This could so easily be a great season of television if it could stop being lazy. I've already mentioned the uninteresting fighting scenes, but there is also the element of using all the standard superhero episode stories. Twelve episodes into the series, we've already had the ceremonial losing of powers/memory ('Lois and Clark', 'The Flash' (1990-1991), 'Superman II', 'Spider-Man II', 'The Adventures Of Superman') and the bizarro evil clone ('Lois and Clark' Season 1, 'The Flash' (1990-1991), 'Superman III') and we're only a four episodes away from the hero going bad after exposure to something silly ('Superman III', 'Spider-Man III', and arguably every superhero show). We also have a blatant retread of Lex Luthor in Maxwell Lord, and a carbon copy of Daily Planet dynamic at CatCo, right down to the presence of James Olsen (coincidentally in the 'Supergirl' movie). On the other hand, we don't seem to be getting the visit to a parallel universe where the hero failed, which is something.
Wow, that turned into a much longer rant than I expected. 'Supergirl' is definitely not that bad. It just needs a different emphasis.
The good parts of 'Supergirl', however, are very good. In this episode, for example, we get great character work between the four regular characters at CatCo, who consistently do their best to save each episode. This time, we get the rapprochement between Kara and the heartbroken Wynn, a touching scene between James and Wynn as they ponder their feelings for Kara 'Supergirl' Danvers' in the wake of her somewhat callously revealing her new boyfriend, and some great moments between Cat and Kara on the latter dating the former's son. Even the dodgier side of things over at the alien-busting DEO has a moment or two, but it's mostly undermined by the clone storyline being a complete ripoff of those other examples, right down to 'Maxwell Lord' being written in where it would have said 'Lex Luthor' in a previous version. The Bizarro storyline almost works anyway, and is saved by the final reconciliation between Supergirl and her doppelganger, but 'Lois and Clark' did it better, as did the 1990 'The Flash'. If only they could have put a new spin on it here, and not just had a carbon copy. We also saw the departure of Kara's first boyfriend, henceforth to be known as Captain Bland.
It's a remarkably charismatic cast. Mehcad Brooks and Jeremy Jordan make an especially good double act at CatCo, and really need to be used more. There is also a good moment of daring rescue, which they manage to work in most episodes, which is to their credit. Rescues are the super-thing. Will the season end up being good? We'll have to see how it works out over the next eight episodes, but the episode synopses aren't looking good...
O.
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