Supergirl 1.2 Thoughts

A week after the events of the pilot, Supergirl finds that she doesn’t know everything. In fact, she makes her share of mistakes. Meanwhile, Cat Grant is demanding that her staff land a Supergirl interview to pull the Tribune ahead of the Daily Planet. She leans hard on Olsen to do this. Kara undergoes fight training with Alex to better hone her skills, while Henshaw seems to be hiding something. In the midst of all of this, Kara’s Kryptonian aunt Astrid reveals herself, and battles Kara.

While not quite as exciting as last week, this is still a great episode. Cat reveals that she started as Perry White’s assistant at the Daily Planet before breaking out as a gossip columnist. Clark Kent and Lois Lane are mentioned. More importantly, the story does go through some feminist perspectives, although certain parts do risk becoming heavy-handed if not handled well. 

I recommend Supergirl wholeheartedly. Go catch up now.

Supergirl Series Premiere thoughts

  
When a Supergirl TV show was first announced, I was apprehensive. The last time Supergirl was launched out of the comics on her own, it was for 1984’s Supergirl, which starred Helen Slater, and promptly flopped at the box office. 

Initial photos of Melissa Benoist in costume didn’t inspire me, either. At first glance, the design looks lazy. It literally looks like someone cut the logo out of fabric from Michael’s and adhered it with a special craft kit. And her hair still seemed more strawberry blonde than anything. I was stuck on Kara having been blonde for the entirety of her existence.
In spite of all of this, I was quite taken by the extended preview released several months ago. The cast seemed to gel, and the spirit of the show seemed upbeat! *GASP* I’m pleased to tell you that the show is very much in this spirit of fun and whimsy, in spite of the drama in Kara’s life.

The show starts on Krypton. Jor-El and Lara are launching baby Kal-El to Earth, and in a nearby dwelling, Zor-El and Allura are sending their daughter, Kara, who looks to be around 12, to be Kal-El’s protector on Earth. (If you don’t know already, they’re cousins.) Kara’s rocket is pulled into a wormhole, and is stuck there for 24 years. When the ship breaks free, it makes its way to Earth. Kal-El, now Superman, finds his now-younger cousin and matches her with a family to care for her.

Cut to National City. Kara, now a young adult, is an errand girl for media mogul Cat Grant. Kara becomes smitten with new guy James Olsen, Pulitzer winning Metropolis photographer who now works for Grant. Her sister Alex works in National City as well. When Kara strikes out on a blind date and Alex’s plane starts to go down, Kara takes action, revealing herself to the world.

The origin story is executed in a way that explains what it needs to, but doesn’t get bogged down, as some stories do. The entire first episode is imminently watchable, and leaves the viewer interested in what happens next. 

What we really have here is several things: a solid superhero show, a show with a more diverse cast than most superhero shows, and a family-friendly show that hopefully encourages girls to dream bigger.

Supergirl airs on Monday nights at 8/7 central.

New podcast!

Go here to listen: GeekCast Episode 4