Supergirl: The Adventures of Supergirl
October 10, 2016 6:55 PM - Season 2, Episode 1 - Subscribe

Supergirl and Clark team up to stop a new threat emerging in Central City

AV Club recap - Supergirl’s second season premiere takes the show to new heights

Vulture - Supergirl Season Premiere Recap: Kara and Clark

*S1 finale pod contains mystery comatose Kryptonian.
*Kara gets cold feet about James.
*The DEO has an office right in the middle of National City; Winn joins the DEO full time.
*Kara decides to be a reporter.
*Lena Luthor is apparently on team Good Guys.
posted by oh yeah! (20 comments total)
 
I have my doubts about Lena. I thought that the actor playing him was... not very impressive as "Sup--er, my cousin!"
posted by TwoStride at 8:13 PM on October 10, 2016


I liked this Clark/Superman - but I have a lot of love for Tyler Hoechlin from back before I rage-quit Teen Wolf, so, I may be biased. I'm disappointed that they've put James/Kara on hold, but overall I thought the network & shooting location switch didn't seem too jarring.
posted by oh yeah! at 8:49 PM on October 10, 2016 [1 favorite]


I really liked their take on Superman. I bought Tyler Hoechlin both as Superman and as Clark Kent. Admittedly, I hope they use him sparingly because I want the show to continue establishing Supergirl as a character in her own right, but I thought they handled the whole thing really well. But then, I'm an easy mark for this show's brand of Adorable, so I spent the entirety of the scenes with "I usually stick around to say hi"/"Me too" and Superman shaking everybody's hand while walking into the DEO building with a huge damn smile on my face.

On the other hand, the story of my feelings about the absence of Perd Hapley is: I'm disappointed.
posted by MrBadExample at 8:49 PM on October 10, 2016 [7 favorites]


"But then, I'm an easy mark for this show's brand of Adorable..."

That's what I've loved about this show. But my reaction to this season opener on a new network was a mix of boredom and irritation. Maybe it's just the mood I'm in.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 9:48 PM on October 10, 2016


This worked well enough for me, though it felt like a trivial sort of threat to be the first time Superman showed up, but I guess maybe that let them focus more on him? It also felt like they were laying on the DC universe references a little thicker than usual: the Luthors, Corto Maltese, "moving back to Gotham." Like MrBadExample, I'm a sucker for stuff this show does well and can get a lot of enjoyment just out of Supergirl and Superman saving people* and being friends, so it was fine, but I'm hoping the bigger Project Cadmus arc has a little more substance.

*I love how people are always so excited to see them that their reaction is always "That's awesome!" and not "oh shit why did a murder drone start shooting at me?"
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:22 AM on October 11, 2016 [2 favorites]


MISS TESSMACHERRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!
posted by DirtyOldTown at 5:01 PM on October 11, 2016 [13 favorites]


I enjoyed it a lot. Still felt light and cheery, I didn't notice any differences (aside from the DEO set) due to the change to the CW. As DirtyOldTown notes, Cat yelling "MISS TESCHMACHER!!!!" was amazing. I may have laughed out loud. Three times. That's just not going to get old with me. Loved the reference to, statistically, flying being the safest way to travel, for the same reason as the Miss Teschmacher joke.

And now, some random thoughts:

- Enjoyed Clark's "sway" over Cat.
- Really enjoyed the Cat/Kara moments.
- I liked how Hank and Superman have some history.
- More Winn, please.
- More awesome fight scenes for Alex, please!
- Amused that Clark and Jimmy have a handshake.
- REALLY like how Clark has full confidence in Kara. REALLY like how Kara still feels like she's the older one. The dig where she's like "I used to change his diapers" was great. Very sibling-esque and reminds me of interactions between me and my brother.
- I like how Clark is older here but still relies on Kara to tell him stories. That's awesome.
- I approve of this season's mission being figuring out how to be Kara Danvers after last season was figuring out how to be Supergirl.
- Looking forward to learning more about Lena Luthor.

Overall, I liked it. Is it next Monday yet?
posted by juliebug at 7:33 PM on October 11, 2016 [3 favorites]


Given how much they were piling on the Kryptonian references and backstory, I couldn't believe Kara was calling her cousin Clark and not Kal. I mean if there is one person she can use her native references with, it's Superman.

I don't like how they did the pivot away from the James/Kara relationship, but I'm glad it's over. I never bought it last season and I'm happy to be done with it now--assuming it is done with and James isn't going to swap places with S1 Kara and become the pining portion of the duo.

I don't know that Winn needs to be at the DEO full time. Most of the cast is already there. I think the balance works better with Kara having more allies at her civilian job, especially if we're getting considerably less Cat this season (thanks to the move to Vancouver).

I didn't like Superman's supersuit in the promo photos, and after viewing the episode I'm still not keen on it. The over-the-shoulder seatbelt cape straps are just wrong.

Overall, however, it was a pretty good episode, and I think it worked especially as a clean slate/introduction to new CW viewers who may not have seen the first (CBS) season.
posted by sardonyx at 8:44 PM on October 11, 2016 [1 favorite]


I liked it. Specifics:

* The actor for Superman/Clark is no Brandon Routh, but he did fine. He also seemed to be shooting for a Christopher Reeve vibe, and I thought that went well. I don't mind having Superman be a routine presence on the show either, given that they've established the two behave as equals. (Honestly, it reinforces the whole 'stronger together' theme better than having him be offscreen all the time. If they wanted him gone, they needed to kill him, shoot him into space, etc. - if he's alive and well, he *should* be visiting periodically. It bugged me a lot, last season, just due to the plot holes created.)

* The Kryptonite disagreement between Superman and J'onn felt forced, particularly given the comics continuity practice of 'Superman trusts Batman with Kryptonite.' With the Fort Rozz guys loose, keeping it around was the smart move, as not even Superman, Supergirl and J'onn would've been a match for all of Astra's troops. That whole thing would've worked better if it were a disagreement from *after* Kara and J'onn removed that group from play.

* It looks like they're paring down the CatCo stuff to just face time with Cat. This would be wonderful - the assistant/DEO dichotomy last season was maybe the clunkiest thing about the show. Distilling her CatCo time down to more awesome stuff with Callista Flockheart and less stupid office stuff would be fantastic. (I prefer Winn on the DEO team, that being the case. He was already more involved in her super stuff than work stuff.)

* I, too, found the James pivot to be awkwardly handled, but I'm too relieved they're not going there to complain much.

* I liked Lena Luthor, but the L Corp thing made them sound like LL Bean. Lex was right to try and stop her.

* I noticed the conspicuous absence of Maxwell Lord, which I was happy about. Cadmus and Lex Luthor related intrigue sound like more fun, especially since they portrayed him as a second string Lex Luthor knockoff anyway.
posted by mordax at 9:56 PM on October 11, 2016


I was weirdly distracted by Clark/Superman's teeth. They just weren't... perfect. Superman needs perfect teeth. I'm flexible on all kinds of things about Superman, ranging from mundane things like height and eye color, to more practical things like level of muscle tone, to big things like ethnicity even. But the man has to have a perfect smile.

I am aware I am being a fussy nerd, though.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:55 AM on October 12, 2016


Okay, DirtyOldTown, I'm posting this just so you know you're not alone.

Normally, I don't pay any attention to teeth, but watching this episode I kept noticing the Superman actor's teeth and mouth. I don't know if it's how he was acting/smiling or how the close-ups were shot/framed/lit or how he has made-up (or some combination of factors), but I found myself distracted. When he wasn't smiling, I was trying to figure out how his jawline tied into the rest of his face.

I'm not the type to obsess about how any actor (or anybody for that matter) looks but something was causing me to stare and look and I really can't explain it. (Oh, and for the record it wasn't a 'he's so dreamy and handsome' type of gaze.)
posted by sardonyx at 10:22 AM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


I like that Superman isn't musclebound and chisel-jawed.

Isn't Calista Flockhart leaving the show or limiting her time in it? I figured Cat is about to make some life changing decision such as travel round the world or something.
posted by idb at 2:11 PM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


Isn't Calista Flockhart leaving the show or limiting her time in it? I figured Cat is about to make some life changing decision such as travel round the world or something.

Yeah, you appear to be correct. :(

I like that Superman isn't musclebound and chisel-jawed.

Yeah, me too. It seems right for this show.
posted by mordax at 3:41 PM on October 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


I've never been in the big-muscled Superman camp myself, but I'm guessing a lot of that has to do with when i got introduced to comics. Nobody was built like steroid-enhanced weightlifters then.
posted by sardonyx at 5:36 PM on October 12, 2016 [2 favorites]


I gotta admit: I was very much against Superdude being in the show at all. I almost never enjoy Superman as a character. I did not expect much out of Tyler Hoechlin. I didn't think they could balance both Superman and Supergirl in the narrative, especially since Hoechlin was totally dominating the show's media presence all through hiatus. I don't think he's going to boost viewership with Superdude fans. So: I thought it was a bad move all 'round.

( i mean it's not like i hate the superdude i just don't really see the appeal and all the overblown advertising for him gets very grating )

HOWEVER. The dude totally won me over. Or mostly. I still don't think he'll bring in Superdude fans, but they did manage to balance his presence in the story, and the character himself had more nuance than I expected.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 9:25 PM on October 13, 2016 [1 favorite]


I was very anti-Superman being on the show, stealing all the glory, being looked upon as the "REAL" superhero. But it wasn't like that at all. The actor was terrific as both Clark Kent and Superman, his relationship to Kara was heartfelt and respectful, they were shown as equals and I hope they continue to use the character -- sparingly. Just like I want them to use Cat Grant sparingly. The character is so one dimensional. That is, until the moment they need her to be the world's greatest mentor. I get whiplash watching her go from horrific, self centered, egotistical, maniacal, petulant, shallow, boss from hell to supportive, wise, dispenser of Oprahisms. The handling of the budding James/Kara romance was awkward. They spent most of S1 setting up their mutual attraction, keeping them apart, and bringing them together in the finale to scuttle it all with 30 seconds of dialogue in S2? Weird. I like James. I like James and Kara. But I have no interest in the show being about Supergirl's love life. Besides, everyone knows that the person Supergirl loves most in the world is her sister, Alex.
posted by pjsky at 3:41 AM on October 14, 2016 [2 favorites]


Besides, everyone knows that the person Supergirl loves most in the world is her sister, Alex.

I'm enough of a sucker for the whole adopted family shtick that I would watch several episodes of just Kara, Alex, and Martian Manhunter eat takeout and chat.

I'm feel like the show needs Superman if only so they can stop lampshading his absence. He's allegedly going to be in, I think, 2 episodes this year and that feels right. If he's in the universe we need to see him, but I don't want him overshadowing Kara (and I'm generally a Superman fan).
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:13 AM on October 14, 2016 [3 favorites]


"Besides, everyone knows that the person Supergirl loves most in the world is her sister, Alex."

This has always been the emotional core of the show, when it's most affecting. And it's weird that the writers seems to maybe kinda understand this, but mostly don't (since they mostly neglect it).
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 4:26 PM on October 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


I am happy to have Superman visit because the explanations of why he never visited were lame. I am also quite happy in how they handled him. He's like Kara's twin in personality and it's adorable and sweet. I loved watching them team up. It gave her someone to play with who literally knows what it's like to be like that, which is something her current gang doesn't have.

While I have zero interest in Kara nailing Winn or James, it was weird that they had all the buildup all last season and then just dropped it like a mic in this episode. Did the focus groups complain or something?

I will miss Cat, though I do agree there is definitely a certain whiplash between Bitch Queen and Wise Mentor there. Not to mention the whole "does she ACTUALLY know Kara is Supergirl or is she just pretending not to" dynamic. Which is weird.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:30 AM on October 16, 2016 [1 favorite]


I always thought Kara's crush on James was just that, a silly teenage crush. Especially because (IMO) they write her like she's 18, not 23; and James I'm p sure is 28, or he should be; and it's a totally quintessential teenage/young-adult thing to have a crush on someone, especially someone adult and successful and cool, that would make a horrible relationship. I feel like that should be a part of Supergirl's story.

Cat 1000% knows that Kara is Supergirl tho. that's just facts
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 2:11 PM on October 16, 2016 [1 favorite]


« Older RuPaul's Drag Race: WTF!: Wres...   |  Podcast: My Brother, My Brothe... Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments

poster