My thoughts on the Supergirl pilot.

[Intern E.T.]

The episode begins with what looks like a yellow star. Yet this is Krypton, planet of a red sun. Next: the Buck Rogers in the 25th century intro but with SG's face copied and pasted over Buck's; it is explained that a random space phenomena, the Phantom Zone, has resulted in our character being younger than they otherwise would.

So now our shero has come of age is she helping to end our disastrous dependence on fossil fuels? Is she, with the power of charisma and logic alone, about to bring about world peace? No. She's merely a functionary at some self righteous tabloid. And the corporate media make as much money selling us gas guzzling cars as they do covering wars. Her boss at least is not a bore.

If you're a member of a minority, don't worry; you will soon see someone on screen who you can identify with. The feel good music is not an effective cure for depression. And the score, on the whole, sounded facile and didn't take any chances or risk offending anyone. Play it safe, Sam!

Next up, a TV set-piece, the plainest of plane rescues. Okay, we've more or less followed the plot of Superman so far. Why risk offending anyone just yet? This did at least set up the skeletons in the Danvers family closet scene. I'm sure we'll be seeing lots of flashback scenes to their childhood. I'll be looking for continuity issues here for sure.

One way to appeal to a large audience is to zoom in to a microscope setting and examine the qualities of the cast's love life in fine detail, often with sparse piano music or some anthem from popular culture inserted to ram home the emotional message. But I have never understood the appeal of watching or hearing about other people's intimate relationships. It's all just some rot to spam out.

Hmmm....Some kind of camp, the Nearly Unstoppable Axeman and the Kryptonian refugee crisis. There were a startling number of aliens in this pilot. I hope this is not the beginning of some kind of trend. If it is, I suppose they could always make that camp a little bit bigger...

The Nearly Unstoppable Axeman gave SG a run for her money, but in the end he just didn't cut it. Saw that coming. And Just because they detected the "unique signature" of his axe did NOT mean they could take finding him for granted BTW. Axe did NOT necessarily mark the spot. Also one of the Kryptonians, Kara's mother's convenient twin, claims that Kara can touch ALL the stars. Statements don't get much more profound than this, but is it true? I don't see how she could touch a red one with anything but her ashes. Very touching!

Love or hate the costume, our lead at least has good chemistry with her sister, Alex and with Cat Grant, whose view, that the word "girl" might be applied to any woman, I can understand. The problem is the question then becomes: how OLD a girl are you? The cover (blown?) story seems to be on the front page of the pamphlet that the writers draw their ideas from. But who cares if Grant deduces Kara's secret or how many other people learn it?

Intern E.T.

 

[Foxbat]

Quality-wise, I've watched two seasons and it's okay but nothing startling. Not sure I'll bother with any more.

One small point. If you look closely at Supergirl's face, you'll see a small scar on her forehead. How did the girl of steel get this? You'd have thought the makers might have spent less time trying to fit in every possible politically correct situation and think about the major flaw in supergirl having a scar. Of course, maybe she got it on Krypton, and then it would be easy to drop a pointer to that in a little dialogue.

 

[Intern E.T.]

One small point. If you look closely at Supergirl's face, you'll see a small scar on her forehead. How did the girl of steel get this?

That's a valid question. At least a small scar is easier to overlook than, say, an eye patch.

You'd have thought the makers might have spent less time trying to fit in every possible politically correct situation

Yes. The political correction facility. The makers clearly fear it.

Intern E.T.

 

[tinkerdan]

To be honest: When I saw the first episode and probably the next 4 I was thinking this wasn't going to survive.
However that didn't stop me from watching(fascination with train wrecks and all that other psychology that explains why we do such things).

I've come now to think they've acquitted themselves to at the least bringing the show to the level of all of the other DC comic offerings. (Incidentally I only watch those when they cross over to Supergirl.)

I love the scar-I have almost the exact same scar from when I was a child and I just imagine that she did that so long ago and far away that it sticks with her even when she's so superbly regenerative.

This is my fun show to watch.

 

[Onyx]

The Supers weren't super when they lived under a red sun. Wouldn't that have been the time when scars are made?

I watched the first show, knowing that I was unlikely to continue watching any superhero TV show. I found the actress's portrayal of Supergirl somewhat magnetic - really good casting. But you can't make a superhero show out of just a superhero, and the rest of the show is hokey (as they all are).


TV is trapped between the somewhat realistic time restrictions of feature film and the broad expressiveness of comics. You really can't go the places you can in a comic book with live action TV, and TV serials dooms you to have to keep a constantly open ended storyline, as well as trapping your characters on the sets that are paid for. The best "realistic" portrayal of a super hero has a beginning and end, like Nolan's Batman films.

 

[Intern E.T.]

The Department of Extranormal Operations? (Or is that Paraterrestrial Operations?) The federal government couldn't be this incompetent, could they? They exist to protect Earth from aliens who they've known for some time are planning something big. They also exist to repress knowledge of alien life. Yet, if they had their way, Kara would not be the asset she is now. The only planes she would be screwing up are paper ones in an office full of people whose duty it would be to report any aliens on the staff.

It occurred to me as I watched the second episode that there is no good reason why Kara should speak with a perfect American accent. Kent was just an infant when he arrived; no mystery there. Absurd, really, how everyone in National City has their Metropolis counterpart; Kara: her cousin. Grant: J J Jameson. And Maxwell Lord has lex luthor, it would seem...etc. I'm still underwhelmed by the whole soundscape. The music in particular is an emotional crutch the show leans too heavily upon. And the main theme is simply not as catchy as John William's.

It's convenient that Kara's mother one: was survived by an evil twin. Two: provided what became a fully functional holographic version of herself before she perished. Also I'll say it again; there are too many aliens in this show. I'd be in favor of packing all non Kryptonians into the cheapest transport available and launching them into space. Or, better still, beam them up, Scotty! It diminishes our home grown geeks and freaks if we have a cosmic inflow of them.

Next, a sign, perhaps, of how horribly kryptonite is going to be abused in this show. Alex uses it here to school Kara in TV martial arts. Sg and Kara are two distinct characters. No complaints there. Having a prop, like a pair of glasses, must help. It's a cliche, though, to make a drama out of the struggle of balancing selfless heroics with the selfish desire for a "normal" life. I have a "normal" life of my own, which I seek to escape at times.

So by using a truck load of DDT as bait, the Department of Whatever Operations were able to lure the Human Fly from Mars. How were they able to assemble a sizable quantity of a banned substance in such a short time? And last week the other side tried to assassinate Alex. She was lucky to survive that and lucky to survive this week as well. It helped that Red Shifty Guy turned up at the last moment to knife Astra. After he stabbed her with the Kryptonite blade, and she flew off with it, he stood there waiting for someone to pin a medal on his chest, it seemed. You fool, I thought! You just delivered your secret weapon to your enemy like it was Xmas.

InternE.T

 

[Anthoney]

Personally, I thought the 3rd season was the best so far. In fact I'd go so far to say it was the best out of the CW's big four (Arrow, Flash. Legends, Supergirl). Last season only.

That said I did have some issues with the pilot. I absolutely hated the introduction to the DEO. I'm not even getting into the incompetence of the agency. There are many TV shows that make various government agencies look unable to tie their own shoelaces. The immediate over use of Kryptonite was a bad sign. This actually gets better as the seasons move on.

Beyond the use of Kryptonite, why the DEO felt the need to attack Supergirl. We come to find out they've monitored her since she was teen. Not only does her sister an eye on her but the head of the DEO knows who she is and that she's Superman's cousin. They know she's not crazy or evil. Were they just trying to put her in her place?

Then there's Jimmy. I have no issue with them making him black. My issue is with the rest of his makeover. The cocky self-assured giant never seemed like Olsen to me. He's the size and shape Superman should be. Later we find out he's much bigger than Superman. In order to compensate in my mind I don't think of him as Jimmy. I think of him as the new guy who becomes Guardian.

 

[Bugg]

This is my fun show to watch.

Likewise. I've long since given up on the other DC shows but I still find this one entertaining enough to keep watching. And it has nothing to do with Chyler Leigh, because I'm not that shallow. Nope.

I do like the way they keep using actors from previous incarnations of Superman/Supergirl in various roles.

 

[tinkerdan]

This too yes!

I do like the way they keep using actors from previous incarnations of Superman/Supergirl in various roles.

All part of the fun of the whole thing.

 

[thaddeus6th]

Just saw this on Pick.

I think the alien prison line is simply to get around the fact that Supergirl is rather tough as superheroes go. Easier to find villains for heroes like Spiderman or Batman because they can't break the sound barrier or melt people's faces by looking at them.

Not super, ahem, au fait with comic stuff, but shouldn't Jimmy Olsen be shorter and less ripped? Don't have a problem with the black casting, but he looks more like a superhero than the protagonist does.

However, having seen episode 2, there's a line I really liked. Something like "Being a man means knowing when to accept help".