Supergirl Review: Fight or Flight

Last night’s episode explored the theme of identity.

Prompted by an interview with Cat Grant, Kara questions her identity. How is she suppose to be different from her well-experienced cousin? It’s a fair question and one, I believe, we all share in some way or another. They have the same powers and are from the same world; one has just been doing it longer. This episode explored that theme under the guise of Kara, taking on an enemy of Superman. Yup! That’s right. No escaped alien inmates this episode.

After a botched interview with Cat Grant, Supergirl accidentally reveals that she is related to Superman. Grant, being the news reporter with the hot scoop, quickly shares the vital info with the world, which does Supergirl more harm than good. Not only is her light further diminished by her cousin’s shadow, but also an enemy of Superman, Reactron, who gets wind of this and decides to exact his revenge on her. The EOD decide to stay out of the fight, because Reactron is a human with a grudge and not an alien… This leaves Supergirl, Jimmy, and Winn on their own. Super girl must not only defeat Reactron but deal with her identity crisis at the same time.

Warning, Spoilers Ahead:

During the initial battle with Reactron, Kara is able to cripple him for a while. It’s during their second bout that Kara runs into trouble. While being pummeled, Superman steps in and saves the day. Kara is frustrated, and her central question is, “How am I suppose to be a hero when Superman has to keep saving me?”  Eventually, Alex and Hank Henshaw decide to aid Kara in defeating Reactron. Reactron shows up once more, but this time Kara has the necessary skills to defeat him and put him away for good.

What made this episode great was the direct (or indirect) involvement of Superman, and I have two reasons why. 1) Superman is a vital piece to Kara’s story. If we never saw him, that would be a huge mistake by the writers of the show. 2) It gave the writers an excuse as to why we will never see him again. This episode was just as exciting as last week and engaging; however, the pattern is becoming a bit predictable, even this early into the series.

Fight or Flight provided the introduction of two new characters, Maxwell Lord (Peter Facinelli) and Lucy Lane (Jenna Tatum). The introduction of characters is always a good thing. They provide new avenues for the writers to explore and help to complicate the protagonist’s life.

Max had an appearance last week, bashing Supergirl’s hero abilities.  He was a victim who needed saving this week. A thing to keep an eye on is his relationship with Cat Grant. There might have been a previous relationship before the start of the series, and his motives aren’t quite clear regarding how his relationship with Supergirl will play out. He could be her Lex Luther, after all he does run a major tech company in the city. Lucy, on the other hand,  is Lois Lane’s younger sister and possibly Jimmy’s ex-girlfriend. Her appearance shakes up any romantic relationship between Kara and Jim.

Finally, I’m getting the sense that the writers are more concerned with how their show is perceived as a whole. Last week’s episode dealt with the learning curve of becoming a superhero. This week was all about identity. Out of pure speculation, I think that the writers are trying to distance themselves from other already well-established superhero franchises and shows. This is a smart move; nevertheless, my main concern for this show’s success is going to be its ability to differentiate itself from the heroes already on TV. Sure, the difference is that she is a woman coming into a medium heavily dominated by male protagonist, but it has to be more than that.

Verdict

Great story. New Characters. More questions. What’s not to love? The show will have you coming back for more. This continues to be an incredible start for this series.

9.0 AMAZING

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Orlando Suazo

Orlando is an MFA screenwriting student at Regent. Originally, from New York City he recently moved to Northen Virgina just outside of Washington DC. While also being a full-time student, he is also a full-time video professional and works as a video editor at Green Buzz Agency. Orlando has been married for two years, and he and his wife, Kristen, have 1 child.