It may take a while to get through the cloying and infinitely clumsy pro-feminist vibe pervading the first clutch of episodes, but eventually Supergirl stands on its own two feet.
In an age when one of the biggest franchises on the planet can be driven by an unknown teen actress in THE lead Jedi role (and that’s not to mention the likes of Hunger Games and Divergent, nor the spin-off Rogue One), it feels almost antiquated to watch a series where almost every single female character needs to shout and cry about how hard it is being a woman in a man’s world, and almost every male character feels the need to tell any and every women they face – including ones who have super powers – that they should just go back to doing a more appropriate job for a woman, like making coffee.
It’s contrived, and often contradictory, and makes absolutely no sense both within and without the show. These are not bold, revelatory statements against the state of the world as it is today; against the harassed, beleaguered sex who struggle to co-exist when surrounded by Neanderthals. These kinds of storylines and scripts shouldn’t have passed quality control twenty years – or longer – ago, and so listening to them in 2016 is cloying to say the least.
However, despite the fact that the first few episodes are almost packed to the brim with such inane dialogue, the ultra-pro-feminist slant slowly wears off, and the actual story – and Supergirl herself – eventually get the opportunity to define themselves as something other than a symbol against the prejudice of mankind. And, when that happens, Supergirl does transform, almost unknowingly, into a good TV show, with interesting, watchable characters, breezy but warm dialogue, suitably Kryptonian mythology, and more than enough overarching story punch to drive through an entire 20-episode first season.
Whilst I can see completely why the viewers dropped like flies after just a couple of episodes of this show, much like many recent comic-driven TV shows (Gotham, Agents of SHIELD), if you stick with it, you’ll find it immensely rewarding, and you’ll find Melissa Benoist’s dazzling protagonist a compelling character in her own right, far from cast in the shadow of her more famous and more popular cousin, and able to command her own mini-universe of averted disasters, alien threats, Kryptonian invaders, military conspirators and (super-)friend, family and workplace woes.
Don't give up, after a few dodgy scripts, Supergirl settles into a far better rhythm.
Whilst I can see completely why the viewers dropped like flies after just a couple of episodes of this show, much like many recent comic-driven TV shows (Gotham, Agents of SHIELD), if you stick with it, you’ll find it immensely rewarding, and you’ll find Melissa Benoist’s dazzling protagonist a compelling character in her own right, far from cast in the shadow of her more famous and more popular cousin, and able to command her own mini-universe of averted disasters, alien threats, Kryptonian invaders, military conspirators and (super-)friend, family and workplace woes.
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