Top 5 Moments on Supergirl Episode 1×10 “Childish Things”

This week’s Supergirl deals with Winn’s past, Kara’s future, and Code Phoenix.

WARNING: Spoilers from this week’s episode of Supergirl will be shared in this article. Do not read further if you have not watched.

 

Winn’s Backstory: When a show gets the opportunity to delve into a main character’s backstory it allows the audience to have a better understanding of said character. Winn’s backstory showed great depth into his fears and insecurities that made his character so much more complex. Winn did not want to be put into a box where his father’s shadow would be lurking around him. Winn described his father as a coward and Winn has the constant fear of following in his footsteps. Except Winn went to the FBI when he realized that hiding his father’s note was not the right move. He took his father’s game and decided to not play it alone. Winn described his father as not always being crazy; he was normal, loving, and cared for his son. For Winn, his father was not the Toyman, but in Winn’s eyes he became a fallen idol that he would never be able to look at the same way again. Winn’s father described themselves as the same, that because they share the same DNA they are linked and they always will be.

Now that is true in many ways because we too come from our parents and we may have similar traits and features, but there comes a time in anyone’s life where parents can’t make the decisions anymore. The decisions you make as an adult are what define you and Winn had something that his father never had. Courage. He looked at his father and told him that he was nothing like him and that is absolutely true. He made the decision to not kill an innocent man and expresses compassion for the people that he cares about. In return, the people he cares about had his back and helped capture his father. Winn’s compassion is exactly what differentiates him from his father because he knows his limits and his morals. Jeremy Jordan gave his all in this episode and I cannot wait to see what he will bring to the role going forward.

Maxwell (You Sneaky One): Maxwell once again showed that he is absolutely 100% not to be trusted. Alex and Hank’s plan to sneak into Maxwell’s office by having Alex go on a “date” with him all seemed very successful. Hank took a few pictures of the plan and the mysterious Jane Doe until it is later realized that Maxwell planted a hidden camera on Alex’s purse, revealing to him that Alex and Kara (who was dressed as Supergirl) are sisters. (OH! NO!) Maxwell certainly has an edge now that he has discovered Kara’s secret and may be onto Hank’s as well. What do you guys think? How will this affect Kara’s future? Is Maxwell going to use Jane Doe against Kara and Hank? Or will he blackmail Kara and Hank at all?

Hank’s Identity: Through this season we have seen Kara take on her role as Supergirl and learning to become more than what she thought she could be. Kara never thought that she would be able to embrace her powers fully and be accepted but she is managing to step out her cousin’s shadow and be her own person. Kara had the same wish for J’onn J’onzz and hoped that he too, would step out of his own shadow and embrace his true self. Alex expressed the same interest only she wished that he would use his powers more for to keep Kara and others safe. Alex realized that pushing J’onn (Hank) was not the right approach because it caused him to wipe away a man’s memories and fill J’onn with instant regret. J’onn does not want to be recognized as a monster and he is afraid that if he reveals himself and embraced his true identify people will judge him cruelly. One thing is certain, and that is he cannot live in Hank Henshaw’s body forever, something tells me he might be running out of time to choose.

Love Squared?: Supergirl brought on the awkward this week when Cat offered Lucy a position with her company, much to the surprise of James and Kara. With James, it wasn’t the fact that he and Lucy would be working together, it had more to do with the fact that Lucy was fulfilling a job that she will excel at while James didn’t feel the same way about his. His comfort is with his camera and getting to capture the action as it happens. James said it best when he told Lucy that he couldn’t do that behind a desk. The conversation between Lucy and James was well executed because it wasn’t about territory or needing to separate work and private life. It was about a soul search and realizing, for James, that he wants to reignite his passion for photography and hoping that it is not too late while Lucy shows support and understanding. While it is noted that this may not be everyone’s preferred “ship” it did show the impact of great communication and trust between characters. Kara did show her longing but her main focus this episode was on Winn.

Winn and Kara’s friendship was exceptional this episode. It was touching to hear about how their experiences and troubled pasts make them share a strong bond. Winn of course made his vulnerability known and kissed Kara then later admitting he is in love with her. (Awww!) His confession is denied by Kara telling him that she didn’t want their relationship to change. This would seem like a major set back for Winn and Kara’s relationship and yes, it does change the way their relationship will be from here on out, but that is a good thing.

This trope is not new to the world of love triangles, many times you see the loyal best friend hopelessly in love with the girl who only sees him as a friend. However, with Winn it feels different than what I have seen in the past because Winn is being vulnerable for himself. He didn’t expect Kara to return his affections. If anything he expected the situation to go exactly the way it did, but it was his way to be free. He told Kara that his father kept things bottled up until he eventually exploded into madness. Winn wasn’t going to let his feelings be bottled up and left unnoticed. His father released his kept feelings in an unhealthy way. Winn may have been acting on an anger adrenaline due to his father, however, his confession was truthful and open. It takes courage to let feelings be exposed in a way that may end in heartache, but that is when Winn succeeded where his father had failed.

5. What is Code Phoenix?: Though Alex and Hank’s plan went semi-successful it still left the audience with the question of what exactly is Code Phoenix? What does the name mean? It could be a representation of the Jane Doe whom we have yet to be introduced to (however is theorized to be Bizarro)? Or is it only a small part of a much bigger plan?

 

Supergirl airs Monday nights at 8/7c on CBS.