Supergirl Episode #101 - "Pilot"

Supergirl is finally here. The world is familiar with Superman but not everyone knows about his cousin Kara Zor-El. In an ambitious move, the pilot episode of Kara's series introduces viewers to her entire story and connection to Superman and Krypton, all within the first few minutes. Supergirl has spent nearly half her life on Earth, leading a normal life. At 24, we see her struggle to figure out what her place is in a world that already has the greatest hero it could need.

Supergirl's story is a little different from her male DC Comics counterparts, Flash and Arrow, on TV. She already has her powers and doesn't have a need for vengeance or revenge. Her original mission was to protect her cousin. Because her journey took a slight detour through the Phantom Zone, Superman arrived before her and obviously doesn't need her protection. As you would expect and wish for, there is a great message of hope.

This allows Kara to focus on herself with her abilities placed in the backseat. (There could still be a little of the learning curve with her abilities since she hasn't used them in a while). She decides working for Cat Grant in her media corporation is a way to help others. Through a chain of events, she's left with no choice but to publicly use her abilities.

As with any show adapting comic book characters, you need more than flashy powers and special effects. The pilot episode goes out of its way to introduce us to Kara's supporting cast. The changes with characters such as Jimmy James Olsen, Winslow Winn Schott, and even Cat Grant, might not be what comic book purist expect but seeing changes in adaptations is nothing new. The supporting cast allows Kara the opportunity to discus her situation and everything she's going through. James, Winn, her sister Alex, and even Cat, all provide plenty to help Kara evolve into Supergirl.

Once you get passed everything and everywhere the show introduces us to, you can see the potential in where things can go. The pacing does suffer a little as it just feels like so much is trying to happen as fast as it can. That may be the nature of pilot episodes. There's also a mix in the vibe of the episode. The show has to show us who the characters are and convince us to care about them. We need to become familiar with the different locations, such as Cat Grant's office and the D.E.O. headquarters, that we'll likely be seeing a lot of in future episodes. We need to see what Supergirl is capable of while also learning of a credible threat against someone with the powers of Superman.

The Superman connection is the obvious struggle for the show. You definitely feel his presence but he will be staying out of the way to allow Kara to grow into her own person. It's a great thing for Kara but as the threats get bigger, we have to wonder how the show will handle with his absence.

The great thing about the show is the fact that Kara is showing she won't necessarily need her cousin's help. We've all heard about the symbol of the House of El represents hope. With the growing female demographics in comics and comic related media, a TV show based on Supergirl couldn't have come at a better time. This isn't a show that crams "girl power" or the message of being empowering to young women in your face. Kara is a character that is on par with her cousin. When the fighting happens, we see her equally give and take punches. There's no pandering to try to appease either male or female viewers. At the same time, if the show does inspire young women, I think that is absolutely fantastic.

Supergirl isn't a show about a dark hero filled with angst. It doesn't tip toe around the superhero battles. For a pilot episode, we have some good special effects. A lot is crammed into this introductory episode. It feels like it's trying to be different things but by the end, you have a good idea where it's going. There may be a cheesy moment or two but the overall feeling is indeed inspiring. Melissa Benoist is delightful as Kara and her charm is infectious. You can't help but want to root for her as you see what she is capable of. The pilot episode does lay out some different elements and direction it can go to but as the series progresses, it feels very likely we'll all have another comic book television show to fall in love with.

Supergirl premieres Monday, October 26, at 8:30/7:30c on CBS.

Is this an early review or did it premier? because I am so bad about TV schedules

@captainmarvel4ever: premieres tonight. 8:30/7:30c

@g_man: Thank you

@g_man: Glad you liked it. Can't wait to watch it tonight.

seriously guys i watched this almost a year ago, and it was terrible then

It was aa good pilot, but I got tired of them playing the pronoun game with Superman. Called him that one time, then for the rest of the show, it's;

Him

My cousin

The boy in blue

You know who

Etc

Nope. Doesn't deserve 4 star rating.

Can't watch I a interested, but my joy went way down when I learned this won't cross over with Flash or Arrow this year.

im so excited for this , even though the pilot released a year ago , I tried my hardest NOT to watch it but its finally the day , that is premieres!!! I hope this proves everyone wrong b/c I really give all DC Live action shows a chance

I don't think I will be interested in watching Supergirl, but I really want this show to succeed because I think there are some great themes that can come from it. Also, I want studios to finally gain the confidence and staff to make a good TV version of Wonder Woman. Preferably a direct-to-video version.

they did with Adrianne palicki in 2011 , then they realized wonder woman is not fit for TV , they would have to make up so many scenarios to fit a season and pretty much use an extreme budget for her characters abilities

@birdman400: That's why I added the direct-to-video (or cable) caveat. The Wonder Woman show in 2011 was being produced for network TV, but I think it would be a disservice to produce WW for network TV because of the many limitations on themes and imagery. Xena was a small step towards WW, but I think a modern show can make WW even better.

Watched this a year ago. i actually liked it but the not-so-subtle 'we are awesome because we made a girl superhero tv show' came through multiple time.

the question "because I'm/shes a girl" occurred TWICE in that piolet

and another instance where some random passerby said 'i'm so glad we have a girl superhero, my daughter can look up too" almost word for word. I rolled my eyes extremely hard and hoped they dialed back on that in the further.

i like diversity/empowerment when it's subtle. When it feels natural because it should be. Not when the showrunners feel the need to point out how diverse they are every 15 minutes. and I say this as a black man. Don't pat yourselves on the back because of something that should be depicted in all aspects of society. stay classy.

@truemarvel: True. They were basically bashing you over the head with a point that should've been more subtle.

Anyway this show isn't for me.

I'll probably tune in again if the rest of the season starts getting decent reviews. This pilot was definitely not a 4 stars for me.

The thing I loved most about Supergirl is the thing they changed in the show: she's not Kal-El. Supergirl has always struggled with adapting to Earth and grieving over Krypton, whereas Kal grew up here and only heard of Krypton from stories and holograms. Now, they've
- changed her origin too much to Kal's

- put her to work at a newspaper like Kal

- introduced her the same way as Kal (saves a plane)

- the first villain she faces is even a Superman villain.

The problem is now that she comes over as a Superman proxy, rather than her own person, which is a shame. I especially enjoyed New 52 Kara.

but the extreme budget for wonder womans powers , and the costume wouldn't be great (search up the 2011 costume they made for the shows, it was so terrible)

Her origin is exactly the same as her Comic origins.

@dondave: except she wasn't raised by a loving couple like Kal was. And with that I mean: tought to use her powers wisely.

@stellar421: She was raised by the Kents just like Clark was.

@dondave: you're thinking of the Superman animated series. It was mostly Kal who taught her how to use her powers. In the comics, she only allowed herself to be adopted by the Danvers because she was powerless at the time, and they didn't find out about her powers until Kal introduced her as Supergirl.

Weird people are saying they watched it about a year ago when it leaked at the end of May.

actually it leaked last year but it was really hard to find

It finished shooting in March.

http://www.kryptonsite.com/the-supergirl-pilot-its-a-wrap/

I might be reading the wrong date then , sorry bout that

It's ok. We still love you

Does supergirl have a rogue gallery or will she be dealing with Superman villains the whole time?

Already shot with kryptonite? gah damn , good pilot so far!

ah love you too homie

About half way through it, she was just caught and I have to say that after seeing what her own sister did to her and what the US government did to her... I'm not really sure humanity is worth the effort.

exactly , sometimes I wonder , why do heroes continue to help humans , after constant times, they have tried to kill them , even the normal ones

@mark_stephen: Isn't that what Ma Kent told Clark in the Batman v Superman trailer? He doesn't owe them anything?

@g_man: yes lol

@g_man: @birdman400: @mark_stephen: We see this kind of thing happen all the time in comics, from Mutants to Aliens and everything in between, when you basically have gods running around, people and governments are either gonna try to control or kill them.

See they referenced that girl b.s. , but I think we saw a glimpse of her solar flare heat vision? and ALURA HAS A SISTER?

yea but I mean , there is other planets , I would honeslty go to Daxam if were superman and supergirl, (Superman's cousins live there)

Just got done watching the pilot myself. In all honesty, I liked it but it felt rushed. And I agree with the above statements that the 'girl power' bit should have been more subtle. I'll watch it again next week to see how it goes.

Oh, I also meant to add that the effects for her heat vision were awesome! I would like to see the new Superman movies adopt that effect.

Yea, but it doesn't say much about humanity. If you save a person from falling off the edge of the cliff and he clonks you over the head then you have to be a real fool to save him again.

Did anyone noticed the scene with Dean Cain as Kara's adoptive father? That was pretty cool. Although, you would think that Teri Hatcher would play as Kara's adoptive mother as well.

Still, this is a really good pilot and Melissa played Kara really well. Hopefully this will give Gotham a run for its money since Supergirl's gonna be on the same time slot as Gotham next week.

I would also like to see a crossover special with Arrow and The Flash if they're planning on that.

exactly which happens multiple times to clark ,even smallville showed that people HATED him, even though he was helping

The show as a whole was ok for a set up show. A bit rushed, and that was the main problem. This was a two hour plot in a one hour (or less with commercials) show. Kara's reaction to her sister's betrayal need a lot more time. Her willingness to put up with Henshaw (Spelling? Sorry) contempt -let's face it he'd just as soon dissect her as let her work for him- and the government's obvious paranoia grates on me. Basically Kara came across to me as very... well wishy-washy, easily manipulated by her sister, her parents, the government, James... Heck the only person lower on the totem pole was the guy she first told. Her sisters's lack of being grateful for the plane save didn't paint Alex in a very good light, in fact very little in this episode did her much of a favor. She seems to be just a way into her sister's life.

I'll watch the next show but I hope it picks up with a little more character depth and a few more likable characters. I do like Melissa and Calista, but those two are about the only two in the show that are likable.

@truemarvel: There were still some of the cheesy girl parts left in but they did seem to do some editing since the leaked pilot. I liked it, could be better once they get past the standard pilot issues.

Wow. I really wanted to like that pilot, but left feeling it was subpar, and spent most of the viewing experience waiting for it to be over.

Melissa Benoist is fine as Kara, and I find her endearing. But wow, this episode had some pretty crazy pacing and almost no breathing room between scenes. It feels like the showrunners wanted to cram every bit of exposition they could manage into the pilot so that subsequent episodes could be more procedural. The result was, in my opinion, a poorly paced mess.

Also, cliches...wow...lots of those... A lot of the set up for these characters and situations just feels like the same stuff we've seen 1000 times, only without any real attempt to put a fresh spin on things. And don't get me started on the horribly cliched dialogue (see pretty much everything Alex says, and the majority of Kara's lines).

Even the comedy kind of fell flat. I don't know if it was the writing or the delivery, but ugh.

I do hope that this is just a problematic pilot, and not a problematic series. I like Benoist's Kara, and would like a good female-centric hero on TV. But I'm hesitant going forward after having pretty high hopes for the past few months.

Maybe it's simply the way things are in comics and fiction right now. I'm not sure if it shows a cynicism about humanity or that this ungrateful, paranoid, fearful and basically mistake of evolution version of humanity is just the way humanity truly is.

To be far most of those people were either manipulated, possessed or were put in a bad situation because the heroes attracted the villains in the first place.

ll comics are cheesy to some part. We have to live with it.

I, myself, would wholeheartedly give it 4 to 4.5 stars. The use of the atomic axe was great. To bad it was destroyed. It would be good if the DOE was to get control of it as partof their arsenal for future villains.

Love the Dean Cain/Helen Slater appearances. I hope they are used more much like Clark went back to his parents.

Where do you live? It just premiered where I am.

@joshmightbe: I didn't think she'd be so powerful, Kara seems like she's as powerful as Smallville Clark is by the tenth season of Smallville.

@xxxddd: Its not like she just got to Earth, she's been absorbing solar radiation for a good ten years so she wouldn't be that much weaker.

Overall I liked it but it felt a bit rushed to me. I think Melissa makes a great Kara/Supergirl. There are some things that bug me about the concept of the show. It seems like Superman didn't keep in touch much with Kara. To me this seems weird.

Also, you would think that Superman would want to be involved with any Kryptonian based super-villains.

All these things that bug me are probably caused by legal issues where the show can't really incorporate the entire DC Universe of characters so they come up with weird reasons why we don't see them around.