Thursday, November 12, 2015

Defining Supergirl: Kara fights for her own story

“Every woman worth her salt knows that we have to work twice as hard as a man to be thought of as half as good.” – Cat Grant, CATCO Media CEO.  If Week 2 displayed Supergirl overcoming early frustration as National City’s hero, the week 3 episode – “Fight or Flight” – saw her face one of her strongest fears, the loss of her own identity. The overarching narrative of the show is about a young woman vying for space in a universe dominated by male figures, most notably her cousin, Superman. It is a quest for recognition on her terms, to which Grant’s prescient Episode 2 quote alludes. Kara shoulders not only the onus to achieve greatness, but also the unique challenge of neither allowing her successes to be usurped nor her failures to be ascribed to causes beyond her control. As she tells Jimmy Olsen, “I will be defined by my victories and my losses.”

Week 3 teed up this dynamic early with Kara’s interview by Grant. Despite declarations that her
ascendance was “her story,” it is the slip of a familial link to Superman that becomes the news peg of the conversation. When asked a deliberately loaded question about starting a family, Supergirl indignantly responds that “nobody asks my cousin” about such an idea. The Super-connection instantly is the focus for everyone. With this anxiety in place over whether Kara can be her own person, the action begins.




The villain that Supergirl opposes is perfectly chosen for this undercurrent about identity. He is the mechanically-suited nuclear scientist, Reactron. A former engineer, maimed and widowed in a nuclear plant attack that Superman failed to prevent, he now intends to inflict the same pain by killing Superman’s cousin. With Kara struggling for her own distinction, what better nemesis exists than one who sees her as a tool for hurting another man? Nevertheless, Supergirl succeeds in their first battle, damaging Reactron’s suit and forcing his retreat.

Fully believing that she can develop a separate understanding with Reactron, Supergirl tracks him down and offers both a truce and support for the scarred scientist. Still, he remains blind to seeing her as anything other than a device for revenge. Having repaired his weaponized armor with the help of kidnapped corporate leader and genius, Maxwell Lord, Reactron subdues her in their second clash. On the cusp of his desired vengeance, Superman then swoops in and speeds Supergirl to safety.
When she regains consciousness, Kara suddenly meets the fear she’s carried since she started toward her destiny. She feels her own worth vanishing in the world’s eyes. Every public doubt about her being an equal hero is becoming validated. Compounding her humiliation was that her own friends tipped off Superman that her rematch might be too much. While Alex provides what reassurance she can, one final indignity remained for Kara: duty called as Cat 
Grant’s executive assistant. The CATCO gala celebrating the Supergirl interview that had diminished her was underway.

Her work as Kara Danvers, though, would not last long. Hungry for final victory, Reactron crashes the party in hopes of drawing Supergirl out. In the final decisive meeting, Supergirl wins in a knockout and regains control of her narrative. Below are my takeaways.

Superlative: The writers of Supergirl are clearly still having fun by taking age-old tropes and reversing who gets stuck with them. The best example is Kara’s co-worker, Winn Schott. A typical (and tired) role for women is the Unrequited Tragic Maiden. Their defining characteristic is that they can never obtain the love that would complete them. Delightfully, in Supergirl, this role falls to Winn. From his rejection for a date with Kara in the series pilot, to his organizing of the crime-fighting lab to impress her, Winn’s motivations are never for his own advancement. The writers further accelerated their fun this week by adding an overtly “catty” moment between Winn and Jimmy Olsen as they stepped on each other’s sentences and dismissed each other’s contributions in helping Kara track down Reactron’s hideout. Winn even suffered a moment where he fell to the ground as a pillar was crashing toward him…only to have Supergirl come to his rescue. Watching these cliché reversals take place has been some of the smartest and most consistent fun of the season.

Another credit goes to Supergirl’s writers and to actress Chyler Leigh for finding a purposeful role for Alex Danvers, Kara’s older stepsister.  In the first two episodes, her character vacillated awkwardly between austerity and sympathy toward her younger sister. This week, she found a consistent voice by being the mentoring presence that Kara as a twenty-something still needs. Initially, Jimmy Olsen appeared to get this role, but having it go to Alex was a welcome change.

Villainous: Providing an actual role for Superman within this episode felt like touching a third rail.  If his blurry image continues reappearing, he becomes a running gag and a distraction from Supergirl’s evolution.  Yet, portions of the audience will crave to know whether he cares to maintain a connection to his only family on Earth. In the end (despite my placing this creative decision under Villainous), his presence in “Fight or Flight” works because his arrival forces Kara to confront the visceral insecurity she’s felt from the beginning. Kara must learn that losing a fight only deprives her of her agency if she lets it. As Alex rightly points out, “Your story is only starting.” With season 1 being an arc about how Supergirl fulfills her potential, this limited use of Superman seems right.

Bizarro (my own strange musings): “Someday, you’re gonna be the one saving him.” Without a doubt, my eyes widened at this line from Alex during her pep talk with Kara. I can see two possible interpretations for its use, which must be more than simple throw-away dialogue.

1)      The season finale, and Supergirl’s evolutionary arc, will be punctuated by a rescue of the Man of Steel! Or…
2)      The line is actually a poignant reference to the 1985 comic series Crisis on Infinite Earths. In the famous DC storyline, Supergirl gave her life to save Superman and defeat the evil Anti-Monitor.


“Fight or Flight” is clearly a critical piece for the maturation of Supergirl. It also provides an allegory for the pressures women face as they strive to succeed in historically male roles. Through these initial stories as well as the actor’s strong performances, Melissa Benoist has clearly made Supergirl a compelling figure. Trepidation lies ahead, though, as the arrival of Lucy Lane (younger sister to Lois) seems to herald a diversion into love triangles. For me, I’m more interested in the professional triangle between Kara, Alex and DEO Director Hank Henshaw, who may prove to be more foe than friend.



Written by : Joseph Money

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