Spoiler Alert!!! Proceed with caution......
Putting the S in Solidarity: SuperGirl’s
Team Takes Shape
CBS’
Supergirl continued its ratings
strength this week, earning 8.87 million viewers on Monday evening. While the program
lost about 30% of its debut audience, Supergirl
still kept its crown as the most watched “scripted” show among adults age 18-49
for the night. The bigger numbers story, however, was inside the episode as
Kara Zor-el’s supporting team took shape.
In
last week’s premiere, we met many of these would-be allies. Among them were CatCo
Media co-workers Jimmy Olsen and Winn Schott as well as Kara’s human
stepsister, Alex Danvers. We also learned that Alex worked as a field agent for
the U.S. Department of Extranormal Operations (DEO), an identity she hid from
her sibling until Supergirl’s daring plane rescue forced Alex to recruit her.
Despite
Kara’s identity being known to these associates, she began episode-two trying
to be a hero on her own. Yet, her powers and bravado would not be enough. Kara’s
lack of discipline and preparation lead to failure in both her DEO trials and her
early acts of valor, including her towing of an oil tanker from a fire, which
accidentally ruptured the ship’s hull. Nevertheless, the new hero persevered
and began assembling her team to help build success as National City’s
defender.
Meanwhile,
Season 1’s supervillain set some of her own plans in motion. Last week, General
Astra, a rebel Kryptonian and Kara’s own aunt, was revealed as the ringleader
of a criminal horde that had broken free from a prison out in space. She had previously attempted a coup of
Krypton (a plot earning her incarceration by Kara’s mother), and was now
looking to install herself as an Earthly dictator. This week, she employed one
of her fellow alien prisoners, a humanoid-insect hybrid known as a Hellgrammite,
to draw out Supergirl in a trap. The
goal was to either coax Kara’s allegiance or end her as opposition. The plot
proved halfway effective as the DEO agent taken hostage was Alex Danvers. Kara,
however, rejected an alliance and was forced to fight. Kara and the DEO,
together, prevailed and General Astra fled.
“Stronger
Together”, our second chapter for SuperGirl,
solidly entertained and seemingly rounded out the Season 1 exposition. Below are
my takeaways.
The Good: Fight scenes! SuperGirl’s
one-on-one clashes put the benefit of CBS’ financial support
On
a character level, Melissa Benoist (Supergirl) was given a wonderful range with
which to play. Her charming self-deprecation - in the best tradition of
Christopher Reeve’s Clark Kent - when covering a laugh at her CEO’s demands was
genuinely funny. Her relief from painful isolation at the sight of her mother’s
image was also sincerely touching. But more than either of those moments, Week
Two gave Benoist a delightful moment to exhibit Kara’s wisdom.
An
advantage of the Supergirl character over Superman is that Kara Zor-el has a
substantive memory of Krypton. Imbued by her race’s values and knowledge, Kara
can project a “beyond-her-years” insight that her alien cousin cannot match. In
the middle of the episode, Jimmy Olsen (in a twist on an infamous trope) was in
doubt about whether he could pursue a
career that is independent of a (Super-)man. Cat Grant, the CEO of CatCo media,
was demanding that he leverage his relationship with Superman to land an
interview with National City’s new heroine. Talking on the corporate balcony,
Kara counsels Jimmy on the meaning of the Super “S”, not only its familial
significance but also its translated meaning…”Stronger Together.” On Krypton, seeking and accepting help was a
greater sign of strength than obstinate displays of independence. Jimmy accepts Kara’s offer to perform the Cat
Grant interview. That same ethos would also propel Kara to success in her fight
with General Astra as she chose to alert the DEO of her decision to save her
sister. For both young women and men, Supergirl showed an ability to project
principles worth emulating.
The Bad: If there was an aspect of
the show that wasn’t worth replicating, it was the early sequence
The
show also appeared to struggle with the direction of Kara’s stepsister, Alex.
In the opening, the character effusively expressed gratitude to have Kara involved
with the DEO, then switched to a hard-edged sparring partner, before finally offering
an apology that didn’t quite seem warranted as the lines delivered during
training weren’t particularly offensive. Unlike characters such as Jimmy Olsen,
Cat Grant and Winn Schott, Alex was created specifically for the television
series. There is no creative template for the role she’ll play. Hopefully, her
character will grow steadier and not fall victim to use as a plot device.
The Ugly (again just my own petty
reactions): Superman gets a crystal
fortress in the Arctic and Supergirl gets a blue room in the DEO basement?! Really?
At least in Kara’s “alcove” of solitude, we received a quick-and-dirty explanation
of what those Marlon Brando holograms were in the Superman films.
It
should be conceded that Melissa Benoist ably performed Supergirl’s
afore-mentioned vulnerability when she encountered the image of Alura, her
mother. Benoist is pulling off this character very well, despite having a
challenge in her portrayal that her counterparts at The Flash and Arrow don’t.
Those heroes have an immediately understood origin story that keeps humanizing
them. With The Flash, Barry Allen (played by Grant Gustin) witnessed the murder
of his mother. Oliver Queen (The Green Arrow portrayed by Stephen Amell)
watched his father commit suicide over his failure to stop the forces
destroying his city. Benoist, in contrast, must balance twin tribulations. She
has a galactic refugee complex, as one of the last survivors of her world and
civilization. Additionally, though, she faces
constant underestimation. It will take a near heroic effort from both the
writers and Benoist to find the right mix of these impulses. But so far,
they’re doing it well and hopefully audiences will reward them for it. Next
week is “Fight or Flight,” where we may learn the identity of an almost-silent
partner, kept off-screen to General Astra.
Written by: Joseph Money
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