"Supergirl" Recap: Family Ties Complicate a So-So Episode

[t hedge coke]

With all of their power, one of them is not strong enough to withstand the onslaught, but he pushes forward anyway. Heroic. The flash facing off against zoom with that kind of mismatch, but he goes out there anyway, heroic.


Supergirl/superman catching a plane is as heroic as me getting a can from the cupboard and handing it to a short kid. Where is the danger?

If you stop and take the time to get a can from the high shelf for a kid every time you come across that, you are a good person. That, to me, is if not more heroic, more superheroic than apathy, revenge, or fame-chasing, at the very least.

Supergirl, so far, is just trying to be a good person.

[kalorama]

The Supergirl show is already a clearly different continuity - a new actor as Superman would end the speculation. I think this is actually Earth 2

I still like the show, but it's not exactly ... challenging. That's fine though - it seems to be what it wants to be and nothing more. In tone and storylines and the level of complexity, I'd say it's similar to "Superman: The Animated Series" in my mind.

Most network TV shows aren't exactly challenging. And most people don't watch shows about people who put on capes and punch out monologuing supervillains because they're looking for a challenge.

[t hedge coke]

Most network TV shows aren't exactly challenging. And most people don't watch shows about people who put on capes and punch out monologuing supervillains because they're looking for a challenge.

But think of the ethical and political connotations of the subtle shift in... or, they could just stick with the musical montage of heroic acts in the middle of each episode. That's probably better than if the show went "challenging."

I'm not sure they'd want to do deep and serious Supergirl, or even, if they did, that it would come off in any sensible fashion. It's probably just look like The Passion of Darkly Noon with a red skirt and a cape.

[kalorama]

I am inherently less into superman/supergirl/super whatever, and I'm not completely sure why. I am usually not one to brush off being OP, I always gravitated towards the op characters on xmen like storm and iceman and magneto over can openers with fast healing like wolverine, but I just don't see the stakes with superman/girl.

Take this scene from young justice with a bunch of speedsters.

THIS is what I call heroic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQUVmb8YEPk


With all of their power, one of them is not strong enough to withstand the onslaught, but he pushes forward anyway. Heroic. The flash facing off against zoom with that kind of mismatch, but he goes out there anyway, heroic.


Supergirl/superman catching a plane is as heroic as me getting a can from the cupboard and handing it to a short kid. Where is the danger?

Heroism isn't defined by risk factor. At its root, real heroism is about the selflessness and nobility of a person's motives. Someone who has the power to do whatever they want choosing to apply that power only for the aid and betterment of others and eschewing selfish goals is acting in a classically heroic manner.

[Basara]

Supergirl/superman catching a plane is as heroic as me getting a can from the cupboard and handing it to a short kid. Where is the danger?

The danger in that scene wasn't to Supergirl, but to the passengers on the plane and the people on the bridge. Kara managed to save both groups. That's heroic.

Also, Supergirl went in to face a guy who had kicked her butt once already without the slightest hesitation, despite her doubts that she could actually beat him. Supergirl is every bit as heroic as the other heroes you brought up.

That isn't the problem with this show. One problem is the incredibly bad stunt work and equally bad special effects. Both look like effects and stunts from shows that ran 20 years ago. We expect better, and we're getting it on shows like The Flash and AoS. In addition, you have relationships and dialogue that are hokey even by CW standards. Seriously, if I hear that this is Kara's story and it's just beginning from any of the cast one more time, I'm going to switch off the show forever. It's now as annoying as "I have a bad feeling about this" in Star Wars and it's only the third episode.

The only reason I'm still here is because of Melissa Benoit and Mehcad Brooks are killing it in their roles. Everyone else seems to be phoning it in, playing tropes rather than real humans. Callista Flockhart is especially guilty of this. The more she tries to channel Meryl Streep, the more we are reminded that she is not Meryl Streep.

[Mr.Majestic]

I had no idea who she was prior to the costume pics. I'm definitely feeling the need to watch Homeland now!

I was obsessed over Lost from its earliest episodes. At the end of episode 2 the group at the beach hears the Smoke Monster for the first time. That pretty much was the clincher for me. Oh, and at one point seeing Kate Austin on the beach in her undies helped.

Homeland's pretty bad now. I mean if it wasn't for Rupert Friend I would've actively avoided its last 2 seasons.

I agree about Lost. That first episode was terrific. That was one uneven series.

[j9ac9k]

Btw, what do we think is happening with Henshaw?? I don't know anything about his initial appearance in Superman other than that his team was an ersatz Fantastic Four. Anyone think he's a cyborg already? Alien? Brainiac pawn? Could this be the larger arc of the season setting us up for the dissolution of the DEO so that team Kara can be more independent for season 2?

[AJBopp]

Both look like effects and stunts from shows that ran 20 years ago. We expect better, and we're getting it on shows like The Flash and AoS. In addition, you have relationships and dialogue that are hokey even by CW standards. Seriously, if I hear that this is Kara's story and it's just beginning from any of the cast one more time, I'm going to switch off the show forever. It's now as annoying as "I have a bad feeling about this" in Star Wars and it's only the third episode.

I blinked at this one. Effects in AoS are better than Supergirl? Umm...okaaay. Also, no one else I know of tries to pull off in-flight fights like Supergirl. So far they've been a lot better than 20 years ago (what you got with the old Supergirl show, for example). And you're not gonna get much better on a TV budget. The supe realistic fights require not only vey sophisticated wire work that can't be set up on a budget, but also an incredible about of CGI to create backgrounds, and in this case, capes. Not only is money an issue, but time as well.

[August_Gorman]

The Supergirl show is already a clearly different continuity - a new actor as Superman would end the speculation. I think this is actually Earth 2

If they ever do a CW crossover, I'm thinking they won't want to tie Supergirl to a universe so heavily pulled from for the central season two plot of The Flash. I bet they'll give Kara's universe an Earth 47 designation (or some number not likely to come up again, post-crossover). Also, I could be wrong, but I think Kara mentioned that her and Clark are the only superheroes on her Earth.

[Basara]

I blinked at this one. Effects in AoS are better than Supergirl? Umm...okaaay. Also, no one else I know of tries to pull off in-flight fights like Supergirl. So far they've been a lot better than 20 years ago (what you got with the old Supergirl show, for example). And you're not gonna get much better on a TV budget. The supe realistic fights require not only vey sophisticated wire work that can't be set up on a budget, but also an incredible about of CGI to create backgrounds, and in this case, capes. Not only is money an issue, but time as well.

All the Shield jets look amazing and they can cloak quite convincingly. On top of that, Daisy's, Lincoln's, and Lash's use of powers look much better than the effects on Supergirl. And the sequence where Daisy, Hunter, and Mac use the specialized box to extract Joey was amazing. Plus, the stunt crew on AoS is fantastic. AoS's stunt team is doing some great work in creating memorable fights.

The only special effect that looks pretty cool on Supergirl thus far is the heat vision. Kara's training session with the missiles in episode two was laughingly bad. It also bugs me when the characters turn to see Kara fly away before she actually does like Alex did in episode 2. And then there is the terrible wire and stunt work.

I understand there are limitations to what can be shown on a TV budget and that some special effects crews and stunt teams are much better than others. All of the other superhero shows have upped the ante though in effects and stunt work, pushing the envelope of what a superhero show can be. Supergirl, in contrast with them, looks and feels dated, almost like a slightly better version of Lois and Clark.

[t hedge coke]

I think the fx look good, but then, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be bothered if they were hokey. Generally, when I'm watching a flying sequence or a scene where someone stops bullets with their supertough hands, I'm not checking to see how detailed it is, or how realistic the deflections and denting of metal are.

That said, "all the other shows," to me, look like they're cut from very similar, trying too hard to be very serious cloth. It's all the same sort of cinematography and stop the bomb pacing, the same sort of pessimistic grit, channeling ten to twenty year old cop procedurals. Supergirl, by contrast, looks more superheroy, to me, particular in the fx-heavy scenes. Things are a little brighter. Daylight exists. Light moments can be light.

I know Mr Majestic wasn't being complimentary with the Devil Wears Prada comparison (in one of these threads), but, I have to admit, there's definitely room in my schedule, so to speak, for just that. I'm enjoying that this is a show where Supergirl can stop a round with hr palm in broad daylight, get belittled by her boss, moon over James Olsen, pound the tar out of a badguy, and hug her sister without everyone standing in near-darkness waiting desperately because THIS COULD BE THE END OF EVERYTHING!!!!

[Mr.Majestic]

I know Mr Majestic wasn't being complimentary with the Devil Wears Prada comparison (in one of these threads), but, I have to admit, there's definitely room in my schedule, so to speak, for just that. I'm enjoying that this is a show where Supergirl can stop a round with hr palm in broad daylight, get belittled by her boss, moon over James Olsen, pound the tar out of a badguy, and hug her sister without everyone standing in near-darkness waiting desperately because THIS COULD BE THE END OF EVERYTHING!!!!

My ears are burning. Hi THC! My problem is the view that many people have that women in general are too flighty to hold power which just gets confirmed by too much whimsy in this show.

I understand that the ladies may like seeing their own everyday lives reflected in Kara but she should be held to a higher standard than that. Do we see Superman debating on his fantasy football picks? What dip to use for his chicken wings? Wondering who'd win in a fight between Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal or between Sylvester Stallone and Charles Bronson? Sure Perry White might chew him out and Clark will act chastened but you know that once Kal takes off his glasses all that stuff fades away.

Having Kara's feet of clay play such an important part of the show may make her more relatable but it lessens her as well.

[t hedge coke]

Do we see Superman debating on his fantasy football picks? What dip to use for his chicken wings? Wondering who'd win in a fight between Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal or between Sylvester Stallone and Charles Bronson? Sure Perry White might chew him out and Clark will act chastened but you know that once Kal takes off his glasses all that stuff fades away.

Having Kara's feet of clay play such an important part of the show may make her more relatable but it lessens her as well.

Again, I know I might be outlier on this, at least here, but I love when we get to see that Superman in costume is still Clark, or just seeing aspects of Clark and Clark's life. Clark getting mad at his job or painting the apartment with Lois. Lois embarrassing him by asking him about her underwear. Clark crying, in the recent comics reboot, holding a picture of his dead parents and apologizing for failing (only to get his spirit back and try harder to hero until it takes). In New Maps of Hell, the Metropolis police won't seriously investigate a series of mysterious "suicides," because it's Lexcorp and Luthor is the President, infuriating not just Clark on the beat, but Superman, the hero, too. Simonson and Bogdanove used to do a great Clark-at-home which was different than how he acted - even how he stood or talked - than either public-Clark or public-Superman, something Lois & Clark used to do, after awhile, too. That stuff really hits me.

It's not something I want with every superhero, or even every take on any particular one superhero, but especially for a superhero who isn't seeking revenge or a specific justice, but just for the most part being helpful - who doesn't have a split personality or pretend to one - it really works. So far.

[kalorama]

Again, I know I might be outlier on this, at least here, but I love when we get to see that Superman in costume is still Clark, or just seeing aspects of Clark and Clark's life. Clark getting mad at his job or painting the apartment with Lois. Lois embarrassing him by asking him about her underwear. Clark crying, in the recent comics reboot, holding a picture of his dead parents and apologizing for failing (only to get his spirit back and try harder to hero until it takes). In New Maps of Hell, the Metropolis police won't seriously investigate a series of mysterious "suicides," because it's Lexcorp and Luthor is the President, infuriating not just Clark on the beat, but Superman, the hero, too. Simonson and Bogdanove used to do a great Clark-at-home which was different than how he acted - even how he stood or talked - than either public-Clark or public-Superman, something Lois & Clark used to do, after awhile, too. That stuff really hits me.

It's not something I want with every superhero, or even every take on any particular one superhero, but especially for a superhero who isn't seeking revenge or a specific justice, but just for the most part being helpful - who doesn't have a split personality or pretend to one - it really works. So far.

Having a hero whose basic humanity remains intact makes them more heroic, not less, AFAIK. Because the inherent flaws and imperfections of humanity gives them another obstacle that they must overcome in their battle to do the right thing.