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Super
Because I get home too late on Mondays to watch an hour-long show, it appears that Tuesday will become my superhero TV show night: Supergirl from the previous night's recording while we eat dinner, Agents of SHIELD as it airs about an hour later. I'll probably have more to say about the current season of Agents of SHIELD separately (short version is that I like its overall direction, though I have issues with some of their specific choices -- a lot will depend on what happens next week), but for now I want to focus on Supergirl, which I have to say is really great so far.
Those of you who associate me with Marvel fandom may be surprised to learn that Superman was my favorite superhero for many years. I came to superheroes through media other than comics -- cartoons, TV, movies -- and I imprinted on the old Superfriends cartoons and the Christopher Reeve Superman movies. I enjoy his earnestness, his sweetness, his genuine attempts to be a good person. (Given all that, I suppose it's no surprise that I became a Captain America fangirl when I got into Marvel.) So I would probably have given this show a try anyway -- Superman mythos, female hero, what's not to like -- but then the trailer hit, and I got even more excited. A superhero not weighed down by angst or destiny, one who enjoys being a hero while figuring out who she is, a female lead who has important relationships with other women? Sign me up.
Kara is really great. I like her balance between fearlessness and insecurity. I also appreciate that she has so many important women in her life: her sister, her boss, her mother, and now her nemesis. I would like to see a female friend come along soon, but for now I especially appreciate that the core emotional relationship of the show is between sisters -- how often do we see that on TV? I've also been really pleased with the pacing so far. Other shows would have dragged out the half-dozen reveals that we get in the first two episodes: Kara telling Winn that she's Supergirl, James telling Kara that he knows who she is, Kara learning about Alex's secret life, and that her aunt Astra is the leader of the Fort Roz criminals. Kara meeting with Cat Grant as Supergirl, bringing the guys together as her support team. One of my favorite moments so far was Kara's conversation with James where she tells him that she doesn't want to go it alone like Superman does, that there's nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it, and I almost cheered. I get so tired of the lone, isolated hero trope, and I'm glad to see Kara actively resisting it.
Also, James Olsen. *sighs dreamily* Am I right? Yeah. I hope they don't drag the romance plotline out -- it's so obvious that James and Kara are into each other, after the best meet cute of all time, and Winn's Nice Guy act is going to get irritating sooner rather than later. So I hope it gets dispensed with fairly quickly, and that Winn can gracefully accept being Kara's friend.
I think Astra is going to make a good villain, but I'm not sure how I feel about Cat Grant yet. Her lecture about naming the hero "Supergirl" rather than "Superwoman" or something else with more gravitas was a little too pat for me, a little too "girl power feminism" for a show that's airing in 2015. The woman who makes herself big by tearing other women down is never my favorite trope. But we'll see where they go with it.
I understand that the premiere did very well, and that ratings have held steady into the second week -- always a good sign. May we get a whole season and many more, if it stays this good going forward.
Those of you who associate me with Marvel fandom may be surprised to learn that Superman was my favorite superhero for many years. I came to superheroes through media other than comics -- cartoons, TV, movies -- and I imprinted on the old Superfriends cartoons and the Christopher Reeve Superman movies. I enjoy his earnestness, his sweetness, his genuine attempts to be a good person. (Given all that, I suppose it's no surprise that I became a Captain America fangirl when I got into Marvel.) So I would probably have given this show a try anyway -- Superman mythos, female hero, what's not to like -- but then the trailer hit, and I got even more excited. A superhero not weighed down by angst or destiny, one who enjoys being a hero while figuring out who she is, a female lead who has important relationships with other women? Sign me up.
Kara is really great. I like her balance between fearlessness and insecurity. I also appreciate that she has so many important women in her life: her sister, her boss, her mother, and now her nemesis. I would like to see a female friend come along soon, but for now I especially appreciate that the core emotional relationship of the show is between sisters -- how often do we see that on TV? I've also been really pleased with the pacing so far. Other shows would have dragged out the half-dozen reveals that we get in the first two episodes: Kara telling Winn that she's Supergirl, James telling Kara that he knows who she is, Kara learning about Alex's secret life, and that her aunt Astra is the leader of the Fort Roz criminals. Kara meeting with Cat Grant as Supergirl, bringing the guys together as her support team. One of my favorite moments so far was Kara's conversation with James where she tells him that she doesn't want to go it alone like Superman does, that there's nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it, and I almost cheered. I get so tired of the lone, isolated hero trope, and I'm glad to see Kara actively resisting it.
Also, James Olsen. *sighs dreamily* Am I right? Yeah. I hope they don't drag the romance plotline out -- it's so obvious that James and Kara are into each other, after the best meet cute of all time, and Winn's Nice Guy act is going to get irritating sooner rather than later. So I hope it gets dispensed with fairly quickly, and that Winn can gracefully accept being Kara's friend.
I think Astra is going to make a good villain, but I'm not sure how I feel about Cat Grant yet. Her lecture about naming the hero "Supergirl" rather than "Superwoman" or something else with more gravitas was a little too pat for me, a little too "girl power feminism" for a show that's airing in 2015. The woman who makes herself big by tearing other women down is never my favorite trope. But we'll see where they go with it.
I understand that the premiere did very well, and that ratings have held steady into the second week -- always a good sign. May we get a whole season and many more, if it stays this good going forward.
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Just to be sure
I'm pretty sure that there's more behind Winn. I mean, check out his full name on imdb, alongside the fact that he isn't a regular... I figure that his 'nice guy' schtick is intentional from the writer's side of things.
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