# Supergirl **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 27, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892 "2015-10-27T18:29:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/61 "2015-10-28T18:41:47Z")
You missed **Miller** ’s point. He was detailing a _better way_ to approach her not having used her powers in years. One I agree with. The way it stands now makes me wonder how many stories we will get where Sis and Kara remember the first time she discovered she could do “blank.” Like when did she discover her heat vision, and who got hurt? Did her x-ray vision manifest when she got curious about the noises coming from her adoptive parents bedroom? ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/62 "2015-10-28T18:44:33Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > No, I seem to recall her telling her sister that she hasn’t flown in a number of years.\* So, she was out of practice, and in addition, exerting herself with the weight of several hundred tons of airplane on her back. > > - I didn’t record it, so I’m just going from memory. What kind of super-self restraint would it take to abstain from flying if you had the ability? That’s one of the most :rolleyes: things in the show so far. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/63 "2015-10-28T19:00:47Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > You missed **Miller** ’s point. He was detailing a _better way_ to approach her not having used her powers in years. One I agree with. The way it stands now makes me wonder how many stories we will get where Sis and Kara remember the first time she discovered she could do “blank.” Like when did she discover her heat vision, and who got hurt? Did her x-ray vision manifest when she got curious about the noises coming from her adoptive parents bedroom? OK. I admit I probably did. ---
**Author:** ![BeepKillBeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BeepKillBeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeepKillBeep)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/64 "2015-10-28T21:05:37Z")
For me it was good, but I’m a sucker for that type of hero. I’m a big fan of Superman as well. It could be better though. For example, some of the action effects were odd, while others were really great. The writing seems decent. The sister’s reaction is at first odd, but then it makes sense when you discover whom she works for. The acting was good. It definitely has potential and I’m willing to watch at least the next three episodes to see where the go with it. It was unmistakable that they could not use a Superman image or say the name. And it was distracting, but it is obviously a real world issue, and likely unavoidable for an unknown reason. So just going to have to accept it, I guess. It is too bad, and a shame that DC can’t seem to get their collective act together for the sake of their universe like Marvel has. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2015, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/65 "2015-10-28T22:06:55Z")
The part of me that is an adult who has seen and evaluated a ton of television, couldn’t not see the flaws. There are dialogue problems, some of the characterizations are too broad, there was too much exposition, and the backstory didn’t quite work. However, my inner 7-year-old, (who, when she was the outer 7-year-old, used to watch Isis and Wonder Woman on Saturday afternoons and run around in the backyard with her WW costume on and aluminum foil taped to her wrists) was yelling “Fly, Supergirl, fly!” at the TV when the plane engine caught fire and cheered from the couch first when she did the flip up onto the roof and then when she walked through the bullets and punched out the bank robbers. I loved it. It’s not the greatest show, but it is much better than it needed to be for me to keep watching. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/66 "2015-10-29T00:26:37Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > For me it was good, but I’m a sucker for that type of hero. I’m a big fan of Superman as well. It could be better though. For example, some of the action effects were odd, while others were really great. The writing seems decent. The sister’s reaction is at first odd, but then it makes sense when you discover whom she works for. The acting was good. It definitely has potential and I’m willing to watch at least the next three episodes to see where the go with it. > > It was unmistakable that they could not use a Superman image or say the name. And it was distracting, but it is obviously a real world issue, and likely unavoidable for an unknown reason. So just going to have to accept it, I guess. It is too bad, and a shame that DC can’t seem to get their collective act together for the sake of their universe like Marvel has. TV can’t afford FX the way movies can, and it showed on a couple of occasions. Having grown up with Captain Marvel flying on a surfboard attached to a van, I can fill in the gaps internally. Marvel’s not as put together as many seem to think. Marvel movies and Marvel TV split and report up different lines. Movies go directly to Disney; TV goes up the Marvel comics line. We are less likely to see the tight tie-in such as happened with Winter Soldier and SHIELD, but we _might_ see more integration with the Netflix series. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/67 "2015-10-29T00:35:52Z")
I don’t know. The Mouse can get pretty uptight if somebody fucks with their success story. If they fail to integrate the stories and the brand suffers, heads will roll. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/68 "2015-10-29T05:02:10Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > For me it was good, but I’m a sucker for that type of hero. I’m a big fan of Superman as well. It could be better though. For example, some of the action effects were odd, while others were really great. The writing seems decent. The sister’s reaction is at first odd, but then it makes sense when you discover whom she works for. The acting was good. It definitely has potential and I’m willing to watch at least the next three episodes to see where the go with it. > > It was unmistakable that they could not use a Superman image or say the name. And it was distracting, but it is obviously a real world issue, and likely unavoidable for an unknown reason. So just going to have to accept it, I guess. It is too bad, and a shame that DC can’t seem to get their collective act together for the sake of their universe like Marvel has. I think it was an artistic choice. This is not the superman show, and by keeping his role in it subdued, it keeps him confined to the background so he doesn’t overshadow Supergirl. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/69 "2015-10-29T06:37:32Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > The part of me that is an adult who has seen and evaluated a ton of television, couldn’t not see the flaws. There are dialogue problems, some of the characterizations are too broad, there was too much exposition, and the backstory didn’t quite work. > > However, my inner 7-year-old, (who, when she was the outer 7-year-old, used to watch Isis and Wonder Woman on Saturday afternoons and run around in the backyard with her WW costume on and aluminum foil taped to her wrists) was yelling “Fly, Supergirl, fly!” at the TV when the plane engine caught fire and cheered from the couch first when she did the flip up onto the roof and then when she walked through the bullets and punched out the bank robbers. I loved it. It’s not the greatest show, but it is much better than it needed to be for me to keep watching. Well said. Yes, there are some serious mistakes in this, much bigger than making J. Olsen taller & hotter than expected. But I want it to work. (On the other hand, as a _Carol_ Danvers fan, I’m a little concerned that they went with “Kara Danvers” as her name. It fits what they’re doing–she should be a Danvers, Kara is her actual name, and “Linda” is a bit old-fashioned now–but it does seem like a way to annoy Marvel.) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/70 "2015-10-29T07:45:21Z")
Was’nt the pilot leaked online months ago. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/71 "2015-10-29T15:29:00Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Also (and more seriously) it bothered me that she just didn’t use her powers for ten years, and it bothered me more that she was apparently browbeat into it by her sister. I get that they wanted to have a reason for her to start her superheroing career as young woman, and not a thirteen year old, but there’s a mechanism for explaining already in the Superman mythos: Kryptonian physiology works like a solar battery, and it takes time to charge it up to superhuman levels - say, about ten years or so, and the pilot opens when she’s just starting to hit real super powers. Saving the plane isn’t the first time she’s flown in a few years, it’s the first she’s flown, ever. The first time she stops a bullet, it’s a lot scarier, because she doesn’t know for sure if she’s that strong yet. It also gives them a mechanism to gradually salt more abilities in as necessary, instead of throwing them all at the audience at once. I think that Kara’s sister’s subtle undermining of her is actually a pretty clever callback to the fact that Kara’s big enemy seems to be Patriarchy. Women tearing each other down instead of supporting each other because they’re trying to conform to Patriarchal expectations is a big part of that whole Patriarchy theory. I think we’ll see quite a few examples of Kara having to come to an understanding with other women that they need to work together to succeed - Kara and her sister are only the primary instance. I expect Kara and Cat Grant will be more in sync by the season’s end. And I’m actually relieved to have a superhero show where we _don’t_ have to suffer through Power Incompetency. It’s like origin stories: played out. Having a heroine who knows what her powers are and how to use them would be a refreshing change. Hopefully the pilot’s initial hesitation at flying is the last we see of that trope. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/72 "2015-10-29T21:03:44Z")
> [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](#): > > It was just a big bundle of tired cliches. Do we really need another “girl is unsure of being a superhero because she’s a girl” narrative? Did the bad guy really need to be yet another “in my culture girls can’t be warriors” misogynist asshole? Those are tired cliches? Really? I can’t think of a lot of female superhero stories that include such cliches, could you name like 5-10 of them off the top of your head to help me out? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/73 "2015-10-30T00:24:05Z")
Hank Henshaw? I don’t know who the fuck that guy was, but he certainly was no Hank “Reed Richards ripoff from a one issue story later turned into the evil Cyborg Superman when the real Superman was dead” Henshaw. Oh well, at least the lead actress is cute to look at. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/74 "2015-10-30T00:27:53Z")
My own thoughts on the pilot…were that I really liked the first half, and really disliked the second half. (From the moment she got shot, onward.) There were a couple of scenes they missed, which would have saved it for me. First, a scene with Henshaw, where she tells him: “Excuse me, but why do you think you’re allowed to give me orders of any kind? Got news for you: _I don’t actually work for you_. That’s my treacherous sister who does, not me. Now, excuse me, but I’m off to…do whatever I feel like. Oh, and by the way…when you shot me with your kryptonite knockout gun, I was on my way to save people from a fire. If any of them died because you shot me without cause, _you_ are morally and probably legally culpable. Good-bye.” Second, a scene with her sister, where she tells her: “Hi, big ‘sis’, I can’t help noticing that (a) you never even said thank you when I saved your life – instead, you actually attacked me for doing it; and (b) you’ve been betraying me to your boss and his organisation for years now. So…you know, I love you, so I’ll forgive you eventually…but probably not soon. Don’t talk to me for a few months, okay?” ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/75 "2015-10-30T00:27:56Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Oh well, at least the lead actress is cute to look at. Which forgives a multitude of sins, at least for a while. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/76 "2015-10-30T13:57:04Z")
The Kara Danvers/Carol Danvers thing bothered me, too. Also, she made a big deal about saving the plane because her sister was on it. Uh, so were a lot of other people! If her sister hadn’t been on it, would she just have shrugged? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/77 "2015-10-30T14:29:33Z")
The plane thing annoys me for other reasons: 1. Why would a bomb, especially if made from alien technology, cripple the plane in such a slow-moving way? I mean, an engine gets set on fire… and then another engine on the other wing catches fire… Why not just blow the whole thing up in one shot? 2. Is it normal for airline pilots in emergencies to circle over a major city as opposed to, I dunno, NOT circle over a major city? It’s as if he decided that if he was going to die, he was going to take as many people on the ground with him as possible. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/78 "2015-10-30T15:05:01Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > The plane thing annoys me for other reasons: > > 1. Why would a bomb, especially if made from alien technology, cripple the plane in such a slow-moving way? I mean, an engine gets set on fire… and then another engine on the other wing catches fire… Why not just blow the whole thing up in one shot? They were trying to make it look like a equipment malfunction, not a terrorist bombing. At least that’s the implication I take from the bad guy asking permission to kill lots of puny humans taking out Supergirl - they don’t want to tip their hand. As for circling the city - I guess maybe they were trying to get back to the airport to land? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/79 "2015-10-30T15:51:05Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > I think it was an artistic choice. This is not the superman show, and by keeping his role in it subdued, it keeps him confined to the background so he doesn’t overshadow Supergirl. I agree. It wasn’t as though DC would not want another DC character mentioned, even if another production company owns the rights. There may be restrictions portraying Superman, but not on using his name. And for a variety of reasons, they want Superman to stay out of things. He would draw attention away from Kara, and also imply she can’t handle things herself. ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/80 "2015-10-30T16:03:31Z")
I agree that Cat Grant’s speech about “girl” was contrived and hard to swallow. When Supergirl first appeared in the comics, she was indeed a teenage girl; if they had made her a teenager on the show, there would have been no issue with calling her that. But they firmly established that she’s 24, and they want to have it both ways. It seems to me that a self-important female mogul like Cat would rankle at the word “girl.” It might have been more believable if she felt threatened by another powerful woman and wanted to diminish her by calling her “girl” - but then I suppose they didn’t want to make her character _totally_ unsympathetic. Kara could simply disavow the unwanted name by holding a press conference and identifying herself as Superwoman (and since this is a comic book universe, no one would recognize her as Kara without her glasses). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892.md?page=5)