I’ll be fly kicking the next kid with a yo-yo.
Supergirl episode 10 introduces one of its best villains it has produced yet. Winn’s world is turned upside down when he finds out that his father, the Toyman, has escaped from prison. Despite the authorities already hunting him down, Supergirl steps in to make sure Winn’s dad isn’t shot dead. But does Winn even want his dad alive after all his crimes? Continuing from the previous episode’s final scene, Hank Henshaw makes his way into Lord Tech’s secret levels. Meanwhile, Cat Grant offers Lucy Lane a job.
Week after week there has always been chunks of exposition thrown into these episodes. However, this week’s episode has given the audience dialogue that is real and meaningful. From James withholding his opinion on Lucy’s job offer, to the many scenes between Winn and the Toyman, this episode hit the nail of the head.
And Jeremy Jordan, our resident Winn, has produce an amazing performance as he struggles with what he had with his father and the fear of how he might follow the same path. It’s wonderfully fresh to have Winn talk about how loving the Toyman once was and how they resembled each other immensely as opposed to a story of abuse in many character’s pasts. His whole tech, nerdy-ness is even put on hold to the point he reveals his feelings for Kara with a kiss.
Unlike many other shows where an unrequited kiss is momentarily accepted then hastily broken, Kara immediately pulls away, embarrassed and glasses crooked. The scene was amazingly created and the pain painted across Winn’s face is heart breaking. The immediate stop of the kiss leaves nothing to question Kara’s feelings for Winn, but his closing monologue of bottled up feelings does create questions. Will he go down a darker path?
Another amazing addition to this episode was its graphics. Episode 10 has created one of the best flying scenes delivered by Supergirl as J’onn gives Supergirl a quick lesson in flight. The sequence is made even more epic with the large, green Martian gracing the screen once again. The graphics this episode have also done what I thought to be impossible. Along with the great acting of Henry Czerny, aka Toyman, this show has actually sold the idea that a yo-yo could be a wonderfully, horrifying tool of murder. On paper, this sounds problematic. And if it was any other actor than Czerny, it might have been.
As far as wild and terrifying villains go, Mark Hamill as the Joker and Trickster has got it down to a ‘T’. It would have been easy for Czerny to go down the same path with a larger than life character and witty puns (which everyone loves) but Czerny has created a softly spoken, chiller killer. He speaks softly to the point chills run up my spine, and his end goal of forever reuniting with his son is amazingly fresh. His possessive nature over Winn is haunting and wonderfully denied by Winn’s disgusted face.
This episode is easily the best that Supergirl has created. Each story addressed was well thought out and executed with amazing dialogue. Its graphics were
constant and its actors, across the board, were breathtaking. It really felt like Supergirl has finally found its feet in the superhero TV universe and if they keep producing episodes like this, it will quickly find its place at the top of DCTV.
Fun fact: During this episode, Alex gives Lord a call. Before he answers, the name Mata Hari appears instead of Alex. Mata Hari was a Dutch Frisian Exotic dancer and courtesan convicted of being a German spy during World War I. In essence, she was accused of seducing men for military secrets. Although Alex feels she is playing games with him, it seems Lord is the one really in control. Mata Hari was executed by firing squad in 1917.
Quote of the Episode: (after the umpteenth advice session from Cat)
Honestly, she should be paying me by the hour (Cat Grant).
