Melissa continues to shine in the role. She’s just such a phenomenal actress and embodies everything I love about the character, both on screen and off. Just like last week, it’s the little things that make me believe in her the most. In this episode it was the nose crunching when Cat suggested that Supergirl might be Superman’s girlfriend. It was the look of, “Oh god, why did I do this?” when she rescued “Fluffy.” It was a moment I’ll talk about in more detail later that happened at the end of the episode.
One thing I loved so much about this episode was the overall theme. “Stronger Together” was all about being strong enough to ask for help. In it, Kara realizes that no matter how powerful she is alone, she’s exponentially better with her friends. She reaches out to James and Winn to help her get the hang of the hero thing, and to rebuild her reputation after her massive faux pas at the beginning of the episode. She asks Alex to help her learn to fight, after originally telling her that she would rather do it alone. She even gets a bit of life advice from Cat Grant. Most importantly, she teaches this same lesson to James at the end. No matter who you are, it’s never weakness to ask for help, doing so is an absolute act of courage. While I’ve always loved that the \S/ means hope, I do appreciate that in this universe it specifically means “El-May-Arah” which is the Kryptonian phrase for “Stronger Together” and the House of El family motto.
It warmed my heart to see so much taken from my favorite runs on the Supergirl comic books, specifically that this version of Cat Grant is very much the Cat of Sterling Gates and Jamal Igle’s stellar run on the book. In that run she was very harsh on Supergirl and very antagonistic about the young hero, and very critical of any failings the girl had. I really look forward to watching Calista’s Cat develop, and to learn more of her history. I specifically want to know what happened to make her fall out with the Daily Planet, and Lois and Clark. I have ideas, but they’re just theories for now.
The special effects continue to be great, which is reassuring, since I had worried they might not have as much budget after the pilot. I geeked out an unnatural amount the first time we saw super breath. The end fight scene was freaking incredible, especially the heat vision stare down.
Just like last week there were a couple of Easter eggs thrown in. This time it was streets named after Jerry Siegel (who alongside Joe Shuster created Superman) and Richard Donner (who brought Superman to the big screen). And like Otto Binder last week, Al Plastino got recognized in the show of the character he created. Otto got a bridge named after him, while Al got a chemical plant. I think Al got the short end of the stick there.
My favorite scene in the episode was the scene in which we got Kara’s “fortress.” The scene with her AI mother was extremely emotional and powerful. I weep every time I watch it. “I’d ask for a hug.” My heart just shatters for Kara when she says that.
The last thought I have on this episode is one of the things I love most about the character of Kara Zor-El. Kara wasn’t a baby when her planet exploded. She was old enough to feel the loss, to still remember her friends and family that she’ll never see again. You can see the pain in her eyes when she says she remembers Krypton all the time. Again this is a testament to the acting ability of Melissa. But more important than the fact that she remembers these things, is in how she lets it shape her. While many people would let this tragedy affect them negatively, turning them bitter or angry, Kara remains optimistic and hopeful. She experienced a tragedy on a level that none of us could ever comprehend, but still provides a beacon of hope for everyone around her. Alex said it best when she said, “You never let that loss diminish your light.” That is one constant that always pulls me back to the character, and the one thing I feel that DC so incredibly missed the boat on with their most recent take on the character as part of their New 52 relaunch. That’s it for this week, until next time, remember that we’re always “Stronger Together.”
Corinne McCreery has been a fan of comic books for over twenty years, and a fan of Supergirl in particular for just about that long. Other comic characters near and dear to her heart are the members of the New Teen Titans (Especially Nightwing), Kitty Pryde and Roy Harper. Other non-comic related interests include water skiing and tattoos, of which she has five, three of which are comic related. One of the best days of her life came when she met Dean Cain, and was able to recreate the famous Crisis on Infinite Earths cover with the Man of Steel that she grew up with. Currently she lives in Oakland, CA; a transplant from South Dakota. You can find her online on tumblr at effyeahsupergirl or Twitter at @corimarie21, where you will likely find her live-tweeting the west coast airing of Supergirl every week.
