S01.E01: Pilot

[thuganomics85]

Was really looking forward to this, and it has a lot of potential, but I didn't like as much as I thought I would.  A lot of the dialogue was clunky as hell, pacing was off: it seemed to rushing through things one minute and then dragging the next, and outside of Kara and Jimmy, I really didn't warm up to the rest of the characters or cast. I found Winn more annoying then charming, got tired of Alex being all "Stay hidden, Kara!" at first and then revealing that she was keeping secrets from her this entire time, Hank just seems like a typical gruff dude heading a mysterious organization, and Cat is so, so grating.  I really hope she ends up being a villain, because she was a pain in the ass.

 

I know Melissa Benoist got most of the praise in all of the reviews, but I was a bit more mixed.  Most of the time I thought she was pretty good and make Kara very relatable and fun, but there were a few times I thought she slipped into obnoxious and over-the-top territory.  But I'll be lenient for now, because it is the pilot and I think some of it might just be her in the feeling out process.  Plus, again, the writing isn't the easiest thing to handle.

 

Same with the numerous references to her being a girl and can be just as awesome as the guys.  I'm fine with it for now, because it is rare these days to see someone actually put a female superhero in the lead, and it is refreshing and worth mentioning.  But hopefully they won't be doing that all the time, or then it's going to feel like they are either patting themselves on the back or think that her being a woman is the only thing that separates her from the rest.  I think they'll probably cool that off in the upcoming episodes, but if not, I guess I can always use a new drinking game.

 

Curious to see what Astra's deal is.  Laura Benanti is putting her crazy-eyes to good use!  Always great seeing Faran Tahir too.  Owain Yeoman was good enough as the first baddie of the week.  Nothing more American then Supergirl beating the shit out of Benedict Arnold!

 

I know he isn't the Jimmy from the comics, but Mehcad Brooks is awesome, and I think I'm really going to enjoy his version of Jimmy.

 

Whatever issues I have with Alex, I did think Chyler Leigh did a good job.  I know she's probably best known for Grey's Anatomy, but I still remember her as the lead in that "bad, but kind of fun" spoof "Not Another Teen Movie" (and her co-lead was Chris Evans a.k.a. the future Captain America!)

Edited October 27, 2015 by thuganomics85

[Gentian root]

Sorry.  Bad connection.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Gentian root

[bmoore4026]

Calista Flockhart can be switched out for Sarah Michelle Gellar and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference: facial structure, speaking tone, pronunciation, etc.

 

Oh Dean Cain.  You literally stood there and said or did NOTHING.  You're still my favourite TV Superman.  And made me long for the of the best things from Lois and Clark's pilot; the costume montage! 

 

I wouldn't mind Sarah Michelle Gellar, actually.  Can't stand Callista Flockhart and her weird mouth and big ass eyes.

 

Dean Cain, eh?  So this show follows Lois and Clark?

[Gentian root]

My only complaint? I wish there was more diversity. I loved that Jimmy Olson wasn't white, I just hope more supporting players aren't white as well.

Hank Henshaw was race lifted too.

[ParadoxLost]

I think more people hate/have a problem with the "she's hiding it from someone important" trope, so I think as time goes by you may not see much agreement on the opposite point of view.

 

I think it was a mistake to completely avoid that trope.  They should have at least spread the confessions over a couple episodes.  Actually its not Supergirl sharing I have issue with because her family knows, Olsen is the tie to Superman, and she told one friend.  What is crazy is that her sister revealed she works for secret govt agency in the pilot.  That should have been a secret for a while if they were going to introduce it.  Have shadowy agency at odds with Supergirl and then they join forces.  They also went too far up the villain food chain too early.

[lion10]

I liked it and it's got a lot of potential to be a fun superhero show. I hope the voice over is gone in the following episodes. I'm waiting for Kara's sister to start plotting against her as her jealousy increases.

[Kromm]

Was really looking forward to this, and it has a lot of potential, but I didn't like as much as I thought I would.  A lot of the dialogue was clunky as hell, pacing was off: it seemed to rushing through things one minute and then dragging the next, and outside of Kara and Jimmy, I really didn't warm up to the rest of the characters or cast. I found Winn more annoying then charming, got tired of Alex being all "Stay hidden, Clara!" at first and then revealing that she was keeping secrets from her this entire time, Hank just seems like a typical gruff dude heading a mysterious organization, and Cat is so, so grating.  I really hope she ends up being a villain, because she was a pain in the ass.

Who's Clara?

 

EDIT - Heh. To be clear I'm joking.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Kromm

[Kromm]

I think it was a mistake to completely avoid that trope.  They should have at least spread the confessions over a couple episodes.  Actually its not Supergirl sharing I have issue with because her family knows, Olsen is the tie to Superman, and she told one friend.  What is crazy is that her sister revealed she works for secret govt agency in the pilot.  That should have been a secret for a while if they were going to introduce it.  Have shadowy agency at odds with Supergirl and then they join forces.  They also went too far up the villain food chain too early.

Here's why I think all this got out in one episode...

 

I think they knew all the time that they were going to leak that pilot six months ahead of time. They knew even from the teaser (or maybe even test screenings before that) that they'd get a lot of "girls drool! nerd rage" and pushback, and tons of confusion and counter-arguments and fury over every decision. So the way they rolled the dice was to stuff as much, as many reveals as possible, into the one product they knew they were leaking, because it was all they'd really have to prime people with.

 

Also, on top of that, I think they wanted to set a fast pace rather than have any (again usually nerd-rage driven) "it's too slow" accusations. Because they were already going to take it on the chin anytime there was anything even vaguely relationshippy or workplace comedyish or anything BESIDES punching/action. So again, that drove a need in them to compress stuff, I think.

[ByaNose]

I guess it was okay. I mean there isn't anything new & it's been done before but with men. Melissa Benoist has really star quality & is quite cute. Calista Flockhart is, well, um.....really skinny. Yikes! I doubt it will be on my season pass but I might catch a rerun during the summer.

[ParadoxLost]

Here's why I think all this got out in one episode...

 

I think they knew all the time that they were going to leak that pilot six months ahead of time. They knew even from the teaser (or maybe even test screenings before that) that they'd get a lot of "girls drool! nerd rage" and pushback, and tons of confusion and counter-arguments and fury over every decision. So the way they rolled the dice was to stuff as much, as many reveals as possible, into the one product they knew they were leaking, because it was all they'd really have to prime people with.

 

Also, on top of that, I think they wanted to set a fast pace rather than have any (again usually nerd-rage driven) "it's too slow" accusations. Because they were already going to take it on the chin anytime there was anything even vaguely relationshippy or workplace comedyish or anything BESIDES punching/action. So again, that drove a need in them to compress stuff, I think.

 

Then it backfired with me because I came to the conclusion that they are dumping in order to try to set up some hybid of Superhero procedural.

 

But I also didn't care enough to seek out the leak so I'm probably not the target demographic.

Edited October 27, 2015 by ParadoxLost

[quarks]

Nothing deep, but fun. Liked Jimmy Olsen a lot, and Callista Flockhart is having so much fun as the Evil Boss that I'm willing to roll with it. I'm not sold on Geek Guy yet. Or the sister. Way to go, Alex - tell a secret government agency about your sister's secret superpowers, but don't bother to pass on her mother's message to her? Sigh.

[Gimmick Genius]

Didn't Alex say that Kara's alien DNA meant she couldn't even get pimples? How do they explain that cute little acne scar next to her left eyebrow?

[stealinghome]

Then it backfired with me because I came to the conclusion that they are dumping in order to try to set up some hybid of Superhero procedural.

Isn't that the idea? I think I read an interview with someone at CBS where they said it's essentially going to be a procedural.

[Kromm]

Didn't Alex say that Kara's alien DNA meant she couldn't even get pimples? How do they explain that cute little acne scar next to her left eyebrow?

It was a lame thing for them to say. I mean close ups are going to show blemishes in HD no matter what.

 

Fan Wank: Aside from real time breakouts, the scars could be explained by her NOT being immune when she was on Krypton. Sure she was 12-13, but even if we'd think that might be on the young side for human (not really..it seems on schedule to me), being an alien might mean a slightly earlier puberty. Meaning it wouldn't be her DNA  per se, but her powers preventing further breakouts (except the real Melissa Benoist is not going to be immune in her adulthood, where some people STILL get acne, regardless of how much makeup they put on her--and in fact makeup often makes people break out even more underneath). 

Edited October 27, 2015 by Kromm

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Fly, Girl
TV's newest superhero contends with her own personal Kryptonite. And actual Kryptonite.

[ketose]

Shame she can't count. On the roof she tells the Cisco that only three other people know. Danvers Mom, Dad, and Sis plus Kal makes how many?

Flights were good, fights not so much.

The way I heard it, she said "three people in my life." They kind of hammered home the fact that Kal dropped her off and stayed out of her life.

 

 

It's the glasses trope, of course. In fact, without really be spoilerish (because it's such a nonsense detail) I'll say there's a preview photo for one of the upcoming episodes showing Kara standing in front of a Supergirl cardboard cutout made by Catco (clearly to promote them exploiting her to sell papers and whatever else they do). I think they're likely to play this for humor, because of course... glasses (and also having her hair pinned up), doesn't mean it doesn't look just like her. But this is one of comics OLDEST tropes, so unlike the "hiding her secret from the person close to her" trope, I think rather than explode it, they're likely to leave the glasses disguise trope perfectly alone and just honor it "as is". 

In the second episode of Lois and Clark, (back when Lois had a sister) there was a sketch artist and Lois was describing Superman and his brown eyes. Clark said "like mine?" and Lois said something about Clark's eyes being some muddy brown. On that show, it was about expectations. Then again, they could do a Patty Duke (or Liv and Maddie for the youngsters) thing where Kara and Supergirl somehow appear at the same time.

 

Supergirl reminds me of Ally McBeal and it doesn't help that Ally McBeal is on the show. I pretty much muted all the bits with Cat in them. I'd prefer Jimmy Olsen to be more like Lois and Clark Season 1 Jimmy, but James is supposed to be like a confident mentor of sorts to Kara since Superman is legally restrained from seeing her.

[Kromm]

Correction: I incorrectly said its a cardboard cutout. Wrong. It's a giant blown up magazine cover.  The commericals for the coming episodes showed it, so I wasn't just going on (slightly) incorrect memories of a still I saw anymore. The point is that Kara is right next to it, and I'm sure that isn't an accident. They're not going to ignore this as much as play with it, I think, accepting the trope but perhaps joking about it/teasing us that it just magically happens that nobody recognizes her.

[Maximum Taco]

I never read these comics.  Were the comics so unoriginal that they also decided to have Kara clone Clark's life by going to a different city to work at a different newspaper.  I'm trying to decide if the lack of any original thought is on this show or on the source material.

 

 

As far as I can recall Pre-Crisis Supergirl was an actress in her Linda Danvers secret identity, she did do a stint as a TV Reporter, but I don't think she ever worked at a newspaper like Clark did.

 

The more recent Post Crisis and New 52 Supergirls never really got old enough to get jobs, if they did have secret identities it was for what were usually brief stints in either highschool or university trying to be a "normal teenager." Supergirl rarely maintained her secret identity on a regular basis though, and I don't believe she ever went as Linda Danvers in post-crisis continuity, she was Linda Lang (Lana Lang's neice) in post crisis continuity for a while, and she's been Kara Kent (Clark's cousin) in both Post-Crisis and New 52 continuities. Typically she's only Kara Kent if she's staying at the Kent homestead in Kansas or she needed to see Clark in his civilian identity.

 

Really the lack of a secret identity was one of the things that seperated Kara from Clark, especially in the newer comics. She really never seems to understand what he gets out of his civilian identity, and she prefers much more to associate with her superheroic peers, like Batgirl, Power Girl, the Teen Titans and the Legion of Superheroes.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Maximum Taco

[cynic]

I liked it enough to give it a few episodes. There was a lot packed into this pilot and a lot of it was exposition, but hopefully the regular episodes will be better.

 

I was iffy on Kara at first, but I feel like I'm going to like her a lot more as she grows more confident and hopefully stops the stammering awkward girl bit. Benoist did a good job with her though.

 

I really liked Brooks as James Olson. He didn't feel like Jimmy to me though. The awkward guy seemed more like Jimmy. Still, James was a cool character and Brooks has a lot of presence (and is very hot). The other guy annoyed me though.

 

I'm not sure how I feel about her sister and the weird jealousy. I did like that she had some badass skills of her own though. 

 

I kinda hated her boss. I don't really need the newspaper stuff. I'd be more happy with just concentrating on the government agency.

 

Question: Does she actually wear her whole outfit under her clothes. Seems like that would be bulky, especially the cape.

Edited October 27, 2015 by cynic

[kdm07]

The last show my sister and I watched together on a regular basis was The Legend of Korra. I think this one will be our next pick for weekly viewing. I'm also tired of broody heroes so this show is a welcome relief.

[Twilight Man]

It certainly wasn't the best superhero TV show ever

(a couple of cringe-worthy moments, especially the "I believe in you" moment)

but it certainly wasn't the worst superhero TV show ever either.

(You should watch Channel Awesome rip apart the failed Justice League pilot, the failed

Wonder Woman pilot (which one????   BOTH OF THEM!!!!!), and silly Marvel TV movies like "Dr. Strange", "Hulk meets Thor" and the "Hoff" as "Nick Fury")

I suppose that "Flash", "Arrow", and "Daredevil" are spoiling us,

but she's really not that horibble.

I give it a B-, and here's hoping that it does improve.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Twilight Man

[VCRTracking]

Liked it. Melissa Benoist is charming as Kara and I like the Phantom Zone escapees as a way of having a super villains every week. Did not expect the twist with the evil aunt who's an identical twin of her dead mother! Should be fun.

[stealinghome]

I was iffy on Kara at first, but I feel like I'm going to like her a lot more as she grows more confident and hopefully stops the stammering awkward girl bit. Benoist did a good job with her though.

Yeah, Benoist will be fine if everyone involved with the project saw the pilot, recognized that stammering and awkward isn't her forte, and decided to tone that aspect of Kara down. There are other ways to get across "low self-confidence," "shy," etc.

[Eliz]

Prediction, if the trend holds: in her next show a few years from now, Calista Flockhart will play a character named, I don't know, Pussycat? Housecat? Cougar? Something in the feline family, obviously.

[Kromm]

It certainly wasn't the best superhero TV show ever

(a couple of cringe-worthy moments, especially the "I believe in you" moment)

but it certainly wasn't the worst superhero TV show ever either.

(You should watch Channel Awesome rip apart the failed Justice League pilot, the failed

Wonder Woman pilot (which one????   BOTH OF THEM!!!!!), and silly Marvel TV movies like "Dr. Strange", "Hulk meets Thor" and the "Hoff" as "Nick Fury")

I suppose that "Flash", "Arrow", and "Daredevil" are spoiling us,

but she's really not that horibble.

I give it a B-, and here's hoping that it does improve.

"Arrow" has been total crap at times, so I don't know if it really belongs on the spoil us list. Flash, although by most of the same people, has been significantly better, and I think Supergirl matches that show's mood a lot better than it does Arrow's. 

 

Daredevil is it's own thing, not just cause it's Marvel but because it's street level gritty (vs. Arrow, which is street level silly).

In the second episode of Lois and Clark, (back when Lois had a sister) there was a sketch artist and Lois was describing Superman and his brown eyes.

Actually this is totally an aside (but relevant in a way to this show), Lois

STILL has a sister, and she shows up on this very program in the next few episodes.

[Hollysdower]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mechad, so I had to give this a try.  I liked it enough to continue watching.

 

I loved Mechad from season 2 of True Blood...Hey Jimmy Olsen, remember when you and Tara ate Marianne's blood pie and then beat the shit out of each other for hours? Good times!

 

mtlchick, I am forever in your debt for that video you posted *bows*

 

There was a lot of cheese and cliches in this...I groaned quite a few times...but there was a lot of good, too.  It's a pilot, and pilots often suck, so I'm gonna give it the benefit of the doubt and keep watching.

[Winston Wolfe]

If only Joss Whedon had been associated with the project!  I really liked the pilot, and I've been a Supergirl fan since the 60s

Loved the pilot and thought Melissa brought the right combination of cute, spunk and grit to the character.

I'm actually relieved Whedon doesn't have anything to do with this project.  While I loved Buffy, Joss quickly became TV's and movie's version of Chris Claremont.  You know exactly what their characters are going to say and do and it takes all the joy out of what you're watching or reading.  Whedon, to my surprise, has managed to tone his act down for the Avengers, but a lot of his tropes are still there (e.g., quippy, wise-cracking, brave young heroine) so I can enjoy that franchise at least.

Daredevil is it's own thing, not just cause it's Marvel but because it's street level gritty (vs. Arrow, which is street level silly).

Never understood the Daredevil hate.  My best guess is it suffered from early Affleck revulsion, lol.  As superhero adaptations go, it's actually one of the most accurate and well-done.  As for Hasselhoff's Nick Fury, Stan Lee thought the Hoff nailed the part.  Even at this point I'd rather see him in the Marvel movies than the ubiquitious Samuel L. Jackson.

Edited October 27, 2015 by Winston Wolfe

[TLoyd]

The lead was a bit to safe nothing very interesting not bad but not really compelling.  The voice overs were truly bland

 

James Olsen has nice screen presences.  Calista Flockhart needs to darken her eye brows a bit.  Will somebody please write a comedy for Laura Benanti this  corny twins and her stint on Nashville are a waste.

 

The  first word that came to mind when i was thinking about the show is a word I have never used before but fits.....

 

Hokey.

[Artsda]

I liked it, especially for a pilot. 

[VCRTracking]

 

Will somebody please write a comedy for Laura Benanti this  corny twins and her stint on Nashville are a waste.

She was on the short-lived Matthew Perry show on NBC, Go On.

[Watcher0363]

By letting her work colleague and Jimmy Olsen in on her secret they can avoid the best moment from Lois and Clark.

 

Lois and Clark Quotes:

 

Lois: If you wanna kill Superman, I don't know why you're going to Smallville or 1966.

Tempus: She doesn't know yet. Oh, this is good. This is really good. Um, Lois, did you know that, in the future, you're revered at the same level as Superman? Why there are books about you, statues, an interactive game. You're even a breakfast cereal.

Lois: Really?

Tempus: Yes. But, as much as everybody loves you, there is one question that keeps coming up: "How dumb was she?" Here, I'll show you what I mean. Look (puts glasses on), I'm Clark Kent. (Takes glasses off) No, I'm Superman. (Puts glasses on) Mild-mannered reporter. (Takes glasses off) Superhero. Hello! Duh! Clark Kent is Superman. Ha, ha, ha. Well, that was worth the whole trip. To actually meet the most galactically stupid woman who ever lived.

 

Glasses on, Glasses off. Ha and Ha

[Kromm]

Never understood the Daredevil hate.  My best guess is it suffered from early Affleck revulsion, lol.  As superhero adaptations go, it's actually one of the most accurate and well-done.  

The Daredevil being alluded to by the poster I was replying to was almost certainly the Netflix version. Not the Affleck movie. At least that's what I meant when I called it "street level gritty". That label wouldn't apply to the Affleck version.

[SlackerInc]

Calista Flockhart can be switched out for Sarah Michelle Gellar and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference: facial structure, speaking tone, pronunciation, etc.

 

It was ok but man, that was RUSHED.  It felt more than exposition, it felt we were already 3 episodes in with a lot of parts missing.  I do think Melissa is adorable and has potential but there were some moments where it was kind of awkward.

 

Oh Dean Cain.  You literally stood there and said or did NOTHING.  You're still my favourite TV Superman.  And made me long for the of the best things from Lois and Clark's pilot; the costume montage! 

 

 

Omigod, I have never seen that before--hilarious!

 

I didn't mind this. I'll stick around for a bit. My biggest pet peeve is that there is NO WAY anyone can take one look at Supergirl and not see Kara. I mean, it's always been ridiculous with Superman, but at least he did his hair different.

 

I agree on "not minding this"--I found it pleasant, agreeable.  But in today's TV landscape, that is nowhere near good enough to compete with all the platinum-level shows, so I'm out.

 

I disagree about Kara and Supergirl though.  I thought she looked more different than Clark and Superman.  I was kind of marvelling at how in her office persona, she really does seem sort of plain and mousy, and then she's pretty hot as Supergirl.  I know it's a tired trope, putting the girl in glasses with her hair up, then having her take the glasses off and hair down and suddenly she's supposed to be ten times hotter, but it kind of works for me here.

[Kromm]

I agree on "not minding this"--I found it pleasant, agreeable.  But in today's TV landscape, that is nowhere near good enough to compete with all the platinum-level shows, so I'm out.

I will say this. It's a real sign of people's need for instant gratification these days that a "one in and I'm done" philosophy seems to be the default now.

 

It's why they leaked the pilot. Wrong or right they knew they'd only have ONE chance with most people in that kind of environment, and it's why they wanted to give that six months to marinate and get good press. They thought it was a better "only chance" than some other shows (clearly you don't agree with them if you're out already though--which is the chance they took six months ago, just applied to this actual premiere night as well)

 

I understand the feeling you have you're through already... but at the same time it makes me sad that's (as I said before) the default rule for most people now. "Please me now or else".  The idea of even developing a show, of fixing or maturing it, seems out the window.

[Whitley Trillbert]

Loved it. Easy, fluffy but with a tiny bit of a message. I love all the little connections of art imitating life imitating art. The parents (esp Dean Cain) and the evolution of her costumes made me warm and fuzzy.

[william0102]

Here's why I think all this got out in one episode...

 

I think they knew all the time that they were going to leak that pilot six months ahead of time. They knew even from the teaser (or maybe even test screenings before that) that they'd get a lot of "girls drool! nerd rage" and pushback, and tons of confusion and counter-arguments and fury over every decision. So the way they rolled the dice was to stuff as much, as many reveals as possible, into the one product they knew they were leaking, because it was all they'd really have to prime people with.

 

Also, on top of that, I think they wanted to set a fast pace rather than have any (again usually nerd-rage driven) "it's too slow" accusations. Because they were already going to take it on the chin anytime there was anything even vaguely relationshippy or workplace comedyish or anything BESIDES punching/action. So again, that drove a need in them to compress stuff, I think.

I agree with you, but I also think we can add on wanting the audience to develop with Kara. She doesn't know how to fight, she's shaky on flying, plus she's got to learn how to work with the government agency and all it's toys. There's a lot of room for character development if they go this route.  Plus, by having the sister being part of the agency we can see them really bond, maybe? I mean secret agent sis did admit to feeling inferior, so that would be a nice route as well.

I overall liked this episode. The writing was not so good, but for something like Superman/Supergirl I don't pay as much attention to it. I want character beats and fights, so the pilot mostly hit that for me. It had a couple touching moments, super powers, I really liked James Olsen, and I'm willing to give Kat some more time because it seemed like she was really excited to be able to save the tribune- even after she had tried to play it off like she didn't care.

 

What I didn't like was the coworker with a crush. The gay joke, the costume scene dialog, he came off very white boy nerd with privilege. And the preview clip of him being offended that James knows. I could do without this guy. Someone who read the comics, please tell me he isn't the love interest. I'd rather see her with James. Also the villain and the talk about women bowing to men dialog was really cliche, and I think hurts what seems to be the message of the show (female super hero= super hero). I don't know, putting women as the powerful characters doesn't mean the show will actually use them in a beneficial way, so this could end up as a good show or really messed up.

Edited October 27, 2015 by william0102

[SlackerInc]

I understand the feeling you have you're through already... but at the same time it makes me sad that's (as I said before) the default rule for most people now. "Please me now or else".  The idea of even developing a show, of fixing or maturing it, seems out the window.

 

It's true that it's sad (although it's one of those "good problems to have").  But I mean: I have several episodes of High Maintenance that I purchased (and I'm a cheap/poorish cordcutter, so I very rarely do that--only previous examples were Breaking Bad's final season, Better Call Saul's first season, and the most recent season of The Americans) because I loved that show so much, yet that was months ago and I haven't watched them yet.  I loved the first two seasons of The Wire, years ago, and so once the others became available on Amazon Prime I thought I'd be all over that--yet a year and a half later, it still hasn't happened.  There's a season of Rectify on Netflix I have yet to get to, the rest of the first season of Halt and Catch Fire (I've only seen the pilot, but really liked it), two and a half seasons remaining of Friday Night Lights, six and a half seasons of Mad Men, and everything beyond the pilot of The Returned.  There are other shows I'd theoretically like to try, but am almost afraid to in case I like them: Terriers, Treme, Please Like Me, and United States of Tara, just to name a few.  Then there are the classic and beloved shows I've seen but am now introducing to my tween/teen kids, such as The West Wing, Battlestar Galactica, and Star Trek (by necessity, selected episodes only).

 

Any episode I watch of anything else (nothing personal, Supergirl) is inherently pushing episodes on that aforementioned huge "to watch" list further back, potentially forever (when you're over 40 and months or years go by without making any progress on a show like The Wire, it's not a good sign for those further down the list).  So anything that comes along today that I'm curious about, it's inherently triage: is this good enough to displace those other shows?  It may be sad or unfair in some sense, but it's just reality.

[cambridgeguy]

Being a personal assistant is actually a pretty bad choice for Kara if flying off in the middle of the day is going to be a common occurrence - at least Cat doesn't want her to shadow her 24/7 but she'll probably get really pissed if she calls and Kara can't answer right away. 

 

He who must not be named will never show up but I wonder if they'll ever get him to do a voice only appearance.  That scene on the roof with Jimmy (er, James) should have been with Superman but if he couldn't get away from Metropolis he could have at least picked up a phone or recorded a message.

 

Speaking of James, is he going to be treating every day like casual Friday or has he already secured bulletproof status?  Cat didn't seem overly pissed to having him waltz into her office and he definitely seems unafraid of her.

[fastiller]

As this is a Berlanti production and it is suppose to be in the same universe as The Flash and Arrow, I hope for something with more depth and more grit. Maybe not on Arrow level, but on a level slightly less than The Flash. Even compared with the first episode of Smallville, this show feels like all unicorns and rainbow.

 

They ran an ad for The Flash during this show and it made me feel that Supergirl feels much more like a CW show than a CBS show.

 

Curious to see what Astra's deal is.  Laura Benanti is putting her crazy-eyes to good use!  Always great seeing Faran Tahir too.  Owain Yeoman was good enough as the first baddie of the week.  Nothing more American then Supergirl beating the shit out of Benedict Arnold!

 

I know he isn't the Jimmy from the comics, but Mehcad Brooks is awesome, and I think I'm really going to enjoy his version of Jimmy.

I really liked Brooks as James Olson. He didn't feel like Jimmy to me though. The awkward guy seemed more like Jimmy. Still, James was a cool character and Brooks has a lot of presence (and is very hot). The other guy annoyed me though.

 

I will likely stick with this show just because of Mehcad Brooks.  His wink as he was inviting Kara to the rooftop made me nostalgic for Terrence King & Necessary Roughness.  Speaking of NR (& I know that Callie Thorne is on Mysteries of Laura right now, but...) I so wish Calsita Flockhart could be switched out wiht Callie Thorne.  I loved the interaction of CT & MB on Roughness.  Now, I wonder how they'll work in a workout scene for him, 'cause you know they will.

[SimoneS]

I thought that this was just okay. I was happy to see Mehcad Brooks who played TJ on Unnecessary Roughness. He is a talented actor so I will stick with it for awhile. I hope that we will get Dean Cain and Helen Slater later on.

Edited October 27, 2015 by SimoneS

[LisaM]

I liked it - probably because I wasn't expecting too much from the pilot - and will keep it on my Season Pass. Thought that Melissa did a very good job but not feeling the sister as of yet. Really liked the plane scene and particularly the one where Supergirl sees the vision of her mother.

[DeLurker]

The actors are adorable - Melissa Benoist was so charming and cute.  I like Mehcad Brooks a lot from Necessary Roughness and I think he's better here.  And Calista Flockhart made me so nostalgic for being younger and watching Ally McBeal.

I liked Benoist - she was cute and charming.  And Brooks was a nice James Olsen.  Calista Flockhart however was Ally McBeal doing her Ling Woo imitation and rather poorly at that.

 

I liked it enough to give it a few episodes. There was a lot packed into this pilot and a lot of it was exposition, but hopefully the regular episodes will be better.

<snip>

Question: Does she actually wear her whole outfit under her clothes. Seems like that would be bulky, especially the cape.

It was a bit clunky as others have noted, but I'll give it another ep or two.

 

All I could think of was Edna from The Incredibles - No capes!

 

The co-worker was confusing - first he came off as having a crush on her, but then later he seemed to be gay.  And maybe I missed the part where Kara felt close enough to him to reveal her true identity.  It didn't seem like they were particularly chummy in the first part of the ep.

[cynic]

He confused me too. And yeah, the scene where she told him almost came off like "I just HAVE to tell somebody! Who's here? Hmmm. That guy, okay. He'll do."

I also didn't like his Nice Guy persona. "Oh, you're gay. That's why you've never been into me." STFU.

Edited October 27, 2015 by cynic

[random chance]

I will say this. It's a real sign of people's need for instant gratification these days that a "one in and I'm done" philosophy seems to be the default now.

 

 

So anything that comes along today that I'm curious about, it's inherently triage: is this good enough to displace those other shows?  It may be sad or unfair in some sense, but it's just reality.

 

 

That's me too. I don't think people are less patient these days, I think that people are only as patient as they need to be - now or then. In the old days we didn't have the choices we have now, so shows could try to build an audience because it was less of a gamble when there were only X number of channels.

I will likely stick with this show just because of Mehcad Brooks.

I was really delighted with their take on Jimmy (and I agree he has to be James), and if I find out he's the love interest I'll Season Pass this show about ten seconds later.

[Jediknight]

I liked it.  Yeah there were some corny moments, but that kind of goes with the territory in superhero/superheroine media.

 

Melissa Benoist will become a star, she was perfect and on the shallow end, she's insanely adorable.  I also liked Winn, and hopefully they throw out comic canon when it comes to him.  James Olsen was good, and they're doing their own spin with him, which gives me hope for Winn.

 

The biggest drawback for me is Calista Flockhart, I've never really been a fan of her.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I don't think people are less patient today.  I just think there are infinite more television choices and infinitely more ways to access television shows.  People also don't have endless hours (meaning, money) to watch television so they invest their time wisely.  And television shows get cancelled extremely fast. We shouldn't blame audiences.  Technology, the recession etc. changed the way we view television forever.  Some networks give no investment to new shows and can't afford to.  If you want to invest in a long term show you'd have to buy Netflix or cable and leave it at that....

[Tarasme]

With regard to Winn:

 

 

No, he's not gay, and that's pretty clear from the huge crush he has on her.

The metro GBF w/o the G must be a reverse swooning sick kick starry eyed girl that never gets the leading man... until sweeps in the third season.

 

Female superhero show? Yes please! ...And I don't care how many times they refer to her "fighting like a girl" and then she triumphs because she's underestimated or that there needs to be "more female heroes," because frankly, there does. If we live in a world where fighting like a girl is supposed to be a slam, then shows like this need to be on tv too....

I'd actually like to see how our female super powered hero is different than the males. Biologically, women are different than men. Musculature,  coordination, assessment of risk, etc. are all different between genders. Why not explore that, no matter how much I enjoy seeing Melinda May kick the collective asses of ten men resulting in only slight jaw bruising and a crick in her back, most women would not be able to keep up with men in a fight. Let Supergirl play to her strengths as a hero and a female (which- the fake out with Vartox did). But maybe that's what you're saying here?

...There's also the use of his other name, Kal-El, and that one's only a few seconds in to the show.  The only name we don't hear is "Clark" or "Clark Kent", ...Also, logically JIMMY/JAMES is the only person she could really speak about Clark to. It's not clear if the Danvers family even knows who/what Clark is.

From the conversations in the super secret government agency lair, Alex and the spooks are well aware of Kal-- I recall that they discuss Kal's the reason the spooks coordinated as the DEO then they were prepared when Kara's ship crashed to pick it up (not sure how that all worked- how they picked up the ship but left the alien?). Maybe they're still uninformed as to the identity of Kal? Whatever, I'll handwave that they're ignorant until it's spelled out.

 

Nothing deep, but fun. Liked Jimmy Olsen a lot,... I'm not sold on.. the sister. Way to go, Alex - tell a secret government agency about your sister's secret superpowers...

I thought Alex was recruited because of Kara? DEO already knew all about her...

 

Isn't that the idea? I think I read an interview with someone at CBS where they said it's essentially going to be a procedural.

ARGH!!! This will kill the show for me faster than anything else. I didn't watch the complete pilot as leaded nor was I really looking forward to this because I do. not. want CSI: Superhero. Nor do I want Law & the Superhero. NCISuperhero- NO! Gah- let it be a serial PLEASE.

 

By letting her work colleague and Jimmy Olsen in on her secret they can avoid the best moment from Lois and Clark.

 

Glasses on, Glasses off. Ha and Ha

THANK YOU so much! That was the best scene of that half decade of genre television. The look on Teri Hatcher's face... Awesome!

[benteen]

I wasn't that impressed by it.  It was a combination of how the episode seemed to play out on fast forward, jumping from one scene to the next with barely any time to process things and that it felt like a collection of cliches for the twenty-something female lead and her sister.  Which includes the "LOOK!  SHE'S A FEMALE SUPERHERO!  YOU HAVE TO LOVE HER!" theme.  Add to that their adopting Smallville's Freak of the Week format, this isn't a show I want to invest my time in.  Maybe I'll check it out again later in the year.

 

 

Brook is excellent as James Olson and Melissa Benoist was very likeable and charming at times.  Flockhart's character was grating as hell.

Edited October 27, 2015 by benteen

[Katydid]

Overall I enjoyed it. But I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who hopes they dial back on the "woo hoo, GIRL POWER!!!" Just let her actions speak for themselves; there's no need to constantly remind us with the little rants and speeches. I think they are trying a bit too hard to make the "role model for young girls" angle into more than it realistically is. I view this as strictly entertainment- there are tons of worthy real-life female role models in the world that I would hope parents would expose their girls to if they want to inspire them.

It saddens me that Jeremy isn't really shining as Winn and doesn't seem to be making a good impression thus far. I've been a big fan of his for years and find him to be incredibly talented and charismatic as a stage actor/singer. I actually like Winn's dorky awkwardness though because it's so Jeremy, but it's a lot different than the darker leading man roles he typically plays on Broadway.

I like James a lot so far, though. I don't really have a lot of background knowledge of Supergirl (or any comics characters, for that matter), so I came into this show without any really opinions on what to expect or what I wanted to see, but I enjoyed it enough to keep watching.

[mtlchick]

 

Tempus: Yes. But, as much as everybody loves you, there is one question that keeps coming up: "How dumb was she?" Here, I'll show you what I mean. Look (puts glasses on), I'm Clark Kent. (Takes glasses off) No, I'm Superman. (Puts glasses on) Mild-mannered reporter. (Takes glasses off) Superhero. Hello! Duh! Clark Kent is Superman. Ha, ha, ha. Well, that was worth the whole trip. To actually meet the most galactically stupid woman who ever lived.

 It's been DECADES since I've watched that scene and I still remember's Lois' face.  Had Tempus shown up on The Flash last year, we would have saved Iris a LOT of time.  Meanwhile I'm just thinking how will Kara disguise her suit when she's in work clothing?  It's kind of hard to pull off wearing a long sleeved bodysuit under a sleeveless dress.