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Supergirl


Greywind

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I, personally, preferred the stand-alone "monster of the week" episodes of X-Files to the myth-arc episodes. Why? Because it became clear to me early on that Chris Carter did not, in fact, have a master chart of The Conspiracy over his desk, and he was making **** up by the seat of his pants...just like the monster of the week episodes. But with MOTW, I didn't have to bother with the nonsensical mythology.

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Yeah this show is turning out to be a guilty pleasure for me. Half of it is moronic, but the other half is irresistable because of Melissa Benoist.

 

Sometimes the writing goes to unintentionally odd places. For instance, when Lucy Lane challenges James on his relationships with Superman and Supergirl, she uses language reserved for spouses who are being cheated on. It's as if she's accusing him of being one step away from having a three-way with them. James' guilty expressions don't help diffuse the awkwardness (Superman and Supergirl are supposed to be so wholesome they make Mr. Rogers look like Larry Flynt).

 

Just the same, I find myself tuning in to watch every week; hell, I even look forward to it. Damn you Melissa Benoist!

 

Had James been a cheating spouse there would have been orders of magnitude more pyrotechnics.  Lucy Lane is a woman who could have high class suitors lined up around the block and she has been giving James Olsen physical and emotional exclusivity.  She was perfectly in her rights and her dignity to expect the same exclusivity from James, and while he hadn't cheated on her physically, he was emotionally pining for another woman.  Why should Lucy be interested in a lover who had his heart set on another?  She is not, so she broke up with him in a direct and civilized manner.  

 

That doesn't mean that she wasn't hurting and that there wasn't emotional drama in the moment, but it was nothing compared to your cheating spouse analogy.  Had they actually been married and James had been cheating on her, he would have been lucky not to have been thrown off that balcony that they were on.  You don't mess with the Lane girls.

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or he did not have 22 episodes of 1 story arc
Josh did that w/ Buffy and it worked great
it gave a chance to give secondary characters a chance to shine or give back story
 

I, personally, preferred the stand-alone "monster of the week" episodes of X-Files to the myth-arc episodes. Why? Because it became clear to me early on that Chris Carter did not, in fact, have a master chart of The Conspiracy over his desk, and he was making **** up by the seat of his pants...just like the monster of the week episodes. But with MOTW, I didn't have to bother with the nonsensical mythology.

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Ever since Babylon 5 in the 90s and Lost in the 00s, I have had a diminished tolerance for episodic storytelling. I want every episode to build the mythology and advance the primary plotline. Throwaway episodes are a waste of time, money, and effort IMO.

I agree in general about episodic storytelling; I'd much rather have an arc. But I would point out that B5 (among others) specifically did NOT have every episode advance the metaplot; Straczynski had a certain number of what he termed "Wham Episodes" per season. He did that specifically because in his view if you don't give people a chance to understand what "normal" looks like, then it lessens the impact when you disrupt that status quo. (Very loosely paraphrased based off something he said on Usenet 20 years ago.)

 

Don't even get me started on Lost...

 

Different tastes, etc.

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Early seasons of Smallville had a 5-7 minute "button" where they focused on something other than the main story. IIRC* this was used to focus on the season story arc. 

 

*I'd have to watch an early episode or two to remember correctly. 

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In the hands of good writers, the B plot becomes the A plot while a new C plot is introduced as the next B plot can weave pretty well. I prefer a mix myself, episodic one shots interspersed with short to medium story arcs keeps things fresh for me while still keeping me invested.

 

As a generalization,  natch. I've enjoyed some amazing 'done in one' series and been very impressed by a few long term arcs both.

 

Supergirl's writing is still a mixed bag, but whatever pattern the writers fall into, I'm hoping for them to find a groove that works for them.

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What a great idea!

(I'll never understand network programming. Buy 24 episodes, spread them over 9 months. Sometimes broadcast a new episode, sometimes a repeat, and sometimes a different show entirely. Require the eyeballs you're trying to sell to your advertisers to first look at a TV listing before tuning in. Success?)

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But I would point out that B5 (among others) specifically did NOT have every episode advance the metaplot...

You are 100% correct. I was also probably about 50% too subtle in my post.

 

I did not mean to imply that B5 was composed entirely of arc episodes. I merely meant to point to B5 as the show that made me appreciate the power of an epic storytelling arc. Before that show, I was not really aware of what I was missing. After it, I was spoiled for shows with a strong central arc, and I found myself with a limited tolerance for episodes that did not directly serve it. Even when I go back and re-watch B5, I tend to skip over the filler episodes since they don't really serve much of a purpose upon subsequent viewings of the series.

 

Lost was a bit of a disappointment in the end, but it was evident to me that was going to be the case by the time they made the deal with ABC for the last three "compressed" seasons. There just wasn't enough time to tell the rest of the story and answer all the mysteries they set up. And the sheer number of loose threads they left for themselves guaranteed a degree of convolution no writer could possibly plot themselves out of cleanly. Nevertheless, Lost drove home the realization that for me, serialized storytelling built around a deep mythology is what I look for in a show.

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You are 100% correct. I was also probably about 50% too subtle in my post.

 

I did not mean to imply that B5 was composed entirely of arc episodes. I merely meant to point to B5 as the show that made me appreciate the power of an epic storytelling arc. Before that show, I was not really aware of what I was missing. After it, I was spoiled for shows with a strong central arc, and I found myself with a limited tolerance for episodes that did not directly serve it. Even when I go back and re-watch B5, I tend to skip over the filler episodes since they don't really serve much of a purpose upon subsequent viewings of the series.

 

Lost was a bit of a disappointment in the end, but it was evident to me that was going to be the case by the time they made the deal with ABC for the last three "compressed" seasons. There just wasn't enough time to tell the rest of the story and answer all the mysteries they set up. And the sheer number of loose threads they left for themselves guaranteed a degree of convolution no writer could possibly plot themselves out of cleanly. Nevertheless, Lost drove home the realization that for me, serialized storytelling built around a deep mythology is what I look for in a show.

I agree completely about B5, except that I don't see the non-arc episodes as wasted filler. Different strokes, etc.

 

I gave up on Lost in Season 2 (I think) when I realized the creators had no idea what the hell they were doing and really were just making shit up based on whatever sounded good after their last bong.

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Supergirl meets Red Kryptonite. This was a good episode, and I appreciated the recreation of a certain scene in Superman III :)

 

I honestly think the acting of the cast really shined in this one all around. Extra props to Melissa for going to Selfish ##### and then dealing with the after effects and guilt over it.

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J'onn J'onnz looked truly awesome in this episode, as in "inspiring awe."

Yeah, I have really been impressed with the show's take on the Martian Manhunter. I don't want to take anything away from Supergirl, but if he got a mini series spin off on this show I would not object

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It was a good episode except that I personally don't care for the Public Turns Its Back Overnight on Superhero Who Makes A Mistake trope. I guess the whole of National City is as fickle and shallow as Cat Grant. I did like the explanation for the red kryptonite though.

 

I'll say it again, Melissa Benoist is an absolute treasure.

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It was a good episode except that I personally don't care for the Public Turns Its Back Overnight on Superhero Who Makes A Mistake trope.

 

I don't have that much of a problem with it, myself.  It's not unlike the saying in sports--"You're only as good as your last game,"  It doesn't matter if you won the championship the past three seasons running--open the next season with a three-game losing streak and the fans--many of whom don't have one-tenth the athletic talent and not one-hundredth the discipline to develop that talent--start calling for your head.  It's not fair, and its not right--but it happens.

 

With superheroes, the stakes are much greater than personal, civic or national pride.  There are lives on the line, and if they fail, the city--if not the world--burns.  That's what comes with possessing great power and using it for the greater good--people expect you to get it right all the time. And if you don't?

 

Well, we saw what happened last night, didn't we? 

 

Supergirl has a hard time ahead of her.  Apologies won't be enough; explanations won't be enough.  She'll have to keep on doing good deeds, and keep on winning.  Every time.  Eventually, she'll be accepted again--after all, people finally accepted Spider-Man, even though J. Jonah Jameson kept portraying him as a menace.  (At least that's how it went in the first three movies--I haev not been following the comics lately.)

 

I expected Jonzz to shapeshift into "good" Supergirl while they fought, to show that city that the bad Supergirl was an impostor.

 

That would have been the way to go--except he was already on the scene, and there were too many witnesses.  He should have done that at DEO headquarters--preferably away from the prying eyes of that one senator.

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I expect Supergirl to get excoriated in the press and on social media for acting like a grade A b**ch for a day or two, sure. But I don't believe emergency/crisis workers would suddenly start taking down their banners in her honor. Little kids wouldn't throw away their Supergirl shirts so quickly. Most little kids wouldn't even understand the social/psychological dynamics at play, and would reject nasty rumors with staunch defense, at least for a while. Long enough for Supergirl's reputation to be repaired, I'd think.

 

But the demands of the dopey plot must always reign supreme, discarding common sense if that is what is necessary to get the narrative past the next commercial break, right?

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Yes, the reaction from the public was much too sudden to be convincing, but they had to cram the whole story into a single hour (minus commercials). Still, it was entertaining to see Dark Kara for a while. I also liked her supervillain costume (the all black one with the collar, though I do wonder where she got it. (Or maybe she made with sewing skill and superspeed, who knows.)

 

I'll be disappointed (but not surprised) if the public takes her back very quickly. Something like this, assuming it went as far as it's been shown to have gone, should take a long-term toll. The public has just been forcefully reminded that this cute young blonde girl has the power to level the city if she wanted to, and nobody could stop her. (Well, that's probably not true, but the DEO is unknown to the public at large, and other supers are few and far between.) Sure, she's nice...most of the time, but she's still one of the most dangerous entities on the planet.

 

I have to say that while I watched it, I thought about what a story like this could be if it was given the time it needed, and the consequences were really explored. Especially if the "dark Kara" personality had stuck around for any length of time. How do you explain that? How do you convince people it's true? And even if it is, how reassuring is it to know that your hero could turn into an anti-hero or villain again at any moment, if exposed to whatever mcguffin did it once already?

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i confess I'm not a huge fan of the red kryptonite shtick. I got tired of it after one episode on Smallville way back when, and they returned to that well repeatedly over the course of the series. I know it is in the comics, but I feel that it lacks any real emotional drama because it eliminates agency in a way. Their behavior is always explained away as a sort of psychosis, and we never get to explore the more interesting question of what does society do when a god (ala Superman) freely chooses to act according to a contrary code of ethics and exact his own brand of justice, or worse, subjugation. As long as the solution is to just remove the red kryptonite from their system, we'll never really get to explore the more interesting issues that follow from that seed of a concept. Not until that "red" attitude has literally become who they are (shades of Kingdom Come).

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