Supergirl Season 4, Episode 6: "Call to Action" (SPOILERS)

[flickchick85]

Official description:

THANKSGIVING — Everyone gathers for Thanksgiving but Kara (Melissa Benoist) is feeling down after her televised debate with Ben Lockwood (Sam Witwer) about the anti-alien sentiment coursing through National City. Meanwhile, James (Mehcad Brooks) and Lena (Katie McGrath) argue about the best way to handle the Children of Liberty. Antonio Negret directed the episode written by Gabriel Llanas & Daniel Beaty (#406).

 

[Dr.]

"televised debate"...?

Oh noes. Many pitfalls with this notion (i.e., pompous speechifyng). And under what conditions would a journalist participate in a debate? Or do they mean Supergirl? That would be even worse.

 

[flickchick85]

"televised debate"...?

Oh noes. Many pitfalls with this notion (i.e., pompous speechifyng). And under what conditions would a journalist participate in a debate? Or do they mean Supergirl? That would be even worse.

Yeah, I'm assuming it's Supergirl that debates him, and that it happens at the end of episode 5. That episode was already on my ****-list for it's obviously deceptive title, so now I'm double wary of it, lol.

 

[Dr.]

Yeah, I'm assuming it's Supergirl that debates him, and that it happens at the end of episode 5. That episode was already on my ****-list for it's obviously deceptive title, so now I'm double wary of it, lol.

Maybe it won’t be so bad…?

Just generally, I don’t like it when superheroes make public speeches. IMO, they should maintain a certain mystique - and let their actions “speak” to their intentions and moral code. After all, the fantasy appeal of these characters is that they have special physical abilities. They actually do stuff. So don’t make them stand behind a microphone and deliver platitudes like a politician. Politicians don’t do stuff.

At the more pragmatic level, what may be intended as eloquent/inspirational oratory can only be as good as the writer. And apart from the likes of Aaron Sorkin, not many writers are up to the task.

 

[Dark Raven]

If there is a televised debate, perhaps we'll get Agent of Liberty sneaking up behind Supergirl in the middle of the debate.

Then when she accuses him of merely being a puppet of Mercy and Otis, he'll say "No puppet, no puppet. No you're the puppet!"

 

[flickchick85]

Promo:


I suspect this is the one from those set pics where the Children of Liberty had Supergirl all chained up.

 

[flickchick85]

Sneak Peek:

 

[flickchick85]

Call me crazy, but I would think it not too wise for a superhero to appear on national television in their secret identity persona when their disguise is a mere pair of glasses. Just a thought, lol.

 

[NotNickFury]

And now some of the members carry tiki torches?

I know Supergirl is the political show of the DCCW and always has been, but this is about as subtle as a train wreck.

 

[flickchick85]

Ok I was not prepared for a Supergirl vs. a dragon episode, but I'll take it!

 

[Morg]

so Kara now mother of dragons?

 

[flickchick85]

Also, Lena, don't let James' dumbassery turn you evil. He ain't worth it.

 

[flickchick85]

So it looks like Lena will be giving Manchester Black his powers. I'll allow it.

 

[vantheman77]

I feel things are getting back with this episode as Supergirl and her friends work together to solve this Anti-Alien problem.

We see Brainiac 5 in action for the first time in a field. As for Nia, I feel Brainiac 5 knows than he is letting since he is from the future.

I didn’t expect a dragon in this one, but I love the battle with Supergirl.

James and Lena seemed to be the center of this episode.

Good episode overall.

 

[flickchick85]

So once again, I find myself pleasantly surprised by this episode. I had very low expectations and it ended up being the most enjoyable of the season thus far for me. The main reason I was dreading it was because of that televised debate and it wasn't that bad. First because it wasn't Supergirl that was involved, so that was a plus, and second because the only reason Kara really "lost" is because Lockwood threw in the last word after time was called. She held her own pretty well otherwise, so it wasn't nearly as cringey as I was expecting. Anyway, other stuff I liked:

- Manchester Black remains delightful. I REALLY like the actor they've chosen for him.
- Brainy fighting people "with physics." I love him, and I'm glad to see they didn't make him useless on the physical front. He is a Legionairre, afterall. The directing in that scene was fun, too.
- Supergirl vs. a dragon! This is the kind of comic book whimsy I am here for!
- Finally addressing Nia's sleeping thing. Hopefully it won't take the whole season for them to get to her powers.
- Finally getting back to the Lena/Harun-El cliffhanger from last season. And of course she's trying to cure cancer. Of course. That's what she was doing with Jack Spheer before she took over LuthorCorp, so at least she's consistent!
- Always happy to see Eliza.
- Nice to see Alex get the upper-hand in an exchange with Haley this time.

Things I didn't like:
-Well there's only one thing, and surprise surprise, it's James. I sense that the writers want me to side with him given the shady way Lena's making her points at the moment, but sorry writers, I can't. He's a self-righteous asshat whose decisions seem to get stupider by the week, and I hope this plan blows up in his face. Next week's preview makes it look like he really did turn that member of the Children of Liberty onto his side and therefore makes it seem like he was right in all this, and nope, sorry, I can't buy that. He wasn't that persuasive and fanatics aren't so easily swayed. And now in his bull-headed quest to be right/the Hero, he has again neglected his duties as the head of CatCo and let Kara go into the lion's den unprepared, which was not only a bad idea for the sake of the cause/debate, but also because he knows his good friend has a secret identity as a superhero and probably shouldn't get her face plastered on screens across the country. I'm sure the writers will ignore the latter point, but I shall not, lol. So yeah, while I'm glad they found James a storyline that's actually relevant to the main plot, it's just EXTRA frustrating to watch him this season.

Overall though, yeah, good show. As I said, my fave of the season thus far. Daniel Beaty's a newbie writer this season (and pretty much only worked in documentaries before this show) who's been credited on this episode and "Fallout" thus far, and I'd say he seems to have been a positive addition to the staff based on these eps.

 

[NotNickFury]

I mean, didn't Kara offer to go in James' place? Had he not let her go, I'd wager some would claim that James was underestimating her ability to hold her own in a debate.

 

[flickchick85]

Yeah, she offered, and he should've said no. It was bad for CatCo AND for Kara, and it was HIS responsibility at the end of the day. Now that's he's public as Guardian, he is a liability to CatCo straight-up, and is forever neglecting his duties as the head of one of the most powerful media companies in the country (where he could do the most good) in favor of living out his vigilante fantasies. Cat Grant was ready to step down from CatCo when her e-mails were hacked. Lena Luthor was ready to step down when she was accused of giving kids lead-poisoning when she saved the world. Because they thought of the company first and what it represented. They respected the position. James Olsen has not even considered doing this despite publicly breaking the law, even after being given a 2nd chance, and allowing himself to become the new poster boy for a terrorist hate group, and he has also done nothing since he first put on that suit to justify to me why Guardian is necessary to National City or to this show. To add insult to injury, the reason he wasn't at the debate is because he's hellbent on this stupid quest to be the hero and confront Agent Liberty, and by doing so, missed out on a literal face-to-face confrontation with Agent Liberty. I like to think that was the Universe slapping him in the face for his poor decisions, but I guess it doesn't work if he doesn't know about it, lol.

 

[SSAV]

I loved this episode. Supergirl fighting a dragon and then, petting him is what I am here to see.

Along with lots of Danvers Sisters as a team.

I think part of James' storyline's issue is that Mehcad is not a capable enough actor to bring the required gravitas to the role. In a more capable actor's hands (David or even the Manchester Black actor), we would have sympathised with his need to prove itself (thought it is getting tiresome at this point) while also decrying his attitude; like we do for Lena when she tries to make humans super ignoring Alex's reasonable objections. Mehcad just come across as egotistic and stubborn--as a man who cares only about himself and his own legacy. That is sad. Because, if that weren't the case, this storyline could have been even better.

I still like it because I am intrigued and I'd like to know where it goes and how Kara will deal with it. I am still not sure Lena turning evil is the way the show will go. May be they will devote S6 to Kara bringing Lena back from the fringe. However, the episode did show Lena's weakness as well in the sense that she is not willing or wise enough to think through her actions before going for a technology (who is?). She is acting like Zuckerberg at this point.

The positive to General Haley's antagonism is we are seeing SG, J'onn and Alex operating outside the DEO. And, I like it. (And I like those three having scenes together and how they are using J'onn this season.)

 

[flickchick85]

I think part of James' storyline's issue is that Mehcad is not a capable enough actor to bring the required gravitas to the role. In a more capable actor's hands (David or even the Manchester Black actor), we would have sympathised with his need to prove itself (thought it is getting tiresome at this point) while also decrying his attitude; like we do for Lena when she tries to make humans super ignoring Alex's reasonable objections. Mehcad just come across as egotistic and stubborn--as a man who cares only about himself and his own legacy. That is sad. Because, if that weren't the case, this storyline could have been even better.

I agree, this is definitely part of the problem for me. And it has been since S1, whenever James was on his high horse, scolding Kara for something. The way Mehcad played it, he didn't come across as a concerned love interest, but as a stubbornly self-righteous know-it-all, and that was mostly down to his performance, imo. Same thing's happening here.

 

[BH/HHH]

• I loved the opening with the Children of Liberty. Manchester Black is already a favourite of mine.
• I really don’t like Col Haley, she’s weird. I almost wonder if she wants to be nice but takes her orders seriously. I can maybe see a crisis of conscience with her later.
• Brainiac 5 cracks me up.
• Wouldn’t you reveal to your boss sooner that you had narcolepsy?
• I’m starting to think that Lena will go to Lex for help on what she’s researching re the Kryptonian element (I forget its name).
• I think James should have maybe kept his opinions about aliens to himself with that agent of Liberty.
• Lena was a dick towards James. He’s a ****ing reporter for gods sakes. She seems to have fallen in love fast, although she is a Luthor so guess she’s acting as a Luthor would.
• Sam Witwer continues to be the best thing on this show.
• Brainiac 5 taking out the Children of Liberty was great and hilarious.
• Holy S, Supergirl vs a Dragon was ****ing amazing. The CG was great too.
• Realised at the end Steve Byers who played Tom was in Slasher with Katie McGrath haha.

Man this was a great episode second best of this season. The takes seemed high, I got a little bit of a Purge vibe and it was tense as hell. More like this please.

 

[Hunter Rider]

I thought this was another strong episode, I loved the Thanksgiving dinner scene with all the different character dynamics and debates, especially the exchange between Lena and Alex.

The Kara vs Lockwood debate was handled well, helped by decent writing and the quality of the performances from Melissa and Sam, who for my money is the making Agent Liberty the Arrowverse's best villain since Prometheus.

The two big action sequences were top notch, Brainy's "fighting with physics" scene was really cool and well staged, and I was not expecting Kara vs a Dragon, and it was pretty damn awesome, especially the big breath-off!

Ok I was not prepared for a Supergirl vs. a dragon episode, but I'll take it!

The CGI on it was really decent as well, but I missed Alex's Harry Potter reference?

Also, Lena, don't let James' dumbassery turn you evil. He ain't worth it.

I was thinking the same thing, I'm like "If James doesn't want your love Lena, I'll take it!" She's been nothing but supportive to him and a pretty awesome girlfriend, where as he is coming off like a petulant doofus whose ego is leading him down a dangerous and deluded path.

 

[Dr.]

And now some of the members carry tiki torches?

I know Supergirl is the political show of the DCCW and always has been, but this is about as subtle as a train wreck.

Granted, the torches and angry mob imagery is something of a cliché.

Torches and Pitchforks - TV Tropes

But if one wishes to complain about this season’s arc being too on-the-nose political, it seems to me there’s a much more obvious target: the entire xenophobia allegory. By comparison, a very brief scene depicting tiki torches (as opposed to the more generic kind) ranks fairly low, IMO, on the “subtle as a train wreck” scale.

Overall, I think this season’s “politics” - while still very apparent - have been far less heavy-handed. It almost resembles... good writing?

 

[NotNickFury]

I mean, nothing on this show will ever be as heavy-handed as having a crowd chant "Lock her up" in reference to Lena, but I don't know if I'd agree that the politics have been any less heavy-handed than they usually are. Plus, the anti-alien sentiment has been with the show for awhile, so it's not entirely new. They've just ramped it up to 11 this season.

 

[flickchick85]

I agree with @Dr. on this one. While they certainly haven’t been subtle, I think the politics have been handled MUCH more gracefully this season than in past attempts. I was dreading this when I heard their plans for the season because every time in the past that they’ve gotten political they’ve fallen flat on their face, but with this season I’ve been constantly pleasantly surprised thus far. They’ve just...gotten better at these things all of a sudden, thank goodness, because if we had gotten a season on the level of that godawful gun control episode last season, I’d have to quit the show.

I’ve noticed that while the show runners are the same, the writers room seems to have gotten a major overhaul, so that probably has something to do with it. But yeah, I’ve been surprised and impressed so far.

 

[Sithborg]

Well, that is the first that I have actively hated James/Lena. Still liking their individual storylines, but their combined story is not good.

Still good episode.

And yeah, given what they are talking about, they have been much, much more reserved than I expected. The mere fact red hats haven't shown up yet is impressive, imo. Hell, Lockwood's internet blog was a deeper cut than I would expect.