Recap: Supergirl 1.5 "How Does She Do It?"

In this episode, we first see Supergirl flying around and being tailed by a drone thingy. We're not sure what that's all about, but she punches it and brings it in to the DEO for inspection.

We also learn that Cat has won a writing award and has to go to a ceremony in Metropolis. However, she has no one to watch her young son, Carter. Naturally, Kara offers to babysit. FYI, I did a quick tabulation and "busy parent(s) leaving their children with unqualified babysitting figures" is the plot of 72% of 1980s movies involving kids. I'm glad to see its revival here and I hope at one point gigantic pancakes get made.

Somebody write this crossover/reboot fic.

Anyway, a bomb goes off in National City and Supergirl subsequently swoops in to stop a skyscraper from collapsing from the blast. From a distance, we see another drone flying nearby. Gleep glorp. At the DEO, Alex figures out that whoever made the bomb used the same technology that was in the drone. Maxwell Lord is her suspect.

While at the DEO, Kara vents to Alex that James' ex-girlfriend is in town and Alex gives her a lecture about how she needs to be careful about ending up in the friendzone with James. So, two things: (A) I didn't realize people other than MRA-types used the phrase "friendzone," but here we are. And (B) Are male-female pair bonds truly dependent upon the operation of such inauthentic mating/friendship categorizations?  I am out of my depth here. *shrug*

Cat then calls Kara and asks how Carter is doing. Uh-oh! Kara has forgotten to pick him up from school, so GREAT START THERE, SUPERGIRL! Why don't you also let him venture into a Chicago blue's club, get in the middle of a gang fight on the subway, and dangle off the roof of the Crain Communications Building? Luckily, before he can do any of that, Supergirl flies super fast and gets to Carter's school in no time. When Supergirl arrives, she flies into a shrub, quickly changes into normal clothes, and picks him up. Just like a 100% normal, non-sketchy person would do.

Nothing to see here, folks.

Carter is a shy, sort-of awkward, cute little guy.  When a news clip of Supergirl plays, we find out that he thinks Supergirl is "so cool," plus he says this:

Carter: Last week, [Supergirl] stopped Reactron. Superman never did that. And, earlier she caught an entire building. And she can shoot lasers out of her eyes.

Kara: Wow, she does sounds pretty cool.

Carter: (annoyed) I didn't say she was pretty. 

Kara: But, do you think she's pretty?

Carter: I don't know. I guess.

LOL. But seriously, we often talk about how it's inspiring for girls to see depictions of women as heroes and protagonists, as opposed to objects and supporting roles for male characters. It's also important for boys, too, for many reasons, just a few of which are that (a) maybe then they won't grow up to be men who nerd-rage over female superhero movies and shows, (b) they will ostensibly one day have careers in which they will have to work side-by-side with women as peers, and (c) maybe they will one day choose not to elect literally the worst man ever over a competent woman for President. (Bitter, party of 59 million).

Anyway, Hank, Alex, and Alex's big gay belt buckle have ventured to Maxwell Lord's to try to get more information about the bomb.

Someone's looking very "Olivia Benson" today.

Hank leaves Alex alone with Max and it pains me to say this but I believe we then witness some subtextual flirting between Alex and Max and let us never speak of it again. Last week, when I said the hetero romance lines could afford to be more subdued I wasn't suggesting that Alex should be subtly paired with the worst dude on the show. Alex is entirely too good for Max and if the love interest has to be a man, it should at least be Hank.

Anyway, Max is also apparently building a monorail thing, because of course he is. I theorize that this is an allusion to that Simpson's episode where Springfield bought a faulty monorail from a Trump-like conman, so I know nothing good can come of it. If you introduce a monorail in Act I, it has to derail by Act III.

On the Carter front, Supergirl has once again Kevin McAllister'd him, which allows him to sneak away to the mono's grand opening. The "Alex's Ex" DEO agent lets Supergirl know that a bomb is at the airport. But, complicating matters, we see that there's also a bomb on the mono! This one is strapped to a disgruntled former employee of Max Lord's. Like, this guy is literally sitting on the train with a bomb sticking out of his coat, but I guess because he's white and not reading Arabic text no one says anything. Just making National City Great, folks!

Alert: This seems fine.

Supergirl can only be in one place at a time, so who does she save, the airport people or the monorail people? She picks the people on the monorail, leaving the DEO to try to stop the bomb at the airport. At the airport, we see that Hank secretly uses some sort of superpower he has to defuse the bomb, but to cover his tracks he tells people that the bomb was "a dud." Hmm. On the mono, Supergirl runs into Carter, calms him down, and saves the people on the train.

Cat then returns from her award ceremony and we find out that she (who else?) is the person responsible for Carter's proper feminist indoctrination. Carter tells her how excited he is about getting to meet Supergirl and then this happens:

Cat:What do you think makes her a hero?

Carter: I'd say her legs. Definitely her legs.

Cat: (looks appalled)

Carter: Her heart, mom.

Cat: Oh! That was a joke. That was a joke! Carter, you made a joke!

Yeah, yeah, say what you will, but I think it's cute.

At the end of the episode, Supergirl confronts Max about the bombs and drones. He admits that they were all his doing, his purpose being to collect data points about Supergirl.  Seeee, I told you he was the creepiest Gaius Baltar-y worst. Fuckin' nobody leaves Lord Technologies without singing the blues.

Deep Thought of the Day: Speaking of Gaius Baltar and recent political events, I feel like we are now living in the scenario where Gaius ran a presidential campaign encouraging the humans to settle on New Caprica, nobody listened to Laura Roslin's warnings, the people elected Gaius, and then the Cylons basically enslaved the humans.

What I'm saying is that I'm going to start a Battlestar Galactica re-watch. That show has some serious lessons about power, resistance, and leadership.


 [Note: In November 2017, CW/Supergirl Executive Producer Andrew Kreisberg was suspended after allegations of sexual harassment.]