I’m not going to try and outdo Punky Starshine’s amazing recap of last night’s Supergirl. She knows and says well exactly why it’s such an important episode. We got crazy white guys and threatened lesbians and none of it was actually about the lesbians being gay. This is not a recap of the episode. This is a recap of my feelings.
My Heart Healed (A Little)
After the last year, where lesbian after lesbian dropped dead for questionable plot points, having a lesbian live was a wash of relief. Not only did Alex live, which intellectually I knew she would, she never stopped fighting. Alex tried to survive, but also she tried to get out. She did everything she possibly could.
Her sister and her girlfriend fought not over who loved Alex more, but who could save her. They both knew the other loves Alex. Their issues were bigger than just “You’re the interloper on my sister relationship!” and “You’re always beverdamming me, Kara!” They argued about the right things. The overlap of their working lives was causing friction in a bad way.
Having it all come to a head over Alex’s kidnapping was logical. They both tried to be the hero because that’s who they are, but they had trouble when their heart got in the way of their head. And in that friction, in the moment where they saved the girl they love, they saw themselves in each other.
Supergirls Feminism Is (Still) A Problem
But… The following is a comparison of season one and season two.
In season one, Lucy Lane was considering leaving her career for Jimmy– James. In season two, Kara lost her job and had Mon-El.
I wish Cat Grant was here. Because the marked difference between the two is horrifying. Here’s what she told Lucy in season one:
Now, look, I’m not immune to the allure of James Olsen wearing a shirt that is unbuttoned one too many. But a woman with brains who gives up everything for love inevitably finds herself staring into an existential abyss that men, babies and cardio bars simply cannot fill. You are a smart and accomplished woman who needs to work or you will lose your confidence, your sense of identity, and most importantly, your mind.
And in season two, Kara told Mon-El that being a reporter was who she was, and Supergirl was what she did.
Kara: I don’t want another job. Reporting is my calling, I help people.
Mon-El: Yeah, you know who else does?
Kara: Who?
Mon-El: Supergirl.
Kara: It’s just that… when I write, I don’t need a yellow sun, it’s just me. Supergirl is what I can do, Kara is who I am.
And yet by the end of the episode, she’d lost her job and was okay with it.
We Need More Equality
The show is called Supergirl.
This was the first episode in quite a while where Mon-El has been sidelined. No, I’m not exaggerating. I have math that backs up the defeminizing of the show. This episode had a little bit of Mon-El and no James. He wasn’t even at CatCo (a company he now runs) when Kara got the phone call. Instead we had to suffer through a pizza dinner with Mon-El talking about being a hero and … Well. Maggie and Alex speak for everyone with this:
Even with an episode about the women, we had to suffer through a bit of Mon-El’s redemption saga.
I think I speak for every woman who watches the show. We don’t care.
Seriously.
We watch Supergirl because it shows us women can be strong, the hero, and save the girl. We watch because of the love and bond between women, something that is absolutely real. We watch it because the show is about Kara Danvers being a hero who lost everything and still smiles and tries to bring hope to the world. We watch because we know how all that feels.
So while I’m thrilled we got one episode back, I need the show to remember it’s about the girls and women. Not the men. Do better.
