S02.E01: The Adventures of Supergirl

[BooBear]

12 hours ago, Minneapple said:

That was way better than anything last year. And I don't know if it's just because of Melissa, but suddenly Tyler Hoechlin appears to be charming and charismatic. Maybe it was just the writing on Teen Wolf. But I really liked him as Superman and I loved him and Supergirl together. I also loved how all the women fawned all over him, because duh. Hoechlin is gorgeous.

I think his character on Teen Wolf was supposed to be dour. I always felt his character was supposed to be a bad guy but Hoechlin's charisma made his character not able to fulfill the bad guy they originally envisioned. I loved it. I did like the new Superman.  My laugh out loud moment was when Kara told the kids she used to change his Kal's diapers and Superman was like maybe you don't have to tell them that. LOL so utterly adorkable Kara, but I was actually wondering if they were going to check the passengers on the ship they just saved. I suppose I most like seeing Clark Kent as both clumsy and mild mannered but a competent reporter too.

Also, kind of frustrated that they used Katie McGrath for the Luthor role because IMHO she would have been a crazy good Lois Lane. 

If I had one complaint I felt Kara's storylines all suffered. I did feel like she wasn't starring in her own show, I did feel like her decision to be a reporter was too influenced by adoration of her cousin and yes, the James thing was abrupt.  But I will give it a hand wave because I didn't like James with Kara and I think she needs some space. 

I don't know how this show will go on without Cat. I want to quit my job and "dive" now. Darn you Berlanti. 

Edited October 11, 2016 by BooBear

[Kromm]

2 hours ago, ElleMo said:

And don't forget Wynn asking Clark questions about when Lex Luthor started that earthquake. 

Yeah, lets NOT forget that. For me them describing Lex's past that specific way was a pretty huge shock. It's the ONLY reason I give any credence at all to the theory someone tossed out that Miss Tessmacher is some kind of plant (really my thought is more than she's not and these were just parallel situations where this Lex did something SIMILAR to the Hackman Lex but wasn't literally him--and Miss Tessmacher likely has nothing to do with him at all).

[CabotCove]

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James needs to find a better purpose on the show, especially now that Winn has found his calling at the DEO. 

He is a photographer, Kara is now a reporter, they are likely going to work together on stories. I would think.

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I'm still wondering whether she's secretly evil or just misunderstood.

Isnt it always a  bit of both?

 

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IF they see chemistry, then James will have a shot, and if the new guy is embraced by the fandom, then he will probably be out. 

Oh he already is, just like every other young white guy Kara has encounted so far.

Edited October 11, 2016 by DCLeague

[ottoDbusdriver]

7 hours ago, rtms77 said:

Didn't like

The new digs for the DEO.  It looks more like a corporate shin dig than a covert office. Heck it looked almost like L Corp, the buildings looks so much alike. Not to mention that won't every one be able to see where Supergirl is disappearing to with it being in the city like that? All anyone has to do is follow her and the DEO gig is up.

And it won't be a secret DEO location for long if they keep flying into it in broad daylight, but then again Kara does that to her apartment all the time and no one has figured out where Supergirl lives (yet).

3 hours ago, ElleMo said:

I wondered why that was such a big deal though.  Shouldn't Kara know how to read Kryptonian? It's nice that Wynn can but they could have brought it to Kara for her to read. 

Kara should be fluent in Kryptonian -- considering that she wouldn't have spoken any English for the first 12 years of her life -- so it's odd that she needs Winn to translate. Considering she also has access to the Fortress of Solitude and it's considerable resources -- which probably has a copy of Kryptonian for Dummies somewhere.

[Writing Wrongs]

I kept waiting for it to be revealed that Lena set the whole thing up to make herself more sympathetic.

[CabotCove]

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Gonna miss Cat's biting remarks, though I will admit they can be too much when they pile a lot of them on.

Definately has been too much for me, Im glad she is now on reduced capacity?. 

She works in smaller doses to me so I hope Calista will still be part of the Supergirl family

Edited October 11, 2016 by DCLeague

[cambridgeguy]

Given what just happened with Myriad it's surprising that Superman is so vehemently against anyone having kryptonite.  Part of it sounds like he's opposed to the government having access - where's Batman when you need him?

I do hope they establish what rationale J'onn uses when deciding when and when not to go into the field.  He had no problem flying after the pod, plus he and Supergirl flew to the new DEO in broad daylight.  However, he was back at HQ during the Lena Luthor attack in the park even though he could have beaten Corben in less than five seconds. 

[FurryFury]

It was fun, mostly. Superman was cool and I loved their dynamic. 

The James/Kara breakup was all kinds of WTF. I made no secret how I disliked the pairing, but really, it was bad writing. Still happy I'll get a least half a season's reprieve from that borefest, hopefully.

The Metallo dude looked really familiar. And also kinda reminded me of Tom Hardy, looks-wise.

Lena Luthor was fun! Always had a soft spot for Katie McGrath.

I kinda think two dead weight characters, Wynn and Jimmy, are a bit too much for the show at this point. I kinda hope to get rid of at least one. 

[Katydid]

I really enjoyed it, especially Clark and Kara teaming up. 

I'm not sure if I like the new DEO, but I guess it's just new and may grow on me. 

They were dropping all sorts of anvils setting up an explanation for Cat not being around as much. I will miss her.

Count me as one that never really liked the idea of Jimmy and Kara last season, but was disappointed with the abrupt ending of the relationship before it even began. 

While I think Winn is a good fit for the DEO, I really hope we see more depth to him this season rather than just 30 seconds every week of him blurting out nerdspeak while trapped at the DEO.   JJ is capable of so much more.

[Jediknight]

25 minutes ago, FurryFury said:

Lena Luthor was fun! Always had a soft spot for Katie McGrath.

And she wasn't killed in a vicious manner.

[Kromm]

1 hour ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

Kara should be fluent in Kryptonian -- considering that she wouldn't have spoken any English for the first 12 years of her life -- so it's odd that she needs Winn to translate. Considering she also has access to the Fortress of Solitude and it's considerable resources -- which probably has a copy of Kryptonian for Dummies somewhere.

They never said Kara can't read/speak Kryptonian (in fact although we saw it translated on-screen "automajically we know she speaks it because that's what she did in the fantasy world episode). I think it's 100% safe to assume she can not only speak, but read fluently. I think the point was that Winn was an extra hand to read through that stuff rather than taking her time away from superheroics. "She" didn't need Winn to do it... the DEO simply needed someone besides her to invest the time.

[Chris24601]

3 hours ago, BooBear said:

Also, kind of frustrated that they used Katie McGrath for the Luthor role because IMHO she would have been a crazy good Lois Lane. 

I was thinking the exact same thing. Something of a wasted opportunity in hindsight I think.

The only argument I could see against keeping Katie back for the role of Lois Lane would be that they want an actress for Lois who more resembles Jenna for continuity's sake. I'm sure we'll see Lois Lane eventually, I just hope its a solid choice.

[Chyna]

The Kara/James breakup was such lazy writing, it pissed me off. I get why they might need to keep the characters apart, for the sake of dragging things out, but come up with a better reason than "we're better as friends." ESPECIALLY after Cat's "dive in" speech. 

[Tara Ariano]

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

Supergirl Faces Luke Cage In The Contest Of The Close Comic-Book Cousins

Are the Harlem villains any match for what remains of the House of El?

[Gregg247]

I liked the new Superman, but he kind of overshadowed Supergirl a little.  I think an occasional visit from him would be preferable than him hanging around all the time.  Also, it meant less time for Alex; I think the sisterly bond is one of the best relationships on this show.

I was sorry to see Jimmy (sorry, James) still on this show at first, as he was consistently the weakest part of the show last season.  Maybe he'll be more of a background character/helper this year.

I don't like Kara becoming a reporter just like Clark.  I wish she'd find something of her own to specialize in.  In many ways, they're still writing her as a kid whose goals and desires change at the drop of a hat.  When she told Ms. Grant she couldn't decide what she should do for her career, I had no ideas for her either.  I think that's the fault of the writers, who spent most of last season focusing on "Supergirl" and not on "Kara".  I hope reporting works out for her, or else she finds her true calling soon and goes with that.

[JapMo]

2 hours ago, Katydid said:

While I think Winn is a good fit for the DEO, I really hope we see more depth to him this season rather than just 30 seconds every week of him blurting out nerdspeak while trapped at the DEO.   JJ is capable of so much more.

I'm still hoping for a nerd/asskicker hookup between Winn & Alex.  If they are not going to do anything with Kara in a romantic way right now (and hopefully not EVER with Jimmy), they could start up a slow build between these two characters that are stuck in a character rut right now.  Never in a million years would you see these two as a couple, which makes it so challenging.  Alex is tightly wound and distrusts everyone.  Winn seems like a wimp but we've seen him stand up for himself and be the voice of reason when everyone else is in panic mode.  I could see him being the one person Alex can let her guard down with.   Could you see her getting all girly and nervous when she's around him? 

[Sake614]

Came here to gauge reaction to last night's premiere and see if it matched mine, and WOW, am I a fish out of water! I loved the Cat/Kara scenes, and the Kara/Clark stuff, but thought the CGI was abysmal and the dialogue cheesy (up, up and away? Seriously??).

I kind of liked last season, and was looking forward to this year. But it's almost as if moving to the CW came with a mandate to write more juvenile dialogue. And on a purely shallow note, I don't find TAWP Superman to be very good looking. I've grown accustomed to eye candy and he definitely doesn't fit that bill for me. Plus, that hideous costume! WTF with the suspenders holding up the 'S'??? DC actually approved that thing?

I was very surprised that Kara just ended things with jimmy after all they went through to get together. I'm totally on board with her finding herself first, but she crushed on him so hard last year and now...nothing? It just didnt' make sense for me.

Oh well, I'll stick with it for a couple more episodes and see if it gets better. If not, well, I already watch about 35 hours of TV every week, so it might be refreshing to cut that down to 34..

[Kromm]

1 hour ago, Gregg247 said:

I liked the new Superman, but he kind of overshadowed Supergirl a little.

Okay, here's my problem. I think people have, with the best of intentions, put the show in this impossible position in regards to Superman. If he'd been done with less personality, then people would have seen it as this huge failure. But others seem to react strongly against the opposite situation--that he was done with charm and presence. 

In terms of actual screentime, lines of dialogue, and agency to the plot, he's a very distant second to Kara in all of those in the episode we saw. She drives the plot advancement far more than he does. She gets scenes without him, but he doesn't get the reverse (other than his intro scene back in Metropolis, and about 15 seconds alone with J'onn). I honestly don't know what else the show could have done to scale him back so that the perception that he's overshadowing her didn't exist for anyone.

I suppose they could have limited him to just one episode, but to be fair we haven't SEEN the next episode so it's hard to say how it would affect our perceptions, other than simply being MORE of him on screen (albeit still far less than Kara, we probably can still assume, and again, chances are only in scenes with her). 

[Kromm]

36 minutes ago, JapMo said:

I'm still hoping for a nerd/asskicker hookup between Winn & Alex.  If they are not going to do anything with Kara in a romantic way right now (and hopefully not EVER with Jimmy), they could start up a slow build between these two characters that are stuck in a character rut right now.  Never in a million years would you see these two as a couple, which makes it so challenging.  Alex is tightly wound and distrusts everyone.  Winn seems like a wimp but we've seen him stand up for himself and be the voice of reason when everyone else is in panic mode.  I could see him being the one person Alex can let her guard down with.   Could you see her getting all girly and nervous when she's around him? 

From things the producers have hinted at I think they have other romantic plans for Alex (arriving around Episode 3, although I suppose we don't know the speed at which they'll implement it). I mean they haven't said what I suspect as a sure thing, but there's only one other character who could fill the role they're suggesting, and it would mean pairing two NEW characters with each other rather than a new one with an established one (which makes it far more likely IMO).

Spoiler

It seems pretty clear from dropped hints that Maggie Sawyer, a known lesbian in the comics, is going to romantically interact with someone else in the cast, and lets face it... it's not going to be with Kara (people's heads would explode). That leaves Lena Luthor and Alex as the two other women in the cast she could be paired with, and aside from how suspicious any cop would be of a Luthor, as I said, again I don't see the benefit of them pairing new characters together (because then why would the viewers CARE?). Ergo... Alex. Someone we know is single, and someone where they could also get a double layer of interaction/spark because Maggie and Alex would be professionally in competition, because Sawyer is specifically being introduced as part of an organization (the Science Police) which is going to bump up against the DEO and fight for jurisdiction on things. 

[stealinghome]

1 hour ago, Gregg247 said:

I liked the new Superman, but he kind of overshadowed Supergirl a little.  I think an occasional visit from him would be preferable than him hanging around all the time.  Also, it meant less time for Alex; I think the sisterly bond is one of the best relationships on this show.

...

I don't like Kara becoming a reporter just like Clark.  I wish she'd find something of her own to specialize in.  In many ways, they're still writing her as a kid whose goals and desires change at the drop of a hat.  When she told Ms. Grant she couldn't decide what she should do for her career, I had no ideas for her either.  I think that's the fault of the writers, who spent most of last season focusing on "Supergirl" and not on "Kara".  I hope reporting works out for her, or else she finds her true calling soon and goes with that.

Funny, I felt the opposite about Superman--I thought he got overshadowed by Supergirl. I was expecting more from Hoechlin's performance given the rave reviews he got in advance reviews. Don't get me wrong, I thought his Clark Kent was GREAT--easily the best since Reeve. But his Superman fell a bit flat for me. Hoechlin as Superman just didn't have the presence/authority/gravitas I imagine Superman as having (and I would say his presence didn't change much from Clark to Supes, either, which imo it should). When they were both "suited up," Supergirl had way more presence, and I don't want him to outshine her, but he should be her equal and he wasn't. I also think sometimes the connection between the cousins flowed very naturally, but sometimes seemed forced. I don't think they quite nailed the family relationship (I know I'm in the minority on both these points!).

I both agree and disagree with your second point. I agree that we don't know what Kara wants from life, but I actually think that is very much the point. Seems to me the writers are very aware that they focused way more on the Supergirl side of her life than the Danvers side last season, and they want to push Kara Danvers this season. I'm all for that. But I 500% agree that reporter is a poor choice in general, and the way it was executed made Kara come off as juvenile--"Clark does it so I want to too!" I know being a reporter was supposed to be some big revelation, but it felt more like the first life preserver she found in a storm and is now clinging to than something she actually WANTS. Or is suited for, frankly. All during Kara's whole speech about wanting to be a reporter because they help people and whatnot, I was sitting there thinking "...but that's not what most reporters do!" If anything, what Kara was describing sounded more time like she wants to do philanthropic work full-time, and/or social work. Or do something like Alias Investigations from Marvel. But it didn't sound like reporting to me.

[Bruinsfan]

11 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

I'm on J'onn's side when it comes to keeping the Kryptonite for contingency.

Yeah, while I could see Clark being testy about the government keeping Kryptonite around to weaponize when he was the only person they knew of that it would be an effective countermeasure against (Kara still being a secret at that point), didn't more than half of last season involve Kryptonian terrorists/conquerors that the planet would have no other defense against? Seems like that would prove J'onn's decision to be extremely wise in retrospect.

I'm not actually fond of Reeve's bumbling nebbish Clark Kent, so I thought Tyler struck just the right compromise between that and Cavill's more confident, hulking version. (I loved that "sway" comment to Kara over his shoulder as Cat led him away—clearly it's a feather in his cap that Cat always appreciated him as Clark Kent, no need for a heroic costumed alter ego!) But I agree that he's lacking something in the gravitas department as Superman, Cavill manages that aspect of the character much better.

[Kromm]

Just realized something... 

In addition to all of the implied things we think they cut (like a scene where Kara's feelings about her relationship actually crystalize), and the second group of things we believe they cut because they were mentioned in spoilers (like Winn being fired), and the third group of things that still could show up in Episode 2 (like Jimmy and Clark walking together on the street, as was shown in set photos supposedly for Episode 1), there's one other thing we KNOW 100% was cut.

Didn't we see, right in the preview scene, Winn ask Superman how he shaved?  

Either the question about Luthor outright replaced that, or BOTH questions were asked and the shaving one was just cut totally. 

[regularlyleaded]

I actually really enjoyed this episode. It wasn’t perfect (sometimes they don’t know when to lay off the cheese), but I think what this show does really well is that it has a lot of heart, and that was wonderfully on full display. So as far as introducing the show on a new network, and therefore looking at this as a mini soft reboot of the show, I think this episode did a good job of establishing the spirit of the show and it’s characters. I admit to having had a goofy grin on my face during some moments simply from the sheer fun and wonderful camaraderie between the characters.

I really, really liked Kara and Clark’s relationship. It was nice to see that they have a close, warm and sweet familial relationship. They almost felt more like siblings than cousins which I think worked great. Melissa and Tyler had good chemistry together and they worked so very well establishing Kara and Clark’s family dynamic.  

I’ve never seen Tyler Hoechlin in anything else before, and while I very much enjoyed his take on Clark Kent, I’m just not buying him as Superman and I have no idea why. There’s something about him that just feels off to me and I can’t put my finger on it. I just don’t see him in the suit and go “Oh, yeah! That’s Superman.” But with that said, I don’t consider it a deal breaker because I think the more important aspect of bringing Clark/Superman aboard - and that absolutely needed to work (for me) - was his relationship with Kara, and as far as that’s concerned I think it was well done. (Truth be told, being unable to figure out why Hoechlin doesn’t quite work for me as Superman annoys me more than the fact that I don’t buy him as Superman, hehe ;)

I’m also really liking Katie McGrath as Lena Luthor, but I hope they don’t turn her Luthor Evil. Mostly because that seems rote and for as much guff as the show gets for being a gender bent Superman show (which is not wholly undeserved), that would only add more fuel to that fire. Lena could do well as a grey character and I think that’s something this show does need. The show already has the two opposing extremes of valiant superhero and mustache twirling villain aspects covered. IMO, they could use some characters that dwell in the grey area. 

Calista as Cat Grant is such a force on this show. She adds so much to the show and Cat’s relationship with Kara has become very special - which is something that (IMO) was very much underscored by this episode - that, for me, there will definitely be a Cat Grant sized hole in the show now that she’s set for only guest appearances. :(

With regards to the abrupt end to Kara/James, I just can’t get myself worked up about it for several reasons. The chief reason is I think the writers/producers were seeing the start of the second season (it’s first on the CW network) as a soft reboot of sorts, and as such, I think they wanted to be able to set the characters into position on this new playground as quickly as possible so that they could hit the ground running. Because I think they had a lot of material to cover (and still do) all that setup involved quickly dropping previous story lines that they perhaps thought weren’t working, expediently moving characters into positions where they can potentially work better, and introducing several new characters and establishing those new dynamics. To do all of that in one episode was never going to be pretty. Things were going to fall by the wayside:

• Alex - whose sisterly relationship with Kara (IMO) is core to the show, it’s strongest relationship, and absolutely integral to the show - was pushed, to an extent, into the background in this episode to allow the show to establish Clark’s relationship with Kara.
• Winn is suddenly working at the DEO, and while I think it makes sense to move him there it was really sudden and with no setup (as was the sudden emergence of his skill at reading Kryptonion(Kryptonese?), which is only slightly less ridiculous than his instant ability to not only be able to read Kryptonian software code but to also write a piece of “malware” to destroy Indigo. *LOL.* As someone who worked as a software engineer for many years, I will never stop laughing at how ridiculous that is. Heehee! Oh, Show, you’re cute, but that’s not how that works. It’s okay, though. I still love you anyway because I accept that this is a comic book based show about an endearing superhero alien that can shoot laser beams out of her eyes and not a science/tech documentary.)
• And Kara/James were quickly ended. Do I think it was abrupt? Yes. But I think a counterargument is that if the writers decided over the summer to end the not-quite-yet-a-relationship this season anyway, I don’t think dragging it out for more episodes was going to make it any better. First, it could’ve come off as them stringing along viewers, and second why eat up story time on something you knew that was going nowhere instead of spending that time on other stories. Particularly, time that could be spent on stories in what seems to be a really stuffed season (what with Superman, the new characters, multiple crossovers with it’s sister shows (Arrow, Flash, and LoT) , and a musical episode, the writers are certainly feeling ambitious).

For my two cents, I don’t think the writers have any intention of revisiting Kara/James and as a result basically ripped the band-aid off as soon as they could; they dropped Kara/James - hard - into the Friend Zone. Sure, there’s always the possibility the writers can try to rekindle them later on. The genre savvy argument that the show is only setting things up for a love triangle and that “it’s not absolutely, positively over between Kara/James until one of them is dead!” exists because it’s stuff we’ve seen before in other shows. But, with that said, I just don’t think that’s the case here, especially considering how the writers handled it all. If the writers really had an interest in pursuing Kara/James in the future it would’ve been all too easy for Kara to say “I’m not ready.” That still gives them a way of doing a love triangle/keeping the possibility of a relationship going. But that’s not what they did. To me it felt like they were dropping it for good. 

Either way, I think this matter could very well be closed for good in the next episode or two. While James was reasonably upset with how Kara ended things, if within the next episode or two he’s all “You know what? I get it. You’re right, we work better as friends” or something to that effect then I’m considering the matter closed, no more Kara/James. If on the other hand he’s still making gooey eyes at her and overtures of “If you change your mind, I’ll be here” then they’ve been back-burnered and not ended.

Finally, about the criticism that the show is a gender bent Superman (a criticism not without merit and more so now that they’ve made Kara a reporter too ), I think this something they could alleviate if the show would lean in harder into what makes Kara’s story different from Kal-El/Clark’s. Namely, she has 13 years worth of memories of Krypton! She grew up there, lived there, had friends, family, schooling there. Kara didn’t land on Earth a blank slate. Kara should have a lot of knowledge of other worlds, technologies, and alien languages. Hell, unless her parents loaded her pod with Rosetta Stone Alien Edition, she had to learn an entirely new language when she landed here not to mention about a new world and culture with absolutely no context to work from. And even though she’s been on Earth for 12 years now and has integrated into this world, there will always be little things here that are foreign or even strange to her. So, IMO, the show really needs to lean on all of that. I’m not saying Kara should be the show factotum for all things alien, but (IMO) last season the show didn’t make enough use of her Kryptonian knowledge and I think that hurt the show a little bit because it started to make her story match too closely to Clark Kent/Superman’s. Hence, the gender bent Superman criticisms. For what it’s worth, I think this episode showed some good indications of leaning more into Kara’s kryptonian history so I’m hopeful that it’s something they’ll dig into more throughout the season.

Edited October 11, 2016 by regularlyleaded

[mtlchick]

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I’m just not buying him as Superman and I have no idea why. There’s something about him that just feels off to me and I can’t put my finger on it. I just don’t see him in the suit and go “Oh, yeah! That’s Superman.”

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I'm not actually fond of Reeve's bumbling nebbish Clark Kent, so I thought Tyler struck just the right compromise between that and Cavill's more confident, hulking version.

I think it all comes to how do you like your Clark Kent/Superman.  For example I loved Reeve's version of Superman but his Clark was WAY too bumbling and nebbish to the point where it's "The more you do it, the more people will figure out you ARE Superman." Dean Cain's was the opposite: I adored his Clark Kent because he wanted to be more of the every day guy: a Boy Scout but someone you wouldn't say was klutzy.  However his line readings as Superman was so stilted especially when he was trying to be commanding.   I'm still not sold on Cavill (I found him the weaker part of Batman vs Superman by far) and Routh's take...well he makes a better Atom.  Tyler so far?  A pretty good Clark, a so so Superman.  I'm hoping the latter changes for the better, but the family chemistry is already there so it's a good start.

[KirkB]

Since a lot of other people are, I'll start with the big blue elephant in the room.

I'm glad they figured out what they wanted to do with regards to Superman. It became a running joke in the first season (only saying the name ONCE in the pilot, him in profile, his boots). Here, they put him center stage for a couple of episodes before he flies back to Metropolis. And he's perfectly willing to stand aside and let Kara do most of the work and get the lion share of the credit, as I'm sure she'd do if she was visiting him.  But while they gave him the attention he deserves (I loved how so many of the DEO people were in awe of him, and Winn's fan boying was hilarious) they kept the focus on Kara, as they should, since it is her show after all. And as for Hoechlin himself, I was surprised. When he was first announced I didn't think he had the physicality to be Superman, since I've always thought of the Man of Steel as on the large side, in both height and musculature. Reeve pulled it off because of his personality, and Cavill at least has the build, Routh, Welling and Cain tried their best without either. But Hoechlin had an interesting presence and I thought he worked really well with Benoist.  He didn't act like he was showing off, even when he was holding up a building, that humility is important to the character.

I too am going to miss Cat. She lights up the room when she's there and will be a big hole to fill when she's gone. And I couldn't have been the only one to notice how part way through one of her speeches she stopped mispronouncing Kara's name. She had been saying Kee-Ra for most of the episode, like normal, but all of a sudden she just transitioned into Car-Uh. Plus from the dialogue she was using and the way she kept looking Kara in the eye during the hero talk I would give the odds 60/40 in favor of her knowing Kara is Supergirl but not coming out and saying it.

Is it odd I don't particularly care about the guy in the pod? I mean, I know I should, it's the point. But they already have characters not getting enough screen time as it is, I really don't think they need to cram in another one.

Katie McGrath was an excellent choice as Lena Luthor. Like on Merlin, she should be able to pull off good or evil, whichever way they choose to go. Though I hope they make her good, or at least not as bad as her brother. A Luthor on the side of the angels would be a nice change of pace, especially since most of the rest of the world would not be so willing to give her a chance because of her name.

Oh, I forgot about Kara and James. But then again, I never really bought it. Brooks and Benoist never had much in the way of chemistry as far as I'm concerned, so it's not really a great loss. However, it did seem kind of abrupt.

And while I'm at it, if Kara is not supposed to be just a Superman clone, why is suddenly deciding to be a reporter in the same episode where Clark shows up? She made a point of her cousin having it all (job, love life) and she was never going to be happy as an assistant (especially since Cat isn't going to be around anyway) but now she's taking after Clark beyond the blue suit? I'm not complaining. It just seems like an odd choice to me, for both Kara and the show.

Edited October 11, 2016 by KirkB
A few more thoughts.

[Kromm]

I'd rate Hoechlin as a 9/10 for Clark, and maybe a 7/10 for Supes. A few things.

For example, his Supes came off as bit too short. Superman should be around 6 foot 3 per most of the comics and Hoechlin is 5 foot 11.5--note that Chris Reeve was 6 foot 4 and Tom Welling 6 foot 3... then again Dean Cain was only 6 feet even, so only marginally taller than Hoechlin, and Cavil is 6 foot 1).  Maybe a side effect of that is that he doesn't seem er... mighty. It seems to leave more of his Super-ness up to magic aka "yellow sun/lower gravity", since he doesn't look super-strong. Maybe normal strong (he's not small either) but hardly super-strong.  So you have to buy more a bigger parallel to Kara (who of course doesn't look her strength either... but that's a disparity we are used to). 

That said, he's got an aspect of cheekiness that even Reeve didn't really do. Reeve's Superman was more a big boy scout, but Hoechlin's seems a little devilish/mischievous... in a good way. Stuff like the wink, the kind of laid back light snark/teasing in response to Kara... that's new. Cain came closest to doing that, but more in his Clark persona than in his Superman one. And it works here. It's a way to make Superman infinitely less dreary. To remove the stuffed shirt aspect that sours the character far too often (because even when Supes isn't a frowning angry downer, like the Cavill version, he's instead often a bit of a square). 

The Perry White phone convo was just solid gold. That sold "Clark" better than everything else put together. It was SO Reeve in some ways, but not a photocopy, because it was a tad hipster (but not TOO far that way or we'd loathe him) instead of just the klutz with a threadbare disguise of glasses. Maybe a tiny bit of Welling mixed in with the Reeve, I'd say, but not too much. His Clark seemed more of a 21st Century Everyman rather than the classic nerd. 21st Century, because a 20th century one would have been more blue collar, whereas this Clark seems a bit like every modern guy playing with his smartphone on the train/bus into work, reading an ebook or web browsing to order some Organic Certified Tea.  But you know... Super underneath. 

[CooperTV]

My favorite Superman was, and I guess, still is Brendon Routh. He's by far the warmest Superman there was. I still think we haven't seen enough of Superman being Superman on this show. The whole thing honestly reminded me about Supergirl/The Flash crossoer than anything else with the smiling and the happy tone.  I would gladly watch some DEO feat. Superman flashbacks, just because it's fascinating and I like the dynamic between J'onn and Superman. But then again, the show is about Supergirl, so Superman is supposed to be more open and bubbly in Kara's 'verse.

Tyler Hoechlin's Clark is just complete delight in every way. The sibling cuteness between him and Kara was the most endearing thing about the episode. Oh, and we need Lois/Clark scenes as we ll. I bet it'd be amazing!

I'm not sure what was the point of James this episode and why it seems like they're trying to push him away from the proceedings and from Kara. Granted, James has no chemistry with anyone on this show, especially with Kara. But the writing of their break up was just weird.

[Bruinsfan]

29 minutes ago, KirkB said:

And as for Hoechlin himself, I was surprised. When he was first announced I didn't think he had the physicality to be Superman, since I've always thought of the Man of Steel as on the large side, in both height and musculature. Reeve pulled it off because of his personality, and Cavill at least has the build, Routh, Welling and Cain tried their best without either. But Hoechlin had an interesting presence and I thought he worked really well with Benoist.  He didn't act like he was showing off, even when he was holding up a building, that humility is important to the character.

Take a look at him in Season 2 of Teen Wolf, when he'd packed on a lot of extra muscle and was doing about 95% of his own fight scenes and stunts. He has the physicality to sell the action hero thing, though in that show he substitutes snarling and murder eyes for the height required to be really intimidating before you see him flip over a backhoe.

[BkWurm1]

14 hours ago, TDT said:

You see,Zack Snyder? That's how Superman should be portrayed,not like some Batman expy..

And should either Arrow or one of the newer CW shows get cancelled,i wouldnt mind seeing a mid-season replacement Superman series..

Cat doesn't nearly have the vocal range of Gene Hackman when calling for Ms. Tessmacher LOL

Even with the really rough ratings Arrow pulled this last Wednesday, it's doing better than more than half the shows on the CW so I think it's place in the line up is safe.  I still don't think they would do a Superman show because he's too established in his life.  He's already fought Lex, he's already found Kara (12 years ago) he's already an award winning journalist and is in an established long term relationship.  What story is there to tell?

9 hours ago, ottoDbusdriver said:

And it won't be a secret DEO location for long if they keep flying into it in broad daylight, but then again Kara does that to her apartment all the time and no one has figured out where Supergirl lives (yet).

Kara should be fluent in Kryptonian -- considering that she wouldn't have spoken any English for the first 12 years of her life -- so it's odd that she needs Winn to translate. Considering she also has access to the Fortress of Solitude and it's considerable resources -- which probably has a copy of Kryptonian for Dummies somewhere.

I suppose Winn was brought in like they bring in paralegals to scour documents.  Anyone could read the language but weeding out something significant might take time and skill.  Though did Winn actually find out anything?

 

4 hours ago, Sake614 said:

Came here to gauge reaction to last night's premiere and see if it matched mine, and WOW, am I a fish out of water! I loved the Cat/Kara scenes, and the Kara/Clark stuff, but thought the CGI was abysmal and the dialogue cheesy (up, up and away? Seriously??).

 

I think a lot of the audience forgave the cheese because it was a shout out to the Reeve movies (and even before) so the cheese was warm and gooey nostalgic goodness. 

[JustaPerson]

When they were talking about how Superman had recently put Lex in jail, I was wondering if that was supposed to be BvS. Although Clark died in BvS so I guess not? Just a separate run in with Lex I guess. 

[secnarf]

5 hours ago, JapMo said:

I'm still hoping for a nerd/asskicker hookup between Winn & Alex.  If they are not going to do anything with Kara in a romantic way right now (and hopefully not EVER with Jimmy), they could start up a slow build between these two characters that are stuck in a character rut right now.  Never in a million years would you see these two as a couple, which makes it so challenging.  Alex is tightly wound and distrusts everyone.  Winn seems like a wimp but we've seen him stand up for himself and be the voice of reason when everyone else is in panic mode.  I could see him being the one person Alex can let her guard down with.   Could you see her getting all girly and nervous when she's around him? 

Wow. This is so far down on the list of things I want to see or could possibly believe. I think it would do a huge disservice to Alex's character to see her getting "all girly and nervous" around anybody, especially Winn.

Besides, I'm still really holding out hope for

 

an Alex/Maggie Sawyer pairing.

Failing that, I could buy Alex with J'onn much more easily than her with Winn, though it's not something I'd be thrilled with either.

Perhaps some of this is clouded by my general dislike for the Winn character - I still don't see what his purpose is, and this episode did nothing to change that, even with his new role with the DEO.

Edited October 11, 2016 by secnarf

[Trini]

2 hours ago, regularlyleaded said:

For my two cents, I don’t think the writers have any intention of revisiting Kara/James and as a result basically ripped the band-aid off as soon as they could; they dropped Kara/James - hard - into the Friend Zone. Sure, there’s always the possibility the writers can try to rekindle them later on. The genre savvy argument that the show is only setting things up for a love triangle and that “it’s not absolutely, positively over between Kara/James until one of them is dead!” exists because it’s stuff we’ve seen before in other shows. But, with that said, I just don’t think that’s the case here, especially considering how the writers handled it all. If the writers really had an interest in pursuing Kara/James in the future it would’ve been all too easy for Kara to say “I’m not ready.” That still gives them a way of doing a love triangle/keeping the possibility of a relationship going. But that’s not what they did. To me it felt like they were dropping it for good. 

Seriously; I've seen a zillion relationship stalls before. This seems permanent.
For the record, I thought Kara and James had chemistry, but I didn't like the approach the show took with the relationship. But dropping it completely now, also seems like a mistake.
 

Quote

Finally, about the criticism that the show is a gender bent Superman (a criticism not without merit and more so now that they’ve made Kara a reporter too ), I think this something they could alleviate if the show would lean in harder into what makes Kara’s story different from Kal-El/Clark’s. Namely, she has 13 years worth of memories of Krypton! She grew up there, lived there, had friends, family, schooling there. Kara didn’t land on Earth a blank slate. Kara should have a lot of knowledge of other worlds, technologies, and alien languages. ...

See, this is another reason why killing off Astra was premature; she connected Kara back to Krypton, etc.

[BooBear]

8 hours ago, Chyna said:

The Kara/James breakup was such lazy writing, it pissed me off.

Given how many times they were interrupted I thought the conversation was going to be...  your Supergirl identity means we can't have any alone time, how can we have a relationship. But I will hand wave it. It needed to be done. I am sorry but the characters and the actors are just not selling people who are really into each other.  I think Jimmy will be an asset as a photographer / reporter / art director or i.e., her contact / mentor in the office.  Especially now that Winn is gone. 

Quote

I don't like Kara becoming a reporter just like Clark.

My hope is that it won't be exactly like Clark. Maybe more like a Vanity Fair / Catco Magazine reporter. Doing longer features. And I guess I can see that for the same reasons Clark is a reporter she would have to be one. Knowing what is going on in the city. Being sort of independent so she doesn't have to be around the office all the time.  From a story point of view she would likely have no contact with James if she wasn't a reporter of some kind.  She is also in "media" so there seems to be only so many things to do. 

Quote

Failing that, I could buy Alex with J'onn much more easily than her with Winn,

 I so want Alex with J'onn.  I think they have great chemistry and I think it could help stop the fall out from breaking up an interracial relationship with Kara and James.  I think those two have great chemistry and given how sad's J'onns back story is, I hope he gets a good woman. 

Couple of other random thoughts:

• Liked Superman giving Alex a big hug. Kind of made me ponder the idea that he seems to make sure Kara had a sister probably because that was something he would have wished for.  Kind of felt like I had walked in on the Supers Christmas Party.
• Liked the big arm around the shoulder thing with Kara. Very brotherly. 
• How can Cat NOT know about Kara being Supergirl? Pretty sure she knows about Superman too. Would love for her to find some way to tell Kara before departing. After all Kara no longer works for her so she won't be in a position of bossing her around. 
• I am not sure what Superman's problem was with the DEO having the Kryptonite. He must understand the danger he and Kara could be.  Not to mention the entire Fort Roz crew. 
• Some have talked about Superman lacking a certain presence. Ahh actually I am fine with that but I took it that he was being careful of not intruding on Kara's world. She did get upset last year when he was called in to save her. 

[KirkB]

7 minutes ago, BooBear said:

I am not sure what Superman's problem was with the DEO having the Kryptonite. He must understand the danger he and Kara could be.  Not to mention the entire Fort Roz crew. 

I'm fairly sure next week will answer that question. Superman said he trusted J'onn, so him having kryptonite wouldn't be that much different that him making sure Batman has some in the comics. He's more concerned that someone in the government other than J'onn might get hold of it or choose to use it in a less than preventative manner.

[stealinghome]

Quote

I think a lot of the audience forgave the cheese because it was a shout out to the Reeve movies (and even before) so the cheese was warm and gooey nostalgic goodness. 

I would also say that this show had terrible, cheesy dialogue last season, too, so I don't see last night as much of a change! :)

[BooBear]

10 minutes ago, KirkB said:

I'm fairly sure next week will answer that question. Superman said he trusted J'onn, so him having kryptonite wouldn't be that much different that him making sure Batman has some in the comics. He's more concerned that someone in the government other than J'onn might get hold of it or choose to use it in a less than preventative manner.

It just seems obvious to me that Superman and girl would need to accept as a trade off for their god like powers that the humans (in the form of someone human) would need to have something to stop them.  I haven't seen Batman vrs Superman yet..  but I do think that would be a price that Superman would be willing to pay, the potential that it could fall into the wrong hands.   A necessary evil. 

[KirkB]

12 minutes ago, BooBear said:

It just seems obvious to me that Superman and girl would need to accept as a trade off for their god like powers that the humans (in the form of someone human) would need to have something to stop them.  I haven't seen Batman vrs Superman yet..  but I do think that would be a price that Superman would be willing to pay, the potential that it could fall into the wrong hands.   A necessary evil. 

No, you're right. I may not have been as clear as I thought. I haven't seen BvS either. What I meant was, in the comics Superman was well aware of how dangerous he is. He personally gave a chunk of kryptonite to Batman, because he needed someone he could trust to have it in case anyone ever mind controlled him or something. If J'onn himself had some kryptonite I'm not sure Superman would have as much of an issue with it. But the DEO being in possession of the one thing in the world that can kill him and Kara is just asking for trouble. Potentially, someone other than J'onn could just unilaterally bring it out to use on him or Kara if they don't like what the Kryptonians are doing.

Edited October 12, 2016 by KirkB

[Trini]

Loved getting confirmation that Lois and Clark are a couple in this universe, and she probably knows Clark is Superman! I hope we get to see Lois on the show some time.

[catrice2]

Overall it was a good episode. I do feel like in some ways Superman overshadowed the fact that the show is Supergirl, but they were better together than she is alone.

I hope that with Superman this does not mean we will see less of Jonn , or Alex, Jonn and Kara being a team.

I always felt the problem with James and Kara was the writing for both of them, not that the two actors did not have chemistry.

If they were going to end it, they could have done a better job writing that.  It was not handled very well at all, especially when last season she was professing undying love.  Why bother to break him up with his girlfriend? I believe this decision  was made this summer after they'd prowled boards like this one and social media. I can see James/Jimmy being killed at the end of the season, or taken off by an enemy and held prisoner or something.

[tennisgurl]

Welcome to the CW Supergirl! Great to see you! This was a really fun start to the new season, and I think, for the most part, its a step in the right direction. 

But, let me get this out of the way, the break up between Jimmy and Kara was so many kinds of lame. I never really liked them as a couple, and the actors really don`t have a lot of chemistry, so I am not unhappy about their break up itself, just the way it was done was so boring and anti climatic. We had a whole season of build up, and we end up with this randomness? Pretty weak, show. 

Other than that, I really liked this all. Kara is adorable as ever, and I already LOVE this version of Superman. After watching the Snyder films, I forgot that Superman was actually allowed to smile! Look, I think Cavill is a really good Superman...just he is stuck in a terrible crappy franchise. This Superman I can totally get behind! He is really great at being both the Hero, and the humble Normal Guy. I don`t think he really over shined Kara. Well, he did, but that seemed to be the point. Kara clearly feels a bit overshadowed by Clark, and everyone is clearly geeking out by his mere presence, but the story is clearly still hers. 

Winn in the DOA is a great idea, and I have been hoping they would go in that direction since last season brought him in for the first time. Its great to give the poor guy something to do other than be a dork, be in love with Kara, and possibly become evil. 

Katie McGrath is a great addition to the cast, and I am looking forward to seeing more of her. I assume we are going to spend much of the season wondering if she`s shady or not. 

"Wer`re moving back to Gotham"! That was great! But I would think twice, mister. I`m watching Gotham too, and it aint exactly a picnic. At least this town is better lit. 

[Perfect Xero]

I think that, most important for this show, Hoechlin did a great job of playing Clark Kent without the glasses. AKA Superman/Clark when he's in a scene with someone who knows his secret ID and he's free to be completely himself with them.

Lena, well, she seemed obviously shady to me, the way she shot Corben before he had a chance to really start talking, that's just a transparent villain covering their tracks move. Having Clark and Kara completely buying in on her being a good guy after that just telegraphs it from a writing POV.

Whether she's working with Lex or doing her own thing, I'll be shocked if it's not revealed by the end of the season that she was targeting herself in an effort to win the sympathy and trust of Supergirl.

[KirkB]

16 minutes ago, Perfect Xero said:

Lena, well, she seemed obviously shady to me, the way she shot Corben before he had a chance to really start talking, that's just a transparent villain covering their tracks move. Having Clark and Kara completely buying in on her being a good guy after that just telegraphs it from a writing POV.

Whether she's working with Lex or doing her own thing, I'll be shocked if it's not revealed by the end of the season that she was targeting herself in an effort to win the sympathy and trust of Supergirl.

Oh, I wouldn't be surprised by that at all. You're absolutely right that everything seems to point in this direction. It's the most obvious thing to do. Which makes me hope they are trying something different, though I doubt it.

[Perfect Xero]

One other thing about Lena, she made a point of saying she was adopted, I don't recall her being adopted as part of her comic backstory (but I could easily be wrong about that), so I wonder if she's going to be another alien who was raised by humans.

Also, oddly enough, that scene with James, Clark, and Kara was the first time I really bought into James as a love interest. So of course they broke up right after.

Edited October 12, 2016 by Perfect Xero

[CooperTV]

7 hours ago, BkWurm1 said:

I still don't think they would do a Superman show because he's too established in his life.  He's already fought Lex, he's already found Kara (12 years ago) he's already an award winning journalist and is in an established long term relationship.  What story is there to tell?

The actually could do his arc  from the past ten years. Hoechlin is fairly young, he could do younger Clark who fights his usual enemies, etc. The poor guy would have to shave twice a day or more, and that's very stressful for him, though...

[CletusMusashi]

So after all that romdrama about it, she's not actually going to date Jimmy Olsen.

Does that mean the show can finally shut the hell up about her dating Jimmy Olsen?

[Jediknight]

4 hours ago, KirkB said:

No, you're right. I may not have been as clear as I thought. I haven't seen BvS either. What I meant was, in the comics Superman was well aware of how dangerous he is. He personally gave a chunk of kryptonite to Batman, because he needed someone he could trust to have it in case anyone ever mind controlled him or something. If J'onn himself had some kryptonite I'm not sure Superman would have as much of an issue with it. But the DEO being in possession of the one thing in the world that can kill him and Kara is just asking for trouble. Potentially, someone other than J'onn could just unilaterally bring it out to use on him or Kara if they don't like what the Kryptonians are doing.

Yeah, if J'onn, Alex, James, or even Winn (Kara, Alex, James, and J'onn trusting him would be enough) had it, he'd have no problem.  He doesn't trust the DEO, before J'onn took power they were ordered to hunt him down, despite Superman vouching for him.

11 minutes ago, CletusMusashi said:

So after all that romdrama about it, she's not actually going to date Jimmy Olsen.

Does that mean the show can finally shut the hell up about her dating Jimmy Olsen?

And maybe he can get a storyline besides being Kara's potential love interest.  They did it for Winn last season, after the episode about his father, they allowed the character to grow and response to it has been positive.  Let that same thing happen for James.

[brgjoe]

Loved it.  Like others have said, it was better than most (if not all) the episodes on CBS last season.  It had the right amount of cheese, humor, and clever writing.  It just seemed more mature all the way around than it ever did on CBS.  Did they hire new writers on the way over to the CW?  Whatever the case, it was fun watching this show again.

I also wasn't familiar with Tyler Hoechlin before.  Then again, me is an old fart.  And from the promotional photos, I was really skeptical he could pull off the role.  I was wrong.  Especially in his Clark Kent character.  I thought he nailed it.  He was also great with Kara too.  Less thrilled with his Superman impression though.  Not sure what it is, but I imagine the suit might have something to do with it.  Still, I he was much better in the role than I had anticipated.

Jimmy/Kara ending did seem abrupt.  I wasn't a fan of it before (I thought Jimmy/James felt more like a mentor to her than a romantic interest), but it still seemed too sudden for me.  Not sure about Kara wanting to be a reporter either.  Hope she doesn't become a Clark Kent sort of clone.

Cat, I shall miss you.  When the series first started, I thought she was going to be a one-note sort of character.  I really grew to like her tho.  Love her one-liners.  And I did like it when she would drop her guard and genuinely try to help Kara figure things out at times.  I'll definitely miss some of those talks those two would have.

Did I miss something?  Did they say why the DEO left the Batcave and went corporate?  Is it just a branch of theirs in the city, or is it now their permanent main headquarter dig's now?

I definitely LOL'ed at that "We're moving to Gotham" line.  Heh.

Liked the addition of Lena Luthor.  Enjoyed her scenes with Clark and Kara as well.  Though will definitely miss Maxwell Lord.

Winn working with the DEO makes sense -- thought they should have made that move with him towards the end of the CBS run.

So all in all, I really liked the CW premiere.  Will definitely keep watching. 

[Kromm]

9 hours ago, JustaPerson said:

When they were talking about how Superman had recently put Lex in jail, I was wondering if that was supposed to be BvS. Although Clark died in BvS so I guess not? Just a separate run in with Lex I guess. 

That would be a 'no', because they specifically referenced events (the Earthquake stuff) which has no resemblance to BvS at all.   It was instead a tribute to Superman I (although probably not intended to literally be the same continuity,  since Supergirl exists in that universe looking a lot more like Helen Slater...) 

Edited October 12, 2016 by Kromm

[KirkB]

6 hours ago, brgjoe said:

Did I miss something?  Did they say why the DEO left the Batcave and went corporate?  Is it just a branch of theirs in the city, or is it now their permanent main headquarter dig's now?

J'onn, or Alex, I forget which, said the DEO has several facilities. There was no explanation for why they were using the one out in the desert, and why they are now using the one a couple of blocks from Alex's apartment. Obviously we know the real answer, the show changed filming locations, but in universe it stands to reason the DEO would have more than one base.

Edited October 12, 2016 by KirkB

[GHScorpiosRule]

Melissa continues to be adorkable. 

Though Tyler Hoechlin did a good job as Clark, I couldn't help but think that Tom Welling could have been just as good; because he was adorable, charming and earnest when the writing let him. Okay, now that I got that out of my system...I wish his Superman was a bit more...seasoned. I saw some of it in that scene with J'onn when he told J'onn why he wouldn't work with DEO.

I did love them both together, though it seemed odd, for me to have Kara call Kal, "cuz." I see that term for people who are close, and from what I've seen, they've only texted each other. And maybe called? Or did they hang out and get to know each other off screen? I just found it odd; it didn't bother me; just thought she'd call him Kal. Speaking of which, THAT is what Alex should have said when she hugged him when he was Superman. But did she? Nope, she says "CLARK."

I'm glad that he and Lois are together and she totally knows he's Supes, because of that phone call, where she's telling him to be careful/checking to make sure he's okay.

I did LOVE the shout outs to the Donner Superman films. Sue me.

But man, like others have said, The STRAPS!!!! It's just so, so, bad.

I don't like that Supes/Clark and J'onn are at odds. I admit it's because I remember how Supes, along with Bats, saved J'onn from the government in the pilot of Justice League. But after sighing, I got over it.

As someone who never thought that there was any chemistry between Kara and James, I'm not sad that they put the kibosh on them. I've never seen Mechad in anything else, but he's just so wooden here.  There's no...affect...nothing, when he talks. And honestly, I'm not interested in any kind of romance for her. Like, at all.

I'm not happy that she's now decided she will be a journalist. Just like Clark. I wasn't happy with the "For the Girl Who Has Everything" which was a rip-off from "For the Man Who Has Everything" from Justice League Unlimited, with just a couple of changes. But the dialogue at the end was practically verbatim. I'm hoping now that we've seen Clark/Supes, that the writers will give Kara/Supergirl her own adventures/stories, and not steal from the Superman stories.

And Brenda Strong (who I like) better NOT be Amanda Waller!