So keep looking forward to more Supergirl next week and we'll let you know when its official!
Music: Also, have you seen our new Music page? We have updated it to include the music from tonight's episode as well. Check it out and get your Supergirl groove on.
Now, most importantly, we want to hear what you thought of tonight's episode. Was it everything you wanted it to be? Did Brit Morgan as Livewire do justice to the character? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below as well as the forum! El Ma Arah and have a great night!
