Spoilers Supergirl - Season 1

[Christopher]

Perhaps the most meaningful thing the '40s Superman radio series did, mainly in 1946-7, was to embrace the fight against racial and religious bigotry and anti-immigrant sentiment as their main ongoing theme. For those two years, quite a few of Superman's foes were demagogues exploiting xenophobia, racial and religious intolerance, and fear of immigrants in order to play on the public's fears and manipulate them into giving them power. It made no bones about comparing such people to the Nazis and exposing them as hypocrites and frauds. The most famous storyline was one written by a journalist as an expose of the Ku Klux Klan, using a fictionalized KKK-like group and revealing their leaders' hypocrisy and petty profiteering, and which actually did a lot to demystify and humiliate the KKK. Today I see politicians like Trump (but hardly limited to him) who are effectively indistinguishable from those villains in a 1940s kids' show, and I realize how important Superman's message really was. I'd love to see Supergirl take that same kind of moral stand. They're sort of dancing around it with the bit about Max Lord stirring up anti-Kryptonian sentiment, but I'd love to see them have the guts to have Supergirl take on racial/religious bigotry and fearmongering demagogues more overtly.

 

[davejames]

But there's too much darkness already in the world today. This is a time when we need optimistic messages. Superman was first introduced in a very dark time, a time of depression and corruption and global war and widespread racial and religious bigotry, and it made a statement that people could stand for something better, could fight for something better. And that positive message had a real impact on people and gave them hope.

I have no problem with Supergirl herself continuing to be a positive character (and would fully expect her to be one), but that doesn't mean the stories and adversaries surrounding her can't be a bit darker and more serious and less, well... cheesy.

And again, I'm only talking "dark" by Flash standards, which is barely that dark at all compared to something like Daredevil, Jessica Jones, or even Arrow. But it does at least feel like there are legitimate threats for the heroes to face on Flash, and that everything won't always be restored to a bright, shiny and happy place by the end of most episodes.

 

[JD]

Would it still be considered a crossover if Grant Guston were to play a version of The Flash that originated entirely in Supergirl's world with no connection to The CW series? I was thinking that could be a fun way to do a crossover without doing a crossover.

 

[Commander Richard]

Nah. What's the point?

 

[davejames]

It's a possibility. Although for all intents and purposes I think it would still qualify as a crossover, given that it would still have the same Flash actors in it. And I imagine what most fans really want to see is "our" Flash interacting with Supergirl, and not some alternative version.

Plus it still raises the same questions, such as why hasn't anybody on SG mentioned anything yet about a speedster facing off against a bunch of metahumans?

 

[USS Triumphant]

Would it still be considered a crossover if Grant Guston were to play a version of The Flash that originated entirely in Supergirl's world with no connection to The CW series? I was thinking that could be a fun way to do a crossover without doing a crossover.

I really think bringing Benoist to "The Flash" as Powergirl is a better way to pull off almost the same concept - no need to mention the name "Supergirl" and it makes it immediately clear that this is a parallel character, not the same person.

 

[Christopher]

Would it still be considered a crossover if Grant Guston were to play a version of The Flash that originated entirely in Supergirl's world with no connection to The CW series? I was thinking that could be a fun way to do a crossover without doing a crossover.

Nah. What's the point?

Well, it's not that different from Mark Hamill, Amanda Pays, and Vito D'Ambrosio reprising their characters from the 1990 Flash series in the current Flash universe. Although, well, without the 25-year buffer period.

It probably would be pretty confusing if they did it that way, though.

 

[tomalak301]

As much as I enjoy the show as is... I am starting to think it would be even better if it were just a tad bit darker and more serious along the lines of Flash (which I never would have called a dark show before, but in comparison with SG it now kinda seems like it is!). And I think that would probably help draw in more viewers as well.

Plus I'd just love to see Supergirl going up against a villain at some point that's as scary and badass as Zoom.

God I hope not. I appreciate the optimism about Supergirl, as I appreciated the optimism about The Flash, even though Flash is a darker show. We need more of that in TV today, not less.

 

[davejames]

Flash still seems like a pretty positive and optimistic show to me. I don't think having more serious villains and storylines has done anything to change that.

 

[The Old Mixer]

I don't think that this show needs to be "darker" by any means, but it could use a little more oomph in the writing department. As it is, it strikes me as being very light, fluffy, and paint-by-numbers predictable. There's not much to bite into.

 

[davejames]

Agreed. It's certainly a very light and fun show. but I'm just not sure that's really enough, and think it could stand to be a bit richer and more interesting as well.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

As much as I enjoy the show as is... I am starting to think it would be even better if it were just a tad bit darker and more serious along the lines of Flash (which I never would have called a dark show before, but in comparison with SG it now kinda seems like it is!).

Last week we had Kara getting furious about the fact that she'll never see her home and family again, and revealing just how destructive her power could be when completely unleashed. This week we had her watch helplessly while someone died. It's not without its moments of darkness.

Moments are--by nature--fleeting, so if the series just has more of the same, it could feel stale after a time. Eventually, the darker nature of the anti-alien sentiment of daddy Lane (and the mainstream government by association) and Lord should lead the series toward an overall tense feeling across the board. How those threats either shape or push her associates also holds potential for the series to say the early, innocent days are over.

That does not mean the series has to go in the direction of the Nolan Batman movies, but Berlanti--being such a fan of the Donner Superman films--could follow the tone of Superman II, where most of the film was pretty serious (the human Clark / attack on the Oval Office / the fight in general), aside from the thankfully brief, lighter moments of the small town takeover, a couple of city sight gags and Lois at Niagra.

 

[Trekker4747]

The Supergirl universe grows, but the J'onzz FX were weak.

You *do* realize this is a TV show and there's only so much they can do on a budget for a show that, on a weekly basis, has to have a large level of effects, right?

The MM effects didn't look *great*, but good enough for a TV series like this. The Red Tornado effects were more disappointing, honestly, since more can be done with costumes and makeup than what they did there.

Anyway, awesome to see the MM thing revealed and I look forward to how that develops. I thought this was a nice episode and continues to do more to show the "human side" of Kara as she deals with the fact she cannot save everyone.

Though the "cure" for the "Meltdown" power seemed rather odd and weak. With everything she'd done that day she didn't have a rush of adrenaline? No rush of adrenaline to ease the pain of her broken arm? No rush of adrenaline as she faced-off, powerless, with a man pointing a gun at her? And I thought that scene was well done to, showing how she can be a hero without punching things. Hokey? Maybe a bit, but I dunno maybe light hearted and hokey is what we need compared to the bleakness of most of DC's other superhero outings.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Supergirl universe grows, but the J'onzz FX were weak.

You *do* realize this is a TV show and there's only so much they can do on a budget for a show that, on a weekly basis, has to have a large level of effects, right?

That's not an excuse. One, the average SG FX per episode is not trying to remake The Avengers' level of FX. On average, most involve flying. That is not an involved process. Two, what is the budget? Devil's Advocate: is it lowballed? Would WB do that for one of their most visible brands (DC / "S") on a major network? What is the actual budget?

I recall occasional dodgy FX during the 1st season of The Walking Dead, (before it became a solid hit / received a budget increase), but more often than not, the sheer volume of required effects did not appear to be bad or fake. That was five years ago.

Is it budget or ability?

Anyway, awesome to see the MM thing revealed and I look forward to how that develops. I thought this was a nice episode and continues to do more to show the "human side" of Kara as she deals with the fact she cannot save everyone.

Agreed.

Though the "cure" for the "Meltdown" power seemed rather odd and weak. With everything she'd done that day she didn't have a rush of adrenaline? No rush of adrenaline to ease the pain of her broken arm? No rush of adrenaline as she faced-off, powerless, with a man pointing a gun at her?

I see her lack of adrenaline in the looting as subconsciously, she has no fear of being harmed by bullets, so she just acted without questioning.

And I thought that scene was well done to, showing how she can be a hero without punching things. Hokey? Maybe a bit, but I dunno maybe light hearted and hokey is what we need compared to the bleakness of most of DC's other superhero outings.

No superhero series needs "hokey," but it can be hopeful, while intensifying the grim elements that are clearly coming. It does not need to be Nolan's Batman to do that (and as noted days ago, Berlanti could add that in the way his Donner influence handled it in Superman II).

 

[USS Triumphant]

I was really just expecting her to decide to jump into the elevator shaft right at the beginning of that scene - nothing to get the old Kryptonian adrenaline pumping like the ground rushing up at you really, really fast. Of course, then Wynn could have turned out to be wrong....

 

[Christopher]

Though the "cure" for the "Meltdown" power seemed rather odd and weak. With everything she'd done that day she didn't have a rush of adrenaline? No rush of adrenaline to ease the pain of her broken arm? No rush of adrenaline as she faced-off, powerless, with a man pointing a gun at her?

The point was supposed to be that none of those things scared her as much as seeing James in danger. Hokey, sure, but it got the point across.

And to be fair, the whole "super-adrenaline" thing didn't come from a reputable scientist or doctor, it came from an IT guy who'd been reading through hacked DEO files on Kryptonian physiology. So we can't assume that his interpretation was 100% accurate.

(Come to think of it, why didn't Kara text Clark and ask him how he dealt with this situation?)

 

[Warped9]

As much as I enjoy the show as is... I am starting to think it would be even better if it were just a tad bit darker and more serious along the lines of Flash (which I never would have called a dark show before, but in comparison with SG it now kinda seems like it is!).

Last week we had Kara getting furious about the fact that she'll never see her home and family again, and revealing just how destructive her power could be when completely unleashed. This week we had her watch helplessly while someone died. It's not without its moments of darkness.

But there's too much darkness already in the world today. This is a time when we need optimistic messages. Superman was first introduced in a very dark time, a time of depression and corruption and global war and widespread racial and religious bigotry, and it made a statement that people could stand for something better, could fight for something better. And that positive message had a real impact on people and gave them hope.

 

[Commander Richard]

(Come to think of it, why didn't Kara text Clark and ask him how he dealt with this situation?)

Seemed like Clark simply recharged after about 48 hours but that wasn't happening with Kara.

 

[Thestral]

Yeah, maybe she did at the very start and when the 48 hours thing didn't work he didn't know what to tell her.

 

[davejames]

I guess the implication was just that she expended a LOT more energy in that battle than Superman generally does, which is why it took her longer to recharge.

I'll be curious to see if this ever happens again on the show, after some major battle or expenditure of energy, or if they'll just explain it away by saying she's now being more careful with how she uses her powers.

I think it'd be cool to at least see moments where her powers have slightly drained, and she then has to find other, more creative ways to compensate for it.