zslane Posted December 10, 2015 Report Share Posted December 10, 2015 A lot of powers are "game breaking" and would give mere mortal GMs fits. Yet Hollywood still tries to write these characters into their tv shows without any realization or concern for the corner they are painting themselves into. Heroes had at least two such characters. Any show involving Kryptonians will have this problem unless the show uses de-powered versions of them (and not just in the beginning of the show, but as the core of the character forever). But the writers want to eat their cake and have it too. They want all that power available to lean on as a plot crutch so they can be lazy, but they don't want to (or know how to) clean up all the messes that approach creates. Kara as we see her now is not over-powered. But she has the potential to be. The "solution" applied by the writers is to temper her intrinsic power potential with utter stupidity in combat. It is the worst combination: plot-busting power in the hands of a character bludgeoned by the dumb stick. Unfortunately there is no saving The Flash. They went past the point of no return last season. Multiverses and time travel are going to be the show's undoing, at least in terms of the milieu making any sense whatsoever. But there is still hope for Supergirl. It just needs a better calibre of writers. But, yeah, the J'onn J'onnz reveal was pretty awesome. But I guarantee that he won't act with his full power potential, and the writers will offer up the dumbest reasons for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slikmar Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 In Flash, they even had Arrow address it, chastising Barry for not really using his speed properly. Not reconnoitering in a few seconds and sniffing out all the traps. etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew_A Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 I liked this episode and I like the series overall. JMHO. YMMV. etc. etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinanju Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 I liked this episode and I like the series overall. JMHO. YMMV. etc. etc. I can't argue with what's been said. Kryptonians are horrifically overpowered, and only copious use of the dumb stick (or "the idiot ball", as in "who's carrying the idiot ball this week?") prevents Kara from handily dealing with any and every threat before the first commercial break--if that long. Nor is she the only character who has to carry the thing around. The writing on this show has been...subpar, to say the least, although I'm enjoying Cat Grant far more than I thought I would. I really like her interactions with Kara and Supergirl. Nonetheless, I enjoy the show. I'm a sucker for superhero shows.* Plus, Melissa Benoist really is charming. I wish were better--I wish the writing, specifically, were a lot better. But I'll keep watching. After all, I endured the depths of Heroes far, far, far worse levels of stupidity and bad writing. *As long as the characters have actual powers. I think I just realized that the main reason I don't watch Arrow is because he's just a guy with a bow. Just not my cup of tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 Just watched this week's episode. Interesting reveal for Hank Henshaw. Clever to mislead us on him being a Cyborg Hank with the eyeballs and strength. Since they didn't give a full story on Hank's death, that still leaves him available to make an appearance as Cyborg Hank. I do wonder if having such a powerful male super on the show undercuts the grrl power aspect. Hopefully they'll refrain from having him step in and save her bacon. Good job on the CGI for his reveal. They missed an opportunity to differentiate Kara's character from Clark's this week. She's supposed to be about 24, and left Krypton at 14. So, she's lived over half her life without powers. Losing them shouldn't be nearly the shock that it would be for Clark, who grew up on Earth. They should have had Jimmy/James comment that she was handling it a lot better than the first time he saw Clark lose his powers, instead of having her handle it exactly as you'd expect from Clark. Dumb writing, there. Winn breaking a cable was also stupid writing. He's a tech guru and he can't manage to plug a cable from a video camera into the back of a monitor without breaking something? Kara can move fast enough to put on her costume and still catch a falling James, but she never uses that speed in a fight? I thought she simply didn't have that kind of superspeed based on earlier episodes, but after seeing that stunt, I guess she does, and just conveniently forgets to use the power in combat. All that said, the episode was OK. I thought the writing was improving somewhat after the prior two episodes, but I guess that was premature. Christopher R Taylor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 The more I see Cat Grant, the more i am liking her. I think Calista "Mrs Harrison Ford :D" Flockhart is having a blast with the role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zslane Posted December 11, 2015 Report Share Posted December 11, 2015 You know, I don't know why James was worried about Kara. Her supersuit is damage-proof, which basically makes her damage-proof as long as she's wearing it, regardless of whether or not she has her powers. Someone ought to point that out to her for the next time she decides to use her solar flare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywind Posted December 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 Unless you go by the theory that they have an invulnerable force field which protects the suit along with their body. Which is why the cape can get skragged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew_A Posted December 12, 2015 Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 I can't argue with what's been said. Kryptonians are horrifically overpowered, and only copious use of the dumb stick (or "the idiot ball", as in "who's carrying the idiot ball this week?") prevents Kara from handily dealing with any and every threat before the first commercial break--if that long. Nor is she the only character who has to carry the thing around. The writing on this show has been...subpar, to say the least, although I'm enjoying Cat Grant far more than I thought I would. I really like her interactions with Kara and Supergirl. Nonetheless, I enjoy the show. I'm a sucker for superhero shows.* Plus, Melissa Benoist really is charming. I wish were better--I wish the writing, specifically, were a lot better. But I'll keep watching. After all, I endured the depths of Heroes far, far, far worse levels of stupidity and bad writing. *As long as the characters have actual powers. I think I just realized that the main reason I don't watch Arrow is because he's just a guy with a bow. Just not my cup of tea. The writing doesn't bother me in the slightest. Yeah it's stupid, but it's not meant to be taken overly seriously. I can live with Supergirl's level of stupidity. I agree with you about Heroes. That was just beyond the pale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zslane Posted December 12, 2015 Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 Unless you go by the theory that they have an invulnerable force field which protects the suit along with their body. Which is why the cape can get skragged. Which would be the exact opposite of what the show itself has placed into its canon. The cape is Clark's "baby blanket", which is why that is invulnerable. But her suit is made of no such material, and so it should have no special durability properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 The Hank Henshaw revelation was a lot of fun for me when it happened. Supergirl's display of courage with the shooter was, I think, taken from a superman comic, but it was a great scene. But mostly I was jazzed about the revelation of a certain hero who looked pretty good, at least compared to the Red Tornado. The winter finale... Well, watching two Krpytonian ladies go toe to toe was interesting. And Kara has some issues about her dead mother to work out but oddly, I found myself more caught up in Cat's email leak beta story. While very much a Devil Wears Prada type, the actress is doing a great job with it. I actually found myself cheering for the horrible wench I look forward to the show's return Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slikmar Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 I just wish they weren't doing the Aunt is really her mother, not the mother she has always known was her mother storyline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Liaden Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 I really appreciated Melissa Benoist's acting in the scene when Cat Grant confronted her about being Supergirl. The poor girl looked so vulnerable and humiliated, I genuinely felt for her. Ternaugh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted December 20, 2015 Report Share Posted December 20, 2015 slikmar, on 20 Dec 2015 - 11:19 AM, said: I just wish they weren't doing the Aunt is really her mother, not the mother she has always known was her mother storyline. Really? I didn't pick up on that, though I can see it's a distinct possibility. What did I miss? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slikmar Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 slikmar, on 20 Dec 2015 - 11:19 AM, said: Really? I didn't pick up on that, though I can see it's a distinct possibility. What did I miss? Astra said to her 2nd in command that Alura wasn't the girls mother. He agreed, but pointed out she didn't know that and grew up thinking it. IIRC. Paraphrasing, but I clearly remember Astra saying that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 Astra said to her 2nd in command that Alura wasn't the girls mother. He agreed, but pointed out she didn't know that and grew up thinking it. IIRC. Paraphrasing, but I clearly remember Astra saying that. I thought she said Kara wasn't her (Kara's) mother. As in, she could possibly be brought around to their point of view, unlike her mother. Clonus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slikmar Posted December 21, 2015 Report Share Posted December 21, 2015 Ah, you may be correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 Bump. Went looking for comments about recent episode of Supergirl and was sure that members here posted them. But if they did, it wasn't in this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted January 22, 2016 Report Share Posted January 22, 2016 We haven't watched it yet. I do think the last few episodes are an improvement over the first few. Kind of crossing my fingers for the trend to continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 I fell behind, then caught up. this one was okay, but a bit too much too much all at once for my liking. Secret ID discovered by an enemy. Romantic play crashes and burn and alters friendship forever Friend's dad a supervillain Fellow hero crosses a line again and hates himself for it... etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st barbara Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 I can't disagree more about tone. The Supergirl character has been light romcom for most of the character's existence. Even the most recent series never go darker than teen angst/rebellion and for much of her career, her stories were young romance. The dumb stick is omnipresent in stories of any DCU character with superspeed. If Superman/Supergirl/Flash were run by genre wrecking gamers, then any villain they faced without a counter should wake up in jail asking who captured them. Kryptonians can scout a scene from 50,000 ft, observe powers, listen to plans swoop to attack before you can guess they are there. It's just that by genre conventions, only villains get to use their powers to the fullest consistently. And not necessarily even then. Think about all the villains (especially at Marvel) whose sole power/weapon is SO lethal that, if they ever succesfully HIT most heros they would be dead ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grailknight Posted January 26, 2016 Report Share Posted January 26, 2016 And not necessarily even then. Think about all the villains (especially at Marvel) whose sole power/weapon is SO lethal that, if they ever succesfully HIT most heros they would be dead ! Those are what we always called "villain power sets". They're destructive and deadly but no hero could use them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grailknight Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 I liked this week's episode but now I can't stop wondering how many White Martians are out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 My own thoughts? First, Kara did cross a line, end of story, and I would have fired her ass. She violated a trust, intruded on family business. Maybe keeping her son at a distance was cowardice, maybe it was a mistake she'd regret, but it was Cat's mistake to make. Perhaps its a personal button for me, but yeah, a firing would commence. Naturally I'm glad all turned out well but I'm glad Kara's sister gave her a talking to about boundaries. Loved the introduction of White Martians, and yes, I wonder how many more there are. Interesting touch. Maybe its my fondness for the character, but Jon Jonz is threatening to steal the lime light. Is someone trying to sow the seeds for a spin off? Regardless, the martian addition has been brilliant Poor Win. I think his reaction to rejection is quite understandable, and quite normal. Yes, Kara's response is also quite human ("I hate time and space" ) but he's hurting now and while that's not her fault (He'd hurt even more the longer she held honesty off in the end). I just hope they don't have him eventually go insane and turn into Toyman II with an obsession with Supergirl, I think the greater writing challenge would be to show them both dealing, healing, and growing. Wow, a Senator gets saved by a superhero alien, and decides not all aliens are bad? Here I thought they were going to have her go full on Trump This was, imo, one of the better episodes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grailknight Posted January 27, 2016 Report Share Posted January 27, 2016 This version of Cat is easily my favorite character on the show. Joe Walsh 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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