Last night’s episode of Supergirl was a strong follow-up after last week’s big cliffhanger, with Kara having to live as a human while Hank Henshaw’s big secret is finally revealed.
Whether it’s in comics, TV shows, or movies, we have all seen whenever a hero loses their super powers temporarily due to certain circumstances and how they deal with it. The reason for how Kara lost her powers is tied in with something from the comics called “Super Solar Flare,” a new ability that Superman now possesses. Basically it’s what we saw Supergirl do last week by overcharging her heat vision against Red Tornado. By doing so, she used up all the energy in her cells, which made her lose her powers temporarily. While I haven’t read those recent comic book issues, I have heard of that new ability, and it’s something I can get behind with, both in the comics and in Supergirl.
It’s a more compelling flaw as opposed to the classic Kryptonite, and it will present bigger stakes for Kryptonians. They are incredibly powerful under the yellow sun, so to actually add a little bit of a price to using their abilities at maximum level makes it much more interesting. The episode also allowed the writers to give us a Kara who has to deal with the reality that, with or without powers, she can’t save everyone. We also get some fantastic development between Jimmy and Kara, as they have to deal with the earthquakes in National City, but also get to know each other better on an emotional level.
Despite the fact that many Supergirl viewers had already come to this conclusion about Hank Henshaw’s secret, it was still a major highlight in this episode when Hank was revealed to be J’onn J’onzz, aka the Martian Manhunter. The execution of that reveal was terrific, as we learned that the real Hank had actually been coming for J’onn and that Jerimiah saved J’onn by sacrificing himself in order to stop Hank. As someone who has loved this character since the Justice League cartoons and Phil Morris’ portrayal on Smallville, it’s a blessing to get to see this character back in live-action and be part of a show like Supergirl.
Someone as talented as Harewood is such a great fit for a character like Manhunter that it makes me appreciate his contribution to the show even more now. The visuals for him, whether it’s motion capture or really well-done makeup and costume, was (no pun intended) absolutely super, and as a hardcore fan of the character, I can’t wait to see where this goes. Hopefully he and Alex will let Kara in on theissecret sooner rather than later. That was the only thing that bothered me with J’onn’s reveal, that Alex has to keep this a secret from her sister. Shouldn’t Kara be informed about this since she is trying to help Alex find out what happened to Jeremiah?
Last, but not the least, Cat Grant just makes me love her more and more in each episode that goes by. She got to be very much like Supergirl, while the actual Girl of Steel was MIA. The way she acted as an inspiring leader for the people of National City was something I could watch over and over, and the payoff at the end, with Supergirl telling Cat that she got inspired by Cat’s actions during this time, was another bonus. Also, the cutting back and forth between Cat’s speech to the city and Kara, without powers, dealing with that robber, using her encouraging words to convince him to step down, led to a powerful, emotional sequence. It’s not the superhuman abilities that make these characters the beacons of light that they are; it’s what they do and say.
Overall, other than J’onn’s demand that Alex doesn’t tell Kara and Winn’s out-of-character behavior, “Human For A Day” was an incredible episode from start to finish. It will be interesting to see what happens next week with Kara, now that she’s received another visit from her evil aunt. The Girl of Steel can’t catch a break, can she?
Don’t miss the fall finale of Supergirl next Monday, Dec. 14, at 8/7c on CBS.
[Photo credit: Darren Michaels/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.]
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