TV Review: SUPERGIRL: Season 1, Episode 7: Human for a Day [CBS]

CBS’s Supergirl Human for a Day TV Show Review. Supergirl Season 1, Episode 7: Human for a Day reached a crucial point in any story about a superhero showing us why Supergirl is the hero National City needs in spite of of how much power she has. The episode’s plot was something that needed to be told to viewers, even if we know that the stakes aren’t as high as the show wants it to be. It’s obvious that she would be getting her powers eventually.

The episode pretty much continues from where we left off from last week’s installment where we learn that Kara (Melissa Benoist) has found out that she can feel pain, meaning she has lost her powers temporarily. This development to the character gives Melissa a chance to expand her acting range by experiencing different emotions like fear, pain, and turmoil. When an earthquake hits National City, Kara feels helpless when she sees someone in danger and wonders what her purpose is now that she has no powers. This mirrors what Superman went through in both the comics and in film.

With a push from James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks), Kara finds her calling again and goes out to do what she does best: being a hero. Even though Kara’s storyline in the episode starts pretty quickly, she has been in misery and self-pity for a while, causing her lose her credibility as a hero. Rather than sulking in her sorrow, Kara gets herself up and decides to show everyone why she is worthy of having that S on her chest.

Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) continues to astound us with her performance this season, especially when she went on-air and gave an inspiring speech to the citizens of National City. Even having Flockhart’s scene mix with Benoist’s one with the robbery was a great way to represent what these two stand for. The show continuously emphasizes on Supergirl’s concern for others, and that resonates with James when he took that iconic photograph of her stopping a robbery without her powers. We also learned a bit about James and why he became a photographer, which fit into Kara’s arc of self-discovery. Even with all the gloomy stuff happening in the episode, it’s a nice way to remind us of needing heroes and how they help us in times of need. Cat does well in conveying that message as we continue to see this softer side to this strict character.

It was impressive to see the chemistry between Kara, Cat, and James, as they each helped Kara reach her capabilities as a hero and as an individual, but Winn (Jeremy Jordan) was again left out of it. He had this bizarre moment at the end of the hour after spotting Kara hugging James and criticizes Kara for wanting to become a hero and have a relationship. It was confusing seeing that, especially knowing that Winn has feelings for Kara, but acting like a jerk about it felt weird being this soon in their relationship. However, that was made up with a great moment with James saving some people up an elevator shaft.

The biggest moment though had to be the big reveal of Hank Henshaw’s (David Harewood) real identity as Martian Manhunter. This is a great development to Harewood’s character was this adds another layer that needs to be explored. The episode does well in establishing J’onn J’onnz as another alien like Kara who is the sole survivor of his species, giving him a connection with Kara. Even the effects showing his true form brought the show to a whole another level when it comes to television visual effects.

The only downside to this episode was the usage of telepathic alien Jemm (Charles Halford). Jemm escapes his prison cell at the DEO after the earthquake, causing Henshaw and his team to start a search party for him. However, the way this was set up worked out, forcing Alex (Chyler Leigh) to confront her boss who may had something to do with her father’s death. This led up to that big reveal and learning more on what happened to Alex’s father. But, Jemm became one of those Kryptonian villains who were underused and a forgettable character.

‘Human for a Day’ did its job to show us how Kara can be a hero without her abilities. The episode truly paid off with introducing us to another DC superhero. Watching Supergirl regain her powers was a thrill ride from beginning to end. Despite the weak performances by Jemm and Winn, Supergirl’s latest episode comes out on top.

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