Verdict: A leaner episode presents a fun bottle scenario and some strong character drama, but is hampered consistently by rushed and inconsistent writing.

Review:

Supergirl’s move to the CW has been marked by a lot of changes, from the aesthetic to the tonal as the change of scene forced the show to concentrate on developing its individuality on a channel with so many other superhero series. It’s changed the way it’s told its stories, and mostly for the better. Yet it’s not just been the way those stories have been told that’s changed – it’s also the amount. On CBS, Supergirl was built for a casual audience, with just a couple of major plotlines per episode that came to a definitive stop, with the spotlight rotating slowly around the relatively constrained main cast of characters. On the CW, however, we’ve had an influx of new characters, all of whom have starred in significant plotlines, and a greater focus on the inner lives of every character in the expanded ensemble with stories that have played out over the entire season. The result is a show that’s more wholehearted and experimental, one that’s told stories like Alex’s coming out that would have suffered greatly from a lack of focus on CBS, but one where certain plotlines, such as James’ trip to Guardian, have been fighting for air.

The Martian Chronicles is so pared down and comparatively light on plot that it’s an almost jarring shift from the last few weeks, and that’s both a blessing and a curse. In some ways, the minimalist approach is a relief. It allows us time away from problem plotlines and a greater focus on stories that had been shifted to the side in recent episodes, and the relative lack of secondary plotlines allows the A plot of the Martian invasion to flow a lot better, aided rather than bogged down by the character stories. On the other, though, it somewhat lacks the ambition and substance that season two has so impressively displayed, presenting two character stories with tenuous links to one another, and on the character side of the episode, it can end up stressing certain conflicts too much, or not making them clear enough. It’s a fun episode, but one that will ultimately dissipate in the mind quicker than normal.

The main story of the week wraps up a conflict that’s been bubbling away to the side of the Cadmus and Mon-El stories recently, which is J’onn’s reckoning with the White Martians spurred on by the arrival of M’gann. To do so, The Martian Chronicles plays an old trick of locking everyone in the same room with a shapeshifter for an episode that plays out as a classic, paranoia-fuelled bottle instalment. It’s all very familiar, checking off numerous bottle episode tropes – the moment where suspicion boils over into outright hostility, the test to see who’s real and who’s fake, a ‘there’s more than one!’ fake-out – but there’s a reason that these kinds of episodes are so popular for TV shows, and it’s because the uniquely uneasy dynamic of a claustrophobic situation allows for a very different kind of story. It’s one that allows for more outright silliness than usual, such as the sheer fun of seeing Chyler Leigh and Jeremy Jordan briefly portray snarling villains as their disguises are revealed, and genuine tension that builds and builds as in the enjoyable flame test scene. However, beyond the twisty fun of guessing who’s a White Martian and who’s not, and the enjoyable if deeply silly CGI fights between the Martians, The Martian Chronicles is most interested in using its core conceit to get to the core of its characters’ deeply suppressed anxieties as they are forced to comprehend the rapid transformation of the world.

Of the two pairings that The Martian Chronicles focuses on, it’s Kara and Alex who receive the most compelling material, despite the fact that they get considerably less spotlight than J’onn and M’gann. Supergirl has played around with ideas that Kara is worried about how her own life will change with Alex now pursuing her own independent desires with Maggie, but The Martian Chronicles puts those vague anxieties into action and exposes them to criticism in a strong interrogation of Kara’s fear of change. It’s a nicely subjective conflict that doesn’t pick sides and allows both sisters to learn something and make a compromise – Alex learns to remember her deepest bonds even as she forges a new one with Maggie, and Kara finds a little more flexibility in the acceptance that her life has cganged for a very good reason, and that it’s unlikely to change back any time soon. Kara and Alex’s sisterly relationship has worked so well as the heart of the show even through its rapid changes in season two, and it’s because they’ve always existed on such an even keel, despite some of their underlying problems with one another. It’s a bond based on complete respect for each other and mutual support that can withstand any obstacle thrown at it, and the consistent focus that’s placed on it as it evolves and strengthens through changing circumstance is a reminder of Supergirl’s talent at writing the kinds of relationships, specifically feminine ones, that the rest of the comparatively male-dominated world of superhero TV rarely touches upon.

J’onn and M’gann’s relationship, meanwhile, was undoubtedly the core focus of The Martian Chronicles as it shifted from a treatise on prejudice to a more straightforward doomed romance between two people who could never forge a life together, a little like space Romeo and Juliet. On one hand, this had basis in previous episodes – romantic tension was always an undercurrent of most of the two Martians’ interactions before, and it evolves those themes of prejudice and the restrictive social roles of oppressor and oppressed in a meaningful way to explore their natural, tragic consequences. And David Harewood and Sharon Leal are really good, bringing weight and sincerity to a plotline that works best if the absurd elements of it are ignored and it’s taken just as seriously as a human romance.

The only problem is that while their relationship had basis in previous episodes, to immediately take a left turn into this kind of grand romantic story just an episode after their issues were reconciled is very rushed to say the least, which requires J’onn to prosaically spell out his feelings for M’gann rather than those feelings being implicit through a careful build-up to this kind of relationship. More problematically, The Martian Chronicles also requires us to say goodbye, at least for the time being to M’gann. The idea of M’gann being sufficiently inspired by J’onn to head to Mars as a freedom fighter and a believer in the better angels of her kind is a great one that has all the markings of a strong conclusion to a character arc. Yet this character arc has been haphazard and fumbled, carried out intermittently through subplots and then parked for episodes at a time, and the result is that we never really got to know M’gann and her struggle to transcend the oppressive nature of her kind deeply until last episode. It’s hard, therefore, to feel much at her departure, as it feels as if her character was just winding up and becoming a worthy member of this ensemble. Hopefully she’ll be back in time, as otherwise, her character may end up as a golden opportunity squandered by arbitrary corner-cutting.

There’s only really one story going on outside the DEO this week, as Supergirl’s current favourite character story, Mon-El and Kara’s will-they-won-they, continues to tick over. I’ve been much more amenable to Mon-El’s character than most recently, mostly due to Chris Wood’s charismatic performance, but unfortunately his storyline is evidently beginning to run on fumes. The Martian Chronicles is desperate to eke out more tension from the notion that only one half of the pair is interested, and the result is drama that is so transparently a stopgap to delay the inevitable that it’s virtually impossible to care. It splits its time between rehashing the awkwardness and dissonance of views between Kara and Mon-El that worked well last week but becomes tired within the opening scene here, and a clunking gear shift to Kara becoming the unrequited one in the relationship as she arbitrarily decides she does like Mon-El after all and glares moodily into the distance when she sees he’s moved on. There is nothing new to be found here of any worth, and nothing new for Chris Wood or Melissa Benoist to play – just different coats of paint over a storyline that needs a substantial change of direction before it becomes entirely exhausted.

Last episode’s review ended with a complaint that Supergirl was becoming overburdened by its ambition. The Martian Chronicles hears that, and shoots much lower. Sometimes, it hits the target with the cosy, well-executed familiarity of the DEO lockdown, which portrays the kinds of sci-fi schlock situations that Supergirl rarely explores for a nice change of pace, or when it puts a new spin on the continually effective relationship of Alex and Kara. Other times, that lack of ambition simply leads to uninspired wheel-spinning, as with Mon-El’s story, or its ambition creeps up once more, with the desire to create something Shakespearean out of J’onn and M’gann ending up at odds with the reasonably minimal build-up in prior episodes. Sometimes it’s fun to take a break from the fascinating, messy, and fascinatingly messy onslaught of themes and stories that marks a typical Supergirl, but ultimately, this instalment proved to be a slightly low-calorie effort.

Odds & Ends

• The alley behind the alien bar sure does have a crime problem, what with the Cyborg Superman and White Martian attacks recently. They need CCTV there, or maybe a security guard.
• Rarely for a show so committed to its ensemble, regular cast member Mehcad Brooks doesn’t show up here as Jimmy Olsen, despite plenty of mentions. I hope Jimmy spent his time off reconsidering his sub-par storyline.
• It’s nice to have a little focus on the agents of the DEO, even if it’s just for a couple of scenes, as the place can sometimes feel like it’s solely populated by the regular cast. More red shirts, please!
• Someone must have a word with the DEO about using a nuclear reactor in-house to power their inner-city HQ. That has to be breaking some health and safety rules.
• This episode would have benefited a lot from a 24 style ticking clock as the reactor counts down. I’m not sure if the DEO section was real time, but it didn’t feel like it.
• On February 13: Luthors! Both Lillian and Lena Luthor are back! I’d hope for Lex, but… probably unlikely.

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