Supergirl, Season 1, Episode 1 - All the Heart it Needs, but with the Same Old Formula
Supergirl is good at what its genre does, but lightyears better at what it does on its own two feet. Once it sets aside the formulaic business, it allows for relationships that are built with strong dialogue, even if not every character is quite as alluring.
At much of the forefront is Kara's relationship with her sister, played by Chyler Leigh. This bond is introduced in the episode's necessary if very forgettable prologue scene, (re)introducing us to the doomed fate of Krypton, but adding Kara into the equation and telling of her less successful trip to Earth.
Each sister clearly loves the other, but sadly Kara feels nothing but emptiness when Alex attempts to protect her. Pushing her away from her superhero destiny is fraught with failure, obviously, but the show opens strongly enough that this actually matters.
That tension boiled out into a heart to heart in which Alex admitted that she was the star of the family until Kara came along. Couldn't have scene that plot element coming, right?
Melissa Benoist plays our titular Supergirl, and plays this iteration splendidly. There's a cuteness and quirkiness behind her performance, matching the script that's clearly attempting to create a hero that's entirely accessible. Sitting beside that playful and enjoyable personality is a determination that radiates off of each facial expression. This is a girl who you want to see succeed, badly, and the role was cast perfectly.
The pilot, and the show going forward, is complete with modern day socio-political elements of feminism. I particularly enjoyed the discussion about the word 'girl' being used on the end of 'super' for the new hero's title. That the horrible and self obsessed boss at the tribune (a strong female whom Kara initially looked up to) held the overwhelming truth behind her defense of the word 'girl' proves that there are redeeming factors even to the one-dimensional characters of the story. However, the theme wears thin later on when, in response to one man's doubt about Kara's ability to win, her sister utters 'why, because she's a girl?'.
Complete with inspiring music, self-doubt followed by self-confidence, and a villain to set the protagonists first challenge, this is all standard superhero work, and that it does such good work cannot distract from my personal feeling that this is all getting a little too repetitive.
The villain of the episode may as well have been a cardboard cutout, and that would have been preferable. Everything that comes out of his mouth is cringe-worthy, and I can't help but wonder if all of these 'alien' prisoners are going to look and speak human. Yes, it's a television show with not nearly the budget of a film, but the coincidence is going to be distracting if that is the case.
Preparing for the season ahead, the pilot cleverly integrates its own threat-of-the-week segue with the introduction of Fort Nos, a prison ship that latched onto Kara's own ship as she headed to Earth (or something like that; superhero physics). All of these aliens got off the ship and, for some reason, have been in hiding for just long enough to allow Kara to grow up, ignore her powers, then decide to use them and become a superhero. And now the prisoners are coming out of the woodwork. That just seems dumb.
At the end of the day, the pilot is a fantastic introduction to its cast of characters. Each of the main players gets an introduction, a conflict, and a resolution for that conflict, while still leaving plenty to do going forward. Where interactions between the various characters are often well written, with plenty of heart and fun, the dramatic beats of the episode just feel completely uninspired.
Mehcad Brooks plays James Olson, an African American portrayal of the popular comic book character. And, basically, he may as well have been renamed entirely. The character plays a kind of messenger role, in the end, between Supergirl and Superman, giving the world famous hero a role in the episode without ever showing his face. But Brooks plays Olson with enough intelligence and wit to stand out as a promising asset to the cast.
Jeremy Jordan plays Winn Schott, and he's far less interesting. It's bewildering that Kara would choose him to reveal her secret to early in the episode. By that point, he'd had one interaction with her in which he revealed his (already obvious) attraction to her, and she revealed her secret to him well after her far more revealing encounter with James.
That aside, the pilot is a good one. It does all of the things expected of it, but its characterisation of its central character is the key to the episode's success. And it may just be the overwhelming key to the show's success as a whole. It desperately needs something original to help it exist on its own, and perhaps Kara is that something.
