Supergirl: Pilot Review

Supergirl premiered last night on CBS primetime.

CBS’ is the latest to join in the superhero television takeover with their comic adaptation of Supergirl. It’s a bold move, considering DC Comics and Warner Brothers are playing catchup to Marvel/Disney’s already established universe. If you were expecting it to be bad, you’ll be surprised! The previews for the show garnered positive reviews, including a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. If you aren’t into the entire superhero movement currently taking over the entire entertainment industry, don’t worry.  Supergirl has something for everyone.  First thing’s first… I’ll admit that some of the lines and scenes were a bit corny. I found myself saying, “did they just say that?” at a few different points in the episode. However, now that’s out of the way, I’d like to say that I actually did enjoyed the show. CBS wanted to come out swinging. With other well-established DC comic-related shows already rolling out like Gotham, The Flash, Arrow, and Smallville, Supergirl has a lot to live up to and lost time to account for.

Which explains why the episode felt super rushed! It felt as if we spent 10 minutes on Kara’s backstory, 15 mins on her willingness to accept her powers, five mins on the different villains she will face this season, and 10 minutes saving National City. Without giving too much away, we can establish that Kara (aka Supergirl) will spend most of the time living in her cousin’s (Superman) shadow and fighting aliens.

The CBS first look left nothing to surprise in the first episode. The pilot itself wasn’t all too exciting; however, it did solidify characters and a potential story arch. My hope for this season is that the writing will improve and the characters will get good development. Arrow has done a tremendous job with its lead character, Oliver. Although he has been a difficult hero to get behind, Oliver is growing into a likable character. Kara, played by Melissa Benoist (Glee, Whiplash, The Longest Ride), delivers a very likable performance, which doesn’t leave the audience with many areas to watch her grow. She does not seem encumbered by many challenges that her co-heroes face. That is what people should look for this season. A lingering question I had during the premiere was, “How will the writers differentiate her from other superheroes (besides her being a woman)?”

I do think this show will have something for everyone. It will have action and impressive special effect scenes. There will be romance through by Kara’s love interest, Winn Scott (The Last Five Years, Joyful Noise). Comic fans will enjoy crossovers of some kind, though we just don’t know what that will look like  yet.

Verdict:

If you choose to watch Supergirl, I will remind you that comic shows usually take a little while to ramp up in quality. They need a running start, because there is a bit of establishing that needs to be done in their story department. It seems that Supergirl takes place 24 years after Superman has established himself.  So don’t expect a crossover between the films and shows; not as wonderfully as Marvel has crafted their universe. All in all, though, this is a show worth checking out.