It’s working for the movies, but it isn’t working as well for Agents of SHIELD. They have to react to what’s going on in the movies. (The wait for Winter Soldier made the first season even more uneven than first seasons usually are). They also just can’t do what they want to in case it has an impact on one of the movies in the future phases.
By keeping things separate, Flash & Arrow can do whatever they’re doing on the CW, Gotham can continue to be a giant mess on FOX, during the movie next year, no one has to explain Supergirl’s absence, and if Superman & Batman blow up half the world, that isn’t going to get in the way of what these writers want to do in this universe.
I thought of that and watched it before writing my earlier comment. The opening narration is performed by the adult Kara (i.e. Melissa Benoist, as opposed to Malina Weissman, who plays the teen version of the character) and ends with a scene of the adult Kara walking through city streets on the way to her job: “but even though I had all the same powers he did, I decided the best thing I could do is fit in. After all, Earth didn’t need another hero. [brief pause] I work at CATCO Worldwide Media…”
It’s not that big a deal, it just struck me as a tad clumsy. Had the narration not started with “24 years ago” it might work better, but they still have to back off a bit on Superman being the only active superhero if they ever plan to integrate Supergirl into a larger fictional universe, i.e. with the established Flash and Green Arrow characters.
If integration is the goal, I can imagine Kara coming across occasional references to “that vigilante in Star City” and “rumours of that red blur” in Central City, while Metropolis and National City get passing references on Arrow and The Flash. It’d take a bit of retconning (or a lot of it), but the televised DC universe could drop a few hints here and there. Heck, mention that a motivation for Kara becoming active as Supergirl is because of new superheroes like Arrow and Flash, who themselves were partly inspired by Superman, who remains a forever off-camera presence.
On reflection, it’s a tad presumptuous to assume integration with other fictional universes is a goal of the producers of Supergirl. I’ll wager just surviving their first season is far more important.
I am definitely with MacSpon on this. Thanks for articulating it so well.
The thing that makes or breaks these shows for me is Characterization. Silly plots with lots of nitpicky holes don’t bug me so much - “It’s just a show” really does work in my mind. A few points:
[ol]
[li]Kara seemed a bit meek to me. Hopefully, one of the story arcs will be her Empowerment as a Woman.[/li][li]I dislike the Devil Wears Prada Bosslady character. Nobody who heads up a huge multimedia conglomerate would be so clueless, insecure and petty as to bully the coffee girl and fire her if she disagrees once with The Boss. It’s just a show.[/li][li]Marvel has had plenty of time to get Carol Danvers into their MCU, but haven’t done it yet. Now DC is going ahead with Kara Danvers, and I’m laughing at any Marvel exec who objects.[/li][li]Melissa Benoist won me over immediately. I didn’t like the casting at first. I was very wrong. She is fantastic![/li][li]Buff Handsome James Olsen is a welcome addition. IT guy can handle the dorky Friend Zone plot elements.[/li][li]In Superhero shows, I really enjoy the parts where Our Hero interacts with and rescues the normal folk. I realize that the plot requires Big Bads and powerful villains to challenge and almost defeat the Hero, but I hope to see more little moments where Kara’s powers prove helpful in her daily routine (like heat-visioning up Bitch Queen’s coffee, for instance). [/li][li]I like the oblique references to Supes. Kara will learn to handle herself without his help.[/li][/ol]
I’m rooting for this show.
I’m hoping they alternate Big Bad episodes with smaller ones, like Kara learning that she can’t be on 24/7 and can’t save everybody. Or relearning all her powers, like the heat vision thing mentioned by Albert. And standing up to Henshaw and maybe punching his lights out. She can blame it on Kryptonian PMS.
Personally, I’d rather she didn’t bother with violence against Henshaw. Rather, there could be a gradually build of nervousness to confidence to arrogance, where she begins to wonder if she needs Henshaw at all, even looking at him like he’s a presumptuous mouse of some kind: “You realize I could literally pulverize you, right? I mean in the sense of reducing you to a fine powder. It actually takes me conscious effort to not pulverize you every time we meet, and I don’t mean out of barely-controlled anger, but if I just extend my arm a little too casually… poof!”
In general, I thought the writing was terrible - I’ve heard less narrative exposition in an audiobook, every single character was a one-dimensional cliche, and the plot was just plain stupid. I mean, David Harewood is a good actor and yet all we got was “I DON’T LIKE ALIENS AND I’M GOING TO TAKE IT OUT ON YOU”. The dynamic between the sisters was at bad chick-lit level (“I’m only mean to you because I’m jealous of you!” “Well, I can only be at my best if you validate me!”). The [del]gay[/del] definitely-not-gay friend was a big pile of generic sidekick traits (and at one point did he spontaneously invent a new cape material?). And of course the implausibly hot, athletic, self-assured, successful and just-a-wee-bit-annoyingly-smug Jimmy was offputting, both because of the difference from the nerdy goofball of yore and his endless namedropping-while-not-saying-the-name schtick.
Actually they were all good actors which was the saving grace of an otherwise awful show. I was thrilled to see Callista Flockhart back in business, even if she was basically playing Vanessa Williams’ Ugly Betty character (Ugly Betty as Supergirl - that would have been a better show). If only they had better material to work with.
I’d say I hope it gets better but I foresee the “escaped alien convict of the week” theme going on for a while, much like Flash’s parade of metahumans, combined with more cutesy feminine insecurity and sister rivalry/bonding and David Harewood shouting and Jimmy smirking etc etc.
Yeah, during the argument immediately after the plane landing I was shouting “She just saved your life, you ungrateful bitch. Just fuck off.”
May watch again out of pointless optimism but man, that was a disappointment.
Well, that didn’t take long for Henshaw to telegraph is sudden inevitable heel-turn. I mean, he was obviously never going to be friendly, but I thought they’d save that revelation for a more dramatic moment, once he’d built up some pathos.
I liked that it looked like all the escaped prisoners wouldn’t be Kryptonians, and then… yeah.
It makes sense, though, and I don’t have a problem with it. All those years as “Superman’s Pal,” and the Big Guy has to trust him with his secret sooner or later.
Yeah between the red eye flash and Supergirl’s aunt now talking to some mysterious voice off in the shadows, I can see Henshaw as the “big bad” of the season, which is weird because last week it looked they were setting up Astra as the main baddie. Why would Astra follow an evil Cyborg from Earth though? This show has a lot of stuff going on in it – it almost seems like too much.
So is Maxwell Lord, who had a cameo in the interview this episode and was mentioned as Win Schott’s idol. And, of course Win Schott was mentioned earlier as a character from the comics.
Basically, I’m not sure we’ve seen a named character who isn’t from the comics, yet (other than Astra?).
So, Alura sentenced her sister. No conflict of interest, there, huh. Was Alura the only judge on Krypton?
Also, I don’t know what Astra’s been doing for the past ten years, but I know what she hasn’t been doing: watching soap operas. I was sure she was going to do the “Kara, I’m your mother” bit. Heck, if she’d been smart, she would have recruited Kara without kidnapping her sister or attacking her.
As for the “red-eye” flash… My husband reminded me that Red Tornado’s going to be on the series…and he’s a red-eyed android, isn’t he?
The commercials seemed kind of weak but it seems to be getting lots of buzz and she is adorable. I have a relative who looks eerily like her.
I will try to catch it and watch it without any preconceived notions and see how it goes.
The DEO sure is swimming in kryptonite, so thankfully all plots with a kryptonian adversary will be swiftly and thoroughly resolved, say by those nifty little tranq darts they used on Kara. No reason to get close to somebody who can grind you to paste before the signal to draw the kryptonite knife even makes it to your muscles, that’d be stupid.
