When Kara writes a profile about an alien healer, he becomes the target of a crime. Meanwhile, Alex must find a way to stop Jensen/Parasite without incurring Colonel Haley’s disapproval, and James decides to use his human hero status to infiltrate the Children of Liberty, despite Lena’s opposition. Here is a review of the Supergirl episode “Parasite Lost.”
REVIEW:
“Parasite Lost” attempted to explore different characters’ definitions of heroism, some of which landed better than the others. On the one hand, it’s wonderful to finally see Kara fully back in the field of journalism, giving voices to the underrepresented and proving that you can be a hero without superpowers. On the other, James’ obsession with being heralded as a hero is both misguided and selfish when he could have instead used the notoriety to exemplify how a true ally acts. Overall, this episode consolidated the best and the worst aspects of this season into one place.
Understanding the power of the press, Kara’s series of articles about aliens in National City taps into a powerful method of overcoming fear and misunderstanding, and that’s by providing visibility. People often fear what they do not understand: the depths of the ocean, the aerodynamics of a plane, outsiders. But, by showing that all people are the same regardless of what they look like or where they come from, we can connect and erase that fear. I wish we didn’t live in a world where it needed to be explained that people are people, full stop. But, because we do, visibility is as necessary and impactful in the fictional world as it is in the real one.
Nicole Maines recently gave a speech about the importance of visibility in today’s society while receiving the visibility award from the Human Rights Campaign. That’s how significant this topic is. Not only does visibility provide others with understanding and aims to make life easier for future generations, but it also provides some with the strength to step up and be seen themselves. It allows people to step out of hiding and live the lives they want. This type of representation and empowerment has been a facet of Supergirl since the beginning, so I love that Kara and the series were able to tap into this with her articles and also with the stories coming out of alien support group. I just wish it didn’t go poorly for her and Amadei because it threatens to stop progress and keep people from stepping out.
This episode retraced the same issue I had with “Man of Steel.” By having James decide to “infiltrate” the Children of Liberty, it gives credibility to this movement, regardless of his intentions. There is a certain level of needing to understand a mindset in order to combat it and take it down, but it’s dangerous to give these mindsets a platform to reach others who may be convinced by their words, thereby spreading the hate instead of eradicating it. Having seen Lex’s villain origin story, James should already have a thorough understanding of anti-alien sentiment, so getting close to the Children of Liberty seems rather unnecessary and perplexing.
A man who moved to National City and agreed to look out for Kara, an alien, on behalf of his best friend, an alien, is now aligned with a group determined to harm aliens without consulting either of them. I’m not sure how we got here. And I’m not happy that we got here because it’s calling James’ heroic representation into question. As much as I would have preferred James to stay a hero without a suit to show that there are other ways to fight for justice than with your fists, his status as a suited hero was important representation. He fought for justice because he wanted to do more with his life and inspire kids like himself to become heroes too. But now, he’s basking in the spotlight, in the attention of being called a human hero, rather than making a statement about what is right. James shouldn’t have had to be told to take a stand for what is right in “Fallout.” And he shouldn’t publically corroborate the “Guardian of Liberty” title (even if it’s a ruse) when it stands for oppression and hate, not guarding all citizens.
What’s equally as frustrating about James’ decision is the damage it can cause to the reputations of Lena, CatCo, and its employees. It’s one thing to risk your own reputation – that’s fine, that’s selfless – but it’s another to drag your girlfriend and business partner into the mix without her explicit consent. To assume she would be okay with this shows how little he understands her even after nearly a year of dating. Lena has worked tirelessly to distance herself from the exact mindset James is cooperating with. Any time there’s even a hint of Lena being associated with a harmful event in National City, even if she’s not guilty, the town (including James on an occasion) doubts her goodness. To affiliate her so closely with a movement her brother would be involved with completely threatens everything she’s accomplished. It brings out a major flaw with their relationship – it’s not telling a story. Neither have grown or changed because of this romance, nor do they (mostly James) seem to understand what’s best for their partner.
Plus, James is willing to tank the authority and trustworthiness of a worldwide media company that he was entrusted to run. Trying to regain credibility with readers after being affiliated with tis type of fringe group would be near impossible. A hero would choose the path with the least amount of collateral damage, but it seems he has chosen the path with the most since James appears to have no intention of stepping down at CatCo. Shouldn’t Lena be bringing up the business aspects of this decision since she is the owner of CatCo? This plan could work better(still not well) if James wasn’t editor in chief of CatCo and/or if he had a solid plan and made it clear he was doing this as a last resort to take down the Children of Liberty.
If the series needs to highlight a human hero, look no further than Director Alex Danvers. She pulled a “Human for a Day,” talking a man down instead of punching him down just as Kara did in season one. And then when Colonel Haley demeaned someone important to Alex, she stood up for what she believed in, stood up for J’onn, regardless of any consequences. Alex, surprisingly, hasn’t been doing a whole lot plot-wise this season, especially outside of the DEO, but we have received wonderful scenes such as this one that highlight Alex’s and Chyler Leigh’s skills and ensure that the character doesn’t lose her humanity as a leader. While it seems rather redundant to have Colonel Haley be yet another alien hater in National City, it was a welcomed surprise that her arc started out much less antagonistic than that of General Lane’s, but now it’s looking more like it could be a rehashing of that storyline. According to the episode description, wasn’t Haley supposed to make a “surprising decision regarding Supergirl” this episode? Did I miss that? Did that get moved to next episode?
Kara and her people on a rooftop brunch group date harkened back to the strong, familial bond that season one exuded. It establishes these people, these heroes as friends, as a support system, which is something I wish we saw more of woven throughout the scenes at the DEO and CatCo, especially given how sparse it became last season. It’s nice to give these characters a moment to relax and regroup when someone’s usually trying to destroy the city. Even brief moments could work to reestablish bonds that have fallen by the wayside. Kara and James’ relationship has practically fizzled out, both as friends and coworkers. Where was Kara during the post-unmasking investigation? Did she write any articles about it? On another note, I would have liked to have seen Brainy at the gathering without his image inducer because this is a group of people he can trust with his alien identity. These are friends he can be safe with, be visible with without fear of what’s going on in the city outside their circle. It would have been a simple touch to drive home the comfort of being seen and accepted.
ODDS AND ENDS:
– According to Ben, the message is more important than the messenger, but watching scenes with Agent Liberty in his mask obscures the message. He’s not scary or ominous because I’m too distracted wondering if Sam Witwer is really under the mask or how difficult it is to ADR dialogue when there’s no lip movements to match.
– Being an alien herself, Kara doesn’t have all that many alien friends, especially any she’s been able to discuss the growing anti-alien sentiment with after realizing J’onn was right. I would love to see Supergirl join alien support group for a session, giving her the chance to bond with a community she’s part of but not necessarily all that active in.
– I would like to call a moratorium on using the word “roaches.” It definitely elicits the discomfort it’s supposed to, but it causes too much discomfort.
– What happened to Cat now that President Wonder Woman has resigned? Is she still press secretary? Or did she follow Olivia onto her next pursuit?
– Brainy: Lena’s always right. She’s very sagacious. Little boxes.
– Alex: Don’t let that fear define who you are.