Superhero Roundup: Meet The J.S.A.

A look at how Supergirl, The Flash, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow fared this week.

Supergirl

I enjoyed the first two episodes of the season quite a bit and happily haven’t seen a shift in quality with the move from CBS to the CW. It’s still the fun, sunny show it was last year, with the “stronger together” message that the show completely owns, regardless of how cheesy it may be. The Superman mini arc worked very well for me, largely because it never felt like Kara was guest starring on her own show (my biggest fear going into it) and also because Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark Kent was the perfect blend of clumsy and suave. He and Melissa Benoist had a great familial dynamic and Alex questioning where she fit in was completely believable.

My only real qualm with this episode was that it’s our last with Cat Grant for a while. Cat’s a great character; funny, badass, fantastic at her job, and an apt reminder that women needn’t sacrifice their femininity to be a boss. I’m worried the show’s going to suffer without her and particularly without her scenes with Kara. They’ve been such an important part of Kara’s character development as both herself and Supergirl, and it’s just really wonderful to see women mentoring and supporting each other on television. Their goodbye scenes this episode were perfectly bittersweet, and I love that they gave each other one last boost of confidence before saying goodbye. I was hoping for Kara to reveal her identity, though, or even more so, for Cat to whisper something like “Bye Kara” as Supergirl flew away. I’ve suspected for awhile that Cat knows the truth but has kept it to herself for Kara’s benefit, and I kind of selfishly wanted to be proven right.

The Flash

For me, this was Flash’s best episode of the season so far. It was the first to settle in post-Flashpoint and also gave us an idea of this timeline’s new normal. Iris and Barry’s dates were a highlight, especially once they both realized they couldn’t ignore their crime-fighting side gig. Candice Patton and Grant Gustin still have a sweet chemistry, and I think we’d all like to see their characters actually make a go of it this season. Joe and Wally also had some nice scenes regarding Wally’s powers (or lack thereof); the writers have done a wonderful job of giving that relationship its due without sacrificing Joe’s time with Barry or Iris. Good thing, too, because I’d hate to miss out on any more “second daughter” jokes.

Harry and Jesse also made their welcome return this episode, courtesy of Jesse’s newly acquired speed. Harry is by far my favorite incarnation of Wells, and Jesse is even more important to the team now than she was last season, so it’d be great to see them stick around. Tom Felton’s Julius was also fleshed out nicely in this episode; his hatred for Barry remains hilarious, especially considering how much everyone else in Central City loves our titular hero. Magenta was one of the better villains in recent memory and actually got a well-deserved happy ending. There was a nice realism in the sentiment of “we trust you to stay good even though it may be hard.” They haven’t done a good redemption story on this show in awhile, and Magenta was the perfect candidate. All in all, a nicely balanced hour that made pretty good use of all the characters.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Switching to Marvel for a moment, this week’s episode of AOS finally saw storylines converge, with Daisy and Robbie reluctantly joining S.H.I.E.L.D.’s next mission and Gemma discovering the truth about Aida approximately two seconds after meeting her. Gemma was actually my favorite part of this episode, from apartment hunting and exchanging “I love you”s with Fitz, to insisting on helping Daisy, risk be damned. I think committing to FitzSimmons is smart on the show’s part; when couples dance around each other for as long as they did, no one wants to see them take things slow. I’m glad the team ended this episode back together again, especially with that welcome twist courtesy of James. I get that Daisy needed some time away after Lincoln’s death, but scenes at the base have suffered a bit without her.

Arrow

This week’s Arrow had a couple of interesting developments, with Oliver and the new recruits finally acting like a team and Felicity coming clean to Rory about Havenrock. I’m happy about both of those things, as the secret-keeping and general mistrust could only go on for so long. It was also great to see Ollie stand up for Thea and Lance; Chief of Staff may be another job Thea’s ridiculously unqualified for, but she proved here that she’s learning quickly, especially during her final conversation with the reporter. Granted, that may have been her Speedy instincts kicking back in.

The Bratva flashbacks continue to hook me much more than last season’s did. They’re significantly stronger on a plot level, but the real treat is how Oliver’s experience in Russia jives with his attitude in season one. In this episode, Anatoly gave him the idea that killing was o.k. as long as the victim was a murderer themselves, a philosophy that clearly stuck with Oliver. In prison, Diggle imagining Deadshot was kind of a letdown (for me it would have been cooler if Flashpoint caused his survival) but this show has a long history of awesome prison breaks, so I’m excited for that next week.

Legends of Tomorrow

Two episodes in, and I’m still not exactly sure what the game plan is for the season, as the two hours were pretty different. I preferred this week’s episode; the premiere required a lot of setup, and I liked getting to know the J.S.A. beyond their dramatic introduction. Only Vixen and Commander Steel really made an impression, but their respective scenes with Ray and Nate were good. Nate’s definitely growing on me, and I think Felicity, Winn, and the Flash gang would have appreciated the ending “You don’t have to punch guys to be a hero” sentiment.

I liked seeing Stein take the reins as leader but liked that he nominated Sara for the job even more. He was completely right about her being the team’s beating heart; last season she was the one Rip most often bounced ideas or concerns off of, and she also has a pretty solid relationship with everyone on the team. Rip also asked her to fly the ship in the finale, so it’s pretty clear she was his preferred successor as well. I’m inclined to believe that Rip will find his way back eventually, but Sara’s voice over made it clear it won’t be anytime soon. Lastly, killing Hourman was pretty bold, and I’m curious to see the ramifications of that.

What are your thoughts on this week’s superhero lineup? Hit the comments and let me know!