Big News from the Small Screen
Supergirl is silly. There are aliens flying around all over the place—aliens who can be defeated by glowing green rocks. Some of the aliens flying around are green. Those aliens…
Episode 16, “Falling”: Supergirl throws Cat Grant Off a Damn Building “True power, Cat, is deciding who will live and who will die.” One of the strongest elements of Supergirl…
This week’s episode begins in the aftermath of last week’s Zombie Jimmy cliffhanger, as we find that Non’s mind-control device, Myriad, has taken over the entire human population of National…
This past week, CBS renewed most of their primetime lineup—but not Supergirl. The show is popular with critics, and does have devoted fans, but ratings have slipped every week since…
As the title of this week’s episode of Supergirl suggests, “Manhunter” focuses on the J’onn J’onzz, the Martian Manhunter, revealing, through flashbacks, the role that he’s played in the lives…
All of us have anger inside of us—what separates the good people in this world from the bad people is what they choose to do with that anger. She may…
“Solitude” is typical of Supergirl so far in this first season: a very strong episode overall that almost derails due to some iffy plotting and logistics, only to be set…
The only superheroes on CBS last Monday were Lin-Manuel Miranda and the rest of the cast of Hamilton, the Musical (though arguably, Kendrick Lamar was pretty superhuman in his Grammy…
Supergirl herself may be in peril, but Supergirl, the series, is on a roll right now. There might not be any other series on television with more narrative momentum. And…
The thing that sets CBS’s Supergirl apart from the glut of superhero adventures on television at the moment is the writing. Now, by writing, I don’t necessarily mean the dialogue—which…
“The whole thing felt kinda shady, like, morality-wise?” When I was a kid I loved the Prydian Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. Its mix of high adventure and grounded characters connected…
“The sweet, kind, brilliant man that we knew long ago—he’s gone.” Penultimate episodes of seasons have gotten a bit of a reputation for being where the action happens, thanks to…
“My name is ASAC Schrader, and you can go f**k yourself.” We’ve all experienced the adrenaline rush that comes with being scared by something we know isn’t actually going to…
“Fire in the hole, bitch!” By all accounts, Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad, is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. On the interview circuit, his lazy Virginia…
“Mister White’s gay for me, everyone knows that.” Parents. Who needs, ‘em, right? Always telling you to “apply yourself,” disapproving of your girlfriends, interfering in your life choices—and yet, there…
“There’s only one solution: step up, be a man, and admit what you’ve done.” AMC’s other greatest television series of all time, Mad Men, is often dinged for being too…
“You’re done being his victim.” After all the ink that was spilled about how Breaking Bad was completely redefining television narrative by pushing the plot far ahead of where we…
“There is nothing left to do but try to live ordinary, decent lives” Poor Carol. All she ever wanted out of life was to enjoy the simple things—watering her garden,…
“The child is the father of the man.” “Spectacular.” Who is Don Draper? It’s a question that Mad Men has held over our heads for six seasons now, and overtly explored in…
“We finally found a way to make paintball cool again.” No. You really didn’t. “Advanced Introduction to Finality” is a terrible episode, in which the trickle of desperation that had…