DC Catchup: Arrow - 'So it Begins' and 'Vigilante'; Supergirl - 'Changing' and 'The Darkest Places'

So It Begins

Okay, so it's been a busy week or so, but illness has allowed me to get caught up on my DC viewing. Please excuse me if I lack my usual thoroughness.

We'll begin with Arrow, a little against tradition. 'So it Begins' sees Prometheus step up his direct campaign against the Green Arrow. He begins murdering apparently random targets with a trademark dart, but when Team Arrow investigate it turns out that the names of the victims are anagrams of names from The List, and that the darts have been made from metal reclaimed from the Arrows used throughout Oliver's career. This means that Prometheus knows that the same man was behind all three masks - the Hood, the Arrow and the Green Arrow - and as Oliver struggles to reconcile his team to his earlier ruthlessness(1), it becomes clear that he knows who that man is.

"Nice mask."

In 'Vigilante', Star City develops another of its periodic crimefighters. Vigilante is an extremist with advanced combat skills and a badass and only slightly silly suit. He is not, I am sorry to say, a cowboy; he's one of the other Vigilantes. They fail to stop him, and indeed only Oliver can match him. He's got that whole 'you're a half-measure' thing going on that the Punisher hit so well in season 2 of Daredevil, so that's a lot to match up to.

In flashback city, the Bratva sends Oliver to blow up a casino owned by his enemy, Dolph Lundgren(2), but when he gets caught he learns that they are making a deal with him instead. Oliver gets into a relationship with journo-woman(3) and Evelyn turns out to be working with Prometheus, which is a shame for the only woman among the recruits, but explains why she hasn't been allowed to use her Canary Cry.

Cool suit, but the bike screams midlife crisis.

In 'Changing', Supergirl is confronted by an energy-eating parasite that becomes a near unstoppable behemoth when it simultaneously drains power from Kara and Hank, the latter being so badly hurt that he needs a blood transfusion from M'gann Morzz. Enter Mon-el, who has been working as a freelance debt collector of sorts, and Guardian, James Olsen's superhero persona. With a protective suit, high tech shield and man in a van (Winn moonlighting,) Guardian in particular has no powers to steal and helps to bring the enemy down. They also seem to be pushing a little Mon-el/Kara action, which does not make me happy, and neither does the way that Kate shoots down Alex's advances. Alex is pretty teed as well, given how damned flirty Kate's been up until now, including when she was in a relationship.

I'll be honest, the whole 'impersonating Superman' angle is unlikely to crop up
in this case.

Then, in 'The Darkest Place', Mon-el is kidnapped by Cadmus to lure Kara into a trap. She is bushwhacked by the real Hank Henshaw, now 'enhanced' as Cyborg Superman. The head of Cadmus is exposed as Lillian Luthor, mother of Lex and Lena, who forces Kara to Solar Flare into a special helmet which absorbs the energy; no doubt for purely peaceful purposes. Trapped, weakened and with Mon-el succumbing to a Daximite's vulnerability to lead, of all things, the two are rescued by Jeremiah Danvers, but he isn't able to escape with them.

Meanwhile, J'onn realises that he's been transfused with White Martian blood, confronts M'gann and they go at it, despite her insistence that she isn't like other White Martians. I'm guessing a telepathic bond is off the table.

Okay; it's late, so let's hold onto The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow for another time.

(1) Strangely he never mentions that he actually killed relatively few people, but that most of his extortion victims instead were murdered months later by Malcolm Merlin.
(2) The character has a name I can never remember and holy shit, it's Dolph Lundgren.
(3) as above, but not played by Dolph Lundgren.