Richard Aspden

A paradox in slow motion

Supergirl pilot (1×01) review

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Supergirl appeared on TV screens here in the UK, and here are my thoughts on it.
So, the Supergirl pilot hit UK screens last night on Sky 1, and it was quite enjoyable.  It was fun and somewhat lighthearted.

So, what’s going on?

Since it’s a pilot, the plot is what you’d expect.  Here’s the main character, this is the backstory, here’s the plot getting started.  The rogues gallery of the show is also set up, explaining why they’re going after Supergirl.

Who is Supergirl?

If you’re not familiar with Supergirl, she’s Superman’s cousin, but due to her trip being different to Supes’ she had a different upbringing.   She still goes by her true name, Kara, but uses her adoptive parent’s surname of Danvers.

Good points:

  • Minimal Superman.  He appears as part of the backstory, but beyond that he’s ony mentioned occasionally without it being all “Hey, Superman, you know him right?”
  • Enjoyable.
  • Kara’s adoptive parents were portrayed by Helen Slater and Dean Cain, who portrayed Supergirl (in the 1984 movie) and Clark Kent/Superman (in the Lois and Clark show in the 90s) which was a nice touch.  Not having them on for long also helped in it not being too on the nose.

Bad points:

  • Shaky in places

Overall

While the pilot was shaky in places, overall it was enjoyable.    All in all, I’ll definitely be watching this in the future.