Supergirl

[zslane]

Distrust of superheroes, irrespective of their origin, seems to me to just be a manifestation of the paranoid zeitgeist that insists we can't trust anyone in a position of power (and by extension anyone who enjoys great wealth). Even if it is true that our society is drowning in feelings of powerlessness and cynicism, I'm a little disappointed that we would rather wallow in it than cultivate visions of hope and optimism.

 

At least with Supergirl, we are given a milieu in which the heroes carry a message of unapologetic optimism in opposition to the forces of paranoia, intolerance, and fear-mongering. If the show is appropriating those memes in order to deflate them and deprive them of cultural power, then that's another reason to love it all the more.

[Bazza]

Wrong thread.

[Nolgroth]

Actually I like the zslane message that carries a message of unapologetic optimism in opposition to the forces of paranoia, intolerance and fear-mongering. Let's just not get carried away.

[Cassandra]

Wasn't she his adopted niece?

 

That was in the comics and Young Justice. 

 

Sharon Leal the actress playing her is pushing 40.

[Pattern Ghost]

She pushed it all the way to 44, actually. Though she doesn't really look it at all.

[zslane]

So this Miss Martian character is going to be a shapeshifting green martian like J'onn J'onzz? Is she going to be trying to pass herself off as a (blood) relative of Hank Henshaw's?

[aylwin13]

I would rather they left her as a white martian trying to do good, and see where that leads with Hank/J'onn.

[bigdamnhero]

It occurred to me that Supergirl is a perfect illustration of what they mean under the Striking Appearance rules in 6ed, when it says a character can define their character as looking however they want, but it doesn't have any in-game effect unless you put points into it. Supergirl/Kara is indisputably adorable, but it's hardly ever commented on, let alone a plot point. Basically "My character is pretty, but I don't care if it comes up in play or not."

 

I'm not saying this is a bad thing at all, but it is fairly unusual for the genre.

[zslane]

The same thing pretty much applies to Superman too. So far only Cat Grant has been shown hungrily eyeing Clark like a piece of meat. I guess it's all part of their humble upbringing.

 

The Three P's (plucky, perky, and pretty) can be a potent combination. In the real world, girls typically learn how to weaponize that by the age of 15.

[Cassandra]

It occurred to me that Supergirl is a perfect illustration of what they mean under the Striking Appearance rules in 6ed, when it says a character can define their character as looking however they want, but it doesn't have any in-game effect unless you put points into it. Supergirl/Kara is indisputably adorable, but it's hardly ever commented on, let alone a plot point. Basically "My character is pretty, but I don't care if it comes up in play or not."

 

I'm not saying this is a bad thing at all, but it is fairly unusual for the genre.

 

I've always thought the original comic book version of Supergirl were loosely based on Debbie Reynolds.  The Superman in the era bared a similar appearance to Rock Hudson.

 

If you look at Wonder Woman in the early sixties you'd imagine Mary Tyler Moore playing her (reflected a bullet on that one.)

[Cassandra]

Lynda Carter says "You should see my other jet" in response to Supergirl mentioning Air Force One, a nod to Wonder Woman's Invisible plane.

 

Bet she's from Qward.

[zslane]

Green martians can look like anyone they want. J'onn J'onzz used this ability to good effect to pose as Hank Henshaw and run the DEO. His choice came with disadvantages ("living with the face of a black man for 15 years", as he put it), and if it weren't for his promise to the original Hank Henshaw, it wouldn't really make sense for him to adopt such an appearance. I hope they have a similarly convincing explanation for why Miss Martian has chosen the appearance that she has. As an alien who very clearly feels the need to hide from intolerant Earth natives, you'd think she'd have the good sense to make her life a little easier by looking more like, oh say, Amber Heard than Sharon Leal.

 

(Actually, I think it is debateable whether or not J'onn needs to maintain the appearance of Hank now that everyone (who matters) knows the truth. But, of course, he is forced to look like Hank due to meta reasons (contractual obligations to the actor), not because it makes sense.)

[bigdamnhero]

If you look at Wonder Woman in the early sixties you'd imagine Mary Tyler Moore playing her (reflected a bullet on that one.)

That would be tricky, since MTM didn't premiere until 1970.

 

Lynda Carter says "You should see my other jet" in response to Supergirl mentioning Air Force One, a nod to Wonder Woman's Invisible plane.

I don't normally like those sorts of shout-outs, because they take me out of the story. But yeah, I smiled. And I guess Lynda's going to be a recurring character, so that's cool. (Tho did anyone think her line deliveries felt a little stilted?)

 

Nice to introduce Maggie Sawyer too. Tho for about half the episode, my brain Maggie confused with Renee Montoya and I had... (wait for it...) Questions.

[zslane]

And I guess Lynda's going to be a recurring character, so that's cool. (Tho did anyone think her line deliveries felt a little stilted?)

 

I thought her line deliveries were very stilted, not just a little. As if she had zero preparation before arriving on set. Kind of sad, really.

 

The real question is: is the president an alien, or has an alien shapeshifter (who isn't a green martian) taken the place of the president?

[Ranxerox]

So Mon-El ...

 

 

Total thug, right?

 

I mean his first reaction upon waking up was to grab Kara by the throat and throw her through a window.  Then he assaults and possibly seriously hurts several DEO agents on his way out out.  Then later we get to see him assault and threaten the Asian guy who was helping him.

 

Still at the end Supergirl apologizes to him for her anti-Daxamite prejudices.  Sure prejudice is a bad thing, but this guy has amply reinforced whatever truth may have laid behind those prejudices in the first place.  

 

Noting that she just recently the broke up with James Olson and the actor playing Mon-El is a real good looking guy, I can't help but think that they are lining up a romance between the two.  Hope I'm wrong though, because as noted, he is a thug.

 

Still, being told that your planet has been destroyed is heavy beyond words.  So thug or no thug, got feel bad for him at the end of the episode.

 

[zslane]

He saw that Kryptonian sigil on her chest and went into full prisoner-of-war-breakout mode, I guess.

[wcw43921]

That would be tricky, since MTM didn't premiere until 1970.

 

 

 

You don't remember The Dick Van Dyke Show?  Or the Elvis Presley movie Change Of Habit?  Ms. Moore had quite a long career well before the hit series that bore her name.

[Nolgroth]

I don't normally like those sorts of shout-outs, because they take me out of the story. But yeah, I smiled. And I guess Lynda's going to be a recurring character, so that's cool. (Tho did anyone think her line deliveries felt a little stilted?)

 

 

Lynda Carter did some voice acting in some of the Bethesda Studios games. She seems to have lost a natural flow when it comes to dialog. Perhaps its because she doesn't act regularly anymore.

[Ranxerox]

He saw that Kryptonian sigil on her chest and went into full prisoner-of-war-breakout mode, I guess.

 

Doesn't explain his treatment of the Asian guy.

[sinanju]

I really, really want to like this show but this episode was...not good.

 

Lynda Carter really disappointed me. She was far more animated and entertaining as the Principal in Sky High than she was here. Plus, I'm sorry but willing suspension of disbelief is out the window. Not one, but two attempts on the President's life, and the Secret Service doesn't carry her bodily out of National City if necessary? They don't have her surrounded by a wall of agents?

 

Could the "aliens = foreign immigrants" (well, mutants and inhumans are taken, I guess) storyline have been any more ham-handedly blatant? My family has a call-out for this sort of thing when we're watching TV. "Bonk bonk, bad grup!"* As in, they're hitting us over the head with their Very Special Message .

 

Snapper Carr is a d**k. That is all. (That said, it doesn't mean he's *wrong* about things. I was very surprised and pleased when he tore Kara a new one for her blatantly slanted story on Lena Luthor and made her rewrite it. I guess he really is old school; most modern day journalism is just about that obvious.

 

I liked the new cop lady (Maggie Sawyer, that's it). But--okay, she's gay. Got it. I hope they have more to say about her than that. We'll see.

 

Apparently, there are no aliens who don't have superpowers. Who knew?

 

I'm okay with rubber science, but please, people. Can you at least TRY to pretend it's not just Plot Convenience Theatre whenever Winn is at the keyboard? Make him work at least a *little* before his next giant reveal?

 

I'm hoping for better as the season progresses. Really hoping.

[bigdamnhero]

He saw that Kryptonian sigil on her chest and went into full prisoner-of-war-breakout mode, I guess.

That was my take on it as well. "Waking Up Violent" isn't an uncommon genre trope, and CW seems to really like it.

 

You don't remember The Dick Van Dyke Show?  Or the Elvis Presley movie Change Of Habit?  Ms. Moore had quite a long career well before the hit series that bore her name.

Ah, true dat. I stand corrected.

 

Not one, but two attempts on the President's life, and the Secret Service doesn't carry her bodily out of National City if necessary? They don't have her surrounded by a wall of agents?

[shrug] If I stopped watching every TV show where law enforcement act like complete idiots, my TV would be cold and dusty.* Particularly in superhero shows, the whole premise of which often depends on the cops being incompetent. I don't like it (especially being ex-law enforcement myself), but as long as it's not the focus of the show I can usually ignore it.

 

* Actually I watch most shows on my laptop, but you know what I mean.

 

Could the "aliens = foreign immigrants" (well, mutants and inhumans are taken, I guess) storyline have been any more ham-handedly blatant?

Yeah, no one would ever accuse the CW of being overly subtle, but that was more heavy-handed than usual.

 

Apparently, there are no aliens who don't have superpowers. Who knew?

Well the Bearded Dude Alex beat up in the bar didn't seem to have much in the way of powers. But I admit I'm finding it weird that Earth (or at least National City) is suddenly crawling in aliens for no clear reason, most of whom have superpowers, and meanwhile there are zero human superheroes, and only a literal handful of human supervillains? That really changes the focus of the story to be less superheroes and more Men In Black. It makes sense that would be a focus of the show, given Kara's origin, but I do feel like they're overdoing it to the exclusion of all else.

[bigdamnhero]

And hey, if my parents named me "Snapper" I'd probably turn out to be a dick too.

[aylwin13]

And hey, if my parents named me "Snapper" I'd probably turn out to be a dick too.

 

Isn't there a contradiction there somewhere?

 

Just sayin'.

[BoloOfEarth]

Apparently, there are no aliens who don't have superpowers. Who knew?

 

If you consider that the aliens on Earth are, for the most part, those who were imprisoned on the Kryptonian prison ship (which was likely for the "harder case" criminals) it's not all that unreasonable that they'd be the more powerful ones.  I expect they would have had on-planet or in-orbit prisons for the more normal, unpowered brand of criminals.

[Pattern Ghost]

They were banished to the Phantom Zone, so definitely hard cases.