Supergirl

[Bogatan]

Dec 5, 2015 9:25:09 GMT The Doctor said:

Does the geneal audience really care if these shows fit together?

-Ralph

Gotta disagree with Jetty on this, for some obviously it wont, but thanks to the MCU (and just a generally more comic aware population) there is now an expectation that wasnt there 5 or 10 years ago.

I keep having to explain or over hear people wondering why the X Men dont appear in the Avengers (or insert whatever crossover). These people who know enough to know the comics are both published by Marvel and regularly do crossover, but not enough to be aware of the rights of the film franchises. Or know that Supergirl and Gotham are both DC and because of the MCU assume they are likewise in the same world.

Maybe people dont care so much as they are simply confused by it. When The Flash and Arrow seem to crossover or at least name check each other almost every week the fact that they dont crossover with or even mention Supergirl, Batman, Wonder woman or Superman becomes more noticable.

[Toph]

Supergirl wins.
Everyone can go home now, Supergirl won tonight.

Major massive super plot twist profanity laced spoilers to follow

SPOILER: Click to show

"Of course you can't trust Hank Henshaw! He's the Cyborg-Fucking-Superman! He's a goddamned Sinestro Corps!" -Me, tonight.

".....OH MY FUCKING HOLY SHIT! OMGOMGOMG! BOO-FUCKIN'-YEAH!" -Me, Literally seven minutes later.
Using Hank Henshaw, one of the Super-Family's more infamous villains as the secret identity to Martian Manhunter?!? Fucking GENIUS, man!

[Toph]

SPOILER: Click to show

I smell Brother Eye and Project Omac coming.

[Toph]

CBS has dropped Supergirl, dispite the fact that it is the highest rated superhero show on TV, and one of the highest rated series in their line-up.

However, within hours, CW snatched it up. And the next day announced there will be a Supergirl/Flash/Legends of Tomorrow crossover this december.

We need more green space dad!

[Pinwig]

Good news! I'm enjoying it still. Episode 16 was on here this evening. It's become a bit villain of the week, but it reminds me of the genre shows of yesteryear.

[legios]

I'm really enjoying Supergirl I must admit. They have nailed so many of the characters - J'Onn, Kara. And I do love this version of Cat Grant - never fails to raise a smile. I do hope it manages to keep its current tone when it transfers networks.

And just to admit I am human, I will admit that the last two bits of fan-pandering they've done - the K'Hund this week, and a certain ring in the Fortress of Solitude last did make me grin. The Legion may be deader than disco but their memory at least lives on.

Karl

[Toph]

I think Cat is the surprise hit of the series, IMO.
They write her so well. She so beautifully subverts that "hard as nails soulless ladyboss" trope, to be about the deepest and most caring character in the series.
I would love to see her correct one person who misspronounces Kara's name while Kara isn't around. "You do not call her that. You will treat her with the respect she has earned. Are we clear?"

I believe the writing and feel of the show will stay the same. It'll have the same showrunners (who I think are the Flash's showrunners).
Though they're moving production from LA to Vancouver because the show is expensive (which is why CBS dumped it, desite it being so successfull), so the sets will probably change.

[Bogatan]

My main problem with Supergirl is that theres something off about the balance of the cast. Individually they are all at least fine. Though Karas sister is the token badly written female character that all DC shows apparantly must have, shes not nearly as bad as Laurel and Iris, but she is still the weak link. Shes not the problem though.

Maybe its that Kara, who by any standard is friendly, likable etc doesnt have a single female friend. They could have gone with shes keeps herself to herself to keep her secret but theres Win and Jimmy and really no suggestion that she tries to avoid people at all.

I dont know why but it bugs me.

[legios]

So, Season Two of Supergirl has started up on Sky 1. I've been waiting for it to bed down a bit before commenting - the change of filming location, and budget is fairly significant so I wanted to let that settle down and see how it worked out.

First things first, Kara's cousin is great. The actor they cast as Superman is wonderful, both as Superman and Clark Kent. He has that thing of varying his body language between Clark and Kal which completes the speech patterns change to make it really make sense that people don't connect the two together. He is also well written - as the proper "gentleman farmer" and community spirited good neighbour that Superman should be. I genuinely like Snapper Carr. Now, he is definitely an "in name only" version of Snapper of course. But in terms of his role in the show I really think he is needed. The show needs someone to push back at Kara - to be constantly a wall for her to slam into that she can't just super-punch her way through. In the first season that was either cat or Hank Henshaw. With neither in a position to do that this year Snapper has picked up the torch nicely.

The new DEO base is...not an improvement. I wasn't a fan of the "Paramilitary-Cave" last season but the new one doesn't really feel like it has much of an "in use" feel to it for some reason. Also, it has the same general black-and-chrome feel to it that we seem to be seeing a lot of in the CW shows this year. I honestly feel that you could drop the speed lab into it, or the Arrow Cave, and it would feel not at all dissonant. Basically, characterless is what I'm getting at.

I do like the whole thing with M'Gann M'ors, this is a fun little sideplot which I'm sure is going to become an a-plot at some suitably ratings important point. But so far I am finding it more interesting than the Mon-El subplot, which is just kind of...there. (So... Dev-Em for Season 3 if they find that they need more Kryptonian level characters?).

As to the other running plot element - I really don't welcome the addition of Lena Luthor. Supergirl stealing Superman villians is fine - the DC shows are all about that (except for Flash, whose Rogue's gallery seems to be still attached (mostly)). But having a Luthor and continually coming back to "I'm not my brother, won't you help me show that" is two things. a) It is a crashingly unsubtle deployment of the Evil Mentor archetype - they are clearly going to set up a "how can I be a successful woman and still be me?" conversation with her and Kara at some point, and are being sledgehammer about the "might have a hidden agenda" thing, and b) weighs Kara down with her cousin's mythos. It feels like it sits there as a constant reminder of "she is female Supergirl. Look here is a female Luthor, whose male counterpart is the archenemy of Superman". Doing, frankly, no-one any good.

On the other hand, pinching Maggie Sawyer was an absolute brainwave. She is a great character, and she and Kara's sister do make such a lovely couple. Far as I'm concerned as long as she is prepared to be funny, kick butt and flirt atrociously Maggie is quite welcome to stay around.

Karl

[Toph]

I was unsure about Lena Luthor in the first few episodes, afraid she was gonna be the traditional bait-and-switch "Surprise I was pretending to be your friend!" villain.
But after the last two most recent episodes with Cadmus, I think she's genuine, and if so then that would be really different from the archetype trope.
Also she's having some really great chemistry with Melissa.

I've learned that this show never seems to go how things seem at first. Especially after the Hank Henshaw reveal.

[Bogatan]

Finally finished season 2.

May 22, 2016 13:13:07 GMT Bogatan said:

My main problem with Supergirl is that theres something off about the balance of the cast. Individually they are all at least fine. Though Karas sister is the token badly written female character that all DC shows apparantly must have, shes not nearly as bad as Laurel and Iris, but she is still the weak link. Shes not the problem though.

Maybe its that Kara, who by any standard is friendly, likable etc doesnt have a single female friend. They could have gone with shes keeps herself to herself to keep her secret but theres Win and Jimmy and really no suggestion that she tries to avoid people at all.

I dont know why but it bugs me.

Season 2 managed to fix my above issues to some extent. Alex departed the ranks of badly written women and Kara's social circle felt a bit more functional. I think Lena helped with that a bit, but dropping the love angle of Winn and Jimmy made the real difference. New DEO was an improvement without actually being good.

Apparently Im in the minority but I wound up liking Mon El (after a rocky start) and his and Karas relationship.

In a complete 180 for me, the show seriously missed Kat Grant.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Oct 25, 2017 17:39:34 GMT Bogatan said:

Apparently Im in the minority but I wound up liking Mon El (after a rocky start) and his and Karas relationship.

I'm with you on that. Two very likeable characters.

The Mr Mxyzptlk episode was awful, but otherwise it was a solid season.

Martin

[legios]

Sadly I had to bow out partway through the season, due to losing access to Sky when I moved. I am contemplating picking it up when a) I am on sounder financial footing and b) the DVD is cheaper (so, next year then :-) )

I was really enjoying it up to the point that I left off - and I am pleased to hear that Mon-El worked out ok over the long haul (and not just because of my "I have to try to like him, he's a Legion character" loyalty. :-) )

I look forward to getting to see this in due course. Actually - I'm probably more interested in snagging this in due course than most of the DC shows that I have missed. Except maybe Legends of Tomorrow, which had reached the proper level of "this is insane, just roll with it" ludicrousness in the first part of the season.

Karl

[Toph]

I think Mol-el would have been significantly better without him being Kara's love interest. It felt forced, and empty.
Meanwhile everything he went through would mean so much more without him doing it because he's in love with Kara.
It's okay for men to look up to, and be inspired by women. That's a pretty great message I feel was lost.

[Toph]

Jon Cryer is not anyone I would have ever considered to cast as Lex Luthor, but by god... not only is he a good one, he might be the best.

[Pinwig]

He hasn't impressed me hugely yet, but I think we're a couple of episodes behind you still.

[Toph]

Well, best is also a low bar, to be fair.

The only others that he shares that list with are Michael Rosenbaum and Clancy Brown.

(The other three actors to play him gave decent performances, but none of them were actually playing Lex Luthor.

[Pinwig]

I'm trying to figure something out. Why is it that when it comes to live action versions of Superheroes, some look great, and others look slightly silly? For example in Supergirl, Supergirl looks heroic and right in her costume, but Dreamer just looks cheap and silly. I'm starting to think it's something to do with face masks. Like I also think Captain America's original costume in his first MCU film was terrible, yet Thor worked fine. When I think of all the ones that seem daft, they have masks.

[blueshift]

May 21, 2019 20:40:48 GMT Pinwig said:

I'm trying to figure something out. Why is it that when it comes to live action versions of Superheroes, some look great, and others look slightly silly? For example in Supergirl, Supergirl looks heroic and right in her costume, but Dreamer just looks cheap and silly. I'm starting to think it's something to do with face masks. Like I also think Captain America's original costume in his first MCU film was terrible, yet Thor worked fine. When I think of all the ones that seem daft, they have masks.

Domino masks never look cool in real life

[Toph]

It's the mask, in combination with the main colors being gray and white, which in comparison to the dark, yet vivid colors used by all other superheroes in the arrowverse, are kinda a little bland.
XS suffers the same deal when she stands next to Flash.

I do feel Flash's current chinless costume will not age well at all, exactly like Cap's Avengers 1 costume didn't age well. It already looks goofier compared even to the first season costume.

[Pinwig]

Not sure I'm digging Kara's new look. The new suit is bland; it's all one colour and it doesn't seem to fit her that well. Not sure about the fringe either.

[Toph]

Kara's suit has the same issue that post New 52 Superman's does.

No one understands what the "underwear on the outside" is actually for. I honestly don't know it's name, but acrobats and people who wear full spandex suits wear them for modesty.
And on Superman, it served to break up the sea of blue.
Kara's skirt did the same thing, breaking up the color scheme. I'd like the new suit better if they managed to compensate for that.

But it doesn't bother me too much. I'm not fond of her new bangs, though.

[Stomski]

Are there really not more interesting things to discuss about S05 than her hair and costume? May give this season a miss if so.

[Toph]

Well, that's the only thing that's not spoilery to someone who hasn't been keeping up. And since I'm naturally ahead of y'all by an unknown length of time, I generally just stay quiet about everything but the most basic things. Because something that's weeks old to me may not have aired for you? So I may accidentally spoil something major without even realizing it.

I mean, if you wanna know what else is up:

SPOILER: Click to show

· Phil Lamar is J'onn's brother, and seems to be the main villain.
· Brainy and Nia are having relationship woes
· Lena is Luthoring it up and out for revenge against Supergirl/Kara for lying about her identity
· Mehcad Brooks has bowed out, so James is leaving

[Bogatan]

I finally got around to watching the second half of season 4. Jon Cryer as Lex is maybe the best bit of casting I have seen for years.

In the first half of the season I was finding the immigration metaphor a lot too on the nose. It managed to be cheesy and painfully earnest at the same time. Though I did kind of like the episode showing Lockwoods descent in to bigotry. By the nd of the season I either had just gotten used to it or they had managed to make it work even if they did wrap it up a bit to conveniently.

Not liking the new suit. Too much blue.

And I cant believe Im discussing her hair but, yeah its not good. It reminds me of Kate Maras wig in the Fan4stic reshoots every time I see it.

[Pinwig]

Nov 7, 2019 9:08:05 GMT Stomski said:

Are there really not more interesting things to discuss about S05 than her hair and costume? May give this season a miss if so.

No, it's looking really good, it's just those are jarring changes that stand out. The story lines are looking better than last year's xenophobia stuff, this season so far has all been character driven. Improved on Season 4 I'd say. 

Toph, we had ep2 this week. Sky stay a few weeks behind America to compensate for the gap weeks US TV tends to have. We get an episode a week with no breaks, unless it's a big mid-season gap.