Supergirl S02E01: "The Adventures of Supergirl" Review
Hi! I quickly wanted to explain my review process. For season/series reviews, I will give a overview of the season/series, reviewing it using segments before moving on. I will then discuss the characters one by one before moving on to judge the vfx or other factors. These reviews will be scored out of 10 with series reviews having the possibility of individual season scores. For normal week to week reviews, I will employ a similar style. I will discuss the episode and will highlight characters and performances I find important to discuss instead of reviewing every single character. These reviews will also be out of 10. I adjusted my scale for weekly reviews is: (1-2:Completely Disgusting, 2-3:Unwatchable, 3-4:Horrible, 4-5:Poor, 5-6:Mediocre, 6-7:Forgettable, 7-8:Adequate, 8-9:Good/Great, 9-10:Amazing)That's all folks! :)
**Spoilers**
After what was a disappointing first season, Supergirl flies into the CW with a tonal shift, better action, and a more engaging plot.
Storylines:
Picking up right where we left off (or in this case a bit before), we got an extended action scene to the previous pod scene which was confirmed over the season to contain Mon-El. His role in the series is still pretty unclear but he did have a minor role in the episode. His arrival also brought us to the new DEO location which looks so much better than the previous cave. With natural light and a modern design, it looks much more appealing than the previous sets. CatCo however seemed pretty unchanged and so did Kara's apartment. Moving away from the sets, the actual physical locations gave off the appearance of being in Vancouver. The helicopter scene and the L Corp (its a pretty dumb name) reveal were obviously Vancouver with those grey skies.
The major plot point of this episode was the introduction of Superman into the larger multiverse of the CW DC TV shows. And boy was he fantastic. By personifying the previous Supermen and instilling some new qualities into Superman itself, Tyler Hoechlin was able to convey a believable, happy, and charming superman all in one. I was extremely surprised by how much I liked Superman and his presence in the show. I won't go too much into superman just yet as I will leave my final conclusions for next episode's review after his appearances for now have concluded. Throughout Season 1, I always felt that there was something missing in this show and Clark filled that up right away. But even through the massive entrance of Superman, the show still revolves around Kara who is still the main character and who has the main focus (looking at you Arrow). A perfect example is when Clark and Kara talk about balancing their superhero identities and their personal lives which was beautifully acted and just genuine. Clark's experience clearly influences Kara and her actions in the episode allowing for a bond to be explored without Kara being sidelined. Clark's speech to Kara connects to her arc for the season which I found to be a highlight of the episode. Last year's main theme was mainly about establishing Supergirl and it wasn't executed properly in my opinion. Rather than focusing on her ability, the story focused on her gender and place in society which made for some unappealing television. But this premier fixed that easily. Transitioning away from the establishment of supergirl, the show now is able to focus on a conflict much more relatable as balancing between two important things is what many people have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. In this case, Kara will struggle through finding her balance with what she wants in life, whether that be being Supergirl, being in a relationship with James, or committing to her work, It was really compelling and allowed for some other creative decisions which helped trim the show down. This theme allows for Kara to explore her career options, coming to realization that she would like to be a reporter. The tonal shift also provided for some really great lines from Cat Grant who was giving applicable advice. Two minor points in the episode were mainly dealing with the James/Kara romance set up all last year and what Winn is doing this year. In a surprising turn of events, Kara ends it with James (only 24 hours later?) which can either be a good thing or something even worse. James and Kara have clearly lacked the chemistry of other couples on TV and the decision to end them was most probably a CW move. But if it was for more drama or for the sake of the audience will have to be seen in the future. If it was for the latter, it was a smart move to initiate a clean slate for Kara as she is entering the next chapter of her life. Also Winn moved away from CatCo which allows him to be in a more prominent role. Winn's overall purpose was highlighted in my season 1 review (or lack thereof) and it is nice to see him take up the Felicity/Cisco role in the show.
Action/VFX:
After what was considered mediocre action in the previous seasons, Supergirl starts off strong with some good hand-to-hand combat from Alex and some great Super combat between Kara and Kal-El. In general, the action was more subdued and taken from far angles such as in the helicopter scene to allow for the VFX budget to be used more appropriately. Speaking of VFX, there was barely any change and there are examples of where the effects are much better on the CW than CBS.
Noteworthy Performances:
This week's episode MVP's were obviously Melissa and Tyler. Both played their respective roles perfectly and Tyler specifically came into a respected role and knocked it out of the park. Melissa was doing her standard amazing as usual so that was great to see. But the understated MVP would have to be Calista Flockhart. This episode showed how major of a presence she has on the series and she will be missed in the later episodes.
**Overall Episode Grade: 8.7/10**
**Spoilers**
After what was a disappointing first season, Supergirl flies into the CW with a tonal shift, better action, and a more engaging plot.
Storylines:
Picking up right where we left off (or in this case a bit before), we got an extended action scene to the previous pod scene which was confirmed over the season to contain Mon-El. His role in the series is still pretty unclear but he did have a minor role in the episode. His arrival also brought us to the new DEO location which looks so much better than the previous cave. With natural light and a modern design, it looks much more appealing than the previous sets. CatCo however seemed pretty unchanged and so did Kara's apartment. Moving away from the sets, the actual physical locations gave off the appearance of being in Vancouver. The helicopter scene and the L Corp (its a pretty dumb name) reveal were obviously Vancouver with those grey skies.
The major plot point of this episode was the introduction of Superman into the larger multiverse of the CW DC TV shows. And boy was he fantastic. By personifying the previous Supermen and instilling some new qualities into Superman itself, Tyler Hoechlin was able to convey a believable, happy, and charming superman all in one. I was extremely surprised by how much I liked Superman and his presence in the show. I won't go too much into superman just yet as I will leave my final conclusions for next episode's review after his appearances for now have concluded. Throughout Season 1, I always felt that there was something missing in this show and Clark filled that up right away. But even through the massive entrance of Superman, the show still revolves around Kara who is still the main character and who has the main focus (looking at you Arrow). A perfect example is when Clark and Kara talk about balancing their superhero identities and their personal lives which was beautifully acted and just genuine. Clark's experience clearly influences Kara and her actions in the episode allowing for a bond to be explored without Kara being sidelined. Clark's speech to Kara connects to her arc for the season which I found to be a highlight of the episode. Last year's main theme was mainly about establishing Supergirl and it wasn't executed properly in my opinion. Rather than focusing on her ability, the story focused on her gender and place in society which made for some unappealing television. But this premier fixed that easily. Transitioning away from the establishment of supergirl, the show now is able to focus on a conflict much more relatable as balancing between two important things is what many people have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. In this case, Kara will struggle through finding her balance with what she wants in life, whether that be being Supergirl, being in a relationship with James, or committing to her work, It was really compelling and allowed for some other creative decisions which helped trim the show down. This theme allows for Kara to explore her career options, coming to realization that she would like to be a reporter. The tonal shift also provided for some really great lines from Cat Grant who was giving applicable advice. Two minor points in the episode were mainly dealing with the James/Kara romance set up all last year and what Winn is doing this year. In a surprising turn of events, Kara ends it with James (only 24 hours later?) which can either be a good thing or something even worse. James and Kara have clearly lacked the chemistry of other couples on TV and the decision to end them was most probably a CW move. But if it was for more drama or for the sake of the audience will have to be seen in the future. If it was for the latter, it was a smart move to initiate a clean slate for Kara as she is entering the next chapter of her life. Also Winn moved away from CatCo which allows him to be in a more prominent role. Winn's overall purpose was highlighted in my season 1 review (or lack thereof) and it is nice to see him take up the Felicity/Cisco role in the show.
Action/VFX:
After what was considered mediocre action in the previous seasons, Supergirl starts off strong with some good hand-to-hand combat from Alex and some great Super combat between Kara and Kal-El. In general, the action was more subdued and taken from far angles such as in the helicopter scene to allow for the VFX budget to be used more appropriately. Speaking of VFX, there was barely any change and there are examples of where the effects are much better on the CW than CBS.
Noteworthy Performances:
This week's episode MVP's were obviously Melissa and Tyler. Both played their respective roles perfectly and Tyler specifically came into a respected role and knocked it out of the park. Melissa was doing her standard amazing as usual so that was great to see. But the understated MVP would have to be Calista Flockhart. This episode showed how major of a presence she has on the series and she will be missed in the later episodes.
**Overall Episode Grade: 8.7/10**
A Look Inside
