Tonight we got to watch the third episode of season four titled "Man of Steel". This episode was unlike many of the others we've seen on Supergirl and there was a very specific reason for that. In addition to wanting to give Agent Liberty a backstory that would enrich his story (which has been done in the Arrowverse before, think Flash season four), this was also the first episode that was filmed this season. The filming schedule was rearranged to allow for Melissa Benoist to finish her commitments on Broadway's Beautiful. Melissa's scenes for this episode were filmed later on to be added to this episode.
We want to take a moment and address this. We personally feel that this was a very wonderful thing for the show to do. Melissa's talent is INCREDIBLE and to allow for her to have a show on Broadway during the show's hiatus speaks to the show's commitment to keeping their actors happy and not hoarding their talents. With flexibility like that, we imagine Melissa's commitment to the show is only bolstered. But enough of that, this episode did have some major game changing moments. Here's what stood out to us:
- Supergirl is Poisoned: At the end of season two, Supegirl, Lena Luthor and Winn Schott were able to use a device that seeded the planet with trace amounts of lead into the atmosphere which rendered the planet uninhabitable for Daxamites. At the end of the last episode, the Graves siblings were able to do the same but with Kryptonite. Kara fell from the sky and with the Kryptonite in her system, if she hit the ground, she would have died. Thankfully, J'onn was there to catch her. She remained in bad shape though.
- Flashback with the Lockwood Family: Once Kara was brought to the DEO, we are flashed back to the Lockwood family. Just after Myriad was defeated by Supergirl by her hope speech, we go into the Lockwood family home. There we see the generational gap in thinking. Peter Lockwood, Ben's father, doesn't take kindly to the aliens. Ben suggests that he not talk like that around his son. The two then head into work where a riot against alien workers is developing at the Lockwood plant. Ben tries to break it up but is injured when an alien's self-defense mechanism fires a dagger into him. Alex and Supergirl arrive seconds later to help and squash the riot.
- Professor Ben Lockwood: In a flashback that was only fourteen months ago, we discover that Ben is actually a professor at National City University. He speaks on progress, and even more so, what the cost of progress is. With the discovery of nth metal, the Lockwood family can't maintain their steel business. They are left behind. Just as that happens, Rhea and her Daxamite army arrive. Peter Lockwood makes more anti-alien statements as Rhea introduces her demands on National City. As the Lockwood family begins to evacuate the city, The Daxamite army fight comes to their home. J'onn fights a Daxamite soldier and defeats him easily but he takes the solider and himself back to the fight and leaves the Lockwood family home on fire.
- Six Months Ago Flashback: Ben's class starts to discuss Nativists. In his class, there is an alien student who questions his lecture. Ben points out how Ben Franklin warned about immigrants and their inability to assimilate to culture. His lecture turned to the point where he couldn't keep the aliens in his class. It results in Ben getting fired from his job. Ben follows the student to the alien bar where Ben confronts the student calling her out. He gets a little rough when Kara steps in and asks him to leave. Perfectly timed, this was during the Karaoke episode!
- Reign's Attack on National City: During the attack on National City and Earth, Peter Lockwood is stuck under a steel girder that fell from his factory. Ben arrives in time to try and save him but Peter doesn't want to be saved. He asks that Ben raise his son right and that he fight for what is his. This seems like the last straw for Ben.
- Ben Burns Down Nth Metal Factory: The death of Ben's father pushes Ben over the edge. After Lena shows up to the Lockwood funeral, Ben rejects any efforts Lena offers to set things right. After a few beers with the ex-employees of their steel factory, Ben and three others go and set the Nth Metal Factory on fire. Their only regret is when they think a human was caught up in the carnage. When his image enhancer fails, he is revealed to be the alien that shot Ben with the spike. Ben turns his concern into rage and attacks the alien.
- Two Months Ago: Ben has started to speak in front of growing crowds on the street. He uses his ability to evangelize his message to gain many followers. With many humans now affected by the events of Reign's nearly successful terraform, there are many humans who are interested in the message Ben is spreading. He is approached by the Graves siblings who offer to give him more power and start a more effective campaign against the aliens. He is even given his first target, the woman from J'onn's alien help group who is murdered in episode 1.
- Today: Now that we are full circle, we are joined back with a dying Supergirl. Lena is called in to help save Supergirl. She puts a device on her that envelops her in a self-sustaining suit. The suit will shield her from the Kryptonite environment but she is stuck in the suit. In addition, Lockwood meets up with the Graves who want to kill Agent Jensen. He stops them because "We don't kill our own". Instead, Lockwood suggests that they use Jensen to get back into the DEO.
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Comments
Oh and Lena helping save an alien, again. But she's not to be trusted because she has a bad surname
Oh and why didn't they just send her to Earth 1?
Superman is off world. They said that in the season premiere.
Is it possible the Kasnian Kara is not wholly Kryptonian?
Actually, I was off by a decimal place. 300 miles/minute x 60 minutes/hour = 18,000 miles per hour, not 1800. (Mach 23). Sonic boom anyone?
If National City is supposed to match up to the real one in San Diego, it would be even more than 300 miles to Nevada and even faster. But the website I quoted did quite an analysis and suggests fictional National City is somewhere between LA & San Diego.
"That's somewhat less than 3 times the speed of sound - or Mach 3. Since we've already been told that Kara can fly at supersonic speed, it seems reasonable, too."