Primers for current seasons

Up, Up and Away with the CW’s Supergirl season 3 Primer

CW Primer: Up To Speed with THE FLASH and DC Legends of Tomorrow

CW Primer: On target with Season 5 Recap and Season 6 preview of ARROW

Weekly Updates:

Week 1: Picks and Pulls for October 18, 2017 and CW shows recaps

Week 2: CW Television Recap Week 2

Supergirl

Last week’s episode offered a very somber, emotionally charged storyline that explored two very dysfunctional parent/child relationships with different outcomes. The first is the relationship between J’onn and his father M’rynn, who turns out to be alive on Mars. The second is the relationship which was mentioned since the beginning of the season which involves Maggie Sawyer and her estranged father. The episode does little to move forward the season-long main plot but the resolution of the Mars subplot could possible come back to play a role down the line.

Episode 3

Far From the Tree

J’onn tells Kara and Alex, who received a message from M’gann asking him to come to Mars and he is headed to Mars. After hearing this Alex and Kara both insist that Kara goes with him, even though it means Kara will miss the wedding shower for Maggie and Alex.

J’onn and Kara take J’onn’s ship, which is camouflaged as a classic convertible to Mars. When they arrive, M’gann tells them that the rebels have a Green Martian who can tell them where the Staff of Ka’lar, an ancient Martian artifact that the White Martians are searching for to use against the rebels. J’onn and Kara discover that the Green Martian is none other than J’onn’s father, M’yrnn J’onzz, who is alive. Not only is he alive but he knows where a powerful artifact the resistance is looking for is located. M’Gann hopes that J’onn can get his father to disclose the location. Myrna believing J’onn to be a White Martian trick refuses to believe that J’onn is actually his son.

With time running out and the need to locate the M’gann’s rebels are about to forcibly try and get the information from M’yrnn. J’onn and Kara break him out and take him to J’onn’s home where he used to live with his family. Kara convinces M’yrnn to open his mind a little so J’onn can prove he is his son. J’onn shows his father his favorite memory of his daughters which involved them hiding a birthday surprise for him. This convinces M’yrnn of who he is and he takes the rebels to the scepter. When they arrive they find some White Martians who have also located the Artifact. During the battle, Kara uses the scepter, which causes the rebels to realize that is too powerful a weapon to remain to be on Mars.

Back in National City, Maggie tells Alex about her past and how she became estranged from her family. Alex says the bridal shower gives her an excuse to try and reach out and make amends. Maggie tells Alex that her father, a former Sheriff named Oscar Rodas, reacted to learning that a 14-year-old Maggie liked girls by driving her to an aunt’s house and leaving her there and not talking since.

Her father comes out for the party and seems to be trying to heal the relationship. it turns out he has been following Maggie’s career as a cop. At the party, when he sees Maggie and Alex kiss, he storms out. Maggie follows him and they have a discussion where he explains that all his life he has been an outcast because of his race and didn’t want his child to have to suffer like he did. He tells her she can live how she wants, but she will not make him sit by and watch.

Before he leaves Maggie gets her say, telling him that she is happy, surrounded by people who love and respect her for who she is and that she no longer needs his approval or anything else from him. It is not the happy reunion she was hoping for but she now has closure and a chance to move forward in her life.

J’onn, Kara, and M’yrnn head back to Earth.

Overall “Far From the Tree” was a solid episode, and it was great to see the focus on J’onn and Maggie rather than being about Kara/Supergirl. The characters at CatCo and L-Corp also get a week out of the spotlight so that some of the other characters can shine.

Subplot: J’onn and Kara Excellent Mars Adventure

Carl Lumbly as M’yrnn was brilliant and he plays so well with David Harewood.

I thought the Martian lore was well done as M’yrnn references Ma’alefa’ak and the two brothers but could have been more meaningful and powerful if they had stuck more to the DC Continuity:

Ma’alefa’ak is the twin brother and archenemy of J’onn J’onnz and was the architect of an extinction-level event, also known as H’ronmeer’s Curse (or H’ronmeer’s Plague). A plague of fire, this curse attacked Martians via their telepathic abilities. Whenever a Martian attempted to use their psionic gifts or commune with the Great Mind, they would fall victim to the Curse and ultimately burn to death.

I have a feeling that M’yrnn and/or the scepter may come back into play later this season as the Reign, World Destroyer main plot ramps up.

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Subplot: Maggie and Alex Wedding

Maggie’s story was extremely well written and provides the much-needed break in the “Kara getting over Mon-El” subplot. Carlos Bernard, who plays Maggie’s father does a really good job making us want her father to come around when in fact he doesn’t, making it even more compelling and true to real life. The political overtones such as the mention of people wanting to build a wall to keep people like them out was a bit much but understandable for the character.

The issue of Alex and Maggie having children is continued as Maggie makes it clear that she doesn’t want any. Alex goes along but this is most likely going to come up again and maybe the explaination for Maggie Sawyer’s exit as Floriana Lima is leaving the series.

Episode 4: The Faithful Trailer:

We see in the trailer that next week is about a cult of people who worship Supergirl which may tie into the Reign storyline, pushing Samantha closer to uncover her true nature, Reign, The World Destroyer.

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Just from the trailer, this seems to be playing of the subplot from the 52 maxiseries which saw the rise of The Cult of Conner, a secretive religious cult that formed on Earth following the death of Conner Kent at the hands of Superman-Prime. Following his death, many people around the world felt grief over the heroic death of Superboy and believed that their purpose was to prepare the world for the return of the hero. The t was led by Devem aka Derek Mathers who was a mental-ward refugee who had a history of fraud attached to him. The cult was being investigated by Ralph Dibny, who was looking for a way to bring back his wife Sue, who was killed by Jean Loring during Identity Crisis and who debuts in The Flash this week.

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Episode 3

Luck Be A Lady

Barry and the team experience a string of bad luck and realize it is the handiwork of a new meta in Central City Becky Sharpe who is given the moniker Hazard.

The episode opens with The Thinker and his assistant talking about the new metahumans that they have been observing since The Flash has returned. This episode introduces Becky Sharpe, a woman with horrible luck. When she is introduced by The Thinker’s open narration she is dealing with a bout of lactose intolerance only to she discovers her live-in boyfriend is cheating on her. She is a blackjack dealer, who loses her job after she tries to fend off a gambler who touches her butt. Becky’s luck continues to be cosmically bad, after losing her job she finds her car has been booted (obviously something that has happened before) and ends up on the city bus that was in front of the rip in the speed force that Barry comes out of in the premier.

Becky’s luck does and 180 and she gains the ability to give others bad luck while cashing in the benefits for herself. When we first see the new Becky she is in the process of robbing a bank. As she is walking in people trip, choke, or fail to notice her entirely, allowing her to stroll into an open vault and grab a few stacks of cash. Becky makes her getaway in a Prius, of course, and Flash arrives to capture her, only to foiled by a massive shipment of marbles that have spilled out into the street. This, of course, causes Barry to completely lose his footing, doing a cartoon slip and landing on his back.

As Becky’s luck continues to get better and better things for Team Flash and Central City experience more and worse luck. The venue that Barry and Iris’s first choice for the wedding becomes available so they cancel the reservations they had, only to learn that it, in fact, was not going to be available. When they try to get the original place back, they can’t due to “a fire caused by a creme brûlée competition that got out of hand”. Iris’s then plans to have an impromptu ceremony, which completely interrupts a funeral, also falls apart, because the priest breaks out in hives from the cinnamon in the incense.

Team Flash also hits a patch of bad luck:

Wally West is waiting for Jesse in S.T.A.R. Labs’ portal room with flowers and a giant teddy bear, only to find that Harry Wells shows up alone. Harry gives Wally the message from Jesse that she wants to break up so she can focus on being The Flash on Earth-2, hey she sent him a breakup cube.

Joe and Cecile’s relationship continues to build as the West household begins to crumble (literally not figuratively) and the two discuss whether or not he and Cecile should move somewhere else, rather than maintain a big, old family home.

Harry Wells, who stays on Earth-1 because he has been kicked off the Earth-2 Team FLash by Jesses, butts heads with Cisco, over the best way to handle the fact that Hazard’s good luck is causing an exponential rise in bad luck… meaning the S.T.A.R. Labs Particle accelerator powers back up and threatens to explode again.

The show climaxes as Becky Sharpe’s bad-luck field starts to expand as she experiences more and more good luck. She goes to her old casino with plans to clean the place out. As her luck at the craps table continues bad luck starts to befall everyone, including a commercial airline flight and the particle accelerator threatens to explode again. Barry arrives at the casino to apprehend Becky after he approaching her as Barry and tells her she needs to turn herself into the Police and tries to stop. Flash, of course, becomes trapped in the power dampening cuffs as Cisco and Harry deal with the particle accelerator. In the end, Harry and Cisco let the explosion happen which negates Hazard’s power just in time, as catastrophes around Central City are avoided.

Back at STAR Labs, Team Flash realize that these new metas were created when Barry was drawn out of the Speed Force, as Becky and Ramsey Deacon aka Kilg%re, were on the bus along with ten others and exposed to Dark Matter. They also make the connection that whoever sent The Samuroid in the premiere, did so intentionally as to get them to bring back Barry and create these new threats.

As the show closes we learn that The Thinker has been spying on Team Flash through a camera in the Samuroid helmet, Wally leaves the team to go move to Blue valley, needing to take time to focus on himself, and Cecile informs Joe that she is pregnant…leaving Joe speechless and just staring at her.

Flash Facts

Becky Sharpe aka Hazard

Creators: Roy Thomas · Todd McFarlane

First Appearance: Infinity Inc. #34 (January 1987)

Becky Sharpe was the granddaughter of the criminal known as the Gambler and joined Injustice Unlimited as Hazard in order to seek revenge on Infinity, Inc. for his death after a lifetime of defeats at the hands of the Justice Society of America. Unfortunately, Hazard’s conscience was troubled when Injustice Unlimited threatened an innocent; Mike Dugan, the young son of Infinity, Inc’s mechanic, Stripesey. She refused to become a murderer and turned against her own team. Infinity Inc. #34-37

Becky first debuted as a member of the Wizard’s new Injustice Society. Becky, using a pair of magic dice and adopting the name Hazard, was motivated to avenge the death of her grandfather, former villain Steven Sharpe III/The Gambler by financially ruining a corrupt Las Vegas casino that had affected her grandfather. Infinity Inc #51-53

Hazard then re-emerged in Infinity Inc #51, with a much different vendetta. She joined with a wide array of DC villains – Icicle, Artemis, Harlequin, Dummy, and Solomon Grundy – to murder the members of Infinity Inc. Surprisingly, Becky followed along with the plan, despite her previous reluctance to kill someone. She joined the Dummy and Harlequin in a task to murder Pat Dugan/S.T.R.I.P.E.. When Pat’s son ended up being a potential target, she used her powers to save their lives instead. In the process, she lost her magic dice, and decided to sit out the fight between the heroes and villains. Once the fight was over, she voluntarily surrendered herself to the police. Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #175

Hazard’s final comic appearance was in a super-sized issue of Wonder Woman Vol. 2. A tie-in to The Joker’s Last Laugh event In it, Hazard joined an array of female villains, who were hunting male superheroes turned into animals. She joined Baby Boom in fighting Animal Man, with Hazard using her magic dice to trip the hero. That success was short-lived, however, as she was defeated by the hero Fire.

Wally says he is going to stay with a friend in Blue Valley. Blue Valley is located in the northeastern corner of Nebraska, 25 miles south of Sioux City, South Dakota, which is where the comic version of Wally West. It was also home to Courtney Whitmore and Pat Dugan, better known as Star-Spangled Kid and S.T.R.I.P.E.

The “break up cube” that Jesse send is made of “shoddy Atlantean plastic” according to Harry. This also isn’t the first Earth-2 Atlantis reference in the show

During the show’s opening, the team is playing laser skirmish, Cisco yells “you have failed this city”, the former catchphrase of the Arrow.

The sequence with the airplane and the geese blowing out the engine is a reference to Chesley Sullenberger and the US Airways Flight 1549.

The marbles that Barry slips on marbles that appear to be from the company that appears to be called Algernon Arcade Supply. This is probably nothing but could be The Thinker’s origin in the CW Universe, as the novel Flowers For Algernon tells the story of a man who becomes brilliant, but pays a price.

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Episode 4: Elongated Journey into Night Trailer:

Cisco is shocked when Gypsy’s father, Breacher (guest star Danny Trejo), shows up on Earth-1. Breacher takes an immediate disliking to Cisco and decides to hunt him. Meanwhile, Barry runs into his old nemesis, Ralph Dibny.

Ralph Dibney first appeared in The Flash #112 (May 1960)

Ralph Dibny grew up in Waymore, Nebraska, dreaming of fame and fortune in the big city. He would do anything to get attention, always a showoff and a prankster. As a kid, he was fascinated by the “india-rubber men” that he saw at carnival sideshows. He discovered they got their powers of contortion by drinking Gingold, a soft drink containing gingo, a rare fruit from the Yucatán to which most people are severely allergic.

He distilled the raw essence of the gingo fruit, and lo and behold, he had the powers to stretch his body. He would later move to Central City and create a costume for himself and fight crime as the Elongated Man.

I hope they stay with the Gingold drink giving him his powers but I believe I saw the actor playing Ralph on the same bus as Kilg%re and Hazard.

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Episode 3

Zari

The Legends intercept a distress call from the Time Bureau Agent Gary, who has tracked an anachronism and has sent a report back to headquarters that it turns out he is a tracking a deadly metahuman. The team jumps to Seattle, 2042 to a world that apparently banned metas and religion in 2021, and A.R.G.U.S. is tasked with enforcing these laws.

The deadly metahuman turns out to be Kuasa, the watery sister of 2017’s Vixen, who was shown being summoned at the end of the last episode. Kuasa is trying to kill an outlaw named Zari who’s also being hunted for being Muslim. The team decides to use Zari as bait to capture the assassin for the Time Bureau. Zari agrees to help them if they help her break her brother out of the A.R.G.U.S. prison.

The Legends agree to help her only to find that A.R.G.U.S. is conducting experiments on the captured metahumans and that Zari’s brother was not held in the prison, but A.R.G.U.S. was holding a totem that Zari’s family used to protect themselves and their people. It turns out that Kuasa is also after the totem and willing to kill anyone who gets in her way of obtaining it.

While the rest of the team is dealing with the Zari, Nate and Professor Stein are trying to help Amaya deal with the problems she is having with her totem. Stein runs tests on Amaya to figure out what’s wrong even after Amaya tells him how pointless the tests are. When the tests show nothing is wrong, Amaya tells Nate that the totem is “the legacy of her ancestors,” which prompts Nate to suggest that go back in time and talk to them. She says that his idea is ludicrous and goes with Stein who wants to run some tests.

Nate, ever the scholar, learns about and replicates some hallucinogenic tea for her, so she can go on a “vision quest.” While Nate just gets really high and stoned, Amaya’s vision quest takes her to “the world between worlds,” where she meets a woman who tells her that she is Amaya’s “blood,” the ones who have come before her. see her ancestors who tell her that in times of danger the totem’s powers amp up and she is connected to another bearer of a totem.

Inside the facility, Zari locates the room number of her brother, while Ray and Jax work on opening the cell door. While figuring out how to open the cell door, Jax notices that A.R.G.U.S.is not just trapping metahumans, but experimenting on them. Jax, angry at the metahumans’ mistreatment, unlock all of the prison’s doors, causing a riot. The Legends lose sight of Zari, who has run off to a storage room where she finds an amulet. When Zari meets back up to the Legends, she admits she duped them into helping her pull off a heist that would allow her to have her brother’s treasured amulet. The necklace begins to glow, and Zari takes off into the air.

The Legends return to the Waverider and Ray follows Zari, who goes to the rendezvous point, where she was supposed to meet the rest of her family. She tells Ray that A.R.G.U.S. killed her brother and she is responsible for her family now. While the two are having their moment together, Kuasa, catches up to them, wanting the amulet from Zari.

Back on the Waverider, Agent Sharpe arrives in a Time Bureau ship after being contacted by Gary, insisting to take over the mission.

Sara steers the ship away from the Time Bureau’s, only to play a game of high-tech chicken which ends in the Time Bureau jumping their ship away at the last moment. The team arrives at Ray’s location, to find that Kuasa has nearly drowned Ray only to be distracted by Zari and her trinket. Amaya, thinking of her ancestor’s words, steps forward and controls her totem enough to take Kuasa down.

Kuasa tells Amaya, “I could kill you,” showing Amaya a stone with an engraving, “but I’d just be killing myself.”

With the crisis averted, Sharpe warns Sara that their Rip-mandated leniency is over. Amaya thanks Nate for his help, and Nate relays the news that Zari will be dropped back in Seattle 2042. Amaya joins the landing party and tells Zari that she should join the team and their fates are intertwined explaining to Zari’s the amulet is a totem, just like hers. Zari agrees to an adventure and joins the rest team.

In the setup for this weeks episode, the scene shifts to 1988 Ivy Town, with a young boy on a bike is furiously riding to avoid a bunch of bullies. The boy hides in a drainage pipe to avoid them but then hears something moving behind him and sees a pair of eyes. The boy isn’t scared though, as reaches out and introduces himself. “What’s your name?” “Mine’s Ray Palmer.”

Legendary facts:

Kuasa

Kuasa, is Mari McCabe’s older sister, and has not appeared in the DC Comics Universe proper, but originated in the CW’s animated online original series Vixen. In the cartoon, it is revealed that the two did not grow up together since being separated after the deaths of their parents.

Mari was adopted into an American family, and Kuasa, who is older, remained in Africa. Mari’s comparably simpler and more comfortable life allowed her to remain the pure-hearted hero Vixen, while Kuasa was morally compromised. In the cartoon, Ray Palmer battles Kuasa, which is referenced in the episode. In the animated series, Kuasa dies before being able to fully embrace the side of the light and good. This should be an interesting avenue for exploration during the rest of the season of Legends of Tomorrow.

Kuasa is not the only relative of Vixen that has coveted Totem and its powers (which I plan to expand on in a future post this season).

Zari

Zari is also a new character that has not appeared in the DC Comics Universe proper but seems to be an interpretation of the Shazam family character, Isis

Isis /Adrianna Tomaz, was enslaved and brought to Black Adam as a gift from Intergang. Upon freeing her, Black Adam found her to be unafraid and highly vocal about how he could change his country for the better, and eventully changing the way Adam looked at the world. Adam retrieved the magical amulet of Isis from the tomb of his wife and children, and asked Captain Marvel to confer its power on Adrianna. The Amulet of Isis had long ago belonged to another of the wizard Shazam’s champions, Queen Pharoah Hatshepsut of the 15th Dynasty, who had used it to bring peace to her kingdom, but upon Hatshepsut’s death the amulet became dormant.

So far the totem a has shown to provide Zari with the following powers of Flight and Elemental Control which similar to those of Isis.

Other Easter Eggs of note:

Mick Rory (Dominic Purcell) perks up when he hears about breaking into A.R.G.U.S. “Prison break?!” “I’m in.” Purcell and Wentworth Miller (Captain Cold) starred in the 2008 series on Fox entitled PRISON BREAK

Just for fun, I am keeping track of which Legend is responsible for causing the anachronism or exacerbates the time problem:

This episode Jax gets the nod for screwing things up and getting the Time Bureau’s attention. Sure, Agent Gary is a spaz and started the problem but when Jax starts the prison riot things get out of hand quickly.

Nate Heywood (Steel): 2

Jefferson Jackson (Jax): 1

Episode 4 Trailer:

“Phone Home” Season 3 Episode 4

The Legends learn that Ray Palmer will die because they broke time, causing them to race back to 1988 to try and save his life. When they arrive, they are surprised to learn that young Ray Palmer has befriended a time-displaced baby Dominator putting him in harm’s way with the government and the Dominator’s mother. New to the ship and missions, Zari must find her place and learn to trust the team. Meanwhile, Stein begins working on a secret project on the ship which makes Rory and Jax suspicious.

This season’s 80s reference is ET meets IT.

Stein’s project is most likely away for Jax to become Firestorm without the two of them having to merge.

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Episode 3

Next of Kin

The episode starts off with Team Arrow, led by Diggle, in pursuit of Alex Faust who has been helping Black Siren since the season premier. When they return to HQ, Diggle tries convincing Dinah that his tremors, caused by his injuries on Lian Yu are taken care of. The truth is, Team Arrow is about to implode without Oliver as Diggle trys to live up to this impossible responsibility as the Green Arrow.

Diggle and Team Arrow’s first mission as the full-time Green Arrow revolves around a group of former soldiers who stole a bunch of foreign gold and then used fake terrorist attacks to kill off their colleagues who knew about the heist. Led by Onyx, the group steals lethal gas from Kord Industries with plans to use it in Star City.

Oliver struggles to connect with William, a councilman who is trying to enact tough anti-vigilante laws and dealing with the FBI agent Watson who is still investigating him and his connection to the Green Arrow.

Oliver finds William stressing out about an upcoming Math exam and we learn Oliver doesn’t know much about math. Oliver, who is still learning to be a father tells William to “relax a little bit more” about his upcoming math test. Oliver won’t be winning Father of the Year with that kind of advice to a kid who was traumatized by a madman, lost his mother, living with his vigilante father and behind from switching schools, with that kind of advice. Oliver asks Felicity to tutor him Felicity, who bonds with William and is able to help him where Oliver cannot. It also looks like as a result Oliver and Felicity’s relationship is back on track.

As Mayor Oliver just can’t veto the anti-vigilante law without raising suspicions that have already been raised by the leaked photo. Quentin Lance and Oliver decide in order to circumvent the council, they will turn the proposed initiative into a voter referendum so the people of Star City will choose, rather than just the city council.

Oliver has to deal with the FBI’s current investigation by Agent Samanda Watson, who is still coming after him. She’s noticed that the Green Arrow isn’t using arrows and starts connecting the dots of with the other members of Team Arrow also in her crosshairs.

Diggle has a heart to heart with Oliver, after WildDog tells Oliver that the team is about to implode under John’s leadership. Oliver tells Diggle that he knows how to lead the team and that he was the obvious choice to step in the role. Oliver also gives Diggle a chance to step away from the role but he doesn’t take it.

After they take down Onyx, Curtis and Felicity give John a crossbow to help with his aim that is being affected by the nerve damage. It also revealed that John is injecting some sort of drug to help him suppress the tremors.

Arrow Points of Interest:

Onyx

Onyx first appeared in Detective Comics #546 (January 1985)

Onyx was a member of the League of Assassins, who eventually decided to retire from her life of murder. When she left, she chose life in an Ashram Monastery the in the same order to which Green Arrow had once belonged to. When the Ashram’s Exalted Master was later killed by a renegade monk named “Lars,” who intended to unravel the “Wisdom Key” that unlocked the powerful “Book of Ages.” Onyx sought Green Arrow’s help to defeat the villain. In the Ashram, Green Arrow and Onyx were defeated by Lars’ minions, and the monk took the Wisdom Key from Onyx. Upon opening the Book of Ages, however, Lars was vaporized. Later, Onyx appeared in Star City battling a villain named “Barricade.” Barricade turned out to be Lars again, who had been revived by his underlings. The spell that had apparently killed him was reversed only as long as he remained in contact with the Book of Ages, but he was attempting to make the reversal permanent by possessing the Wisdom Key again. In a battle with Onyx, Green Arrow, and Black Canary, Barricade again met defeat, and was reduced to a heap of bones. Onyx would later go on to be part of Batman’s team.

While Onyx may seem to be a throwaway Villian of the Week, I wouldn’t be surprised if she is part of Richard Dragon’s Longbow Hunters as they are both for members of The League of Assassins.

I think that we will see that Onyx and Black Siren will be part of Dragon’s plans for controlling the gangs of Star City.

Also when,oh when, are we going to finally meet Ted Kord??? They have been teasing Kord Industries for awhile now.

Episode 4 Trailer:

“Reversal” The Black Siren Strikes again, just as Oliver starts to get things in order, Black Siren launches another attack on the citizens of Star City.

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Next week I will cover two episodes of Riverdale.

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