Supergirl Season 5 Episode 4 Review: In Plain Sight
Sarah Little
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For an episode where a lot happened, at the end of it all, it was pretty underwhelming.
There were so many new developments on Supergirl Season 5 Episode 4 that it was hard to keep track.
From revelations about jerk reporters to secrets getting revealed, there was little to be missed. Yet, here we are.
A big chunk of Supergirl Season 5 Episode 4 was dedicated to Malefic and trying to capture him.
Well, Alex wanted to kill him, but everyone else was on board for the non-lethal route. That is beside the point.
Malefic's storyline continues to be dissatisfying and a bit boring. It almost feels as if Supergirl has been there and done that. With the plethora of villains on Supergirl Season 5, they can stand to lose Malefic.
However, that might change moving forward.
For some reason, Malefic is just too strong so, the Supergirl team brought in the big guns. AKA, they asked Lena for help. Which, would have been fine if she was not in the process of turning into a prideful villain.
In the end, Lena did help them capture Malefic. But, Lena tampered with the Phantom Zone Projector so that Malefic would be sent to her lab instead of the Phantom Zone.
Lena: It did feel good, you and me working together as a team. Now that I know who you actually are.
Kara: Well get used to it because you are now officially a superfriend. We have t-shirts, and a handshake, I'll teach it to you. It's not a big deal, it's a whole thing.
Now, things can get interesting.
Lena and Malefic have a lot of things in common, and by teaming up, it livens up their plans. Plus, it condenses the large pool of villains on Supergirl Season 5 that has consisted of Malefic, Lena, William, Andrea, and let's not forget about The Anti-Monitor coming soon.
Lena and Malefic's meeting was just one small part at the end though, a promise of things to come.
Meanwhile, J'onn's pain over erasing his brother from his life came at us full force as Alex, who was being incepted by Malefic, confronted J'onn about his secret.
Related: Supergirl Season 5 Episode 3 Review: Blurred Lines
Alex was cruel. Sure, anyone could see how badly her words hurt J'nn. However, there has not been enough development seen between J'onn and Malefic as brothers to warrant feelings for them in the viewers.
So far, all we have seen is Malefic and J'onn fighting one another. The flashbacks to their childhood barely gave us real moments that anyone can relate to.
That is what is missing. Relatability and sympathy.
What we saw between Kara and J'onn and J'onn and Alex on Supergirl Season 5 Episode 4, will always have a bigger effect than scenes between J'onn and Malefic. At least, for now.
Kara and Alex are J'onn's family and that was ever obvious when they found out about his secret.
Alex: How could you ever think that I would say those things or think those things about you?
J'onn: I guess because I thought those things about myself.
Alex: Well, I remember you telling me once that true character reveals itself in times of hardship. And, I know who you really are.
They love and care for one another in spite of their flaws, as family should do. J'onn and Malefic have never truly seen one another without judgment, and that is why J'onn's distress over the situation is not having that intended emotional effect.
Maybe if Supergirl focused more on Malefic being one hundred percent unredeemable than on J'onn trying to save him, that storyline would be more interesting. Luckily, it looks like that may be where it is going.
The other revelation of the episode was James moving back to Calvintown and buying the Calvintown Gazette. A prison has taken over the town, and James aspires to be the city's friendly neighborhood reporter.
Is this it? Is James gone? Because it did not seem very real.
You guys all know that I've been doing a lot of soul searching since I left CatCo, trying to figure out what's next. I knew I wanted to give back and I wanted to help people. But, I was driving myself crazy trying to figure out where to put those efforts. And then my extremely wise sister gave me some damn good advice. She said stop trying so hard to figure things out, and just be still and listen.
James
Of course, we all knew James would leave National City for some noble cause because he is one of the many characters on Supergirl defined by their need for justice.
However, it all seemed a bit rushed. What about his teased Senate run? Or his many other job offers? I guess they were all just red herrings because James Olsen is going back to his roots.
What should have been an episode dedicated to one of the original main characters of the show was one that was taken over by Martians.
Supergirl Season 5 Episode 4 did show us where James came from, but what we should have also seen were flashbacks to James' childhood and to his time working with Superman.
Related: Arrow Season 8 Episode 2 Review: Welcome to Hong Kong
Instead, what we got left with was a rushed backstory about Calvintown and a lot left to be desired.
We will miss you James (if this is his last episode, it was that rushed that I cannot tell).
While all the chaos surrounding Malefic was happening, Brainy and Nia were trying to figure out their relationship troubles separately.
Brainy continued to be Brainy and overthink every single emotion he had while Nia just wanted him to work with her.
Funny, on Supergirl Season 5 Episode 3 Nia thought Brainy was being too much and seemingly wanted space.
Simon: Thanks, chief.
James: Don't call me chief. It's Jimmy.
By the end of Supergirl Season 5 Episode 4, another thing was rushed and Brainy made up with Nia by giving her a flower in a scene that was under a minute long.
Four episodes' worth of trouble got brushed under the rug by a flower. Huh, who knew?
Speaking of relationships, this is it, people. Supergirl is going to try to push Kara and William on us.
Of course, all this time William's jerk attitude was an "identity" made up by him so that no one would get close to him and be endangered by his investigation into Andrea Rojas.
Another selfless reporter. Whoop-de-doo.
Related: Get CBS All Access via Prime Video Channels for Hit Shows, Exclusive Originals & Live TV!
And, he has already started to charm Kara by telling her that he knows she can take care of herself. Which, given her struggles with Mon-El on Supergirl Season 2, is her kryptonite.
At least we are now getting some more development into Andrea as the villain of this season!
I'll turn it over to you Supergirl Fanatics!
Was James' exit underwhelming? Are you more intrigued about Malefic now that he's with Lena? And, what do you think of William and Kara?
Let me know in the comments and do not forget that you can watch Supergirl online right here on TV Fanatic.
Supergirls airs on Sundays at 9/8c on The CW.
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Sarah Little was a staff writer for TV Fanatic.She retired in September 2021.
