SUPERGIRL 6.9

 

RECAP - SUPERGIRL  6.9:  "Dream Weaver"  

Changes keep coming in National City, but one thing remains constant:  The Superfriends are the guardians keeping vigil over it.  But new threats are always on the horizon, and this week, the threat hits somewhat close to home, and effects our heroes in certain ways....especially Kelly Olsen.  Kelly began her new job as a social worker this week.  As for Kara...she's getting a new assignment---one that's close to home:  herself.  And we also dive more into this dream that Nia is having that features Nyxly.  So, bring the gang, and let's see what happened in this installment...

Kelly Olsen began her new job as a social worker this week, and she had nerves about being able to do this job well.  Of course everyone is encouraging during game night.  We know that Lena is on a personal journey to find out more about her birth mother, and that still gives us pause to take notice of Nia's struggle with her own feelings in regards to her mother.  Kelly has to try and help a young boy named Joey, who's been misusing his powers and acting out at the orphanage.  Kelly goes to visit the young boy, and takes notice of the fact that the head of the orphanage there is a bit stern in how she handles the children.  Kelly talks to Joey, and she finds out that his older brother Orlando is in a prisoner work program, and he's been overusing his powers, and it's causing him pain.  Kelly says that she will look into it and help him out.  

Kelly discusses her story with Joey to the team, and Kara says she wrote a story about the Prisoner Work program awhile back, and that she can use her contacts to get an interview with the prison warden, see what's going on with Orlando.  They get there, and meet up with the Warden, who dismisses any incidents involving alien prisoners using their powers, but he promises to do a full investigation.  Kelly and Kara aren't 100% satisfied with his answers, so they sneak around, and find out that he's being loaded into a van with other prisoners for some work, but they do NOT look happy.  Kelly decides to check up on Joey, and Kara will follow Orlando, and see what's up.  Now, I note that earlier on, Supergirl and Martian Manhunter were investigating the theft of some trucks carrying dangerous chemicals and equipment, and they notice a piece of metal that looked like it was touched with someone with alien powers.  The team had been checking into this theft---and various others---to see if there was a connection, and see what's going on. Supergirl follows the prisoners to the same place she and J'onn were at earlier, and sees that the prisoners were being used as part of the plan for the thefts...and that the prison guards are in on it...and quite possibly the Warden. She goes to confront the guards, but the prisoners use their powers to help them escape. 

Kelly, meanwhile, goes to check up on Joey, and finds that the head of the orphanage is using a device to keep Joey in check, as he's acting out...not realizing the tremendous pain she's causing the young boy.  Kelly calls her out on it, and the lady merely tells her that she's been doing this a long time, and that the kids have to learn that actions have consequences.  Kelly notices security cameras in the house, and she wonders what the state would think if those security cameras showed proof of abuse.  The lady challenges Kelly.  Kelly does check on Joey, as one of the other kids...a little girl...watches on.  Kelly later on confesses to Alex that she thinks she made things worse, but Alex assures her that she's doing the right thing.  That taking a risk to help this boy.  Kelly tells Alex about her nightmare in the Phantom Zone, and how she used a shield like James' Guardian shield to save them.  Alex says maybe she needs to do that for Joey...and the other kids.  So, later on, we see Kelly in disguise downloading the video from the security camera to help prove her theory about abuse.  

While trying to help Kelly with Orlando, Kara now sees the connection with him and their truck robberies, but also has had to deal with Andrea, and her constant pursuit of clicks and ratings for Catco, putting pressure on both her, William, and even Nia, to get the story about the Superfriends.  She wants an interview, an exclusive, and pretty much threatens their jobs with it.  Kara goes back to the prison to talk to the Warden, and he's a bit more defensive the second time around, as he takes offense to her line of questioning.  He then later has a press conference to spin the story to say that the guard was kidnapped by the prisoners, and they're trying to get the guard back.  Kara knows he's lying, but now her story...and Kelly's issue with Joey...are running in the same circle.  So, Kara and J'onn do some digging, and she also enlists William for help for his FBI contacts, and they managed to find out that the program Kara highly touted has been financed by a bunch of dummy corporations---all of which lead back to Intergang.  They also find out that the Warden has been taking graft from Intergang into offshore accounts, so they know he's in on it.  Kara relates that information to the team, and her and J'onn go to try and help Orlando  and the other prisoners out.  

The Warden knows Kara Danvers is onto them, and the guard tells that Manheim...who owns the dummy corporations and is behind Intergang, is taking care of things, as the prisoners will be killed after completing their mission:  getting the rest of the uranium they've been pilfering to make a nuclear dirty bomb.  Supergirl and Martian Manhunter show up, and easily dispatch of the guards.  As for Orlando and the prisoners, they don't want to go back because they know the system failed them.  However, Supergirl convinces him that, while the system IS flawed, and easily corruptable, she promises to work with them, to help them out.  That convinces them enough that they won't escape.  William shows up at the prison after the incident, and interviews Supergirl, who says that this was an unfortunate incident, but she still believes the program can work.  She'll continue to fight for justice.  Andrea's happy with William's work, and wishes Kara would follow his lead.  As much as William agrees with Kara that Andrea is missing the point about true journalism, he also feels that Supergirl's message, if given, could have a tremendous impact.  

Kelly also sees tremendous results of HER work, as the head of the orphanage is arrested for abuse to the children there.  Kelly promises the kids that she'll be there to keep watch over them, and ensure they're treated properly.  She also comes through for Joey, as Orlando is granted his release.  He says that he is out for good, and is going to take care of his little brother from here on out.  He only robbed a store because he needed money for a place to live for him and his brother.  But Orlando getting a second chance is heartwarming to see.  Later on, Alex and Kelly discuss the risks Kelly took, and Kelly says that the kids need a protector...and that she wants to be the new Guardian.  Alex knew that, and called up James, and he gave his sister his Guardian suit.  Thus, her official training begins.  Alex knew it was coming after seeing how Kelly used James' shield during Crisis.  

The one story we HAVEN'T touched on is Nia's.  Since the end of last episode, Nia's been dreaming of her mother, and in this dream, she's not able to catch up to her.  There's also this white owl that seems to fly in from time to time....but there's a new element:  Nyxly.  Somehow, the Imp from the 5th Dimension that snuck out of the Phantom Zone with the Superfriends is now stuck in Nia's dreams.  Throughout the episode, we see Nyxly trying to persuade Nia to let her out, so that she can go back home to the 5th Dimension...but Nia knows that Imps aren't  to be trusted.  The owl actually has a voice, and tries to convince Nia itself that Nyxly is just using her, and keeps attacking Nyxly.  But in the end---Nyxly plays her trump card:  She has the ability to bring her mother back to life---if only for 24 hours---so that Nia could see her again.  Nia then blasts the owl...agreeing to Nyxly's deal.

It's a good episode when you can have separate stories find a way to intertwine, and that's what happened with Kara's investigation with the alien prisoners, and Kelly's social work.  It allowed us to see Kara doing something we've not seen her do in a LONG time:  investigative reporting.  We got to see that it wasn't always a Supergirl issue, and that Kara Danvers can have the spotlight a little.  We got to see Kelly finally step up, and be the hero we all knew she was, and finally gets to become the new Guardian.  The team worked together on both a superhero front, but an investigative one as well.  William and Kara work well as a reporting team, much in the same vein as Kara's cousin Clark, and Lois.  I'm all for them being this reporting duo, and still NOT have them in a relationship.  

Lena took a powder this week, as she's on a personal journey to look into her biological mom's life.  I'm interested to see what she comes up with, because it will really help flesh out Lena more as a character.  But that also brings us to the BIG problem:  Nia.  She just can't shake being without her mother, and feels lost without her.  While Lena is taking steps to resolve her issues with her mother, Nia is stuck in neutral, and can't function without her.  As I have said before, this is going to be a liability for her in the field (and at work), and now with Nyxly having pulled on her heartstrings, it's just going to make things WORSE for when Nyxly gets OUT of Nia's dreams, and into the real world.  That spells trouble for the rest of the team.  Nia has had so much trouble moving on in life since her mother died.  She feels she can't control her powers as well as she could, understand them, and she's still on the outs with her biological sister, because they've NEVER gone back to resolve THAT issue.  They've teased about her sister still hating her, but have NEVER had that confrontation.  Alex and Kara have had issues between them SEVERAL times, but they have always worked it out.  But Nia NEEDS to get that issue settled...it doesn't help her character at all. 

It appears that Intergang will be a thorn in Supergirl's side going forward.  I think this was just the tip of the iceberg for that story.  Manheim is not one to suffer losses lightly, and I feel he's already working on a new plan to take down the Superfriends.  So, expect to hear more about the as the series gets into the home stretch.  

What did YOU all think of this episode?  Shoot me your thoughts and opinions, theories and otherwise by subscribing to the blog, and leaving me comments below.

Until next time....Up, up, and away!