Spoilers Supergirl - Season 1

[DarKush]

Just watched the finale. I thought it was good. I thought someone was going to die on this episode so there was a cloud hanging over the episode as I tried to figure out who that would be. I was thinking it would be Alex.

Anyway, I'm glad that none of the main cast died. It's a good cast and I want them to stick around for a while longer. I thought the hope message to counter Myriad was a bit too easy, but at the same time it felt the brighter tone of this show. And I couldn't help but think of Supergirl's tone versus Zack Snyder's as the show went on and siding with Supergirl's, in terms of how they handle the tone of the Supers.

I hope the show gets renewed. Looking forward to seeing who is in the pod. I'm guessing Zor-El. Though having H'el on the show would be cool too.

 

[Guy Gardener]

She's giving that speech to J'onn about being a father figure, a man she's known fro a couple months, while one of the men who had actually been fathering her for the last 16 years, was in a waking coma a foot away.

If they planned on making a clone army of Superman at some point, this would have been a perfect opportunity to collect super jizz.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I guess especially since as one youtube reviewer pointed out, the soles of the boots were the same as dress shoes. Apparently, Superman wears some fancy boots.

Their only other options were Tiny Superman, who I don't think would have worked in that situation, and IM Clark, who they were saving for the end of the episode.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Cat is a cliche that is actually more annoying then the other cliche Berlanti loves, the "Government agent/police detective who will be against the hero, but thinks they are in the right and/or hates the hero/vigilantes". At least I understand why they use that kind of character, and they have legitimate reasons to be involved with the plot. Cat is annoying, her personal drama takes time away from character development for Kara and her friends/allies, and she's just a terrible character. cut her out of Supergirl, and nothing would be lost.

Agreed.

Cut Cat out of SUPERGIRL and all you'd have is Kara and her friends being heartfelt and earnest and supportive of each other, which could get awful sappy pretty fast without Cat to add a bit of edge and sarcasm and withering put-downs. Plus, as noted, Cat gets all the killer lines: like the time she dismissed James and Kara and Barry as looking like the "attractive, unthreatening cast of a CW series."

SUPERGIRL would a lot blander without her.

Then the PTB should add interesting personality traits to other characters instead of forcing the over the top, in-your-face asshole that is Cat. That is supposed to be their job. Historically, over the top / asshole characters usually take audiences out of the show because no one believes an employee would stomach such a flood of nasty, bitter, chip-on-the-shoulder crap.

Cat is no mentor or moral figure, and it makes Kara seem incredibly misguided--like someone stranded in the wild since childhood, so there's no foundation for moral and social behavior, and cannot see how Cat is not the person to admire. But in Berlanti-ville, a hate-spewing, insulting, self serving woman is exactly what the series heroine should look up to--and so should the audience.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I would also note too that Supergirl did not seem to even notice Superman in the medlab. We get a couple scenes where Supergirl is in the lab talking to Jon Jonz and we can see Superman's boots right next to her and yet Supergirl does not even seem to notice. That's her cousin that she was sent to Earth to protect and that she claims to care about and she does not ask anyone how he is doing or anything. They could have had a short scene where she looks down and says "Get well cousin". But no, nothin'.

All part of the plan--aside from the fact Superman is meant for the DC movies, the Berlanti production must marginalize Superman as much as possible to make Supergirl seem like the greatest superhero of all time, and in Berlanti-ville, that cannot happen without making Superman an ineffectual footnote.

It was wise not to draw too much attention to the Boots of Steel.

Really, they should have taped a poster of Superman on the wall, since that would be as much a "character" as the Boots (or bad CG) of Steel. Actually, a poster would "threaten" Supergirl's identity, so they were better off with super heroic footwear.

 

[The Old Mixer]

They should cast Superman as a life-size cardboard stand-up of Christopher Reeve in costume.

 

[davejames]

Throwing out a bunch of snarky insults and one-liners is not exactly what I'd call "hate-spewing." I suppose in a more real world office setting Cat might be perceived that way, but in a light and fun comic book show like this she's about as harmless as J. Jonah Jameson in the Raimi Spider-Man movies (and hell, as far as I'm concerned she's not even half as annoying or grating as he was).

 

[Greg Cox]

'Historically . . . " as in what previous instances?

It almost seems like we're seeing completely different characters. The Cat I'm watching is dryly funny, utterly unflappable, and always entertaining. Calista Flockhart's comic timing and line deliveries are top-notch, even as she shades in hidden depths and vulnerabilities beneath all that hilariously over-the-top imperiousness. (I loved that she was utterly oblivious to the fact that the whole city has been brainwashed until it was pointed out to her.) She's not just some repellent, "hate-spewing" asshole. She's a witty, wickedly smart, larger-than-life character, with a nicely sardonic sense of humor . . ..

 

[Crow T. Robot]

The only change to Cat that I'd like to see is her little celebrity quips. It would be nice if more (or even some) of them weren't related to our world, if for no other reason than to drive home that each world is different in their multiverse theory.

So far, the only one I can think of that's like that was the Harrison Ford one, and that was simply because of who she was.

 

[Admiral2]

Well shoot...why don't we just throw Cat a parade, man?

Seriously? She's witty and charming and entertaining? She's a mentor? She's the best thing about the show? Could one of you please tell me what kind of real life hell I'd have to be trying to escape from to find someone that dismissive, abrasive and abusive "Entertaining?" Maybe if she were Gregory House, MD, but he had the one saving grace of being a good doctor. Cat's good with quips and media savvy. Well! Let us all bow down tot he Queen of All Media!

 

[Guy Gardener]

When, you pay people to be your friends, you don't have to be nice.

Although following that metaphor to its far off completion, do pimps still carry razor blades to keep things orderly?

 

[Romulan_spy]

Zeke used to do these great "5 minute" parodies of Star Trek Voyager episodes. I think Supergirl deserves the "5 minute" treatment.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

'Historically . . . " as in what previous instances?

Sure. I've heard both viewer camps and writers say the same of Sgt. Carter of Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and to mention Scrubs again, the Dr. Cox character. While you had some viewers finding the behavior funny, others thought the characters were abrasive and abusive, particularly to their central foils, who were innocent and /or had loving personalities. When the audience has an expectation of the weekly abuse / asshole session, that takes them out of the story, only in Supergirl's case, the scripts are not even strong enough to offset the effect of that expectation.

To return to the point about Cat being a mentor--really, davejames brought up J. Jonah Jameson, but in the comics, Parker had numerous conflicts with his boss, and did not stand there (Kara) fawning over someone with a most disreputable act (Cat).

It almost seems like we're seeing completely different characters. The Cat I'm watching is dryly funny, utterly unflappable, and always entertaining. Calista Flockhart's comic timing and line deliveries are top-notch, even as she shades in hidden depths and vulnerabilities beneath all that hilariously over-the-top imperiousness. (I loved that she was utterly oblivious to the fact that the whole city has been brainwashed until it was pointed out to her.) She's not just some repellent, "hate-spewing" asshole. She's a witty, wickedly smart, larger-than-life character, with a nicely sardonic sense of humor . . ..

Greg, we can agree to disagree, since I do not see wit or humor in an abusive character.

As a series, Supergirl has a wealth of unsolved problems & wrongheaded handling all the way to its season finale--most tied to it not being a solid superhero production. On that note, we must remember SG IS supposed to be that, not a scattered soap opera with a cape, as some SG fans believe. Much work is required to make this something more than a production that comes and goes. TV played host to too many comic-based series that never really lived up to its source, or worked as solid fantasy entertainment, only now, we're in this age of big screen comic characters pushing beyond what were once limits. Thanks to that push, Supergirl needs a major course correction (and that includes less incongruous elements like Cat) otherwise it will spend whatever time it has left being compared (deservedly so) to the DC & Marvel big screen adventures...and not coming away in a good position.

 

[Christopher]

Parts I found really dumb was how Kara defeated Non. Why would a Kryptonian's heat vision have any effect whatsoever on another Kryptonian like that, let alone blind and kill(?) them? If that's all it took, any two Kryptonians wanting to eliminate another one would have no trouble at all in doing so.

Why would a human's teeth or nails or fists have any effect on another human? Of course Kryptonians can use their abilities to hurt other Kryptonians.

And Supergirl hardly had "no trouble at all" defeating Non. She had to turn her heat vision up to the maximum -- almost the "superflare" level she used against Red Tornado, although evidently not quite as intense, since she still had her powers afterward. And Non was resisting with his own heat vision.

And what was with Kara not being able to "super hold her breath" in space? And the nonsense about not being able to fly? Especially after learning that Clark was off-world himself? I mean, we even saw Supes flying in space just fine in Man of Steel.

What's that got to do with anything? That's a different universe. Different interpretations aren't obligated to follow each other's rules. The Superman of the '60s and early '70s comics could fly through space or time under his own power and push moons around; the Superman of post-1987 comics had much more limited abilities and needed an air supply in space. And so on.

That was almost as awful as Alex being an expert pilot of Kara's escape pod; not only could she fly it like a pro, but she was able to track, find, and catch Kara with no problem. Oy.

One more time: That pod has been in the DEO headquarters for the past dozen years. Alex has been a DEO agent for the past three years. Why is it so hard to believe that she knows how to fly the pod? Why the hell would the DEO keep the ship there and not learn every secret it had?

 

[Crow T. Robot]

Why would a human's teeth or nails or fists have any effect on another human? Of course Kryptonians can use their abilities to hurt other Kryptonians.

Oh sure, they can withstand a nuclear blast, but a bit of fire from the eyes totally blinds and kills them. And heck, Kara should have just been able to kill Non (or vice versa) with a few kicks and punches in that case. They're so fragile, those Kryptonians. I mean, so what if their eyes are already producing the exact same levels of heat and handling it just fine. If someone else shoots them with exactly the same amount of heat they go kablooey and you die. Makes total sense, and is completely relateble to a human scratching someone else. Same thing, that.

And Supergirl hardly had "no trouble at all" defeating Non. She had to turn her heat vision up to the maximum -- almost the "superflare" level she used against Red Tornado, although evidently not quite as intense, since she still had her powers afterward. And Non was resisting with his own heat vision.

It was only slightly more potent than what Non was doing, which is why it took so long for her to win in that staring contest of death. But regardless; shooting a laser at a Kryptonian's eye totally gets around their invulnerability. Good to know.

What's that got to do with anything?

Everything?

Different interpretations aren't obligated to follow each other's rules. The Superman of the '60s and early '70s comics could fly through space or time under his own power and push moons around; the Superman of post-1987 comics had much more limited abilities and needed an air supply in space. And so on.

Yeah, sorry, that's not a minor change to a Kryptonian's power. It's an outright removal of them. And what was that nonsense about not having anything to push off in order to fly in space? What the heck is she pushing off of when she's flying around normally? Especially when she's just hovering in mid air?

The writing on this show is so bad.

One more time: That pod has been in the DEO headquarters for the past dozen years. Alex has been a DEO agent for the past three years. Why is it so hard to believe that she knows how to fly the pod? Why the hell would the DEO keep the ship there and not learn every secret it had?

You can be as condescending as you want, but it doesn't help your point at all. There's no reason at all that Alex should have been an ace alien pilot. That's never come up before, even with conventional vehicles. It was pulled from so far up the writer's ass that it made me clench.

 

[Christopher]

Oh sure, they can withstand a nuclear blast, but a bit of fire from the eyes totally blinds and kills them.

As stated above, Non is not dead, just incapacitated. And it's hardly "a bit of fire." You've seen in the past just how powerful Supergirl's heat vision can be. If you have to twist the facts to make your case, then your case doesn't deserve to be made.

And heck, Kara should have just been able to kill Non (or vice versa) with a few kicks and punches in that case. They're so fragile, those Kryptonians.

Humans can beat other humans to death, but it's hardly easy. It takes a great deal of effort. And it obviously took a great deal of effort for Supergirl to overcome Non.

I mean, so what if their eyes are already producing the exact same levels of heat and handling it just fine. If someone else shoots them with exactly the same amount of heat they go kablooey and you die. Makes total sense, and is completely relateble to a human scratching someone else. Same thing, that.

A cannon can survive firing a cannonball, but it can be destroyed if it's hit by another cannonball. Because it's designed to channel the force in a specific direction, and if the force is applied to it in a different way, it's not designed to handle that.

Yeah, sorry, that's not a minor change to a Kryptonian's power. It's an outright removal of them.

You haven't been listening to the conversation in this thread. It's already been discussed that Superman's powers have been portrayed in many, many different ways over the 78 years that the character has been presented in many different media and distinct, incompatible continuities. The original Superman of 1938-41 couldn't fly at all, just jump 1/8 of a mile and run really fast. He didn't even have heat vision; it arose as an application of his x-ray vision sometime in the late '40s and didn't get split off into a separate power until at least the late '50s, maybe the '60s. Different versions of Superman have had different powers many, many times before.

 

[Enterprise1701]

Wow. What a finale. Not my favorite finale ever, but sufficiently heartwarming.

I look forward to how Kara and James go in their relationship.

I sure hope this show gets renewed so that we find out who is in the pod!

 

[Mr Light]

That was a weird finale. They immediately resolved the cliffhanger, had a couple acts of soap opera, then resumed the plot, then had a left field cliffhanger with an annoying lack of resolution. I think there's a bat named Lucille inside the pod, personally.

BTW, I realized how unnecessary the horrible decision to bring Alex into the city was. She says she wants to go. Kara and J'onn say hell no that's ridiculous and leave her behind. Non or one of his stooges then abducts her after they're gone. Same ending.

 

[Commander Richard]

Despite what J'onn did to confuse the matter, Cat is still quite aware of who Kara is and a promotion (with a private office!) without any duties gives Kara a plausible reason for her to jet off and be Supergirl during working hours.

If Cat is actually pretending not to know Kara's true identity then this promotion would be a good way to enable her to carry on her Supergirl responsibilities.

Yet she gives her an office without a window.

We get a couple scenes where Supergirl is in the lab talking to Jon Jonz and we can see Superman's boots right next to her and yet Supergirl does not even seem to notice. That's her cousin that she was sent to Earth to protect and that she claims to care about and she does not ask anyone how he is doing or anything. They could have had a short scene where she looks down and says "Get well cousin". But no, nothin'.

It would have been funny if they handled it a different way. What if they were passing out hot towels and Superman took one and put it over his face just before the camera panned up to it. Then he could have been asked if he was alright and all we'd get was a nod and maybe an "mm-hmm".

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

One more time: That pod has been in the DEO headquarters for the past dozen years. Alex has been a DEO agent for the past three years. Why is it so hard to believe that she knows how to fly the pod?

Sooooo......in three years, Alex had the time to not only learn what had to be innumerable job functions / rules / training for the typical duties / missions seen on the show, but also had time to learn how to fly an alien ship with the competency required to save someone?

Nonsense. There would be specialists specifically assigned to understand the functions an alien craft, not someone who--more often than not--was presented all season long as a field agent. There's no jack of all trades situation that meets the believably test.

As someone else posted, its a scene designed to turn her into a savior, when she was out of her league in so many situations in this season. It is no wonder one of the first issues observed by many fans is how Alex is constantly forced into situations no human should have any part of.

You can be as condescending as you want, but it doesn't help your point at all. There's no reason at all that Alex should have been an ace alien pilot. That's never come up before, even with conventional vehicles. It was pulled from so far up the writer's ass that it made me clench.

Exactly--it was to not only make her the savior, but hammer the already flattened "Alex-is-in-the-superhero-league" this series has packaged and pushed from the start.