The second episode of "Supergirl" focused on Alex (Chyler Leigh) and Hank (David Harewood) letting Kara (Melissa Benoist) know that she'd taken the training wheels off of her superheroism a little too early. Like your average 20-something, Kara rolled her eyes at all this concern over her tactics. After all, when you can save a plane from crashing with your bare hands and mad flying skills, what could any mere human possibly teach you?
Since it's still so early in the series, we're discovering lots of new things about the characters and the show itself. Here are 5 Things We Learned from "Stronger Together":
1. Calista Flockhart is not bad as media mogul Cat Grant. She wasn't an obvious choice as a domineering and successful woman, but she's managing it better than expected. She's haughty, sarcastic, and plays the part as if any woman (including Supergirl) who doesn't live up to her standards is deeply offending her. It's a combination that works.
2. Mehcad Brooks needs to turn down Teh Sexeh. As Jim Olsen, famed Superman photographer and Kat's newest confidante, Brooks is smoldering so much in Kara's direction that it's surprising her hair doesn't catch on fire. Considering the doe-eyed, hair-twirling tone this show has taken so far, Jim looking like he wants to take Kara up against a glass partition where everyone can see them seems a bit...erm...out of place. We know you're hot, dude, you can dial it back a bit.
3. Alex is a pretty kickass agent. It's difficult for characters in authority positions to seem impressive when they're standing next to a superhero. So it was nice this week to see how Alex's tactical skills and experience far outweighed the naive Kara's, meaning she has plenty of valuable things to teach her sister, plus she can handle herself in a fight.
4. Alex's relationship with Kara is still a bit of a head-scratcher. In the pilot Alex yells at Kara for saving her life, then tells her to embrace her superhero side, then don't, then do. She talks her through a tough battle, saying she believes in her, and then episode 2 is all about whether Alex actually believes in Kara or not.
There are obviously some layers of secrecy and personality differences that may have kept them at arms-length, but it still feels like their interactions lack the necessary warmth. The actresses supposedly get along well in real life, so it's strange that the two don't seem to have much sisterly chemistry yet on the show.
5. HANK HAS GLOWING RED EYES. Is that ever a good thing? Surely it can't be, considering he doesn't seem to have told anyone about a condition that no amount of Visine can fix. This may also explain his reluctance to have Supergirl in his cool bunker, considering she might be more likely to discover his secret.
Then there's that added revelation that he "used to have" a family, which might be something he and Kara could bond over, if he doesn't turn out to be completely evil.
What things did you learn this week? What were your favorite parts of the episode?
"Supergirl" airs Mondays at 8/7c on CBS.
