Supergirl Review [2×01]: “The Adventures of Supergirl”

New network, new faces, same lovable charm. Supergirl’s season premiere sticks the landing.

Supergirl is back! This time with a new network, fresh digs for the DEO, and, of course, a certain cousin we’ve all been waiting for. Everyone wondered how the show would look and feel coming into season two. Quite a bit has changed behind the scenes and I, like many, worried the show would feel off somehow with the shift in production from Los Angeles to Vancouver. That’s to say nothing of the lower CW-sized budget the visual effects would be facing. So far though, those fears appear unwarranted. National City is National City and Supergirl’s powers are as well realized as they ever have been (which is not to say that they were ever perfect).

In her CW debut Kara has to contend with not one, but two falling spacecrafts. Of course, that’s nothing when you have opponents like romantic confusion and career goals to battle. Will Kara overcome her fears and take the plunge into adulthood? Change is certainly the theme of this episode as even Winn and Cat look toward their futures.

Meanwhile, Superman’s in town and with Clark Kent comes a Luthor. Of course, because it’s Super-girl, this time it’s a Luthor of the female variety. Lex’s lesser known sister, Lena (Katie McGrath), is trying to rebrand and step out of her brother’s villainous shadow but Lex isn’t going to make it easy for her. Apparently Lex hates the name L-Corp as much as I do because he hires hitman John Corben (Frederick Schmidt) to take his sister out. Are two super people enough to take down a smart guy with some drones? Apparently not, given that Lena ends up taking matters into her own hands. At the end of the day, “Adventures of Supergirl”’s plot leaves a bit to be desired, but it makes up for that in charm and fun.

Tyler Hoechlin: The Hero We Deserve?

Supergirl has had a Superman problem since episode one. In a world where Superman exists, Kara feels a lot less special. Why wouldn’t he just come help her any time the stakes were high? Would she have enough villains of her own or just randomly be thrown his scraps? Some might even ask why we are focusing on this “B-tier” substitute instead of having a true Superman series. Season one dealt with this problem with mixed results. On the plus side, the creators built this mindset into the DNA of Kara herself. She always felt daunted by Superman’s shadow and season one was about Kara finding her own footing as a hero, apart from Clark. Unfortunately, this was hampered by cheesy near misses with Superman. Between the repeated use of his mysterious silhouette and their Super iMessaging, references to the Man of Steel were starting to get annoying. This premiere sought to right those wrongs by finally introducing us to Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark Kent.

So, was Hoechlin up to the task of embodying this iconic character? My personal answer is… sort of? This series brought Supes back to his roots. A Richard Donner inspired bumbling Clark Kent and a smiling optimistic Superman that thanks soldiers for their service. This was really refreshing in the wake of Zack Snyder’s darker take on the character. It’s been too long since I’ve seen an endearingly dopey Clark Kent. That said, something felt slightly off. As someone who was raised on superheroes (my dad collected comics for over fifty years) I come in with very particular feelings about what Superman “should be.” For me, Hoechlin’s Superman felt a little too young, a little too cocky, and not quite genuine. Perhaps I’ll get used to this take on the character but at times it felt like they were trying too hard to harken back to the Superman of old. Almost as though Hoechlin was doing an impression rather than embodying the character.

Supergirl: I used to change his diapers.
Superman: Uh, not exactly sure you need to tell them that.

Superman does add a fun new dynamic to the show however and Hoechlin has great chemistry with Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl. Their opening moments saving the day and discussing his diapers oozed with charm. They perfectly capture a fun family dynamic that’ll put a smile on your face.

Supergirl’s real power? Humor and Charm!

Benoist is the best thing this show has going for it. Her effortless charisma sets the tone for this lovably cheesy comic book series. The humor, hijinks, and fun more than made up for the lackluster plot this episode. From the usually dour Alex remarking that “[Kara’s] cousin smells terrific” to Cat implying that Lois has threesomes with Clark and Superman, the humor was totally on point. The situational comedy was also strong with Cat gushing over Clark like a fourteen year old. Additionally, there were a number of witty comic book easter eggs like Cat yelling “Miss Teschmaaacheeeeer!” in reference, once again, to those Donner super films. And who couldn’t love the silly “I’m moving back to Gotham” line.

Kara: Just give her a chance please. She’s so smart and sweet. She went to Yale.
Cat: So did George Bush.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Jordan was having a ball as Winn this week as he proved himself not only to the DEO but also to me, as a comedic genius. Between fanboying over Superman about Lex Luthor’s earthquakes and outright telling him he looks great for his age, Jordan was on fire. His bit near the end where the writers used Winn to poke fun at Director J’onn “Martian Manhunter” Henshaw’s many names was another highlight as I also have no idea which name to go by. The only catch to Winn’s brilliance? He’s standing in the massive shadow of Cisco Ramon (of “The Flash” fame). All of Winn’s lines this episode could easily have come out of Cisco’s mouth and, as funny as Jordan was with them, it was distractingly noticeable. Supergirl and Flash do share some writers after all.

The Many Foes of Kara Danvers

So, let’s start off with the most devious villain of all: shipping. Sigh. What the heck are they doing with this will they or won’t they nonsense? If you’re going to do it, at least do it well. You’re telling me that after a SEASON of pining after James, Kara just decides she’s over him! Why!? I don’t even like them as a couple but give me a real reason. If it’s simply that she’s too scared to be with him that’s boring and weird. She wasn’t too scared to kiss him. At least give us an inciting incident. The problem is I can’t even tell if I’m supposed to buy that she legitimately changed her mind.

Her next opponent? A five year plan of sorts. Cat tells Kara she can have whatever career she wants… at a media company. Golly gee am I shocked she ended up as a reporter. That wasn’t telegraphed at all. Sarcasm aside, it did seem kind of silly that Kara didn’t arrive at this conclusion sooner. At least her fears were somewhat relatable. Scared of leaving her comfort zone, Kara knew that with change comes the potential for failure. Cat was particularly eloquent this week in her mentoring of Kara and the actresses played brilliantly off each other.

Cat: You have integrity to right wrongs and see justice done. You inspire me, Kara. I can see the hero within you.

Okay, okay. The physical threats. Corben was fine. He barely got enough screen time to leave any real impression but I’m excited to see what he does as Metallo. It did strike me as odd that the villain was so underpowered this week. One would think that when you have a super team up of this variety you might want to give them a challenge greater than drones and bombs. The cynical side of me wonders if this is due to budget restrictions but it’s not like Supergirl was sitting around all episode. Her powers were still on full display. Perhaps they just wanted to build up to the bigger brawl next week. Katie McGrath’s Lena Luthor, while not yet a threat, had a mysterious dark charisma about her. She already has more presence than Non and Indigo.

Final Verdict: “Adventures of Supergirl” Brought Superman Back to the Small Screen in a Fun Yet Flimsy Episode.

This episode was light on substance. Kara growing up and taking her first step toward becoming a reporter was a stand out moment amidst an otherwise by the book plot. The good news is substance doesn’t matter when you’re having fun. Right? In an escapist show like this charm can get you a long way and this show has that in spades.

A number of new characters were introduced this episode and all of them added to the show in a positive way. While I felt like Hoechlin’s Superman left a little to be desired, he certainly wasn’t bad. His humor was solid and his darker moments with J’onn certainly stood out. I just want to see a little more vulnerability going forward. He feels a little too perfect for my taste.

Overall the comedy was solid, the action passable, and even an imperfect Superman is still Superman. Seeing these cousins fly side by side is a treat and I can’t wait to get more of it next week.

Comments/ Questions:

• So what’s up with the new Kryptonian dude? He was the big season one cliff hanger and then he was just kinda shoved aside this episode…
• Where will J’onn and Superman’s disagreement go from here? Will Metallo tie into it?
• I hope they make James more interesting this season
• What’s Cat’s future? How will the show’s dynamic shift with her in the background?