Supergirl #4.01 “American Alien” Review

With hate crimes on the rise in National City, Supergirl faces off against a sibling duo intent on eradicating aliens. Meanwhile, Lena utilizes her smarts and resources to stop the Guardian investigation, Alex struggles to click with Brainy, and Kara welcomes a new cub reporter to CatCo. Here is a review of the Supergirl episode “American Alien.”

REVIEW:

Supergirl returned for a fourth season with an attitude practically opposite of last season’s opener, and all for the best. In stark contrast to “Kara Danvers sucks right now,” this Kara Danvers has mastered the superskill of multitasking and feels rejuvenated and unburdened. While certain missteps with a couple of the supporting ladies kept “American Alien” from being stellar, it was a giant leap in the right direction and re-established Supergirl as the beacon of light that she should be. By placing a peppy, hopeful Kara back in the bullpen and in the center of a politically fueled storyline, Supergirl remembered some of the key elements that made the series stand out and shine.

Last season was rough. The characters and the series lost their way and clung to ideas in direct opposition to the values the series once exalted, but with a new season comes a new chance to try again. There are still certain elements of this season that I have reservations about (i.e. Agent Liberty’s origin), but I move forward cautiously optimistic because so much of this episode reminded me of why I fell in love with the series in the first place. It was a relief and a joy to see this Kara, this Supergirl be proud, positive, and in charge of her life, fighting to protect the city while taking the time to return a balloon to a young fan and to make sure her family, friends, and coworkers are all doing all right. This is my Supergirl, and I’m so glad she found her way back. Please stay.

The re-integration of CatCo to the series once again allows Kara to be a hero without superpowers and an inspiration not only to the audience, but also to a character eerily similar to herself three years ago. I’m excited to see Kara channel her inner Cat Grant, whose absence has left a hole for feminist lessons in the workplace, and grow into the kind of person she so strongly admires. Kara now has the chance to be a mentor to someone who looks up to her, respects her, and wants to learn.

With only a couple of scenes under her belt, Nia Nal has quickly established herself as a welcome addition. Her awkwardness, her earnestness, her passion, and most of all, her hope perfectly connect with the quintessential Supergirl vibe and add a warmth and new life to this established series. I’m excited to watch Nia learn to use her voice and be a bright light, and I am so very excited to watch Nicole Maines give a voice to and shine a light on a community extremely misrepresented and misunderstood.

Many people claim to watch television for the escapism, to get away from the horrors of the world, but if television doesn’t in some way reflect what’s real, it can’t be believable. With the plethora of television that exists in this day and age and with the current split state of the country, I’m on board with some shows getting political because it opens up a conversation and exposes people to the real-world results of their beliefs.

What’s most frightening about Supergirl’s anti-alien antagonists is that they’re not fictional; they’re a direct reflection of our own society. Agent Liberty and the Graves siblings ignore the very foundation of the land they claim to love. Like Kara said in “Welcome to Earth,” and I will quote it every single time it becomes relevant, American was founded on “freedom against persecution, oppression. America has always been a country full of immigrants.” A country purposely founded by immigrants, metaphorically or literally alien, has now been swept by an elitist movement founded on nothing more than unsubstantiated, antiquated beliefs. Agent Liberty’s public momentum is just beginning, but the swiftness and efficiency at which his operatives conduct their missions indicate that this sentiment, planning, and training have been in the works for a while. It makes me wonder what new and terrible things could be brewing beneath the surface nowadays.

I was a tad annoyed that Kara so easily dismissed J’onn’s claim of the attack on Dr. Vose being a hate crime because it seemed like she didn’t care, but it brings up an important point. Kara was living in blissful ignorance because the problem didn’t directly affect her, and many of us have been there at one point or another. It’s necessary to remind ourselves and others that everyone’s life experience is different and just because something doesn’t affect you, that doesn’t mean it isn’t real. The country has made incredible progress legally, but it also doesn’t mean that social acceptance and public safety are on par with the laws.

Juxtaposing Supergirl’s physical fights, J’onn’s stance on the issue of anti-alien sentiment takes a nonviolent approach. Some battles are not won with fists or guns or armies, but with a peaceful sit-in or a well-spoken court case or a collection of votes. J’onn, whose family was murdered, whose race was eliminated, whose planet was decimated, has every right to be angry and fight the same bigotry that turned his world upside down, but this time he doesn’t. He takes a knee. I’m interested to see how strong or how long they’ll run with this idea, so here’s hoping they allow J’onn, a wise, empathetic, level-headed hero, to succeed in influencing change in this manner.

For the director of a secret government organization and for a 12^thlevel intellect, the conflict between Alex and Brainy was noticeably immature. While it added a lighter storyline amidst violent crimes, it failed to utilize Alex’s authority and Brainy’s intellect – his ability to analyze possible outcomes. It instead focused on a sibling spat rooted in little more than general annoyance after their actions caused no problems or dangers. The storyline could have included Alex’s justification for needed Brainy to do as she said and Brainy’s justification for going rogue as well as any consequences when one of them messed up. The resolution would have been impactful and realistic if they came to a place of understanding each other’s perspective and finding a solution that works for the both of them instead of just admitting they both screwed up. In addition, I wish we saw more of Alex in charge of making decisions, navigating her new relationship with her super sister, and teaching Brainy how to consider an unpredictable human element in his calculations.

Last season made a big deal about the importance of James unmasking (so I’m assuming this storyline isn’t actually over) but the current resolution didn’t land. Not only was it hasty and simple (and I’m sure Lena will eventually be disparagingly called a Luthor for just trying to help), but James barely had anything to do with his own storyline and clearing his name. I love watching Lena use her smarts to solve a problem and am always on board for an appearance by Lillian, but if the writers insist on making Lena’s storyline about James, they could have taken the opportunity for commentary. Is there no rival media company’s coverage that James and Lena could have scrutinized or redirected? Could they have built their own CatCo coverage around Lena’s image inducer or other inventions to take eyes off James and dealt with public scrutiny from a pro-alien stance?

Even with Lena’s image inducer being used and mentioned more than once throughout the episode, the story barely touched upon the idea of being pressured into adapting one’s own physical appearance for the comfort of others – to shed the language, clothing, and customs of one’s homeland to become more “American,” whatever that means. Perhaps they’re saving it for a future storyline because it would be worth exploring.

ODDS AND ENDS:

– LOVE the new title card.

– Kara having a Russian doppelganger was a rather large cliffhanger to almost ignore this episode.

– Speaking of ignoring… are we just going to pretend that Snapper Carr no longer exists?

– It seems Mercy is another genius with an impractical wardrobe.

– The Danvers sisters eating on the couch… oh how I’ve missed that!

– Brainy is fitting nicely into Winn’s tech whiz role while bringing his own uniquely endearing element. I love Winn, but I barely noticed he was gone.

– Fiona: We all must have the courage to be seen.

– Kara (to Nia): So, you’re afraid to make waves. Okay. Make them anyway.
What is it with Cat, Kara, and water related metaphors? Kara told her to dive… like into a lake.

Come discuss the Supergirl season premiere on our forum for the show!