"Supergirl" Recap: "Red Faced"

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Originally, this particular recap of last night's episode of Supergirl started off with a little irritation on my part. Something about this episode simply got under my skin and initially I thought it was freshman growing pains for the show, something that eventually they would get away from storytelling wise. But then it hit me, the show is doing something magical every week and the fact that it did get under my skin means they are doing something right.

In fact today's recap will be a little different than I am used to doing for this show because it's high time we praise what's happening here because it's simply brilliant, the fact that the show is teaching us a certain level of respect for well...everyone around us, especially women by taking us right into the heart of Supergirl's plight of being a modern woman week in and week out. I wrote a few weeks ago about how I was sick of the characters constantly telling Supergirl she needed to be protected or that she shouldn't be out there risking her neck and that it needed to stop and well, I should have known that was the beginning of the show accomplishing its mission. 

Because this week, well it got worse. This week it was all about how no one could trust her, that she was an alien that could unleash her temper and well, it took me aback that Supergirl was receiving zero respect from so many people. She's put away quite a few villains, saved lots of lives in National City and she's still getting hell? I sat there thinking to myself, why on earth does the show keep putting this poor character through all this, why can't they just give us a show where everyone actually respects Kara for a change and that was when it hit me...this was simply a slice of everyday life for a lot of women out there, something that Cat was even quick to point out. The fact that it is uncouth for a woman to show a range of emotions in the workplace.

Not to mention, this episode even took the time to address Kara on a level we don't often see for super heroes. It's a lonely job and life she has chosen and she points that out, that she would like to eventually find an equal, someone who can love her for her and she's terrified of the possibility she may never find that. But the cornerstone piece of this episode was Kara dealing with the anger in her heart over the fact that her life will never be normal because of her abilities and how the decision to become Supergirl has forever changed her life. It was a wonderful stroke of storytelling to give her that depth and point out how hard this whole thing is for her and to see her confront her anger and use it in a productive manner rather than let it tear her down was simply incredible to watch.

This is at its core a show about respect, for not only women, but for everyone around us, since hey, James Olsen made a poignant remark about being an "angry black man" and this episode blew me away for the fact that it bothered to address such issues of equality and perception in such glaring fashion. It was brilliant, it was poignant and well, I respect the show even more for having the guts to tackle such topics like this head on. It makes it one of the most relevant super hero stories in years and I'm looking forward to a day when Kara gets an episode where she is respected and revered...without question.

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