Supergirl‘s “Changing,” while not a bad episode, was a downgrade from this season’s run of fantastic hours. An alien parasite possesses an environmentalist and goes on a killing spree, while Kara discovers Mon-El’s after hours activities and Alex’s big secret. Elsewhere, James and Winn put James’s vigilante persona to the test.
There was a lot going on in this episode and the plots were hit and miss. In the hit category, we have some brilliantly written scenes of Alex coming out to Kara. Full props to the writers for not only treating this storyline with respect, but tapping into topical issues for the LGBT community. And even for heterosexual viewers, this hits home: Who hasn’t been crushed when someone they like turns them down?
Action wise, this week focused on Parasite, unearthed in the Arctic ala “Helix”- With touches of “The Thing” and “The Faculty” thrown in for good measure. The final fight between Mon-El, James as Guardian (more on him later), Supergirl and Parasite, although brief, shows how far the show has come not just in terms of effects, but in what they can show on this once underdog show.
James’s debut as Guardian was… abrupt. It felt crammed into a already busy episode just for fan service. Not helping matters is that James’s decision to suit up came out of nowhere in the first place, and even worse, Supergirl takes the appearance of a new hero upsettingly well. You’d think she’d have questions…
But wait! There’s more! Megan was called back into the fray to save J’onn’s life and reluctantly gave him a transfusion of White Martian blood that is clearly affecting him. Add to that Mon-El being kidnapped by Cadmus for a good cliffhanger and Kara finally getting drunk. That has nothing to do with anything, but it was funny.
“Changing” had moments of inspired genius mixed with moments of abrupt shoehorning of subplots. It’s not a new technique for a show, but it does leave some to be desired. Still, it was a decent episode.
“Supergirl” airs Mondays on The CW.