Intergalactic Comics: Supergirl Review: The Martian Chronicles

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Supergirl Review: The Martian Chronicles

By: David Carner (@davidcarner)

Welcome to the Supergirl review. This week’s episode, “The Martian Chronicles” is directed by David McWhirter, who is directing his first Supergirl episode, but has directed over 20 episodes of TV in the last few years, most notably Major Crimes. This week’s episode is written by Gabriel Lianas, Co-Producer and writer for Supergirl, and Anna Musky-Goldwyn, staff writer for Supergirl.

Spoilers to follow!

Tonight we start in the alien bar with Kara looking for Mon-El. They talk and Kara says she doesn’t think they would work together. (Seriously she just did it’s not you it’s me.) She stumbles and fumbles as only Kara can and ends it with, “even if I did date someone I wouldn’t date someone…” yeah she saves herself, but Mon-El gets the message. Kara is left with her club soda and Alex comes over. Kara tells her what’s going over. They change the subject to Kara’s Earth birthday. Kara wants to try line dancing for lucky number 13. Alex has concert tickets to Bare Naked Ladies that Maggie had surprised her with. Kara tells her to go and is left all alone at the bar. M’Gann comes over and Kara decides to upgrade her drink. Kara wants whatever Mon-El is having, and M’Gann tells her he’s only been drinking club soda for the last week. Kara is having second thoughts. M’Gann takes the trash outside and catches J’onn outside. He’s apparently been following her for days, to protect her in case the White Martians show up. She chews him out, and J’onn defends himself. She tells him they’re not here yet. Guess what shows up at that moment. That’s right, a White Martian takes out J’onn, and M’Gann transforms and fights him. Supergirl shows up and runs him off. They fight in the sky until eventually the White Martian escapes.

We have the logo, and back at the DEO, Winn and Kara have a little spat about James’s and Winn’s side job. J’onn comes up and they talk about the Martian. Kara tells J’onn he should stay so he will be safe. (There is a serious theme running the last few weeks about Kara feeling like she should be the only person in danger. I’m not sure where it’s going, but it feels like it’s going to come to a head soon.) M’Gann shows up and tells them it’s after her. J’onn tells her to stay and Kara backs him. M’Gann goes off to do what she wants. Back at the bar, the White Martian appears to M’Gann in human form. After a back and forth we find that the White Martian is M’Gann’s husband. M’Gann is wanted by the White Martians more than J’onn. All of the Green are dead according to the White Martian. He gives her two hours to turn herself over, and if she does he might let her friends live, if not, he gives an ominous threat, his eyes turn white, and we cut to commercial.

M’Gann leaves by the back door, and J’onn is waiting for her. She tries to leave and J’onn tells her why she shouldn’t. M’Gann tells him why she should leave. J’onn convinces her to stay. We cut to Maggie and Alex pre-concert listening to Bare Naked Ladies. Alex is upset she missed Kara’s Earth Day. She swears she’s not, and Maggie calls her bluff. Alex takes off to the DEO and finds Kara, and apparently had time for a wardrobe change. She apologizes but Kara says it’s not a big deal. Spoiler-alert. It is. Everyone is in the control room except James. A second M’Gann walks in, and the fight is on. We find the first M’Gann is actually the White Martian trying to kill everyone. The White Martian escapes from the control room, and J’onn puts the DEO on lockdown. The team realizes that anyone of them could be the White Martian.

Winn has the idea to ask personal questions, but J’onn says they can read minds. One DEO member that hasn’t been named (I suspect will be red shirt before it’s over) gives another unnamed DEO agent a suspicious look. They pull weapons, and Alex pulls hers. Kara asks J’onn to scan everyone but he says there was psychic interference. M’Gann again offers to turn herself over. She admits the White Martian was her mate. He was not a choice but an arranged marriage, and he is one of the worst of the worst. J’onn has an idea of how to figure out who is a White Martian. A flame is lit. M’Gann shows how her skin melts away near the flame and the White skin shows up. The first DEO agent puts her hand up and is fined, and then so is the second. J’onn is reluctant to put his hand up, and M’Gann recognizes his fear of fire. J’onn does and his Green skin is revealed. Winn goes up and he’s the Martian. A fight ensues again. He runs, and Supergirl chases, but gets away. The team regroups, and the reactor goes off. If it explodes it will take out 10 city blocks. Commercial.

Kara asks why he would give up his life, and M’Gann tells them he would gladly die to complete the mission. The group wonders about Winn, and M’Gann explains he must be nearby. They bring up the fact the walls are lined with lead so Supergirl cannot search for him using x-ray vision. They have 15 minutes before the reactor explodes. Alex and Supergirl head to the basement. Alex gives Supergirl hand signals and she has no clue what they mean. Alex comments about their lack of communication and Kara tells Alex the truth about her Earth birthday. Kara admits that Alex’s new relationship with Maggie scares her because Kara doesn’t know what Earth life is like without Alex. Kara tells her she was abandoned when she was put on the ship years ago, and Alex tells her she will never abandon Kara. They hear a noise and take off after it. Cut to M’Gann and J’onn. M’Gann tells him she should just turn herself over. J’onn admits that M’Gann has become dear to him. They have a moment and J’onn swears he’ll protect her. They then find Winn and Alex. That’s right. J’onn calls Supergirl and tells her. Supergirl turns and says, “Alex?” “You guys are so dumb.” Alex Martian cold cocks her and we go to commercial.

Alex Martian taunts Supergirl and we only have 5 minutes until core breach. Supergirl can’t use heat vision, and we have flying punches. Cut to J’onn and Winn being woken up. Winn decides they should leave. Winn tells them he can’t shut down the reactor remotely, and they have to go to reactor room. J’onn and Winn head that way, where the fight has intensified. They come in and the second White Martian attacks J’onn. Winn heads for the reactor to try and stop it. He is down to three minutes. The fight continues. The White Martian takes down J’onn but M’Gann is there to pick him up. She shows up as a Green. They take on her husband. Winn is down to less than 2 minutes. He has to dodge Supergirl and the second Martian. Supergirl drops her Martian, and M’Gann stabs her husband with a piece of metal as he tries to choke J’onn to death. Winn stops the countdown with 12 seconds to spear. The White Martian stands up to take down J’onn when he is shot with Alex’s new gun from space.

Back in the DEO headquarters, the lockdown is terminated. Alex runs off to call Maggie and Kara realizes she never talked to her. Winn tells Kara he’s going to help James unless she objects and she tells him just to be safe. Kara is left by herself again. In another part of the DEO J’onn and M’Gann continue their conversation. M’Gann tells him about having a family. She tells J’onn that she is going back to Mars to find others like herself. J’onn tells her the danger, but M’Gann tells him that he has shown her how to stand and fight. J’onn doesn’t like it, and won’t tell her he understands when she asks. Kara is at home alone when there is a knock on the door. Alex has a cupcake for her with a candle. Alex tells Kara that she had a dream of a conversation between the two of them. Kara realizes they have had their talk. Alex tells her she is never going away. Kara feels Alex slipping away. Alex says she isn’t but she thinks something else is going on with Kara. She suspects it has something to do with Mon-El. Kara says those magic words. “He’s complicated.” She admits that it’s risky to put herself out there. Alex reminds her of her romantic risk. Back at the DEO, J’onn finds M’Gann. M’Gann admits that she has feelings for him and that he has changed her forever. They have a moment and she leaves for Mars. At CatCo, Kara finds Mon-El walking out with Eve Teschmacher going out on a date. They talk, and Mon-El says he was told he was supposed to move on. Kara tells them to have a good time and walks away.

Quotes

“Actually I’ve been talking to some of the regulars, and Earth males are only supposed to express their feelings about, uh, sports, and occasionally monster trucks.” – Mon-El.

“I am SO shocked.” – Alex. “Is it that obvious?” – Kara. “Duh.” – Alex.

“But I was wrong, your spirit is so beautiful and brave. Now that I’m able to see that I can’t imagine my life without you.” – J’onn

“This did NOT used to happen at CatCo!” – Winn

Little Things

The Alex-Maggie relationship had another good week without any strange offshoots.

Kara appears to have completely moved on from James, although I wonder in later episode when he is Guardian if that relationship will resurface.

Next week is Metallo, and at least two Luthors. (I really doubt they bring in Lex, but you never know.)

I hope you enjoyed the review. If I missed an Easter Egg, please let me know and if I can confirm it, next week I’ll give you all the credit.

If you haven’t today, please take a second to open the Donate a Photo app by Johnson & Johnson. When you donate a photo, $1 is given to the charity of your choice, and Operation Smile is one of those charities. There are several other charities on there as well. Come on back next week and we’ll talk “Luthers.”