By Corinne McCreeryThis episode was everything I could have ever asked for. So let’s dive right in, right?
First thing, I was very happy that the clunky opening was just for the first episode, and much more condensed this week like the season one opening. Also that they replaced the shadowy shot of Superman with one of Tyler when he gets mentioned.
Kara and Clark teaming up, is so unbelievably adorable. And Tyler’s Clark was the absolute perfect amount of corny, my favorite Superman line of the episode has to be “See, if the bullets don’t work, right? Why the punching? I never understood that.” Clark refusing to drink and fly was such an amazing “Big Blue Boy Scout” thing.
Winn is already a better fit at the DEO than he ever was at CatCo, and I am immensely interested in the developing friendship between him and Alex highlighted in this episode. And I'll be damned if I didn’t identify hard with his fangasming hard over Clark. Kara may be my favorite character of all time… But Clark was my first favorite. It was so great to see him done in a way that I felt right. That’s not to say anybody else’s favorite versions of the character are wrong, just that this one felt the most right to me.
Brenda Strong’s villain is already vile and deceptive, and I love it. Her manipulating of Corben into her lapdog was sinister. “The Kryptonians tried to kill you.” Actually, it was the human target that tried to kill him, but sure Brenda.
The tension between J’onn and Clark was palpable and believable. And as good as Tyler is at playing the always affable Boy Scout, lord help the few people who actually manage to make him angry. Because angry Superman at J’onn was intense and powerful. “This is terrible. This is AWESOME.” Yes, Winn, you summed it up perfectly. And unlike certain movies this summer, it was resolved without any punches ever being thrown. The trip to the Fortress was also incredible, but I was a little disappointed that it was just Clark and J’onn, and not Kara. The Promethium Easter Egg was fun too.
I could feel the pain that Alex had the entire episode, and felt very sorry for her. Kara did not treat her sister the best, and I was glad when she apologized at the end. And as a Silver Age comic fan, Alex’s “Does he understand that he abandoned you with us? Do you?” made me chuckle a little even though it shouldn’t have. It could have been worse Alex, in the Silver Age he just dumped her in a rundown orphanage with a ratty brown wig. The Alex versus Cadmus fight was exceptionally well choreographed, and I’m excited to see more Alex badassness this season with the new choreographers.
Cat Grant in the limited screen time she had, was a continual delight. Watching her fawn over Clark (and Kara’s reactions to the fawning) gave me intense glee. Even so, she got to do what we have come to expect, and give one last pep talk. I was also pleased with how they decided to write Cat out of the show. Supergirl’s last scene with Cat was incredibly touching. The show did miss one giant opportunity for an Easter Egg that would have made me squeal louder than I ever have. When Cat dug for Kara’s real name, she should have just said, “My name is Linda.” It would have thrown Cat off the scent, and been a huge nod to the fans.
I think I’m going to really like to dislike Snapper Carr. He’s a jerk (guy), and rough around the edges, but it does feel like the Lou Grant/Mary Tyler Moore vibe they were going for. I AM disappointed that he didn’t snap his fingers even once. And Kara’s emotions with him were so wildly and hilariously exaggerated and frustrated.
The fight scenes have gone up a notch this season, the first fight with Metallo being a prime example. I loved that Kara’s heat vision gave Corben a Terminator hand. And as someone with a personal attachment to the cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, that homage wrecked me. And the final fight scene was a whole other level. Specifically, seeing Superman and Martian Manhunter team up in live action, and Kara and Battle-Suit Alex team up on the other side of the country was just exhilarating. And actually? I take it back. “We’re gonna give you a little time out, and you’re gonna think about what you’ve done.” was my favorite line from Superman.
In all, these first two episodes did something that many thought was impossible. Not only did they introduce a new version of Superman, one who was much more like the Superman I fell in love with in the 1990s, but they did so in a way that took nothing away from Supergirl. In fact, adding him in, gave to her character, it helped her develop further, and emphasized how much this is HER show. I’ll be honest, I fully expected them to kill him off, or otherwise write him out, but I’m glad that they didn’t. If these two episodes are indicative of what we’re going to get from the CW, I’m happy in our new home.
Corinne McCreery is a Northern California comic book podcaster and fan. She’s been a fan of Supergirl since the early 1990s when she discovered the character through the Mayfair Games DC Heroes RPG, and then Crisis on Infinite Earths. She has amassed an impressive Supergirl collection over the years, including original art and Action Comics 252 and openly gushes about the character whenever given the opportunity. Along with episode reviews, she is the co-host of the Supergirl Power Hour, which is going through Kara Zor-El’s appearances in the Silver Age (and eventually beyond!). You can find her on twitter at @corimarie21 or @sgirlpowerhour and on tumblr at effyeahsupergirl and www.supergirlpowerhour.com. Her two crowning achievements of fandom are that she has Dan Jurgens’s signature made out to Supergirl (acquired by a friend) and has reenacted the Death of Supergirl with Dean Cain.
