“Event Horizon”
Written by: Derek Simon & Nicki Holcomb
Directed by: Jesse Warn
Supergirl is back!!! New hair, new costume and new troubles. A regular day in the life of Kara Danvers.
Season 4 left us with a cliffhanger that Lena now knows Kara is Supergirl. Event Horizon heavily focuses on this conflict between Kara and Lena. As Kara struggles to reveal all to her best friend, Lena battles with her inner demons and finds her own way to deal with the betrayal from her closest friend.
Lena Luthor is one of my favourite characters and I am very happy to see her return as a prominent character in the story. I felt she was left on the side lines a lot during season 4 with the writers not quite sure how to include her in the main story. If Event Horizon is a precedent for the season ahead then the writers have created a clever story arc I’m confident will feature Lena heavily.
VILLAIN OF THE WEEK
With the tone being set regarding the tension between Lena and Kara the audience is treated to some light hearted action in the form of Midnight. I was not entirely sure why Midnight crashed the party or what her goal was but I really didn’t care as it gave us our first glimpse of the all star lineup. Guardian, Dreamer, Martian Manhunter, Alex and Supergirl join forces to confront the force of Midnight. I found this sequence to be well crafted and choreographed but was simply an opportunity to showcase her new suit.
As teased at the end of season 4, the strings are being pulled by J’onn Jonzz brother. Unaware of his intentions or why he is after his brother extra layers to the story are being created which i’m sure will pay off down the line.
IN WITH THE OLD
Not only was Lena thrusted into a prime position this week but so was James Olsen. Yet another character who was almost forgotten about in season 4 could be on the verge of much more screen time. Unfortunately it will only be short lived as the actor Mechad Brooks has confirmed he will leave the show during the first half of season 5.
Following some devastating events at CatCo Media, James is left with a moral dilemma. The decisions he makes here will shape the future of his role as guardian. The episode gave me the impression that this is something we may see more of. However, I feel this may also lead to his ultimate departure from the show. I will be very interested to see if his exit from the show will be related to the upcoming Crisis crossover.
CONCLUSION
A solid opening episode but not an exhilarating return. The direction regarding Lena I am very positive about and feel this story has the potential to develop season 5 in a direction we have not seen before on the show. I was more interested in the mechanics behind Supergirls new suit rather than the fact it is now pants and not a skirt. The show has given us enough story to make me excited for the next episode but is keeping its cards close to its chest in terms of ultimate goal and who the big bad will be. Lena, Midnight, Ma’alefa’ak and the potential return of Lex Luthor mean Supergirl is going to have her hands full in the upcoming episodes.
