S01.E01: Pilot

[scarynikki12]

Quote

SERIES PREMIERE - Naomi McDuffie (Kaci Walfall) is living her best life as a top student, skateboarder and Superman-stan, when a "stunt" in the middle of her hometown of Port Oswego turns her world upside down. While Naomi's doting parents - Greg and Jennifer McDuffie (Barry Watson and Mouzam Makkar) - are concerned with their daughter's strange new fainting spells, the teen's closest friends - Annabelle (Mary-Charles Jones), Nathan (Anthony Puig), Lourdes (Camila Moreno), Anthony (Will Meyers), and Jacob (Aidan Gemme) - join Naomi to help uncover who or what is behind the unexpected event that has the small military town buzzing. A bit of sleuthing leads Naomi and her friends to discover that the owners of two local businesses - Dee (Alexander Wraith) and Zumbado (Cranston Johnson) - seem to know a lot more about the incident than everyone else. Soon Naomi realizes that the mysterious event is just the beginning of a thrilling journey that will change her life and challenge her to question everything she knew to be true.

 

 

[Primal Slayer]

The pilot was decent, I liked all the characters we were introduced to. 

The only thing I worry about....is...I dont know how smart it is to have Naomi be a total mystery to the general audience? I get that we are going along with her on this mystery but not really having any spectacular heroics really happen in majority of it may have been...not the right call? 

But overall I enjoyed it and I'll definitely stick around to see what comes of it all. 

[thuganomics85]

So, if I'm understanding this correctly, this isn't actually part of the Arrowverse, but it's own thing?  They certainly were talking like Superman isn't actually real (and airing an hour earlier!), but just comes from the comics.  Of course, depending on when this is all set, a quick Crisis could easily merge them with the rest if they wanted too!

Not a bad start so far.  Obviously, a lot of atypical pilot roughness, but I at least came away enjoying the majority of the characters and the cast.  Kaci Walfall seems like a pretty good fit for Naomi and carried the episode pretty well.  Also thought the cast playing her friends were pretty solid too.  Actor playing Dee was a bit hit or miss, but I can chalk some of it up to it him having be all mysterious and whatnot, which can be hard to sell early on.  Actor playing Zumbado was having fun sliming it up in style!  Mouzam Makkar and Barry Watson did what they could in the classic "parental" roles.

Liked the look of the series so far and shooting in Atlanta gives it a different feel compared to the superhero shows shot in Vancouver (the same away Atlanta also benefited both Black Lightning and Stargirl.)

Naomi certainly doesn't have a shortage of potential love interests, with her ex that she is still friendly with, this townie guy she seems close to, and the purple haired girl who is crushing on her and Naomi clearly seems to enjoy it.

I know we were probably suppose to think that one guy was an uber nerd, but I'm kind of with him: if you don't even know who Aragorn is, you are so lame!  That not even a deep cut from the Lord of the Rings film/franchise, but one of the main characters played by one of the more well-known actors.  Philistine, indeed!

Curious to see where this goes next.

Edited January 12, 2022 by thuganomics85

[Trini]

Very pilot-y, I need to see more to really get a feel about this. But it's an intriguing start. I'm in.

 

5 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

The only thing I worry about....is...I dont know how smart it is to have Naomi be a total mystery to the general audience? I get that we are going along with her on this mystery but not really having any spectacular heroics really happen in majority of it may have been...not the right call? 

This doesn't seem like it's a 'spectacular heroics' -type show, though. I'm sure there'll be more of that later; but for now, I don't think that's a bad thing.
 

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

So, if I'm understanding this correctly, this isn't actually part of the Arrowverse, but it's own thing?  They certainly were talking like Superman isn't actually real (and airing an hour earlier!), but just comes from the comics.  Of course, depending on when this is all set, a quick Crisis could easily merge them with the rest if they wanted too!

Yes, this off on it's own; kinda like Stargirl. I'm interested in how they explain superheroes/etc. in this universe - because it's weird that Superman is real ... but (almost?) no one  knows that. In any case, I expect them to connect this to Superman & Lois at some point.

[AnimeMania]

Title of this episode is "Don't Believe Everything You Think".     

All the security camera's wires were cut, but nobody bothers to look at the footage right before they were cut, maybe there might be some clues there.

Girl suddenly passes out twice in two days, perhaps a car is not the best choice for a gift at this particular time or her riding on a skateboard either.

Why does all the people who are from the military base and not been in the city very long, know all of the people and businesses in town better than the townies that live there. Shouldn't Anthony (the Townie) know where Nathan lives and the names of the 6 other families that lived there before him.

Why would people on a military base need a great car, seems like something decent and cheap would be better since you are not going to be in town for long and you probably can't take it with you. 

I guess they settled that debate, seems that your genetics are the most important, especially if you plan on manifesting some superpowers that might turn you into a superhero, or you could get rich like Batman and Ironman and gadget your way into greatness.

I guess I should learn how military towns function, do the military families live on base or in the town or a little of both depending on how long they are staying in town. Base or town, where are the schools located. Shouldn't there be more of a military theme to the town or did I just miss it, signs suggesting we support the troops or military are welcome in stores, American flags prominently displayed, wide strong streets in case a military vehicle drives on it. Possibly a few checkpoints or clearly marked directions (signs) pointing you towards the military base.

All the kids in the school seem to get along so well together, partying and hanging out. Naomi is well liked because she is smart and like comic books. She is so cool that everybody wants to date her and everybody wonders why she still wears glasses. 

It seems strange that Naomi's secrets seem to tied to that town (and everybody who matters seems to know what she is doing at all times and been following her) even though she has lived in many different places during her lifetime. Have those people been following her or do they remain in town waiting for the day that she would return and manifest even though that seems to be happening a little earlier than they thought it would.

Edited January 12, 2022 by AnimeMania

[cambridgeguy]

Superman's status seems bizarre.  So is he supposed to be an urban legend like Batman, hence everyone jumping to the prank explanation?  At the very least he's very averse to the press if there's no Lois Lane who can just ask him about the incident and write up an article.

And they really wanted to cover all of their bases with love interests, didn't they?  The (same-race) jock who might be a jerk with a heart of gold, the (different race) dorky friend who's pining for her, AND the same-sex comic fan. 

[DavidJSnyder]

1 hour ago, cambridgeguy said:

Superman's status seems bizarre.  So is he supposed to be an urban legend like Batman, hence everyone jumping to the prank explanation? 

I thought that as far as anyone knew he was just a comic book character.

[possibilities]

I've been feeling maxxed out on superhero stories, but I decided to try this because of its pedigree and cast. I like it okay, so far. Not 100% sold, but no major complaints, either.

[tennisgurl]

We have a new Arrowverse show...kind of. Its not actually in Earth 1 with the other Arrowverse shows, as superheroes only exist in comic books, but I am guessing it takes place in the same multiverse, the way Stargirl does. I know that the creators have said there aren't planned crossovers and that the show would be its own thing, but that's what they said about Black Lighting at first too, and look how that went. I thought this was a solid pilot. It was a bit rough with exposition about characters and the world, plus is trying to be all mysterious about Naomi's past and powers, but it laid down a lot of good concepts, I am excited to see where it goes. Kaci Walfall is doing a great job as the lead and Naomi is a really likable character, looking forward to seeing more of her and her powers, 

They sure did give Naomi a lot of potential love interests right out of the gate. The jerk jock with probably a heart of gold ex, the lovable nerd friend, the cool indie girl, and none of them have obvious endgame energy yet, I really am not sure who she will end up going for. They might be doing the thing CW does sometimes where they throw a bunch of love interests at the wall to see who sticks, and all the actors are good, so we will have to wait and see. 

I am really curious if Naomi's adopted parents know about what is going on with her. I hope they really don't know or if they did, had a really good reason not to tell her, the "parents keep huge life changing secrets from the kids for stupid reasons" is a trope I have come to really dislike. 

Edited January 12, 2022 by tennisgurl

[akg]

37 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I am really curious if Naomi's adopted parents know about what is going on with her. I hope they really don't know or if they did, had a really good reason not to tell her, the "parents keep huge life changing secrets from the kids for stupid reasons" is a trope I have come to really dislike. 

Me too. I really liked them and their relationship with Naomi so I hate the idea of that being a lie/falling apart. But their reaction to the glasses question was a bit suspicious.

[cambridgeguy]

It'll give her more in common with Superman - in many continuities the Kents didn't reveal his alien heritage until his teen years, especially if his powers didn't manifest in overt ways before then.  I don't remember that ever causing a long lasting rift.

[Trini]

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

They sure did give Naomi a lot of potential love interests right out of the gate. The jerk jock with probably a heart of gold ex, the lovable nerd friend, the cool indie girl, and none of them have obvious endgame energy yet, I really am not sure who she will end up going for. They might be doing the thing CW does sometimes where they throw a bunch of love interests at the wall to see who sticks, and all the actors are good, so we will have to wait and see. 

Oh yeah, they're definitely waiting to see which chemistry and/or story works out the best. Maybe it will be less likely they'll kill off a love interest for drama that way.

 

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I am really curious if Naomi's adopted parents know about what is going on with her. I hope they really don't know or if they did, had a really good reason not to tell her, the "parents keep huge life changing secrets from the kids for stupid reasons" is a trope I have come to really dislike. 

I think they do know. I was thinking that getting her a car was to distract her from asking more questions.

[Trini]

2 hours ago, Trini said:

Oh yeah, they're definitely waiting to see which chemistry and/or story works out the best. Maybe it will be less likely they'll kill off a love interest for drama that way.

Adding to this: fan support might also be a factor.

Edited January 13, 2022 by Trini

[peachmangosteen]

I thought this was really rough. I actually thought the lead actress wasn't good enough to really capture my attention. And 3 people being in love with her already is a little much.

That being said though, I will definitely keep watching. I'll probably end up bailing eventually like I have with most (all but Stargirl) of the CW superhero shows but we'll see lol.

[The Crazed Spruce]

On 1/12/2022 at 6:40 AM, AnimeMania said:

I guess I should learn how military towns function, do the military families live on base or in the town or a little of both depending on how long they are staying in town. Base or town, where are the schools located. Shouldn't there be more of a military theme to the town or did I just miss it, signs suggesting we support the troops or military are welcome in stores, American flags prominently displayed, wide strong streets in case a military vehicle drives on it. Possibly a few checkpoints or clearly marked directions (signs) pointing you towards the military base.

My hometown, where I still live, is built around an air force base that's still active, and aside from a small monument or two, it isn't particularly military themed, at least off-base.

I was a fan of the original comic when it came out, and I like that they're taking the same slow-building approach to Naomi's whole deal that the book did. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out on-screen.

[AnimeMania]

4 hours ago, The Crazed Spruce said:

My hometown, where I still live, is built around an air force base that's still active, and aside from a small monument or two, it isn't particularly military themed, at least off-base.

Any insight into a ratio military vs civilians living in town, ratio of military families living in town vs the base, ratio how many people are walking around town in uniform, do military and civilian kids go to the same school and is the school in town or on the base, how easy is it for kids to come and go from the base at all hours of the day and night, do military kids hang out with townies? Are there spaces (business and community) that are part of/belong to the base/military that are freely accessible/welcomes townies to use?

[Lantern7]

Earth-2. They're on Earth-2. Naomi meets Courtney in the season finale.

There is promise here. Naomi is appealing and endearing, She's popular and an unabashed geek. She's . . .

Damn, I should post right after watching the episode. It certainly watching a drag to watch. Maybe the whole "Superman is fictional on this show" makes people think, "Wait, shouldn't this be streamed like the other non-Arrowverse shows?" Maybe it's because the concept is based on a comic that started out relatively recently,? Or maybe it's because I'm not into mysteries like Nancy Drew, and the main question is basically "What is Naomi?"

Or maybe seeing a dude with hawk wings gives me subconscious flashbacks to first season Legends of Tomorrow, where hey were trying to make Hawkman and Hawkgirl relevant.

Is it possible to take that many cell phone videos and make something coherrent? I'm impressed by Naomi's friend on that.

On 1/12/2022 at 5:40 AM, AnimeMania said:

All the kids in the school seem to get along so well together, partying and hanging out. Naomi is well liked because she is smart and like comic books. She is so cool that everybody wants to date her and everybody wonders why she still wears glasses.

That was nice, and she didn't come off as a Mary Sue. You can see kids her age liking her in whatever context they're into.

[Terrafamilia]

I had to roll my eyes at how thick they were shoveling it on in making the main character so stupendous even before superpowers.

She's popular, got her own jam!, everyone loves her, may be bi (if not, she's a tease); she's smart, taking AP courses, on the debate club and can blow off debate prep right in the middle of said prep right in front of the teachers without any apparent repercussion ("It's for my blog" well then, by all means); said fictional character (?) blog is the third most popular such blog in the whole world!!! (note to show: "stan" is not a complement); she's a rad sk8tergrrl as well.

ENOUGH ALREADY! Even BDA Clark Kent was tied up in a cornfield on his first episode and he was the future freakin' Superman.

[rollacoaster]

On 1/15/2022 at 11:48 PM, Lantern7 said:

On 1/12/2022 at 4:40 AM, AnimeMania said:

All the kids in the school seem to get along so well together, partying and hanging out. Naomi is well liked because she is smart and like comic books. She is so cool that everybody wants to date her and everybody wonders why she still wears glasses.

That was nice, and she didn't come off as a Mary Sue. You can see kids her age liking her in whatever context they're into.

 

On 1/16/2022 at 4:03 PM, Terrafamilia said:

I had to roll my eyes at how thick they were shoveling it on in making the main character so stupendous even before superpowers.

I got TOTAL Mary Sue vibes. 

Her parents seem like decent folks, but I totally got asset caretakers that have come to love their charge vibes off of them.