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Comic fans know that as the title of the story in Action Comics #775, written by Joe Kelly with art by Doug Mahnke. In that story, Superman is confronted by Manchester Black and his elite, a group of heroes who are willing to be judge, jury, and executioner against perceived villains and despots. It is up to Superman to not only live up to his ideals but to defeat this group. It is a brilliant story, near universally beloved by Superman fans.
We have seen the show borrow from comics in the past. From the Black Mercy episode in season one (borrowing from 'For the Man who has Everything') to this year's take on Crisis on Infinite Earths, the show knows when to pillage from good comic stories. As a result, that title carries a little weight to it. This episode does borrow from that comic. In it Supergirl is asked to confront her ideals and figure out how to fight Black and his gang. But when you name yourself after Action Comics #775, you better be fantastic.
I actually like this episode a lot. We got to see Supergirl's hero squad grow. We got to see Alex act like Alex. We got some comic Easter Eggs. And there was plot movement for both Agent Liberty and Lena Luthor. When it was done, I was quite happy.
But then I remembered the title. And it isn't Action Comics #775 good. I think I just need to forget that piece of it. Perhaps my main problem is that in the comic story, Black and the Elite are embraced as heroes who make the tough decisions about crime. That is the biggest issue facing Superman in the story. People like Black and his violence. I don't think there would be as many people happy about the show's version of the Elite, killing the military, stealing from the British royal family, and otherwise acting like a murdering terrorist group.
Anyways, I am not damning this episode. Remember, I liked it! On to the details.
At CatCo, Alex shows up for a planned lunch with Kara only to discover that Kara has made other plans, a 'research meeting' with Nia. Alex is quick to forgive, after all Kara is only human. (Nice line there given Alex's mind-wiped state.)
Nia and Kara meet Brainy (or 'Barney' as he calls himself in his very conspicuous 'human' attire). It is a good thing Alex didn't run into him there. That would open up a whole can of worms.
The three head to the Fortress, the perfect site for Nia to train. I love how Nia is just in awe of the place. And I adored this loving look between Brainy and Kara. So wonderful! Give us this romance next season!
One thing that comes out of this is that there is some animosity between Brainy and Kelex. They exchange barbs all episode. Any guesses? I think it is that Kelex carries some animosity around the Brainiac family given Kandor.
With J'onn down, The Hat and Manchester fight there way out of the prison including a hallway fistfight. I wonder if the popularity of scenes like this in NetFlix's Daredevil made them include this.
Supergirl arrives to stop them. I love how she calls The Hat 'Clockwork Orange'. Our girl sure is a movie buff.
But it isn't just the two of them. We see Black's Elite - The Hat, a Morae, Menagerie, and him. And they swear they'll kill all alien hating racists.
Shortly thereafter there is a feed from Rio where they Elite have stumbled onto a mercenary cel who torture aliens. They killed 4 aliens, so the Elite killed 13 of them.
Black says it outright. They'll terminate prejudice with extreme prejudice.
There is something engaging about the group, hitting social media and being rather charismatic. I like how Menagerie grabs the camera from Black saying selfies don't use low angles. And then her closing line of 'like and subscribe' is a nice line to appeal to the youth of the world. She speaks that language. And this extreme view could fit the internet crowd.
I also like how J'onn recognized the derby as utilizing 5th dimensional energy. Yep, that's a backdoor Mxyzptlk reference.
Lena has accepted the government offer and is now using the DEO lab. Alex figures out that the project is to give humans powers and worries about how these results will be used and protected.
Lena makes an odd statement about how she is working with the government not for them. She'll keep her results safe. But if that is true, why even work with them? Surely she has the money and tech to do this on her own, or in her own lab.
I didn't really understand Lena's reasoning here.
He is in DC to meet the President. But that doesn't sit well with a local Children of Liberty leader. The real Liberty was a man of action, a man of the people, and out on the streets. Not some bureaucrat in a suit.
Lockwood seems a bit disheveled and shaken, even before this interaction, like a man unsure of himself.
But this local guy is the poster boy for 'toxic masculinity, racist, white male'. He talks about how neutered dogs don't bark the same. He points at Lockwood's pink drink and says no one will follow 'that'. And he orders Jack Daniels, three fingers.
I suppose part of what the show is trying to give us is the idea that zealots on the extremes of either side are villains. But Manchester Black and his elite come off way more sympathetic and charismatic.
In a scene that really leans into the Action Comics #775 story, Black and his Elite steal the British Crown Jewels. (After all, that is Menagerie's love.)
But he gives a speech of how Supergirl's attitude is outdated, a fairy tale. She is ill-equipped for the modern times.
He mocks the Michelle Obama famous speech saying "when they go low, [Supergirl] goes high. But we put them 6 feet lower." It is time for might to make right.
He again plays the media very well. He is a dynamic and engaging speaker. He tells Supergirl to meet him alone to discuss things. But this is the Era of the Elite as punk music blares.
If you are looking for charming counterculture call to violence, this is it.
That unsettling nature in Lockwood is only exacerbated when he meets the President.
President Baker is quick with a photo op but isn't interested in hearing anything Lockwood has to say. He dismisses Lockwood by saying 'I like your show'.
Later we see Lockwood talking to his wife on his phone only to have it turn out to be her voice mail. He seems to be filled with loathing about how he has become some sort of powerless figure head.
Back at the Fortress, Supergirl says Black embedded a message in his British video that only she could see. So it is off to Britain, alone. She realizes that Black is trying to not only hurt her but what she symbolizes. She'll defeat him. That is very much like Action Comics #775.
Meanwhile J'onn is struggling. He is trying to be a pacifist like his dad. But he is a Manhunter at heart. And he feels like Black is connected to him, trying to lure him into doing something.
Supergirl tells him that even Myr'nn fought against Reign. If J'onn 'picks up the sword' for Justice, his father would understand. I do wonder about this internal grudge between J'onn and Manchester. Maybe it isn't Supergirl Black is attacking. Maybe he wants to sully J'onn.
Supergirl heads to Manchester England to meet with Black at an empty Fish and Chips restaurant. Again, I love that our hero is a film buff. She asks if this is going to be 'the diner scene from Heat'. That's funny.
But Black didn't come alone. The Elite is there. But this is just a meeting.
Black offers a deal. Supergirl gets to stop bank robbers, super-villains, and generic crime. But she has to leave the racist killing to him. As he says, she won't join his cause. And he can't beat her.
When she says she can't abide by it, Black tells her about a government operation Claymore, a weaponized satellite pointing out to destroy any alien ship entering Earth's atmosphere.That could be considered defense if the ship was warned but this seems like any ship nearing Earth would be destroyed.
I do like how Black says Supergirl's story is similar to Moses.
Also, one satellite can't defend the whole planet, can it?
But here claims of it being immoral, of it endangering innocent people, fall on deaf ears. The voters will fight him if he does this.
The President tells her to not interfere.
When she leaves, he moves the launch of the satellite up to that very night.
Back at the Fortress, Brainy and Nia spar with her using her precog powers to predict his blows. He uses something taught to him by Val (Karate Kid!!).
But Brainy quite angrily won't tell Nia about Naltor, claiming a paradox could occur. But I don't understand this. It is one thing to not tell Nia about her life or her descendants. It is another to just tell her about Naltor's history.
She finds an end-around, getting the info from Kelex. And from there does her own training trying to astrally project and also unexpectedly shooting hand beams.
I don't understand those powers either.
Dream beams? Weird.
In a daring move, Supergirl heads to Alex's balcony and asks about Claymore. Turns out that Alex has never heard of it. And something like that should be under the DEO's jurisdiction.
When Supergirl says she is going to try and stop the launch, she asks Alex to join her. But Director Danvers can't compromise the DEO. Still, Alex supports Supergirl's decision.
This felt very right. After episodes of Alex having scrambled eggs for brains, we got to see her act more classically.
The Elite head to the Claymore launch site (ironically at Close Encounters of the Third Kind site of alien friendship, Devil's Tower).
Supergirl brings her Super Friends to fight them.
It's a throwdown.
And then we get the fight I have wanted for a while. Alex vs. Black, hand to hand.
And after a brief skirmish, she tosses him to the ground.
Love it!
Elsewhere, Brainy and Dreamer fight the Hat. She even shoots beams out of Dream Gloves. (What??)
But in the battle, Brainy's hand goes into the hat's portal and he loses his Legion ring on the inside.
Meanwhile, J'onn fights Black again. This time J'onn figures it out. Black has a death wish and he wants J'onn to kill him. In fact, Black seems gleeful to see J'onn fighting again.
The satellite is actually launched by the Elite with the White House as the target.
Luckily, Alex brought along the Lena Super-Suit from way back in the early episodes. It allows Kara to head into space and divert the laser, saving the President's life.
But then, she makes the choice to destroy that satellite.
It is a nicely rendered sequence.
But this is a big deal. Moral? Yes. Illegal? Probably. Let's face it, that is domestic terrorism. Isn't it? And if Supergirl thinks she is above the law, isn't she a short leap to being Black. What if she decides the 'right thing to do' is kill the President?
Nothing left but the wrap up.
Alex and Supergirl celebrate working together again. How nice to see the sisters working together even if Alex doesn't know they are sisters. This was Alex being Alex, breaking the rules because it was the right thing to do.
The President tries to get Supergirl to admit that she destroyed the satellite. She claims it was the only way to save the President. So she is lying now.
In response the President officially deputizes Ben Lockwood, naming him the Director of Alien Affairs.
And Director Haley didn't know about Claymore either. Perhaps her redemption arc is still on course.
Finally, Alex tells Lena she will work with her to keep the government away from her experiments. The government has some corruption within.
Also, we get a Daily Planet Ron Troupe Easter Egg.
Kara can't believe that Lockwood has been named Director. She tells James that she simply did what was right regarding the satellite.
Hearing that nudges James to let the CatCo reporter Mackenzie begin investigating Lena's affairs.
Finally, Lockwood shows that he is unhinged, living two lives.
He is the button upped Director.
But he also is the leader of the Children of Liberty, willing to kill a lieutenant who would try to push him out. He bashes this guy's skull in with the Agent Liberty mask. Chilling.
Remember way back when Lockwood said he would never harm a human; that he only wanted to fight aliens? Well, that is long gone. In fact, this reminded me of the scene in The Untouchables where Al Capone beats one of his men to death with a baseball bat.
Okay. So the whole point of Action Comics #775 was that Superman rose above the dirtier aspects of The Elite's ways. Here, unfortunately, Supergirl isn't that pure.
Yes, she can say she had the best intentions. But she destroyed government property, lied to the President, and followed her own heart. Can't Black say exactly the same thing?
These are murky waters we are in, of course mirroring real life. I thought about all this a lot, I suppose showing that this was a good episode.
So what did you all think?
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