TV Review: Supergirl (Season 3)

*This review contains spoilers*

Watch my SPOILER YouTube review

Season three of “Supergirl” may have been its best season so far, but that’s not saying much. All the pieces were there, especially with the well-set up villain, but the show stumbled to the finish line with too mystical mumbo jumbo and huge reveals that never delivered the emotional punch they should have.

The best new addition this season was adding Reign as the main villain. Not only was she an physical threat to Supergirl, but the slow buildup of watching Sam unknowingly transform into the worldkiller was done almost perfectly. There was such a strong bond created between Kara, Sam and Lena that it was heartbreaking thinking that Reign may have to die in the end. That drama was ditched in the final few episodes after things got overly entwined with more fantasy elements. We went from genetically-engineered Kryptonians to magically created beings working for witches.

Like always, Melissa Benoist is the rock this show is built on. Her strengths and vulnerabilities make her a hero to root for, while still grounding her in reality. There’s a point where they give her an unnecessary attitude adjustment where she decides to ditch her “human” emotions. It seems forced, but luckily doesn’t last all that long.

Regarding the other returning characters, Winn really clicks as the DEO’s “guy in the chair,” although he doesn’t have much else going on this season. Thankfully, they shy away from James’ Guardian persona for many of the early episodes, but we still end off with plenty of the mediocre gimmick. And his relationship with Lena always feels a bit off because there’s just something untrustworthy with her. Alex has some strong emotional moments as they end the likable romance she has with Maggie. That leaves her spending a lot of time moping and pining for kids of her own. Mon-El, now back as a full-fledged superhero works well, although his and Kara’s relationship goes down the drain as well.

As far as the other new characters besides Reign, there’s not much to write home about. Moran Edge was just a stereotypical sleazy businessman that they just dropped from the show. Martian Manhunter’s father was likable, but it always felt like he was going to die sooner than later. There was something stiff about the Imra (Saturn-Girl) character, and she just never fit in. Brainiac 5 has some strong moments, and some odd ones, but he’s slated to join the show full-time next season so hopefully they improve on him.

Much of what happened this season had a lot of potential, but failed to deliver. The Supergirl-worshiping cult was interesting, but the way they morphed into an evil, Reign worshipping cult was lackluster. It was cool seeing the Legion of Superheroes, but they really didn’t have any stand out action sequences as a team. The other two worldkillers ended being busts after the big buildup. The Argo City reveal would’ve been an awesome season finale cliffhanger, but instead it’s just thrown in there, and the huge emotional payoff that it should’ve delivered never really happens. The show attempts to cover racial-profiling and the gun-control debate, but it’s done so heavy-handed that it doesn’t feel like it organically came out of the story they were telling.

“Supergirl” season three has its strongest villain, but they drop the ball near the goal line and give us a confusing and almost silly resolution. No matter how bad things get, Melissa Benoist is still able to hold the show together, with the help of some strong emotional beats from the other core characters. There were some really fun homages this season to the old “Superman” films that didn’t feel like rip-offs.

Season’s best episode: “Reign” (Episode 9): The slow build toward Reign pays off, ending with a brutal fight between her and Supergirl.
Season’s worst episode: “Midvale” (Episode 8): A somewhat pointless flashback episode, with a weak set-up and watered down “Riverdale”-style plot.

*** out of *****

Movie Review: Incredibles 2

With awesome action sequences and likable characters, “Incredibles 2” is still plenty of fun, despite the recycled plot and cliché role reversal. Just like the first film, the Parr family is the heart of the story. Like last time, they are relatable, and are brought to life with strong voice acting. It’s cartoony when it needs to be, but also realistic when called for. Putting Elastigirl out in the field and leaving Mr. Incredible with the kids is a mixed bag. Elastigirl is a joy to watch in action. Her inventive and creative uses of her stretching abilities fuels multiple exciting action sequences. However, the new stay at home dad bit struggles to feel original, or particularly interesting. Fortunately, these moments get punched-up by the film’s new MVP, Jack-Jack. There’s a ton of fun to be had with a cute baby that has dozens of super powers. We also get just a bit more Frozone, but only a little bit of Edna this time around. The overall plot is really not all that different that the first film’s and the new villain is much less memorable and much more predictable than the last movie’s.

***1/2 out of *****

TV Review: Legion (Season 2)

*This review contains minor spoilers*

Click here for my SPOILER review on YouTube

“Legion” follows its fantastic first season with a mess for its second season. Underdeveloped characters, a lack of characters that we can really latch on to, and too much weirdness for weirdness sake keep the show stumbling along until the final few episodes.

Probably the biggest issue is with the show’s main character, David himself. Last season we rooted for him as he fought through the life of mental ambiguity that was forced on him by the Shadow King. His struggle to regain his sanity and control his amazing powers drove his narrative, and allowed us to root for his eventual triumph. This season, David was somewhat unlikable. His constant maneuvering behind his friends back without explaining his actions to the audience made him seem untrustworthy. Once we do find out his motivations, we can get back on board…even though it doesn’t sound like it’s a good idea. Eventually we reach a point where we feel like one way or another we have to root for David to fail. It pulls you out of the story, as he’s the star, and nobody else is compelling enough to keep you invested.

Despite all the main cast returning from the first season, there’s very little done to flesh any of them out. Ptonomy is give so little to do. They touch a bit on the burden he faces with never being able to forget anything, but he does little else until the strange turn he takes after being mortally wounded midway through the season. Melanie is pushed to the background, doing little more than getting high every time we see her. There is a nice change to the status quo of Kerri and Cary’s relationship, but they never dive into it as much as I would’ve like. We get some glimpses into what makes Oliver tick now that he’s free from the astral plane, but much of the time we see him he’s the Shadow King.

On the flip side, some characters work well. We have Syd. Her relationship with David is a bit wobbly to start off, but then gets strong again. But, she’s another character who will be forced to make decisions that we’re not going to like. While the episode that works like an origin story for her really helped develop her character, the big payoff where we see her make a move on her mom’s boyfriend isn’t as impactful as it could’ve been because she told us this story last season. Then there’s Lenny. Initially, it seems like they only brought her back because they liked Aubrey Plaza’s performance so much in season one. It feels like they really didn’t have much for her to do at first, but she eventually becomes a complex character. Also a complex character is the Shadow King himself, Amahl Farouk. He’s mostly played as the smooth-talking Devil on your shoulder character, but occasionally, we see hints of more.

The plot for this season turns into a mess. It boils down to either stopping the Shadow King from finding he body and becoming for powerful than ever, or helping him find it to save the future. While the concept is sound, the execution is botched. Even by the end of the season, you still don’t know what the right call is and you’re never sure who to root for. There’s also a subplot featuring the delusion creature. It initially seems tied to the main story, but it becomes just some background noise that abruptly gets dealt with.

While “Legion” is known for its weirdness, this season over does it. While it still nails it quite a few times, like the dance off in the first episode or the amazing opening sequence in the finale, overall it is too zany. Admiral Fukuyama is the best example of this. He’s the wicker basket-headed leader of Division 3 that communicates through an army of robots that appear has sexy women with bowl haircuts and mustaches that “sing” when they talk.

“Legion” season two goes for weirdness and a morally ambiguous hero, but fails to make any of it work. It has a few awesome sequences and a couple great episodes, but this season never draws you in.

Season’s best episode: “Chapter 11” (Episode 3): The first solid look at Farouk is mesmerizing, the sequence inside the minds of David’s friends is stunning, and a nice new status quo for Cary and Kerri.
Season’s worst episode: “Chapter 15” (Episode 7): The whole subplot with the delusions ends up going nowhere.

** out of *****