Jeremiah Danvers (Dean Cain, The Adventures of Lois and Clark) is rescued in an operation that seems too good to be true.  Only Mon El seems to be worried about his convenient return, driving a wedge into his new relationship with Kara and pitting family members at odds with each other.

This was another fun episode, even though there were some basic plot issues with the show.  Then again, it’s a superhero show, so sometimes you have to fill in the blanks.  The family dynamics between the Danvers play a key role in the in the development of the relationship between Mon El and Kara.  J’onn is reunited with the friend who saved him, only to find himself betrayed by that same friend.  The special effects were great, although I believe they blew their budget on last week’s episode because some of the plot points this week didn’t make sense, but we will get to that.

What Worked:

• Dean Cain shines in his role as Danver patriarch Jeremiah. I had a feeling when he helped Mon El and Kara escape that there was something fishy going on, and it was certainly confirmed this episode.  When there are strong actors to play off of, weaker actors step their game up, and that was certainly the case this week.  It was also great that his return brought the return of Helen Slater as Eliza Danvers, our second episode MVP.  She is reasonably hesitant to pick up where they left off.
• Chris Wood knocked this episode out the park with his balance of comic relief and voice of reason. Mon El was the real MVP of the episode.  Reasonably cautious and suspicious of Jeremiah’s return, the gang learns to late to trust his reason.  They are blinded by their love for him, not realizing that his sudden return is a source of suspicion and should be further investigated.  That said, it’s also good that
• Winn has a life! Finally!  I am glad to see that Lyra stuck around and Winn isn’t pining over Kara.  I was afraid after last season they would push that storyline, and appreciate that they let it go.  I am also appreciating the development of friendship between Mon El and Winn, as they both begin to investigate Jeremiah’s intentions.
• Alex coming out to her father was awkward, but natural. I appreciate the way the show handled it once again, even seeming to insert some portion of Dean Cain’s personality into the reaction.
• While I initially struggled with Kara’s reaction to Mon El’s suspicion, I appreciate that she was written in a way that showed her coming to her senses and using logic to determine what was really going on. It’s a growth for Kara that is sorely needed.  In the same vein, I appreciate the adult way they handled the sexual relationship between the two.  While some of the early stages were very juvenile, it seems to be blossoming into a mature relationship.

What Did Not Work:

• I did not like how the Alex and J’onn were written this episode. Alex regressed to her season 1 self.  J’onn was completely incompetent.  How is it he did not realize he could not read Jeremiah until it was too late?  That was too convenient.  It was an unnecessary plot device that I wish they had not used, because the writing has been improving and this was a bit of a setback.
• Jeremiah drops a line about knowing who Mon El really is. How? It isn’t from the DEO download.  How does he know?  It seemed unnecessary.  It’s not earned.  They haven’t seeded anything to indicate that it is possible that Jeremiah is aware of Mon El’s royal lineage (I’m holding that theory until it’s disproven.)
• This is the second week without James.  Where exactly is he?  The season has not been his strongest in terms of character development, and now he completely disappears?  We need him back in the hands of strong writers.
• The show continues to write the DEO as a completely dysfunctional, stupidly run entity. In the same vein, Hank Henshaw himself is portrayed as nothing more than muscle, and not a man who ran an anti-alien agency for decades.  There is more that can be done with his character, and they can write this heavily funded government agency as though they possess some level of competency.

This is was a fun episode.   Flawed, but a lot of fun.  I’m looking forward to next week, where it appears we have the return of the Fort Rozz prison and the advancement of the Cadmus agenda.

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