TV Show Review

TV Review: SUPERGIRL: Season 2, Episode 6: Changing [The CW]

Mehcad Brooks Chris Wood Melissa Benoist Changing Supergirl

Supergirl: Changing Review

The CW’s Supergirl Season 2, Episode 6: ‘Changing’ had a great deal of changes taking place with our characters, which made things exciting. Besides introducing classic villain Parasite, we also got to see James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) debuting as the hero Guardian, Mon-El (Chris Wood) finally stepping up as a hero, and Alex (Chyler Leigh) finally coming out to Kara (Melissa Benoist). This week’s installment was great in what may be one of the best episodes of the season.

It was really good seeing the show pulling one of Superman’s well-known enemies out of the list and pitting him against Supergirl. William Mapother was cast well as the dangerous Parasite. Kudos to the writers for drawing inspiration from the classic horror film The Thing to give Parasite his origin story. The only concern here is that he is suppose to be one of Superman’s big foes, yet he hasn’t fought him in Supergirl since he’s not fighting him. It makes us wonder what sort of villains the Man of Steel had to fight against before Kara made her debut as a superhero. Regardless, it was still pretty amazing to see Parasite make his debut on the show.

Parasite even looks great onscreen, making him a great addition to Supergirl’s growing gallery of villains. The transformation from Rudy Jones into the monstrous villain is perhaps on of the best special effects that the show has pulled off so far. Even the big climactic fight felt cinematic at times, which was extraordinary on the show’s part.

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The character of Dr. Rudy Jones wasn’t fully explored, but the show managed to flesh him out as a villain compared to the other ones on the show. This version had incentive and drive with a mission to save the Earth before he was infected by the alien parasite and took over his mind. It was a little strange that the show didn’t address the fact that Dr. Jones was trying to save mankind from global warming by becoming the parasite once it took over.

With Parasite causing destruction in the city, the episode introduced two new heroes who went toe-to-toe against the beast after Supergirl and Martian Manhunter (David Harewood) were taken out. Mon-El’s transition from a selfish opportunist to a hero was one of the best parts of the episode. Chris Wood managed to craft his character into this likeable guy who annoys Kara. Mon-El proved that not everyone becomes a hero at will. He has taken a big leap this week, where he finally found his place on Earth and where things stand between him and Kara.

The only concern was had this week was with James Olsen and his journey to becoming Guardian. There was no need to introduce two superheroes in the same episode. In contrast to Mon-El’s arc, James this season kind of felt rushed and pushed into the story. His rapid need to become a vigilante required explanation. He became more of a person who feels left out from the crime fighting than someone who finds a calling. It’s baffling to see someone who is the boss of one of the most influential media companies in the world wanting to suit up and run around saving people.

It’s also weird that James’ Guardian managed to handle himself well against a giant purple monster on his own. During last week’s episode, James couldn’t even take on a few criminals without getting thrashed, so now it’s like he’s already an expert fighter after becoming Guardian. His costume looks pretty cool but it may need some work to help him stand out. Even his distorted voice isn’t helping anyone, so hopefully we can see Winn (Jeremy Jordan) customize the costume over time.

The episode did provide some lighter moments on top of Parasite attacking the city. It was really fun seeing Kara getting loose at the bar after getting drunk with Mon-El. Seeing Benoist in that scene helped show us that she is the one who brings the show together. Even her interaction between her and Alex was really well done. Besides being an entertaining show, Supergirl can also be inspirational to the viewers. Having the show tackling the LGBTQ community with Alex coming out was handled with care. With some strong performances from both Chyler Leigh and Benoist, their scenes were emotionally lifting. Even though Alex’s sexuality isn’t really a part of the overall plot of the second season, it is still nice of the writers to focus on her for a bit. It will be interesting to see how Alex and Maggie Sawyer’s (Floriana Lima) relationship will move forward after Alex got her heart broken.

‘Changing’ also brilliantly sets up to what will definitely be a conflict with J’onn in the next couple of episodes. With White Martian blood in his veins, it would be startling to see how this would affect him physically. How will J’onn react to finding out that M’gann is actually a White Martian? Things will certainly take a turn for the worse.

This week’s installment of Supergirl was great, despite some concerns with James Olsen becoming a vigilante. Parasite was done right with the visual effects and fleshed out. Mon-El made some strides as he took his first steps into becoming a hero. Even the dialogues between Alex and Kara made some of the most heartfelt moments this week.

Leave your thoughts on this review and this episode of Supergirl in the comments section below. Readers seeking more TV show reviews can visit our TV Show Review Page, our TV Show Review Twitter Page, our TV Show Review Facebook Page, and our TV Show Review Google+ Page. Readers seeking more Supergirl can visit our Supergirl Page. FilmBook staff members publish articles by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and Facebook.

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Mufsin Mahbub

**Fired from FilmBook for Plagiarism** Mufsin is a freelance writer from New York who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism at Long Island University. He has written for publications like HollywoodLife, Clubplanet, and Heavy. He is an avid lover for everything related to TV and film. He has gone to dozens of film screenings, press events, and loves to attend New York Comic Con every year. He gives an honest opinion on every TV show or film that people are going to be talking about.
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