# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/81 "2015-10-30T16:06:43Z")
Argh. Is it going to be available on Amazon soon? Anyone know? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/82 "2015-10-30T16:20:01Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Argh. Is it going to be available on Amazon soon? Anyone know? I don’t know about Amazon, but you can buy episodes the day after broadcast on iTunes. ---
**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, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/83 "2015-10-30T16:33:09Z")
> [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](#): > > 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). That might work for the show, but it wouldn’t work in DC canon. Supergirl she is and Supergirl she will always be, changing times and sensibilities be damned. In this case the name _implies_ youth, since she is “younger” than Superman. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/84 "2015-10-30T17:11:13Z")
> [@Lightray](#): > > 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. She is an alien for god sake. Do they even have genders like we do. ---
**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 30, 2015, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/85 "2015-10-30T18:04:39Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > She is an alien for god sake. Do they even have genders like we do. It has been established in canon that Keyptonians do, so for the purposes of this show, Kara is female. ---
**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, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/86 "2015-10-30T18:33:33Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Argh. Is it going to be available on Amazon soon? Anyone know? The premiere is on the [www.cbs.com](http://www.cbs.com) web page for free streaming. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/87 "2015-10-30T18:48:48Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > It has been established in canon that Keyptonians do, so for the purposes of this show, Kara is female. And since Kryptonians have always followed the Trek-esque rule of “all aliens look like humans,” yes it is very approriate to speak of them in terms of human gender, as long as the plot doesn’t require otherwise 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/88 "2015-10-30T19:05:53Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That might work for the show, but it wouldn’t work in DC canon. Supergirl she is and Supergirl she will always be, changing times and sensibilities be damned. In this case the name _implies_ youth, since she is “younger” than Superman. There is a Superwoman comic. There’s no reason why she couldn’t be Superwoman. ---
**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, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/89 "2015-10-30T19:14:13Z")
Sure there is. Superwoman isn’t the character. Supergirl is. Kara Zor-El isn’t Superwoman. And quite frankly, the fan base for Superwoman runs somewhere between that of the Jacksonville Jaguars and absolute zero. Supergirl has had millions of fans for decade upon decade upon decade. Superwoman, no matter which incarnation you choose, isn’t even Kryptonian, and for a substantial period of time was a member of the Crime Syndicate, and not a hero. Easy call. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/90 "2015-10-30T19:35:48Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > No one ever recognizes me if I take off my glasses. It has always baffled me… Heh. I wear big [geeky-looking reading glasses](http://www.readers.com/the.madden.html?on=Black). A few nights ago I bumped into an older couple I hadn’t seen in quite a long time, and IIRC, I wasn’t yet wearing glasses the last time I saw them (I started wearing reading glasses around 10 years ago). Yet they recognized me instantly. I kinda wonder if the glasses “disguise” was sort of a product of the era in which Superman was introduced. Because his “Clark Kent disguise” wasn’t just the glasses: _Clark Kent also wore a hat much of the time_. Seriously, look at crowd photos from the 1940s: all of the men look basically the same. Dark suits and fedoras, and pretty much the same haircut on everybody if they took those hats off. ---
**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, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/91 "2015-10-30T20:05:32Z")
If the show lasts, say, six seasons, I’d have no problem with Kara becoming “Superwoman” in the last episode. It would be fair to call it a graduation moment, or something. ---
**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, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/92 "2015-10-30T22:57:10Z")
Girl doesn’t just refer to prepubescent females, and never strictly did, deal with it. I didn’t like the line, I think when Kara was talking to the other office schlub, where he suggested aliens, and she was all “there’s no such thing”. Now, we know she knows that’s not true, and all, but when you live in a world where your cousin is out and about and openly known as a public figure who’s from another world, I don’t think that’s a good line to try and throw someone off the track. Also, it’s Kryptonian, not Kryptonese. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/93 "2015-10-31T14:47:36Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Girl doesn’t just refer to prepubescent females, and never strictly did, deal with it. Yeah, the word, “girlfriend”. I’m almost 50,and if I was dating a woman my age, I would feel kind of silly calling her my “womanfriend”. I’ve become acquainted with an over-50 Australian woman, and neither she nor I have a problem with my calling her, “my imaginary Australian girlfriend.” ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/94 "2015-10-31T17:09:44Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Girl doesn’t just refer to prepubescent females, and never strictly did, deal with it. > > I didn’t like the line, I think when Kara was talking to the other office schlub, where he suggested aliens, and she was all “there’s no such thing”. Now, we know she knows that’s not true, and all, but when you live in a world where your cousin is out and about and openly known as a public figure who’s from another world, I don’t think that’s a good line to try and throw someone off the track. > > Also, it’s Kryptonian, not Kryptonese. We don’t know that Superman being an alien is public knowledge in the version of the DCU. The fact that Kara just straight up lied about it to a Superman fanboy seems to indicate that it is not. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/95 "2015-10-31T17:28:00Z")
There’s no way to fit the old-fashioned Jimmy Olsen into a modern drama, so the character would need to change a lot. I kind of recall he was a confidant of Supergirl in the old comic books, so his presence makes sense here. Is he too cool for school now? Maybe, I would expect him to be a nerd now, not particularly athletic, not a great dresser, but much smarter and useful than the old style nebbish-y cub reporter. I’m pretty sure he did get some runs in the comics as a more mature, wiser, and capable guy. This doesn’t seem that far off. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/96 "2015-10-31T18:08:00Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > There’s no way to fit the old-fashioned Jimmy Olsen into a modern drama, so the character would need to change a lot. I kind of recall he was a confidant of Supergirl in the old comic books, so his presence makes sense here. Is he too cool for school now? Maybe, I would expect him to be a nerd now, not particularly athletic, not a great dresser, but much smarter and useful than the old style nebbish-y cub reporter. Kara’s confidant – the nerdy guy who asks her out and gets shot down, who thinks she’s coming out to him as a lesbian when she’s trying to let him in on her powers, who helps her pick out a ‘Supergirl’ costume and tells her when bank robbers are heading for their getaway car – seems to fit; if they’d called him “Jimmy Olsen” and had him come up with a photo, I’d have said _“wow, they did not change the old-fashioned character at all.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/97 "2015-10-31T18:10:30Z")
I was bugged by the fact that they kept saying that Supergirl would now be a second super hero in the world. I have a high opinion of the fact that the Marvel TV Verse and the Marvel Cinematic Verse are in continuity. Is this not a prized aspect of the multimedia push for Marvel among other fans, such that DC didn’t feel it was important to matching Marvel’s success? I don’t get how the world of media operates. ---
**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 31, 2015, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/98 "2015-10-31T18:38:27Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > I was bugged by the fact that they kept saying that Supergirl would now be a second super hero in the world. I have a high opinion of the fact that the Marvel TV Verse and the Marvel Cinematic Verse are in continuity. Is this not a prized aspect of the multimedia push for Marvel among other fans, such that DC didn’t feel it was important to matching Marvel’s success? I don’t get how the world of media operates. The timeline of this show is a mess. The opening scene on Krypton was supposedly “24 years ago”, when Kal-El was an infant and Kara was 13. Does that mean the adult Kal-El is ~25 now? Kara spent most of her voyage “sleeping” and about ten years ago, her ship got loose from the Phantom Zone (and apparently released a number of alien criminals in the process). The adult (?!) Kal-El, presumably by then well-established as Superman, finds her (still only 13) immediately when she arrives on Earth and drops her off with the Danverses and in the 11 years since she’s grown to young adulthood. I don’t see an easy way to reconcile this. Did Kal-El start appearing as Superman when he was 14? Are he and Kara about the same physical age? I realize the show has a dramatic and legal-rights imperative to downplay Superman’s involvement (the word “Superman” itself was only used once), but if he’d been active for over a decade at this point, there should have been a significant effect on humanity. It might have been better to forego the “young woman trying to make it the business world” and follow what the comics did - have Supergirl start out her career as a teenager operating in secret while she adapts to Earth. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/99 "2015-10-31T19:31:08Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > The timeline of this show is a mess. The opening scene on Krypton was supposedly “24 years ago”, when Kal-El was an infant and Kara was 13. Does that mean the adult Kal-El is ~25 now? Kara spent most of her voyage “sleeping” and about ten years ago, her ship got loose from the Phantom Zone (and apparently released a number of alien criminals in the process). The adult (?!) Kal-El, presumably by then well-established as Superman, finds her (still only 13) immediately when she arrives on Earth and drops her off with the Danverses and in the 11 years since she’s grown to young adulthood. > > I don’t see an easy way to reconcile this. Y’know, it fits if Krypton blew up “24 years ago” the day Superman leaves Kara with the Danverses: figure he just made his costumed debut that year, while she’s still just a little kid – and figure the series is now set ~11 years after _that,_ with Kara in her twenties after her cousin’s been fighting crime and saving lives for maybe a decade. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892/100 "2015-10-31T21:56:33Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Kara’s confidant – the nerdy guy who asks her out and gets shot down, who thinks she’s coming out to him as a lesbian when she’s trying to let him in on her powers, who helps her pick out a ‘Supergirl’ costume and tells her when bank robbers are heading for their getaway car – seems to fit; if they’d called him “Jimmy Olsen” and had him come up with a photo, I’d have said _“wow, they did not change the old-fashioned character at all.”_ He fits the bill personality wise, I think that’s their intent, and it makes the use of the new and improved Jimmy Olsen more mystifying if he continues to be a central character. What’s the point of just taking the name? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supergirl/735892.md?page=6)