This Week in TV: What is Love

Supergirl 

S02E13 Mr and Mrs Mxyzptlk

Another solid episode from Supergirl. This week the focus was Valentine’s Day and even though it was a week late it was a welcome look into the personal lives of our characters. The main story is divided between Maggie and Alex’s Valentine’s Plans and the introduction of fan favourite character Mr.Mxyzptlk and his affection towards Supergirl. One of the most enjoyable parts came as Mxycptlk shows up in his own version of a Superman suit and saves the day with pomp and circumstance. Even though he caused the problem, his musical references and constant wit are a welcome introduction to the show. On the other side of the romance, we have Kara and Mon-El who are partly checking if they should be together. They are tested by this new suitor for Kara and while the relationship is tested they end the episode as a couple. Whether he is truly here for Kara or a plot twist later in the season we shall see.

As always there are some really sweet moments in the episode, Supergirl fighting a giant ice sculpture in Fortress of Solitude was amazing, Mxyzptlk’s introduction with all the candles, a rotating arrangement of a string quartet and a Vera Wang wedding dress made his introduction truly pop.

Speculation: Mxyzptlk will definitely be back probably next season for more delightful fun. Mon-El is definitely going to betray Kara by the end of the season. Possibly as a CADMUS creation or brainwash but he could be redeemed if he somehow sacrifices himself with a time portal and ends up in 30 the century with the Legion of Superheroes.

Detroiters

S01E03 Sam the Man

Another fun episode from the folks at Comedy Central. This new show is definitely one you should be watching as it matches the absurdity of Atlanta with the cunning of Mad Men. In this episode, we took some time away from their advertising agency and got to explore Sam as he is going around the city looking for love. He finds it with a council woman who uses him as a prostitute and he slowly turns into one. It was full of solid gags including some fun nods to classic film and just the usual insights into how bad it is in Detroit. The standout of the episode has to be Tom and his inability to let same find love because as we find out that he only wants him all to himself. It continues to have a really solid start to the show and the chemistry between these characters and the city is great to watch.

Legends of Tomorrow

S02E12 Camelot/3000

If you like amazingly cool fight scenes you are going to love the final 15 minutes of this episode. While the first part sees the team following parts of the spear of destiny, it all concludes with the army of Camelot versus an army of mind-controlled soldiers. Here is where it all goes down, one, you get a medieval knight battle in the snow on a muddy battlefield. Two, Sir Raymond of the palms (Ray Palmer) ionizes his sword to create a sabre of light. Three, amazing cool slow motion shots of soldiers being cut down by swords. Four, a surprising amount of blood and gore from the stabbing and slashing. Five, a final showdown between Ray Palmer and Damien Darhk to the end. Overall the episode was mediocre but this final battle scene makes it all worth the wait.

Justice League Action

S01E10 Under a Red Sun

This was an interesting episode because of the cast and the possible relevance in the upcoming months. This episode focused on Superman as he was transported by Steppenwolfe to a planet with a red sun, therefore reducing his powers. We also  have Batman and Big Barda traveling to Apokolips to try and and locate Superman to bring him back. At the end, Superman defeats Steppenwolfe and he is rescued by the rest of the team. It was a fun episode because we got to see how super Superman can be even without his powers.

It is an  important episode to watch as a intro into this November’s Justice League movie. We have the main villain in Steppenwolfe and this is one possibility of what could happen. I really hope there is some part of the movie that takes us to Apokolips and hopefully it is as enjoyable as this episode.

The Detour

Season 1

The Detour is a 2016 comedy show airing on TBS. The main premise of this season takes us into the lives of this family as they depart on a family vacation. As they travel towards Ft. Lauderdale, Florida it slowly revealed that everything is not as it seems. Nate Parker Jr. the father, as played by Jason Jones was truly trying to expose the wrong doings of his company and that creates the journey that we see in the show.

The show is quite enjoyable because it blurs the line between comedy, drama and mystery shows. In this way it creates it’s own space in the TV environment. There are solid performances peppered throughout the show but I think my favourite is Jareb Parker by Liam Carroll as he is portrayed as this lovable derpy kid that is just trying so hard but just doesn’t get it. That is what makes this show so engaging, the fact that everyone portrays such real characters is enlightening. The flaws are evident that is why you appreciate them.

One thing that makes each episode shine is the way that it tackles modern issues with a characters perspective. They discuss racism, sexuality,  and much more all while presenting both sides of an issue all while teaching important lessons. We get to watch as the kids will interact as they do not know and the parents guide them to the best perspective. Sometimes they are even at odds and from this we are allowed to get a new appreciation for the difficulty of raising kids on our modern society and how  we are all shaped by what we interact with.

3⭐⭐⭐/5