With his P.I. shingle newly hung outside his office, J'onn welcomes new clients. Trying to take her mind off what happened at the DEO, Kara decides to team up with J'onn on his latest assignment, which unfortunately ends up tying directly into Alex's current investigation that involves the villain Menagerie. Lena shares some news with James, but his reaction isn't what she expected. Nia invites Brainy to her Valentine's Day party.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of The CW's Supergirl.
"Menagerie" was directed by Stefan Pleszczynski with story by Robert Rovner and teleplay by Daniel Beaty & Greg Baldwin
Is no one at all concerned about a teenager killing an alien and proudly talking about it to the press while surrounded by a mob of supporters? That is a potent visual. But it's also an image of toxic masculinity and what George is encouraged to do. He is following in his father's footsteps. The world is willing to support him as well because there is growing support for Ben Lockwood. He is freed from prison by the conclusion of the hour simply because the President is more concerned about his poll numbers. This season is making the divide even more clear that the interests of Supergirl and the government aren't lining up. There has always been the hope that she stands for everything good in the world and she learned all of these values because she had an American upbringing. But now, that notion is being challenged by the idea that this government no longer represents what's best in the world. It too believes that humans need to arm themselves in order to fight back against alien invaders. Whenever an alien launches a malicious attack, it only further emboldens this group as well. And now, Lena is going to help them. She has become even more morally complicated this season with her experiments on humans in the hopes of giving them superpowers. She believes in the nobility of humans no longer feeling powerless in a world where aliens exist and have these incredible powers. She also understands that these powers are dangerous and shouldn't fall into the wrong hands. She's willing to team with the government anyway despite their intentions of weaponizing the program. The President is already putting a plan into motion with Alex getting her own briefing shortly. Colonel Haley cautions against putting out a statement condemning the role the Children of Liberty played in containing the threat from Menagerie. She does so because she doesn't wish to give any credit to Supergirl. Kara and Nia are the true heroes who save the day here. It's so powerful to see Nia in that suit and fighting alongside Supergirl. She is embracing her destiny as a hero. It's a new bond that is already quite strong because it proves just how secure people with the right morals can be in this ever-changing landscape as well. They are fighting to protect the ideals of the country they believe in and because they know they can do so much good in this world. They don't wish to hurt this world or attack its people. They protect the people who have long protected them. And yet, George and the Children of Liberty get all of the credit despite being proud murderers as well. That's one aspect of this entire story that no one is all that concerned about. Kara has a strict moral code. Moreover, the government wasn't even right in saying that the alien side of Menagerie was killed during this final confrontation. That snake still exists inside of her which will make her a very deadly ally for whatever Manchester Black has planned next. Elsewhere, the show is really just trying to prove that the dynamics are always shifting and people need to cope and accept that change. Kara sees herself as the reason why Alex has held back so much in her personal life despite making the commitment to date and adopt. And Alex sees herself as being too empathetic and needing to focus more attention on her life and her priorities. These are lessons they are willing to accept. However, they could easily distort their views in the long-run as well which could only worsen the split between the morals the government has and the morals Supergirl has.
