Supergirl – Season 4 (Blu-ray & Digital)

Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of this Blu-ray that we reviewed in this blog post. The opinions we share are our own.

Supergirl returns for a fourth season of crime-fighting and peacekeeping!

Season 4 is a darker season of Supergirl. The team must face threats of prejudice, hate crimes, and terrorism against aliens on Earth. As an alien herself, Supergirl struggles to protect a planet that no longer wants her help due to her origins.

Though having almost no connections to the third season, this season offers better writing, fewer villains, and tighter storylines. However, the season still occasionally loses sight of its overall themes, introduces a key villain who feels out of place at this time in Supergirl’s story, and sees characters make illogical decisions. Seriously, how does no one recognize Supergirl as CatCo reporter Kara Danvers? It’s been four years at least, and still no one.

Take a look at the season’s official description – “Supergirl faces a bigger threat than ever before: a wave of anti-alien sentiment spreading across National City that’s fomented by Agent Liberty. As Kara Danvers mentors a new investigative reporter, Nia Nal, at CatCo Worldwide Media and tries to use the power of the press to shine a light on the issues threatening to tear the city apart, Supergirl takes to the skies to battle the many villains rising up in this era of divisiveness. How does Supergirl battle a movement when she, an alien herself, represents what people fear most? But it’s the malevolent Lex Luthor and his nefarious plans for evil dominion that present the Girl of Steel with her greatest challenge . . . and a shocking new ally. Season Four soars with 22 thrilling new adventures that carry a torch for truth and justice in the ongoing struggle for peace on the planet.”

Season 4 of Supergirl stars returning cast members Melissa Benoist, Chyler Leigh, Mehcad Brooks, Katie McGrath, and David Harewood. With Jeremy Jordan and Chris Wood not returning this season, Jesse Rath is upgraded to the principal cast and is joined by newcomers Sam Witwer, Nicole Maines, and April Parker Jones. The season features guest appearances by Lynda Carter, Helen Slater, Brenda Strong, Rhona Mitra, Robert Baker, Bruce Boxleitner, Andrea Brooks, David Ajala, Azie Tesfai, and Jon Cryer.

After a messy season and a confusing number of villains, season three ended with Supergirl and her team yet again managing to save the day by defeating Reign and the Witches. Sam was permanently separated from her evil alter ego, meaning she and her daughter could leave to lead normal, non-meta-human lives. James’ identity as The Guardian was revealed. Mon-El decided to return to the future, and Winn, realizing that his true calling was in a different time, decided to go with him. In their place, Brainiac 5 stayed to help the D.E.O. with any new threats. Alex decided she was ready to be a mom and contemplating leaving her job. J’onn, after losing his father, convinced Alex to stay and promoted her to head of the D.E.O. so that he could leave and experience a life outside of work. Alura decided to return to Argo City to be with her people. Lena sent the experimental Harun-El with Alura but secretly kept some for her own research. And finally Supergirl, after altering time to save her mother, Sam, and Mon-El, unknowingly created another version of herself who appeared in Siberia.

Season 4 opens nearly six months after the events of the past season’s finale. The show’s leading lady is finally finding a balance between her roles as Kara Danvers, CatCo reporter, and Supergirl, defender of mankind. As she tells James, “For the first time in my life, I’ve got everything under control.” We all know that’s going to fall apart quickly.

And sure enough – it’s been nearly two years since President Marsdin (Lynda Carter) signed the Alien Amnesty Act into effect, but tensions between humans and aliens have never been higher. After an attack on the president reveals her true alien form (a fact the audience has known since her introduction in the second season), the nation becomes divided on their response to aliens.

The show chooses to use the relationship between humans and aliens as a metaphor for how people respond to those who are different than them in some way. Further driving home the analogy is the show’s first transgender superhero, Dreamer. While it’s a strong metaphor, it’s one the show previously used for its second season, and several of the plot points feel rehashed.

Season 4 makes the metaphor more personal this time around by showing how hostility and prejudice directly impact characters viewers know such as Brainiac 5. Though the season is missing Jeremy Jordan’s charm and humor, the show is quick to point out that Brainy, though having his own quirky sense of humor, is not a replacement for Winn. Jesse Rath brings a breath of fresh air to the show. When Brainy’s alien form is exposed to the public, he is shocked at the animosity he receives from both the people he knows and the general public.

One of the season’s highlights is its third episode “Man of Steel” – a look at the anger towards aliens from the other side of the debate. Rather than the rushed backstory villains on this show are typically given, the entire episode is spent developing one of the season’s key villains, the Agent of Liberty (Sam Witwer). The episode is carefully woven through the show’s past three seasons, showing how crucial plot points impacted an innocent civilian and his family. By the end of the episode, it’s hard not to see the typical heroes in a different light. The episode is wonderfully written, carefully crafted, and a standout for the entire series.

But, yet again, the season attempts to have too many primary antagonists. This season alone features the Agent of Liberty, Mercy and Otis Graves, Hat, Menagerie, and the Children of Liberty among others. And then out of nowhere there’s Lex Luthor?!?!

Jon Cryer’s inclusion as Lex Luthor was revealed in the marketing materials of the show, but Lex’s appearance feels out of place on the show, at least at this time. Lena’s introduction in the second season and friendship with both Kara and Supergirl seemed to parallel Lex’s relationship to Superman (in some variations). The reveal at the end of the last season that Lena secretly kept Harun-El for her own research also opened the door for her to have a darker storyline this season. However, the introduction of Lex directly takes away from Lena’s storyline and overarching role on the show. She is forced to take the backseat as her more well-known brother dominates the second half of the season.

Lex Luthor is also such an iconic villain that it seems strange to only give him half a season worth of attention. His appearance seems to silence the season’s social commentary. It is no longer about how aliens are treated by humans – now it’s a rushed Lex Luthor story. This is one of the DC’s best big bads, but he is treated as just another season villain. Possibly, the show has further plans for his character later down the road, but his inclusion now feels out of place and takes away from his sister’s storyline.

The attention given to Lex in the season’s final few episodes means that several storylines for the rest of the season are either glazed over or left unresolved. For example, the storyline of Kara’s doppleganger is included but barely given any screen time. It almost feels like one storyline was planned and then the writers switched to another direction but still had the doppleganger thread to use so they forced it into the new direction.

A final thought on the season is that characters often seem to make illogical decisions simply to advance the plot. For example, an alien friend of J’onn’s who works as a scientist is attacked in the premiere. While Supergirl suspects the victim may have been targeted for his research (which was stolen in the attack), J’onn is quick to dismiss her and insist that it was a hate crime. She, in turn, is quick to dismiss him. It feels out of character for J’onn, former head of the D.E.O., to not look at all of the evidence before reaching a conclusion, but it also feels out of place for Supergirl to so quickly ignore her mentor’s concerns. Yet, the disagreement sets up a plot line for the season.

Overall, it’s a better season than its predecessor, but the show again insists on too many villains. While the episode “Man of Steel” is one of the show’s finest episodes, the rest of the season rushes its many villainous storylines and allows them to take away from lead characters like Lena. Lex is such an iconic villain that he almost feels wasted by this season.

Trivia Tidbits:
David Harewood makes his directorial debut with episode 21 “American Dreamer.”

Episodes and Special Features

Disc 1

• 1. “American Alien”
• 2. “Fallout”
• 3. “Man Of Steel”
• 4. “Ahimsa”*
• 5. “Parasite Lost”*
• 6. “Call To Action”*
• Special Feature: Best of DC TV’s Comic-Con Panels San Diego 2018 (1:00:59) – Highlights of fan interactions, audience questions, and show panels from Supergirl, The Flash, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and Arrow are shown.

Disc 2

• 7. “Rather The Fallen Angel”*
• 8. “Bunker Hill”*
• 9. “Elseworlds: Hour One” – Part one of the annual DC Crossover
• 10. “Elseworlds: Hour Two” – The Crossover continues
• 11. “Elseworlds: Hour Three” – The conclusion of the DC Crossover
• 12. “Suspicious Minds”
• Special Feature: Inside the Crossover: Elseworlds (45:00) Hector Navarro hosts a panel that includes the showrunners of the CW’s DC superhero shows, including Batwoman. The panel discusses the 2018 crossover event: Elseworlds, introduces behind-the-scenes clips, and teases the next big crossover event.

Disc 3

• 13. “Blood Memory”*
• 14. “Menagerie”
• 15. “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, And The American Way?”*
• 16. “Stand And Deliver”*
• 17. “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”*
• 18. “The House of L”*
• Special Feature: Villains: Modes of Persuasion (38:04) – This feature serves as a documentary that explores why audiences are so drawn to villainous characters. It explores the idea by looking at iconic DC villains through the lenses of pathos, ethos, and logos. In addition to writers, actors, and crew members, a real life psychologist is interviewed on the topic. Spoiler warning for viewers not caught up on every season of each DC show.

Disc 4

• 19. “All About Eve”*
• 20. “Crime And Punishment”*
• 21. “American Dreamer”*
• 22. “Will The Real Miss Tessmacher Please Stand Up?”*
• 23. “Red Dawn”*
• 24. “The Quest For Peace”
• Special Feature: Gag Reel (7:28) – Check out the actors forgetting and flubbing lines, dropping props, and breaking character.

*Deleted Scenes Included

Reviewer’s Note: I also recently reviewed the fifth season of The Flash and was highly impressed with the amount of work that went into the special features for that release. What I did not realize at the time was that the CW released the same features on multiple series releases. While the features are still well-developed and thorough, they don’t offer anything unique or new that season collectors won’t already have by owning or watching another CW Blu-ray releases from the same year. The Flash took it one step farther, though. While it offered the standard CW features, it also included additional features that applied only to The Flash, such as an in-depth character feature on Killer Frost. Supergirl offers nothing special or relevant to itself outside of a fairly average gag reel. I would be more impressed with the features if this show, like its CW counterpart, had added a few features that were specific to Supergirl.

Takeaway
Overall, this is one of Supergirl’s better seasons. The writing is better, the storylines are tighter, and there are fewer villains; however, the season could have benefitted from including even fewer villains and spending time developing the villains that were present. While the Agent of Liberty is a fascinating villain who is given a moving and well-crafted backstory, the inclusion of Lex Luthor feels out of place. For a season dedicated to exploring the relationship between humans and aliens, why change direction midway and rush a story about one of DC’s most notorious and iconic villains? Perhaps saving Lex for another time would have made this season better.