TMC
10-31-2015, 01:40 AM
http://www.agonybooth.com/tv/Supergirl_2015/Pilot_S01E01.aspx
CBS’s new Supergirl series comes from writer-producer Greg Berlanti, who also developed Arrow and The Flash for the CW. Some of you may recall I previously wrote about this pilot when it first leaked back in May. Since my plan is to recap this show every week going forward, I figured it was a good time to return to my original recap and update it based on what changed between the leaked pilot and what actually aired (though I must admit, unlike the vast differences between Fox’s leaked Minority Report pilot and the final aired version, the changes here are slight, lending more credence to the rumor that it was a fully completed episode leaked for the sole purpose of drumming up interest in the show).
This episode aired on Monday night, and it’s... well, it’s fine. As I said back in May, it’s about as good as can be expected, given the target audience and the network it’s airing on. But I’m still rooting for Supergirl to succeed. A female-led superhero series would of course be a welcome change of pace, and it’d be nice to finally see the character redeemed after that 1984 atrocity of a feature film starring Helen Slater and Faye Dunaway. I’m sure Smallville did a respectable enough job with Laura Vandervoot as Supergirl (full disclosure: I’ve never seen Smallville, or even Arrow or The Flash, for that matter; I don’t think I could tell you which channel airs the CW in my market if my life depended on it), but having Kara Zor-El as the central character in a successful series on America’s most watched network would be a whole different ballgame.
Most of all, though, it’d be great to see at least some aspects of the Superman mythos onscreen not weighted down by angst or failed attempts at achieving Christopher Nolan and/or Frank Miller levels of grimness. Because that approach simply doesn’t fit the character.
In the comics, Supergirl has never quite had the same baggage as Superman. Unlike Kal-El, who’s often tortured over the fact that his home planet was destroyed when he was a baby, his cousin Kara mostly takes it all in stride, generally displaying a bubbly, infectious personality. It seems counterintuitive that a character who actually grew up surrounded by Kryptonian culture would be much less traumatized over seeing it all wiped out, but that’s how Supergirl was generally written, and for the most part, it worked. (I’m talking of course about pre-Crisis Supergirl. Post-Crisis, the character of Supergirl has been a constantly revised and retconned mess.)
Thankfully, a more Silver Age-inspired Supergirl seems to be what we’re getting in this CBS show. The pilot is a light, upbeat tale about a young woman who, shock of shocks, actually wants to be a superhero. No, it’s not earth-shattering entertainment, but again, it’s not airing on a network known for its edgy, groundbreaking dramas. Supergirl is obviously a show aimed at those who may be only vaguely familiar with the concept of Supergirl, with plenty of exposition and well-worn clichés on display in its pilot episode. But not every show on TV can be True Detective, and I’m fine with that.
CBS’s new Supergirl series comes from writer-producer Greg Berlanti, who also developed Arrow and The Flash for the CW. Some of you may recall I previously wrote about this pilot when it first leaked back in May. Since my plan is to recap this show every week going forward, I figured it was a good time to return to my original recap and update it based on what changed between the leaked pilot and what actually aired (though I must admit, unlike the vast differences between Fox’s leaked Minority Report pilot and the final aired version, the changes here are slight, lending more credence to the rumor that it was a fully completed episode leaked for the sole purpose of drumming up interest in the show).
This episode aired on Monday night, and it’s... well, it’s fine. As I said back in May, it’s about as good as can be expected, given the target audience and the network it’s airing on. But I’m still rooting for Supergirl to succeed. A female-led superhero series would of course be a welcome change of pace, and it’d be nice to finally see the character redeemed after that 1984 atrocity of a feature film starring Helen Slater and Faye Dunaway. I’m sure Smallville did a respectable enough job with Laura Vandervoot as Supergirl (full disclosure: I’ve never seen Smallville, or even Arrow or The Flash, for that matter; I don’t think I could tell you which channel airs the CW in my market if my life depended on it), but having Kara Zor-El as the central character in a successful series on America’s most watched network would be a whole different ballgame.
Most of all, though, it’d be great to see at least some aspects of the Superman mythos onscreen not weighted down by angst or failed attempts at achieving Christopher Nolan and/or Frank Miller levels of grimness. Because that approach simply doesn’t fit the character.
In the comics, Supergirl has never quite had the same baggage as Superman. Unlike Kal-El, who’s often tortured over the fact that his home planet was destroyed when he was a baby, his cousin Kara mostly takes it all in stride, generally displaying a bubbly, infectious personality. It seems counterintuitive that a character who actually grew up surrounded by Kryptonian culture would be much less traumatized over seeing it all wiped out, but that’s how Supergirl was generally written, and for the most part, it worked. (I’m talking of course about pre-Crisis Supergirl. Post-Crisis, the character of Supergirl has been a constantly revised and retconned mess.)
Thankfully, a more Silver Age-inspired Supergirl seems to be what we’re getting in this CBS show. The pilot is a light, upbeat tale about a young woman who, shock of shocks, actually wants to be a superhero. No, it’s not earth-shattering entertainment, but again, it’s not airing on a network known for its edgy, groundbreaking dramas. Supergirl is obviously a show aimed at those who may be only vaguely familiar with the concept of Supergirl, with plenty of exposition and well-worn clichés on display in its pilot episode. But not every show on TV can be True Detective, and I’m fine with that.