Title: Supergirl: “Triggers” Review
Release Date: October 16th, 2017
Network: The CW
Genre: Superhero, Drama, Action
Supergirl flies back onto screens following a somewhat mundane season three opener, which saw Kara dealing with the fate of Mon-El. “Triggers” carries over some of the issues that weighed down episode one, but also gives more substance and reasoning behind Kara’s actions.
The second episode begins with a somewhat jarring transition, as it goes from Alex and Maggie spooning in bed to Samantha and her daughter in a similar bed, to Karra alone in hers. It’s a neat cut though, and also serves a purpose in showing how lonely Kara is without Mon-El. Yet she persists in trying to get things back to normal, going back to CatCo to welcome the new boss, Lena Luthor.
Luthor’s role as the boss will be interesting, not only in comparison to Cat Grant and Snapper Carr but simply because of how good of an actress Katie McGrath. Her range and ability to flip a switch from friend to intimidating boss when Kara was acting up was really impressive to see this episode. In the same scene, her line of “I grew up in a house with the most deceptive people in the world I can tell when someone is lying to me,” was easily the best in the episode.
Like I said earlier though, Kara’s action seemed a bit more justified this episode, as the vast majority of it deals with her experiencing her greatest fears thanks to the villain of the week Psi.
Overall, Psi is an interesting villain, with a premise similar to a lot of other DC Villains (Count Vertigo, Top) but uses fear as a means to disorient her opponent instead. The scenes that show a first-person perspective of Kara in the pod and Krypton blowing up do a solid job of conveying the fear and claustrophobia that Kara was feeling through its cinematography.
That being said, the visual aspect of Psi’s powers were really goofy. Let me scrunch my face and have this cloud of psychic energy hit you, either throwing you off balance or blowing you a hundred feet back. The villain also suffers from the nerfing problem that tends to happen with all DC heroes in later seasons when facing the “villains of the week”.
Martian Manhunter is one of the most powerful beings in all of DC comics but can’t be psi. Kara beat Superman in last seasons finale, a man who is faster than a speeding bullet. Logic dictates. that she could take psi out without her even knowing she was there. Speaking of logic, Kara also tore a hole through CatCo’s ceiling…is that just going to be glossed over?
Logic also seems to be what Ruby, the daughter of one of the newest stars of Supergirl, Samantha, is severely lacking. Whether you want to prove that your mother has superpowers or not, no kind would be dumb enough to go out into the middle of the street and risk being crushed by a wrecking ball, unless they were a psychopath.
While Ruby’s character seems to be going the Arrow’s William route, a grown-worthy pre-teen that acts like a two-year-old, her relationship with Samantha is endearing and helps flesh out the new star’s character. I am very interested to see just where the show will take Samantha and how they handle her transition into a certain character.
Nothing has me more excited than the possibility of seeing Mars though, as the episode ends with M’gann M’orzz (Miss Martian) telepathically seeking help from J’onn, stating he must return to the red planet immediately. Like the other shows in the Arrowverse (Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow), “Triggers” has done an adequate job of setting up future plot lines that seem interesting, while keeping the ship afloat until the show gets there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC7P8_zyh94
Verdict: While “Triggers” does a better job of conveying Kara’s emotions and fears regarding the events of last season, I can only hope it means a return to a more lighthearted (less mopey) Kara. Couple that with the development of the newest addition to the Supergirl superhero squad, Samantha, and an upcoming visit to Mars and there is definitely a lot to look forward to for the rest of Supergirl’s third season. For the love of god though, somebody get Ruby some Ritalin.
What did you think of the most recent episode of Supergirl? What scene or scenes did you like the most? What are your predictions for the rest Season three as things begin to unravel? Be sure to let us know in the comments below. Also be sure to check back next week for the third episode of the season,”Far from the Tree” immediately after it airs on The CW next Monday 8 PM ET.
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