What is it with villains and twisting our childhoods? Superhero comic writers just can’t resist taking our beloved childhood memories and finding a character to embody them in a downright disturbing way. So you like clowns, do you? Here’s The Joker! So you love Alice in Wonderland? Then here’s The Mad Hatter. Nothing leaves an emotional scar like the corruption on innocence so anytime they can make a villain tap into that, it’s always going to be a win. Supergirl takes just that trip this week with a man that has a very special way with toys. Sound familiar?
Childish Things – When the tinkering villain Toyman escapes from prison, he seeks out his son, none other than Winn. His efforts to make Winn take up the family trade prove fiendishly effective. Meanwhile, Alex reluctantly lures Maxwell Lord away on a date so that Hank/J’onn can infiltrate Lord Technologies and uncover the secrets of room 52.
While a physical contest will always be a good watch, you have to love the oddball and unorthodox villains, and that’s just what Supergirl is giving this week with Toyman. While he’s nowhere near as flamboyant as his comic persona, the cold and calculating take that Henry Czerny (Revenge) gives the character fits right into the show. He’s certainly eccentric, but we focus on his intelligence and strategy as his planning and preparation undo the efforts of the FBI and Supergirl. There’s also a touch of the Saw franchise's Jigsaw to him, and he even departs a scene leaving Supergirl in peril with a, “Game Over”. His schemes and devices make great plays on innocence and perception as his toys pass under the radar; not appearing as threatening until it’s too late.
This episode also sees some of the most old school comic action to date such as a good old fashioned quicksand trap; though the ninja weapon yo-yo does stretch things a little. At times the episode seems unsure of its tone with Toyman: playful or sinister? It tries to straddle both and generally succeeds, but doing so makes the outlying extremes of both elements feel out of place. There are some good innovations of Supergirl’s powers as she combats him. It’s a good mark of character progression as we start to see her using her classic abilities in less straightforward ways to save people. The best example is her impromptu ice wall shielding.
There’s some good character work throughout. This is the first episode to really place the spotlight on Winn and Jeremy Jordan makes good use of it as Winn deals with friends learning about his complicated childhood. When the FBI first drop in on him at work he doesn’t even look surprised; he shows more of “here we go again” acceptance (also look out for Emma Caulfield/Buffy’s Anya as Cameron Chase). The episode takes some interesting angles into their bizarre father-son relationship and how Winn deals with it all. The most enjoyable is Winn expressing his own fears over becoming his father whether he likes it or not because they’ve always been so alike. This presents Winn as an “other road chosen” equivalent to his father. Winn is arguably just as gifted with his computer skills, but unlike his father, he’s able to channel his talents towards positive enterprises. There is the odd hint of a darker character arc for Winn’s character but that still feels unlikely. The biggest letdown of the episode is spending too much time over Winn’s feelings for Kara. It’s completely unnecessary. Winn has superb material to work from elsewhere in the episode, so there’s no need to dump his super crush onto the plate. It’s still a subject that the show can cover but it would have been much better served in a subsequent episode rather than overcrowding this one.
What’s much more interesting is that this becomes the first episode to really explore the Hank Henshaw/J’onn Jonzz character following his reveal as more than just a plot tool. It also offers answers to the biggest audience question over him; “Why is he still hiding?”, which makes some great arguments about prejudice and acceptance. That for people to accept Kara, who looks like a human (not to mention a sweet and adorable one), as an alien, is a small step that can be made. Yet presenting them with his green and altered features is too much of giant leap for mankind. Even in a society that has known Superman and the existence of aliens for a decade, this will push them too far into the unknown, and people will always fear the unknown. While in many ways this is a dodge for the series (and saves them a fortune of their effects budget), it’s actually been done with genuine thought and intelligence rather than a reaction based explainer. Hank/J’onn even goes on to expand it by explaining that maintaining his Hank persona must be his priority because even with super powers, he can still do much greater good as the head of the DEO. Just in the same way that sometimes, the best thing any leader can do is step back and let others fight for them. This argued well throughout the episode between Hank and Alex as she offers the contrasting viewpoints of J’onn’s powers being an asset to the DEO.
There’s some nice smaller developments. Although the Lucy/James lovers tiff is uninspiring, bringing Lucy into the mix, and CatCo is a great move to involve her character without always having to make her an accomplice to James. Her motives are nicely covered, being thrilled to be part of a female empowering organisation after a career in the service of all white male military generals. It feels a very natural reflection on her character. Hanks Lord Tech infiltration does advance that plot nicely. The showrunners have confirmed the rather awesome news that the Jane Doe in question will be a Supergirl's equivalent of Superman’s Bizzaro nemesis (a mirror image reversal of the Man of Steel). We can expect to see the pair having one hell of a gal gladiator match sometime soon (episode 12 is named Bizzaro).
Childish Things is an episode personifying the Barney Stinson philosophy of, “New is always better”. It’s excellent as it takes its characters to new places and new directions but poorer when retreading the familiar love triangle territory. The Maxwell Lord storyline continues to be the best part of the show right now with one hell of an awesome climatic twist. Despite all the toys on show this week, Supergirl is still growing up fast as a show.