Supergirl season 1… I believe a girl can fly!

27 Aug

Not gonna lie- I started watching Supergirl when it premiered and after a few weeks it went to the DVR back burner… not because it wasn’t fun but it conflicted with another show and I’m lazy. But with the recent release of season 1 on DVD I’ve been binging.

And it has been a most pleasant binge.

First of all, while there are several female superheroes on TV right now, Melissa Benoist’s “Supergirl” is the best. Not because as a kryptonian she inherently has the best powers but because there’s an innocence, a clear moral and ethical belief system, and she’s the kind of role model I want for little girls. Her skirt might be short but it’s not the focus… and neither is her cleavage. The focus is on the character. A nice change. She actually thinks about her actions (not just mopes about things in the past) and there are consequences. When she messes up and accidentally destroys something she shouldn’t, she has to figure out how to do things right and go back out there to show everyone that she can be better. Someone to look up to. (Wish Snyder would get that through his head- we’re supposed to look up to heroes, thus they need to do the right and moral things!)

Also, I want to note that Benoist looks like she can fight in the fight scenes- she never wears heels, her hair gets messed up (though honestly, why hasn’t Supergirl figured out that a ponytail would be better than all that hair being loose?), and she doesn’t try to look like the best. It’s more important that she gets in there, than it is for her to throw a punch and pose…

I’m not gonna name names but basically all the other female superheroes on TV (and in movies) are wearing heels. Seriously? The best chick fight scene ever was in Leverage– first thing they both did was kick off the heels!

Generally, Supergirl passes the Bechdel Test which is wonderful since there have been female led shows in the past (and present!) that don’t. For the record, many of the current superhero shows pass most of the time. There are several female characters- 3 leads!- and though they do discuss men often (come on, you’ve got two sisters hanging out together- they are going to tease each other about boys!) it is not the focus of their lives and conversations. And so many female villains… Refreshing! Now to work on the diversity aspect… I adore Mehcad Brooks as “James Olsen”, but he is one of the few characters representing any minority groups. And that includes most of the bad guys- though when someone is an alien do they count as minority representation? There’s also Hank Henshaw/Martian Manhunter (David Harewood), of course. But that’s it. It seems that National City is on the west coast (a combo of LA and San Diego, apparently), so where is the diversity of southern California?

I want to say *spoiler* that I am wary of the upcoming appearance of Superman on the show. I really like that Supergirl focuses on Kara and Sups/Clark is off-screen or appears only via IM’s, or is out of focus. And while I adore Tyler Hoechlin… I don’t know how I feel about the character being more of a part of the show in season 2.

Initially, I did not like Calista Flockhart as “Cat Grant”. She grated on my nerves. But she was supposed to. The character gained more depth through her relationship with Kara, which helped a lot because initially she was almost enough to make me stop watching. A lot more depth came from the revelation of kids, and regrets related to the eldest. Shocker, Cat Grant was a human being, with feelings and stuff! The same could be said for Maxwell Lord (Peter Facinelli), though… initially he was there just to be the billionaire attached to half of the bad things happening in National City (you know, when it wasn’t an alien monster of the week…). But once Supergirl and the DEO (well, some of the DEO) decide he’s too dangerous to be on the loose, Lord finally got some depth and became truly interesting! I also love that he’s sort of the Wile E. Coyote of the universe- his plans never go quite right.

Supergirl is within the same multiverse as DC’s other TV shows Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, and for season 2 it has moved over to the CW with its sister shows. I am curious to see what this change does because one of the pieces that shows Supergirl is clearly different from the others is that it has a much lighter tone. Everything from the bright lighting in most scenes, to the use of colors (except for Felicity Smoak, the other 3 DC shows are notoriously bleak color wise), to the fluffy comedy dialogue. I am not complaining- it’s a nice change of pace. Though just like the boys on their shows… waaaaaaaaaay too many people know Kara’s secret identity. Girl needs to learn to keep her mouth shut.

You know what else is fun? All the actors from previous “Superman” universes. Dean Cain from the 90s Lois & Clark, Helen Slater- the 80s Supergirl, as the adoptive parents of Kara. Heck, even the previous TV “Supergirl”, Laura Vandervoort, gets in on the action as a villain. Of course, then you have the stunt casting of Grant Gustin appearing as “Barry Allen/The Flash”, in the first of hopefully many crossovers with the other DC shows (by the way, how adorkable was that episode?). And for season 2, the fantastic Lynda Carter appears. Carter of course, played “Wonder Woman” on TV back in the 70s. Yeah, it’s a little hokey, but I love it. Is it wrong that I have hopes for Tom Welling to show up as some creepy villain… you know, since Clark Kent is taken.

And the relationships! Chyler Leigh’s (Alex Danvers) sister chemistry with Benoist has brought tears to my eyes a few times. Most especially as *spoilers* Alex pleads with Kara to reject the false visions given to her by the Black Mercy alien and when Alex finally breaks down and confesses to Kara… Holy moly, the heart clenched! And the season finale… phew. Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) breaking up with James… or begging him to take her back… And all of those looks Winn (Jeremy Jordan) throws at Kara… Oh lord, he is every person with a crush.

So … what are the flaws? The show isn’t perfect. It is almost too fluffy and light at times. Though, that stops being a huge issue by mid-season (which happens some times… guess they found their feet). Not all the make-up effects are good- Livewire, anyone? Lordy, the pasty white is bad and poorly blended sometimes… like, her neck has no pasty white half the time. Sigh. Also… a prison full of aliens and so far they’ve all been bipedal humanoids. Sigh. Can we at least get some crazy fangs or something? Why do all the aliens have perfect teeth? And who is their galactic dentist because I’m gonna need their number.

Alright… so we know that I fell in love with the series through my binge and have officially moved it from the DVR to weekly viewing (even if it means that I have to stay awake later on a work night!)- but I’d like to hear what you think of Supergirl. Leave a comment with your thoughts!