Supergirl Premiere

     It's been a long time since I've watched a super hero show premiere. It wasn't a boycott or anything, I hear that Arrow is great. I hear the same about Flash, Agents of SHIELD just can't keep me interested for some reason. And don't get me started on Gotham. DC, how are you going to make a show about one of your most interesting characters...and make it before he becomes that character? Stupid. And the guy who plays the Penguin? Why is he so squirrley? Why does he look like he's always about to cry?

I feel like I've seen you as the front man for a crappy punk band with a name like "Trips to Win." Please, don't cry again.

I want to like that show and all it does is piss me off...sorry. I said don't get me started and I went there anyways.

     I sat down tonight with my 6 year old son and we watched Supergirl. Was it as good as Daredevil? No, but you can't compare the two side by side. And, the audience is completely different. I don't watch Daredevil with my son. Same with Gotham. Everything is dark, violent, gritty, and intense on TV. It's not just the comic book shows, it's most popular shows. Don't get me wrong, I like the realistic, violent, and the dark sense of humor. As I'm writing this, I'm watching the second season of Fargo, so I'm not against any of it.

     Supergirl is none of those things though, and it's refreshing. Variety is the spice of life, especially when it comes to the new comic book renaissance. Not every movie has to be The Dark Knight, we can have some Ant-Man, and some Big Hero 6. Not every show has to be Daredevil, we can have a super hero that is family friendly, is fun, and exciting all at the same time. In the first episode, that's what we got from Lady Supes. 

And you're adorably quirky and shy. And it's not an act like your cousin, Clark!

   The show was far from perfect. I appreciated that they didn't have to start with an origin story but the way they just kinda forced it on us was a bit much ("want the back story? HERE IS ALL OF IT RIGHT NOW!!!"). And yes, Supergirl is our first real female TV superhero since Linda Carter Wonder Womaned up the 70's (No Peggy, you don't count, you're a super spy. There's a difference), but this show needs to be careful about beating us over the head with that. It was artfully handled in a few spots (her choosing her outfit and making fun of some of the comic's mis-steps) and butchered in others ("girl vs woman" fight with Ally McBoss). Andy mentioned one of his biggest gripes in the trailer, and it bugged the crap out me in the first episode, too. EVERYONE KNOWS SHE'S SUPERGIRL! What good does that do? Even the new guy knows who you are! For crying out loud, the intern at your job who only makes copies knows your secret identity! 

Who knows your secret identity? 
"Uhmmm, he does, and she does, and those guys...they all know!!" 

     The show did land a couple of really good punches. It established that Kara is not like her cousin Kal in that she remembers what Krypton was like; she left when she was 12. When she is able to see the holographic depiction of her mother speaking to her, it's like a gut punch to her, and Melissa Benoist nails it. The fights were interesting, the action not too cheesy, and the overall tone of the show seems right. The amount of eye roll moments can be minimized as long as they don't keep bludgeoning us over the head that she's "a girl." It was cleverly used when fighting the "villain of the week" when he states "where I come from, women kneel to men," and she uses that to her advantage. 

     One thing that her famous cousin, Superman is know for is being a symbol of hope. Supergirl had a solid start and laid the ground work for an interesting first season. She has the opportunity to be that same symbol to the world of comic book fans everywhere. She can be a female hero that is more than just skimpy outfits and an excuse to say the producers passed the Bechdel test (that's the 'is this show/movie sexist' test). I now have a show I can watch with my son and get to share with him my love of comic book characters and it's not your typical sausage fest. She can give us hope that a strong female character can hang with the likes of the Green Arrow and the Flash, and she's on the big kid network unlike those scrubs! 

Flash: Cheap shot.
Arrow: He's right, the CW sucks.
Flash: I know...but ouch.
 

Mike Lunsford is the editor-in-chief of GGR: The Great Geek Refuge