Valentine’s Day held some high points for some relationships and some low points for others.
“I knew we were right for each other, Danvers.” Let’s start with what I liked. Sanvers was the high point of this episode. Alex’s excitement over spending her first Valentine’s Day with someone she loves, paired with Maggie’s tragic backstory about being outed while trying to celebrate the holiday in high school, made for a beautiful arc for them. Unfortunately, I don’t think it was given the time it deserved. While the scenes we got were great, the story itself felt rushed. Happy, mad, happy again. That was the gist of the three scenes we got. Three scenes for a supposedly “Sanvers-centric” episode. Either the CW or Entertainment Weekly has a serious issue translating the English language if they honestly believe that was the definition of “Sanvers-centric.” That said, I did very much enjoy the Sanvers scenes that we got. It always makes me happy to see domestic Sanvers just living their lives, so I was definitely a fan of the first scene with them eating breakfast together at Alex’s apartment. I kind of get the impression that Maggie is basically living there now. They have a routine together, with Alex knowing how Maggie likes her bagel, and them drinking coffee and reading morning mail. It’s a great way to show how far their relationship has come in just a short time. The early stage jitters seem to have gone, and they’re so comfortable together. While we don’t actually see Eliza Danvers in this episode, we do get another reference to what a great mom she is when Alex opens a Valentine’s Day card from her. Maggie finds it corny, a feeling attributed to her disdain of the holiday itself, but it’s not at all surprising to me that Eliza Danvers would be the type of mother to send a corny card. I love her. She’s precious.
“I don’t need a reservation, Kara. That’s precisely the problem.” Alex goes to Kara for advice when Maggie states that Valentine’s Day is a patsy holiday that “makes [her] want to puke.” Kara suggests trying to tailor the holiday to Maggie, making it less about the gooey romance, and more specific to things Maggie likes. Which apparently includes guns, scotch, tiramisu, and bonsai trees. I have to say that I also have a weird fascination with bonsai trees, ever since I learned that they were a thing in my third grade science class, so I respect Maggie’s appreciation of them. Kara’s suggestion is a good one, but things don’t end well when Maggie gets upset about Alex planning a celebration despite being told that Maggie didn’t like the holiday. “I have one pet peeve, Danvers, and that’s not being heard.” When Maggie tries to walk out, Alex calls her out and makes her talk about what’s really bothering her. Alex has grown enough, partially through Maggie’s guidance, to know that running away from your feelings is not a healthy option. If she can’t do it, neither can Maggie. Talk about heartbreaking though. Maggie tells a painfully tragic tale of being outed by a friend in high school after she put a card in the girl’s locker asking her to the dance. Unlike the love and support Alex received from her family, Maggie’s dad kicked her out of the house for being gay and she was forced to live with an aunt. Good grief, girl. So many feels from that. Being outed is not a fun time just from the standpoint of losing control over your own story. Add on top of that facing rejection and discrimination you may or may not have been prepared to deal with. This scenario is all the more upsetting when it ends the way Maggie’s story did, with the people who are supposed to love her most literally dropping her out of their lives. What’s unfortunate is how real that story still is for so many people. It may be 2017, but the LGBTQ community still faces so much hate. From a character standpoint, we begin to truly understand why Maggie has been so protective over Alex’s coming out. She tells Alex “I wanted it to be better for you.” Maggie wanted Alex to have control over her story and for her to come out on her own terms, in her own time. For the most part, she succeeded in helping her achieve that, minus a few bumps along the way. We also see why Maggie tends to try and take control where their relationship is concerned as well. She’s still nursing old wounds, and loss of control likely makes her feel like that 14-year-old kid who got rejected in such a devastating way. She doesn’t want to feel that again, so now she calls the shots. That’s understandable, however, in this case, Alex wasn’t trying to reject her. She didn’t know the tragic backstory, and she was just trying to do something nice for her girlfriend. So, I didn’t feel that bad for Maggie when Kara calls her out for being selfish. I do find it interesting that Kara seems to have a much better grasp on what’s happening in Alex and Maggie’s relationship than she does her own. She knows what Alex deserves, and isn’t afraid to call Maggie out when she doesn’t treat Alex well. However, Kara seems all too willing to take ego and insults she doesn’t deserve in her own relationship. Come on, Kara. One of these things is not like the other. More on that later though. After getting the lecture from Kara about considering what Alex might want, Maggie makes up for ruining Alex’s night by creating a belated Valentine’s Day prom. She finally gets to take the girl she likes to the dance, and she gets to shower Alex with all the gooey romance that she deserves for being such an amazing woman and girlfriend. How cute. I did note that they once again played a Broods song in that scene. Apparently Sanvers in formal wear requires that particular artist as a soundtrack. Not that I’m complaining. Heartlines is an awesome song.
“I knew we were right for each other, Danvers.” Let’s start with what I liked. Sanvers was the high point of this episode. Alex’s excitement over spending her first Valentine’s Day with someone she loves, paired with Maggie’s tragic backstory about being outed while trying to celebrate the holiday in high school, made for a beautiful arc for them. Unfortunately, I don’t think it was given the time it deserved. While the scenes we got were great, the story itself felt rushed. Happy, mad, happy again. That was the gist of the three scenes we got. Three scenes for a supposedly “Sanvers-centric” episode. Either the CW or Entertainment Weekly has a serious issue translating the English language if they honestly believe that was the definition of “Sanvers-centric.” That said, I did very much enjoy the Sanvers scenes that we got. It always makes me happy to see domestic Sanvers just living their lives, so I was definitely a fan of the first scene with them eating breakfast together at Alex’s apartment. I kind of get the impression that Maggie is basically living there now. They have a routine together, with Alex knowing how Maggie likes her bagel, and them drinking coffee and reading morning mail. It’s a great way to show how far their relationship has come in just a short time. The early stage jitters seem to have gone, and they’re so comfortable together. While we don’t actually see Eliza Danvers in this episode, we do get another reference to what a great mom she is when Alex opens a Valentine’s Day card from her. Maggie finds it corny, a feeling attributed to her disdain of the holiday itself, but it’s not at all surprising to me that Eliza Danvers would be the type of mother to send a corny card. I love her. She’s precious.
“I don’t need a reservation, Kara. That’s precisely the problem.” Alex goes to Kara for advice when Maggie states that Valentine’s Day is a patsy holiday that “makes [her] want to puke.” Kara suggests trying to tailor the holiday to Maggie, making it less about the gooey romance, and more specific to things Maggie likes. Which apparently includes guns, scotch, tiramisu, and bonsai trees. I have to say that I also have a weird fascination with bonsai trees, ever since I learned that they were a thing in my third grade science class, so I respect Maggie’s appreciation of them. Kara’s suggestion is a good one, but things don’t end well when Maggie gets upset about Alex planning a celebration despite being told that Maggie didn’t like the holiday. “I have one pet peeve, Danvers, and that’s not being heard.” When Maggie tries to walk out, Alex calls her out and makes her talk about what’s really bothering her. Alex has grown enough, partially through Maggie’s guidance, to know that running away from your feelings is not a healthy option. If she can’t do it, neither can Maggie. Talk about heartbreaking though. Maggie tells a painfully tragic tale of being outed by a friend in high school after she put a card in the girl’s locker asking her to the dance. Unlike the love and support Alex received from her family, Maggie’s dad kicked her out of the house for being gay and she was forced to live with an aunt. Good grief, girl. So many feels from that. Being outed is not a fun time just from the standpoint of losing control over your own story. Add on top of that facing rejection and discrimination you may or may not have been prepared to deal with. This scenario is all the more upsetting when it ends the way Maggie’s story did, with the people who are supposed to love her most literally dropping her out of their lives. What’s unfortunate is how real that story still is for so many people. It may be 2017, but the LGBTQ community still faces so much hate. From a character standpoint, we begin to truly understand why Maggie has been so protective over Alex’s coming out. She tells Alex “I wanted it to be better for you.” Maggie wanted Alex to have control over her story and for her to come out on her own terms, in her own time. For the most part, she succeeded in helping her achieve that, minus a few bumps along the way. We also see why Maggie tends to try and take control where their relationship is concerned as well. She’s still nursing old wounds, and loss of control likely makes her feel like that 14-year-old kid who got rejected in such a devastating way. She doesn’t want to feel that again, so now she calls the shots. That’s understandable, however, in this case, Alex wasn’t trying to reject her. She didn’t know the tragic backstory, and she was just trying to do something nice for her girlfriend. So, I didn’t feel that bad for Maggie when Kara calls her out for being selfish. I do find it interesting that Kara seems to have a much better grasp on what’s happening in Alex and Maggie’s relationship than she does her own. She knows what Alex deserves, and isn’t afraid to call Maggie out when she doesn’t treat Alex well. However, Kara seems all too willing to take ego and insults she doesn’t deserve in her own relationship. Come on, Kara. One of these things is not like the other. More on that later though. After getting the lecture from Kara about considering what Alex might want, Maggie makes up for ruining Alex’s night by creating a belated Valentine’s Day prom. She finally gets to take the girl she likes to the dance, and she gets to shower Alex with all the gooey romance that she deserves for being such an amazing woman and girlfriend. How cute. I did note that they once again played a Broods song in that scene. Apparently Sanvers in formal wear requires that particular artist as a soundtrack. Not that I’m complaining. Heartlines is an awesome song.