Iâd say I still prefer the first costume, but this one still looks pretty cool, and if it gives Anissa more of an excuse to go out as Thunder instead of Blackbird, Iâm all for it. That said, I definitely have to question why sheâs getting one now when there are just 4 episodes left in the series. If the show had been renewed for a 5th season or at least still had a chance to be, then I doubt Iâd question it at all, but given the circumstances, it just seems like an unnecessary change. Sure, thereâs the excuse of this new suit having extra abilities to help protect against new threats like the DEGs, but couldnât those have just been worked into her current suit? And thereâs also the fact that this new suit is nanotech that can be put on in an instant like Jeffâs suit, but I still feel that a change like that is better suited to be utilized in the long run instead of just a few episodes at most
My main takeaway from all of this is that this seems to be more evidence that the writers never intended for this to be the last season and were ultimately blindsided by the cancellation announcement. I feel like if they knew this was gonna be it w/ enough time to prepare, we either wouldâve gotten this new suit at the start of the season or just not at all. Perhaps the writers anticipated that Anissa would get to use this suit for at least a full season, but by the time they found out the show was ending, it was too late to change the script. I know Iâm overthinking all of this, but there just continue to be signs like this piling up that indicate there was a lot more going on behind the scenes regarding the showâs ending than has been put out there so far. It makes me worried that the showâs just gonna end w/ a handful of unresolved threads and/or a big cliffhanger, and even if Painkiller does end up getting picked up, a spinoff will really only be able to do so much w/ picking up the pieces of its parent show
Though Iâd certainly understand both sides of the argument here, I still feel like this scene was just unnecessarily cruel and traumatic to watch all the way through. My main objection comes down to the fact that Lynn has already been traumatized too much on this show over the last few years, and so I really feel like this didnât need to add onto it. It felt less like a move to keep building her character and more born out of a desire just to see her suffer. Having to spend time in jail for a crime she didnât commit is already horrible enough for her, and so this just felt like she was being kicked while she was down. Even if they were insistent on it happening, it couldâve at least been done off-screen so that we didnât have to suffer and cringe ourselves. At the end of the day, I just donât feel that this scene actually improved the episode, and so it couldâve been taken out to allow a little more screentime for someone else, or maybe just something less horrifying for Lynn
But at the same time, I do also recognize the fact that this scene was clearly meant to make us feel uncomfortable, so I canât argue that it wasnât successful in that regard, just that I donât agree w/ the intent. And I do also respect the âshow, donât tellâ approach in general, even if I feel like it wasnât used to its best ability here. There have been plenty of times where these Arrowverse shows only tell when they should be showing (Alex telling Kelly about Karaâs identity off-screen on Supergirl comes to mind as a recent example), and so if nothing else, I can appreciate the writers not wanting to leave things on the table. But at the same time, I just feel like this wasnât the moment to fully utilize that approach. I really hope this moment ends up being rock bottom for Lynn, because I donât think I can stand to see her suffering even worse than this. Though I wouldnât expect a fully happy ending by the series finale, I think we really need at least a somewhat happy one to make up for all this excessive trauma Tobias is causing
I thought she was absolutely fantastic! When a different actor is taking over an established role, the most important thing for them to do is make sure theyâve got the mannerisms down from the person who played the character before. Itâs clear that Helm studied Calista Flockhartâs scenes as Cat very closely, because she really managed to get Catâs trademark confidence and sassiness down. And since this isnât the exact same Cat we got to know in season 1, as sheâs still really looking to make a name for herself, it was great for Helm to have a chance to put her own stamp on the character as well. This Cat definitely has a chip on her soldier in a way that CatCoâs Cat didnât, and so that tenacity mixed with the familiar qualities made for a version of this character that was plenty familiar but still different enough to feel unique, and Helm was great at portraying all those different aspects, something I fully expect to continue in the next episode
But at the same time, now knowing that this episode only took place a little over a decade in the past, I have to question the logic behind getting another actor to play Cat at all. Now if this was several decades in the past, Iâd totally understand, as Calista Flockhart wouldnât really be able to pull that off w/out the kind of de-aging technology that Iâd never trust the CW with. But seeing as how itâs not, I really feel like it wouldnât take much for her to slide back into the role of Cat only about 6 years before we actually met her (assuming the pilot also takes place in 2015, the same year the show premiered). I know that Calista left as a regular when the show shifted production from LA to Vancouver, as she needed to be near her LA home, but she returned for a few episodes afterward, and it doesnât seem like itâd be a stretch to get her to return for these 2 episodes. I have to wonder if the producers even tried to reach out and see if sheâd be interested in returning as a guest. If they did but there was a scheduling issue or she just really didnât want to come back, then Iâd understand the recast a lot more. Hopefully we find that out at some point, because right now it seems like it was either a creative decision or just one made to save the money of not having to pay a higher-profile actor, the latter of which would be even worse
Though Kennyâs survival does raise some questions about the development of Kara and Alexâs relationship, as his death really brought them closer together, Iâd definitely be open to seeing more of him after 2009. Their relationship was very sweet to see, and regardless of whether they continued dating in this new timeline, itâs clear that they both mean a lot to each other. I could see Kenny coming back into Karaâs life to simply be a friend or even to possibly rekindle their romance. Granted, my gut is telling me that heâll probably end up being killed off in the next episode, as the writers love to see these characters suffer and they may wanna keep things more consistent from pre-Crisis, but while I still have some hope, Iâm gonna stick w/ it. As a hardcore Supercorp shipper, heâs obviously not my ideal choice for an endgame romance for Kara, but if heâs still alive in the present, then heâll certainly jump to the top of the list for male love interests. I can say w/ the utmost confidence that Iâd gladly take him over William in a heartbeat. Then again, Iâd take pretty much anyone over William in a heartbeat
