Television Review: Supergirl, Season 1

Show: Supergirl

Company:  DC Entertainment

Date: 2015

Synopsis:  In the vast DC Comics Universe of super heroes, the rich mythology of Superman, the planet Krypton and the House of El is perhaps the most famous and instantly recognizable.

Enter Supergirl! Born Kara Zor-El on the doomed planet Krypton, the preteen Kara escaped at the same time as the infant Kal-El, but didn’t arrive on Earth until many years later after being lost in the Phantom Zone. Protected and raised by her adopted family, the Danvers, Kara grew up in the shadow of her foster sister, Alex, and learned to hide the phenomenal powers she shares with her famous cousin.

Years later, at age 24, living in National City and working as an assistant for Catco Worldwide Media mogul Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart), Kara has spent so many years trying to fit in that she forgot to ever stand out. All that changes when she decides to embrace her superhuman abilities and become the hero she was always destined to be. With the help of Daily Planet photographer James Olsen, her bioengineer sister Alex, and the research of the super-secret, off-the-grid Department of Extra-Normal Operations (DEO) and its head Hank Henshaw, who are tasked with keeping the Earth safe from aliens,

Kara takes to the skies to protect her world. Her foes include both a sinister extraterrestrial menace and the high-tech terrestrial threat of clever villains with powerful weaponry.

You all know how much I love my superheroes! Arrow and The Flash alone probably take up half of my review slots in any given year. Needless to say, I’ve wanted to watch Supergirl for some time and, fortunately, with our recent development into Sky, I finally got to do something about it.

It was fun to finally see it properly, having been witness to parts of that world due to the crossover episodes, predominantly with The Flash. It was also entertaining taking one of these series back to the beginning: I had forgotten how light-hearted and innocent the early series are when I compare to the shows airing right now.

Did I like it? I did.

Initially, I admit, I had a few doubts. But every show needs a few episodes to get going, for characters to be established and for a major change to take place in someone’s life. There’s no point starting something with the character already a reputable superhero.

Kara Danvers is no ordinary assistant: she’s a brilliant assistant adapt at dealing with her demanding boss – Cat Grant – and her demands. She also happens to be an alien from another planet and soon emerges as Supergirl, cousin to the legendary Man of Steel and just as capable of saving the day herself.

Kara is innocent, sometimes naïve, and always believes the best in people – like Superman. Supergirl is a little more focused when it comes to getting the job done, but no one said it was easy having two full time jobs.

There are a number of characters helping Cara on her journey to greatness. Her adoptive sister Alex is her number one fan, and just happens to work in the alien-hunting business herself. Best friend Winn and – fresh to National City – James Olsen help keep her two worlds connected. While one boss has a hidden heart of gold under an acid tongue, the other is a Martian; just to keep things interesting.

The storylines weren’t the strongest. They often aren’t at the start of these sorts of shows. But there wasn’t a cliché villain-of-the-week story and there were some pretty interesting character developments along the way that kept the pace moving and the tension high when it needed to be. The underlying villain of the series comes in both a human form and an alien one, and neither was properly dealt with by the end, naturally leaving the plot line open for subsequent series.

It’s tricky reviewing something that you know goes on for at least another three seasons after this one. It’s clear the show gets stronger, obvious the characters are going to develop and the plots will get more in depth to keep the audience engaged. Considering the other shows in this ‘verse, I think it will be done effectively.

It has the charm and naivety of a first season and it didn’t disappoint me. I’ve always been a Superman fan, so my hopes were high. Fingers crossed it remains enjoyable!

Amazon

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