Supergirl review: “The Darkest Place”

We’re one week away from the four-series crossover, and Supergirl gives us at least three truncated episodes in one.

Title: “The Darkest Place”

Cast and Crew

Directed by Glen Winter
Written by Robert L. Rovner and Paula Yoo

Melissa Benoist as Kara Danvers / Supergirl
Mehcad Brooks as James Olsen / Guardian
Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers
Jeremy Jordan as Winn Schott
Floriana Lima as Maggie Sawyer
Chris Wood as Mon-El
David Harewood as J’onn J’onzz / Hank Henshaw / Cyborg Superman
Brenda Strong as Lillian Luthor
Sharon Leal as M’gann M’orzz
Victor Zinck Jr. as Phillip Kowalski
Ian Gomez as Snapper Carr
Dean Cain as Jeremiah Danvers
Katie McGrath as Lena Luthor

Premise

Supergirl, captured by Cadmus, shows no awareness of the extent of her powers and gets bullied around. We learn who runs Cadmus, however, and we discover that the real Hank Henshaw remains alive, as the character we know from DC comics.

Guardian tries to clear his name when another vigilante begins murdering criminals outright. I mean, who does this guy think he is? Arrow?

J’onn J’onzz starts s’eeing th’ings, and finds himself in d’irect c’onflict with M’gann M’orzz

Despite being adults, Alex and Maggie engage in high school romance shenanigans

People continue to ignore the fact that Kara and Mon-El share the same last name.

The Muppet Show beats out Xena on our Fantasy TV Show Tournament.

High Point

The Martian battle, while relying heavily on CGI, looks good, and the background between these characters almost justifies the episode’s title. Good material exists here to be mined and developed.

Low Point

So Cadmus has Supergirl behind unbreakable Thanagarian bars. She can’t zap her captors’ weapons with heat vision? She can’t move the entire cage and fly her way out? She can’t reach out at superspeed when they get close and steal the keys?

Or even better, have Cadmus plausibly incapacitate Kara, and then have her think her way out of her situation. I know it’s all a set-up to reintroduce Dean Cain’s character and establish the identities of the Cadmus adversaries, but the show could have handled these things in a more convincing and dramatically effective manner. Here, Supergirl just looks like a pushover and a bit of an airhead.

The Scores

Originality: 2/6

Effects: 5/6

Story: 4/6 The stories have potential, and I enjoyed the episode. Too much happened too quickly to really engage me, however.

If the use of the name “Hank Henshaw” was intended from the start to lead to this week’s reveal, that’s pretty clever.

Acting: 5/6 Brenda Strong has potential. It’s interesting to hear Lillian’s take on the Superman/Lex Luthor conflict.

Emotional Response: 4/6

Production: 6/6

Overall: 4/6

In total, “The Darkest Place” receives 30/42

4 replies on “Supergirl review: “The Darkest Place””

    • not only was it hokey, but Henshaw calling himself what he did (Sorry I have no idea how to black out stuff and I don’t want to risk a spoiler) makes no sense at all. He hasn’t had any interaction with that character as far as we know, and considering he was suppose to be dead, I think it would have been mentioned if the other guy had interacted with him.

      The name he would have picked should have been linked to Martian Manhunter, since that’s who he has interacted with. I get they want to stay ‘truthful’ to the comic, but they have deverged on so many points, why get hung up on this one?

  1. Definitely with you on the low point. Mon-El managed to grab the guy and get out of the cage, but Supergirl couldn’t do anything when she was out of the cage?

    Also, so Cadmus broadcasts a supersonic message to Supergirl. Fine. How the hell were they hearing what she was saying? Also how did she know where to go? I mean…

    As for the Alex/Maggie thing – it’s not that bad. Yeah, Alex is in her 30s, but this is all new to her. It’s actually a pretty accurate portrayal of someone who has just come out — to themselves — at that age. Also Chyler Leigh is terrific and pretty much nails it.

    • I’ll accept that she finds Cadmus, since she would be able to trace the source of the message with her hearing. She and Superman did that all the time in the comics.

      As for how they heard her….

      Yeah. Pass.

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