“Childish Things” is episode ten of season one of Supergirl.
This episode opens at Van Kull Maximum Security Prison and two guards are talking. One tells the other that the last time he brought the prisoner he had nightmares for a month. The other guard tells him it’s his turn. The guard with the food arrives at a cell and peers in, telling the, unseen, prisoner that his food is here, and that if he doesn’t take it, it will be taken away. The only thing talking is a fairly creepy doll.
Then the guard sees the prisoner apparently lying down on the floor and unlocks the cell and opens the door. This is probably going to be a big mistake. When the guard enters, the prisoner throws something at him which embeds itself into the guard’s chest. Yes, definitely a big mistake. The prisoner then makes his way out of the prison wearing the guard’s uniform. He kills any other guards he sees with the same thing he threw at the first guard – a yo-yo. One with blades that come out when it is spun. Definitely a toy that should have a warning about being used by children.
Kara is flying with J’onn J’onzz in his true form. In the previous episode, “Blood Bonds”, Hank revealed his true identity to Kara, which proved useful as his shapeshifting ability allowed Cat to see Kara and Supergirl at the same time. ‘Proving’ that Kara isn’t Supergirl. Kara tells J’onn that it’s fun but he tells her this is his one chance to train her in proper flight technique. Alex is watching them from below.
When they land, Kara tells Hank, once he has shifted back, that he could feel like that all the time, being who he really is. He tells her that the world needs Hank Henshaw more than it needs J’onn J’onzz. Alex has pinpointed Room 52 at Lord Technologies, the room with serious security, assuming that James can be trusted. Hank says that Superman trusts James and that’s enough for him. Alex says that Supergirl trusts James and that’s more than enough for her. They want to find out what Maxwell Lord is hiding in that room. Which is a woman called Jane Doe who suffered a head injury, is getting something intravenously and who now has completely black eyes. There is also a hologram of Red Typhoon’s arm, the bit that Alex took to show Maxwell in “Red Faced”. Hank says that they will need subterfuge and subtlety to get in.
Cat is speaking to Lucy Lane in her office, and saying that Lois Lane is one of her dearest friends. Lucy says she wouldn’t know, as she and her sister don’t talk much as they aren’t particularly close. Which Cat comments is not how Lois portrays it in her memoir. Which Lucy has never read, considering it to be self-promotional claptrap. Cat, who is definitely not one of Lois Lane’s dearest friends, likes what Lucy is saying.
In fact, Cat wants to offer Lucy a job, which Lucy didn’t expect. Cat says that a few weeks ago Lucy would be briefing the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Now she’s available to meet Cat at a day’s notice wearing a glorified pair of yoga pants. Cat tells Lucy that a smart woman, even one who does what Lucy did for love, still needs to work. If she doesn’t, she will lose her confidence, her sense of identity and her mind.
James and Kara are watching and wondering what Cat and Lucy are talking about. Winn points out that Kara has superhearing. She says that it feels wrong, but James tells her to go ahead. An article shows on the news about how the Toyman, so-called because of the lethal toys he makes, has escaped from prison, the man seen earlier. Winn turns off the news.
After meeting Cat, Lucy tells James and Kara that she is so nice. Kara responds that literally nobody has ever said that before. Cat offered Lucy the job of general counsel, which means that she will be working at CatCo along with James. Perhaps even on the same floor. James seems uncertain about what to think about this.
Special Agent Cameron Chase of the FBI, along with more FBI agents, arrive at this point, and they are looking for Winn. Winn looks as if he was expecting them. Agent Chase says to Winn that she assumes he knows that his father has escaped from prison – for Winn’s father is the Toyman. Winn had mentioned previously that his father was in prison.
Agent Chase tells Winn that his father is unhinged and extremely dangerous. He says that nothing has changed then. Chase wants to know if Winslow Schott Sr. has any friends, Winn Jr. says that if it isn’t obvious by the trail of bodies, his father hates people. Chase says that Winn is his son; he tells her he stopped being the Toyman’s son when he put a bomb in a toy that killed half a dozen people.
After the interview, Winn speaks to Kara, who he realised would be listening in. He never told her more about his father because he didn’t want her to look at him the way she is currently doing. According to Winn, his father was a good dad and not crazy. His boss stole Winslow’s toy designs from him and got rich from doing so, and Winslow did nothing. Until he put a bomb in a teddy bear and sent it to his boss, Chester Dunholtz. Dunholtz’s assistant opened the package though and half a dozen people died.
Winn tells Kara, not entirely seriously, that at least she knows where he is coming from, for she has a homicidal maniac in her family as well. Winn had told Agent Chase that his father hadn’t been in contact with him. Only Winn had found a toy on his desk with a message from his father saying to meet at their favourite place. Winn does tell Chase the truth and a sting is set up.
Alex wants Hank to use his powers to infiltrate Lord Technologies, as she says he is their best asset. Hank doesn’t want to. He had been previously hunted for 50 years. Alex tells him things are different now, for people love Supergirl. Hank points out that Supergirl looks like a pretty blonde cheerleader; J’onn J’onzz looks like a monster. Every time he uses his powers, he comes closer to becoming the Martian Manhunter forever. Alex speaks to Lord and arranges what is essentially a date (later she says he’s basically like all the boys she dated in college; she must have a type), luring him away whilst Hank penetrates the company.
When Winn goes to meet his father, Winslow says that he broke out of prison for the two of them. That Winn is his greatest work – a creepy way of putting it – and that they will do great things together. Only when the FBI arrive, it turns out that the Toyman wasn’t really there.
The FBI are pretty much going to kill Winslow when they find him and Winn still has mixed feelings about this. Winn tells Kara that this is his burden, and she tells him that it is therefore hers too. Winn tells Kara that she doesn’t really need him, but she disagrees. Cat wants Winn to do an interview, but that isn’t going to happen. Cat also thinks she’s acting as Kara’s therapist. Winn’s real concern that one day he may just snap and turn into a homicidal maniac, just like his father did.
Billionaires like Maxwell Lord tend to turn into vigilantes, either ones who are highly trained or ones who create technology to help them, or supervillains. Lord would be a technology-based superhero if the former were true, but it looks like he’s heading straight for supervillain evil genius territory.