Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Supergirl - Childish Things


In an episode that continues to develop Henshaw's (David Harewood) reasons for hiding his true identity from the world, Supergirl offers us the show's version of one of Superman's oldest enemies, the Toyman. Staying fairly close to his roots (without his bigger and goofier Silver Age giant-sized toys), the show's Winslow Schott (Henry Czerny) escapes from prison using deadly toys and attempts to reconnect with his son Winn (Jeremy Jordan). Not only does the episode allow Kara (Melissa Benoist) and Winn to bond over homicidal relatives but it also allows the introduction of Emma Caulfield as gun-happy Cameron Chase, the agent in charge of taking down the Toyman (dead or alive).

This Toyman is deadlier than some of the versions of the character over the years, but the joy he takes in toying with Supergirl certainly hearkens back to the source material. In a nice nod to the character's history, "Childish Things" offers toy versions of different versions of the Toyman including those from SuperFriends and Superman: The Animated Series. Winn's run-in with his father also brings his feelings for Kara to light causing a shake-up in the pair's relationship.

The episode also includes a pair of B-stories involving Superman's black friend James "Don’t Call Me Jimmy" Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) having a noticeable mixed reaction to Cat Grant's (Calista Flockhart) decision to hire Lucy (Jenna Dewan Tatum), and Alex (Chyler Leigh) wining and dining Maxwell Lord (Peter Facinelli) to allow J'onn the chance to poke around his company. As with the main storyline, each subplot has its own fallout as J'onn is forced to take drastic measures that haunt the last Martian and Lord discovers Supergirl's true identity.

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