SUPERGIRL, SEASON ONE - A Quickie Review

It took time and effort and a network change and a promise to integrate it more into the Arrowverse, but I finally gave the first season of 'Supergirl' a chance. And I'm actually quite glad I did. Let's go to the only bar/coffee shop/restaurant in town and discuss it!

SPOILER WARNING - We're breaking down the major plot points and characters of the entire season, so...duh. There gon' be spoilers. 

Sometime last summer, I caught a bootleg of the pilot of 'Supergirl' and it was not impressive. Mostly, what it reminded of me of was that SNL sketch where Scarlett Johansson plays her Black Widow character but in a rom-com version of a superhero movie. How, oh how, does the strongest woman on earth manage her career as a lowly, underappreciated, abused assistant AND her crush on the new boy at work AND her obliviousness to the other guy at work who is obviously in love with her? It...was...rough. It felt at times like Ally McBeal, if she'd been from Krypton (and having Calista Flockhart play the bossy boss, Cat Grant, didn't help matters) I watched a couple of the first episodes when they aired on CBS, but didn't watch another until Grant Gustin crossed over in episode 18.

But when word came down that the show would be moving to the CW this fall, that Supergirl herself would be part of the now-annual crossover episodes, and that the series would aim to be more integrated into the Arrowverse as a whole, I felt compelled to give it a second shot. It was available on Netflix, so I started over again.

I am very glad I did.

Oh, there are some problems, to be sure. Some of the vibe from the weak pilot lingered for too long, the show occasionally looked cheap (while the Red Tornado episode is fantastic, the android itself looks pretty half-assed) and any time they relie on romantic entanglements to drive the plot, the show's momentum ground to a halt. But the show eventually found it's footing, and developed the characters in a way that made them enjoyable to watch, even when the week's major plot didn't feel so strong.

Look at that face! She's so sweet!

Let me start out by saying that Melissa Benoist is a wonderful Supergirl. She's plucky, sweet, and has the sort of "aw, shucks" face that makes you both like her and believe that she's putting on a distracting act in the same way Clark Kent does every day. Though the season starts out with her somewhat boring struggle to control her powers and her love life, her character evolves in a much more compelling way as the show goes on. One of the strongest episodes (the Red Tornado one) finds Kara having a difficult time dealing with her anger. The episode focuses on that anger so closely that when it's revealed that she's actually struggling with overwhelming grief, it is somehow a combination of surprising, obvious, and heartbreaking. Of course, she'd still be dealing with the loss of her parents, her culture and her world. She isn't Superman - she remembers Krypton, and she feels its absence much moreso than Clark. It's a fascinating concept for the show to explore, and provided a much needed boost of realism and pathos.

Other characters are fleshed out pretty successfully, too. Calista Flockhart's Cat Grant goes from one-dimensional bitch/boss to compelling and sympathetic mother figure to both Kara and Supergirl. One episode finds her believing that Kara IS Supergirl and as a viewer, I almost felt like, "well, maybe she should just tell Cat the truth." Chyler Leigh plays Kara's adoptive sister Alex. She doesn't get as much to do besides escort Kara into the world of the D.E.O. (more on that later) but she gives Kara someone to talk to, and narratively, that helps in the same way it helped for Batman to have a Robin. Heroes don't often just talk to themselves, so when they have another character whom they implicitly trust, they will let you know what's on their mind. Alex is a way into Kara's psyche.

Then there are the two guys, Winn (short for Winslow Schott, Jr, aka Toyman's son, which comes out in a particularly strong episode) who is in love with Kara, and Jimmy, er...James Olsen, fresh outta Metropolis, trying to make a name for himself out from under Superman's shadow, and with whom Kara enjoys a strong flirtation. Neither one of those plot lines is particularly compelling, but while Winn eventually makes himself useful by being the resident IT genius (think Cisco/Felicity) James doesn't really go anywhere as a character, and exists solely as someone for Kara to pine after. And that falls flat. I'm not sure if that's on the actor, Mehcad Brooks, or the writing, but either way, his character just doesn't work*. Elsewhere, Peter Facinelli brings his natural sleaziness to the recurring villain of Maxwell Lord. A stand-in of sorts for Lex Luthor, Lord hates Supergirl simply because she's alien and he don't trust her. That's. About. It. But he gets the job done, so I can't knock him too hard.

*Supergirl's second season premiere was this week, and it feels like the writers were just like "fuck it, it ain't working" because Kara basically dumps James with a "yeah, just not vibing you anymore. Sorry. #Friendzone" I don't have ill will for Mehcad Brooks, but if he leaves the show, I'm fine with it.

But I'm saving the best of the supporting characters for last. And that is David Harewood who plays D.E.O. chief Hank Henshaw, aka J'onn J'onzz aka MARTIAN FREAKIN' MANHUNTER! And boy, he does a wonderful job. His character evolves a great deal during the season, from no-nonsense boss, to mysterious boss, to secretive boss, to accomplice boss, to captive, fugitive, ally and back to boss. Harewood has a couple of really strong episodes, in the flashbacks focusing on the near-extinction of his race, and his first meeting with Kara and Alex's father (Lois and Clark's Superman, Dean Cain!). His stoic face and baritone voice gives those episodes a real pathos, and easily make him my second favorite character on the show. I don't think it was common knowledge that J'onn was going to be part of this show, but the slow reveal that he's a major character was done well, and goes a long way to making 'Supergirl' feel like a DC Universe show instead of just a one-hero world.

I haven't mentioned the season's primary villains yet; the kryptonian's Astra and Non - Kara's maternal aunt and her husband; and the coluan (Brainiac's race!) Indigo. While Astra's conflicted emotions about warring with her niece make her interactions with Kara somewhat interesting, Non and Indigo are pretty much lame. And Laura Vandervoort's blue make-up looks both cheap and like some terrible, unlicensed Brainiac knock-off. The plot of the season's big bads' is pretty weak, but thankfully, there's so much more happening on a weekly basis that their lightweight-ness doesn't hurt the series too bad.

Bottom line, this show got off to a promising start, but still has room to grow. And I think changing over to the CW might give it the boost it needs to put it on par with 'Arrow' and 'Flash'. They've already got strong and likeable characters, they just need to give them more to do. I feel being out of the overtly family-friendly confines of CBS is just the ticket. So I'm glad I was wrong when I dismissed it in the beginning, and I'll be tuning in from now on.


FINAL SCORE - 7/10

'Supergirl' now airs on The CW, Monday evenings at 8/7c