Posted in: CW, Preview, Review, Trailer, TV | Tagged: supergirl, the cw

'Supergirl' Season 4, Episode 13 "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way?" Has the Answer [Spoiler Review]

Welcome back to Bleeding Cool's continuing coverage of the CW's Supergirl season 4. It's been a hot minute since we had a new episode and this week's return gathers the various plot points and characters together to take us into the final two-month stretch. How well did the episode tie together existing storylines and introduce new elements? Let's jump in and find out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYMH-RFEDik

Supergirl s04e13 "What's So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way": SUPERGIRL FACES OFF AGAINST THE ELITE — Manchester Black (guest star David Ajala) breaks out of prison with the help of his new team, The Elite, who are set on punishing the anti-alien forces. Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) pulls double duty as she tries to apprehend Manchester Black and his team as well as deal with a shocking new development with Ben Lockwood (Sam Witwer). Alexis Ostrander directed the episode written by Eric Carrasco & Aadrita Mukerji.

Along with his buddies Hat and Menagerie, Manchester Black busts out of prison in order to take the fight to the racists ("specists?"). To butcher Sean Connery in The Untouchables: for every human who has put an alien in the hospital, the Elite are going to put a human in the ground. It's not enough to take the fight to the United States government and the Children of Liberty, though: the Elite are making a statement to aliens scared and in hiding around the world by publicizing their intentions and the results of their strikes for all the world to see.

Because fighting for one's kind doesn't mean a thing if you're not getting the clicks and going viral…

This puts Kara in a bind more fierce than Jamie Lee Curtis running out of Activia. If she acts in alignment with the Elite, she's endorsing them in a "round-about sorta" way – which she can't do because she doesn't condone violence. Clearly, Kara can't choose the wine in front of her. At the same time, if she sides with the humans, then innocent aliens will die. Clearly, Kara can't choose the wine in front of me.

What Kara does choose to do is to confront The President of the United States when Manchester Black alerts Kara to the fact that Operation Claymore – the U.S. government's secret satellite designed to blow space ships out of the sky – is a go. Kara tries to tell the racists/specist old white guy in power what he can and can't do – including firing his satellite (can we call it a "Space Force"? I'm going to call it "Space Force".) and killing innocent aliens and… OH MY GOD THE CW IS SO SUBTLE IN THEIR SOCIO-POLITCAL COMMENTARY!

Instead, the President orders the guards increased at the secret satellite launch base and bumps the launch up to tomorrow night. Where are they launching from? Devil's Tower!

Shout out to Close Encounters of the Third Kind ("We are not alone"):

Meanwhile, at the Hall of – wait, not time for the Super Friends reference yet…

Meanwhile, back at the Fortress of Solitude:

Brainiac is attempting to teach Nia how to use her powers effectively in battle. Nia thinks that maybe the best way for her to learn what all she can do is for Brainiac to tell her what he knows about her, her planet, her future descendant… anything that might actually be useful. When Brainy refuses, Nia goes to Kelex, the Kryptonian computer that looks more roboty but sure acts more personably than Brainy. Brainy feels momentarily betrayed that Nia went all Karate Kid 3 and got instruction from a rival dojo, but tells her that she has the makings of a fine hero – what with the complete and utter disregard for doing as she's told.

For his part, J'onn is struggling between being the martian of peace that his father wanted J'onn to be and the desire to be a Manhunter and mess up some fools. J'onn thinks that Manchester Black is somehow taunting J'onn and pressing him into the fight. Somehow. Or… J'onn's just projecting and looking for a reason to throw some hands.

Either/or.

Kara asks Alex to intervene, but Alex can't/won't. Doing so would expose the DEO.

The Elite arrive at the military base where the satellite is located…

…but Kara is there backing up the soldiers with her Super Friends! Everybody fights, because that's what the audience came to see. Nia fights well, in spite of Brainy's non-training. However, Brainy loses his Legion flight ring to Hat. The spare Morae sneaks into the control room, reprograms the satellite, launches the weapon, and smashes the controls so no one can stop it. I mean, sure, there are a number of superheroes here that can fly… but those smashed controls? That'll be effective.

The Elite have reprogrammed the now unstoppable satellite to fire on The White House. What can anyone do? Alex shows up after all (surprise), Kara flies up to the satellite and stops it from destroying The White House before she rips apart the Space Force space gun. Guess no one thought of anyone with flight abilities doing that?

Other storylines featured in this week's episode:

● James is having a crisis of the heart regarding whether or not to follow up on a story involving Lena. What's a jilted lover/investigative reporter to do?

● Some of the Children of Liberty aren't keen on the idea that Lockwood is a political hob-nobber now instead of an Agent Liberty style man of action. Their mouthpiece Cooper suffers a righteous beatdown by Lockwood, who the President appoints as the new Director of Alien Affairs after Supergirl blew up his Space Force.

● Lena might be working with the DEO, but she doesn't trust the government. After learning that the President kept Operation Claymore a secret from the DEO, Alex doesn't trust the government, either. Alex pledges to help Lena give regular people superhuman abilities on the down-low.

What did you think of this week's new episode of Supergirl? Let us know in the comments below!

Supergirl airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. CT on CW. Join us back here next week for Bleeding Cool's coverage of season 4 episode 14, "Stand and Deliver."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCgbG6eFQ4o

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