‘Supergirl’ season 1, episode 1 review: Is Kara Zor-El everything we hoped she would be?
We are big fans of the “Supergirl” comic series, so when we heard that they were turning this comic into a TV series we were too excited for words. Because of that, this show has a lot to live up to in our minds and while we accept that they may not be following exactly what happens to her in the comic and are creating new stories for her, we hope that there will still be some things that are canon to the comic books.
The basic origin story is this: Kara is sent to earth at the same time Superman is and her mission is to protect him. So don’t let the name “Supergirl” fool you, because she’s actually older then Superman, but because her pod was too close to her planet when it exploded, she was stuck to a place where time doesn’t pass and she slept there for 24 years. When she finally arrived on earth, she was still 13 years old. Superman finds her and gives her the same adoptive parents that once helped him discover and develop his own super abilities.
With Superman not needing her help (and earth not needing another hero), she decides to grow up as normal as possible and hide her abilities. She gets a job as an assistant to the owner of the city’s biggest media company named Cat Grant and immediately this storyline feels very reminiscent of “The Devil Wears Prada” (Cat even has the exact same issue from the book with having her lattes extremely hot). At her job she meets a man named James, who we suspect will be her love interest this season from the chemistry that they have, but he is also there on behalf of Superman to keep an eye on Kara.
With life being as normal as she can make it (including having crappy blind dates), she decides to use her super powers when her adoptive sister, Alex, is on a plane that’s going to crash. After saving Alex, Kara is happy that her secret is revealed, but Alex is worried for her safety. Now that the news is out there of a female superhero, her boss wants an exclusive, but she’s not ready to come forward yet… at least not to her. She tells her friend Wynn about her secret identity and he makes her a costume and she starts working to stop crime in the city. Alex tried to warn her to stop and with Kara pushing harder, Alex and her team reveal that they are part of a task force that protects earth from extra-terrestrial presence. They tell her that when her pod became lose and came to earth that it pulled Krypton’s maximum security prison with her and now all of those criminals are roaming earth.
The one thing we were not really a fan of was Kara’s job… we have seen this storyline a million times now since “The Devil Wears Prada” was turned into a film and it’s just played out. Also, just like superman, we have a hard time buying into the idea that glasses and a ponytail are enough of a disguise that people won’t recognize her. It was however interesting to see Kara stand up to her boss about using the term “girl” instead of “woman” when labeling her hero name and it’s the first glimmer of the kick ass/feminist character “Powergirl” that she later becomes (at least in some adaptations of the comics). There is a lot to like about this pilot, including that the big bad for the season is not only a woman, but also her aunt. We had high expectations and some of them were met, so it makes us excited to see where they are going to go with the show. Episode grade: B-
What did you think of the premiere of “Supergirl” and do you like the story that has been set up for the season? Leave us a comment below and give us your opinion. If you want more spoilers on the show then be sure to fly to the link here and let us be your guide. Also, if you want more great TV news sent your way then you will want to sign up for our weekly CarterMatt newsletter. (Photo: CBS)