Supergirl Supergirl and Doctor Who

[Spirit]

The producers of Supergirl have stated that they are big fans of Doctor Who. The DEO, which is the equivalent of UNIT from Doctor Who, even uses the call signs "Greyhound Leader" and "Trap One" just like UNIT did, as an homage to Doctor Who. As a long-time Doctor Who fan, hearing those call signs gives me goosebumps all over.

Re-watching "Myriad", I suddenly saw the similarity between it and Doctor Who's 50th anniversary episode "The Day of the Doctor".

Supergirl is faced with the terrible choice of killing thousands to save millions, and doesn't see any way out. She has a beautiful conversation with Cat, in which Cat encourages her not to make decisions based on fear. Cat says, "Just be Supergirl. That's all anyone's ever needed from you." This inspires Supergirl, and gives her an idea on how to save everyone.

So I'm flashing back to Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, and a conversation between Clara and the Doctor, in a scene so powerful it moved me to tears. The Doctor is contemplating the same choice, and Clara challenges him to do better. She says, "Just be a Doctor." This inspires the Doctor, and he suddenly sees an alternative.

I don't know if the similarity in storylines is a coincidence, or if it means anything at all, but it's very strong.

 

[5red]

I don't know if the similarity in storylines is a coincidence, or if it means anything at all, but it's very strong.

It's a standard trope: hero doubts self, hero receives motivational talk from friend, hero comes out fighting for the big finale. Pretty much every movie based around sport (such as the Rocky films) uses the format. Sometimes movies play around with the formula a little, as in Spider-Man 2, or you may have heard of a movie called "Star Wars" which ends with the hero being encouraged to switch off his targeting computer and trust in himself.


R5

 

[chamber-music]

We have seen Doctor Who actors John Barrowman (Merlyn), Alex Kingston (Dinah Lance), Arthur Darvill (Rip Hunter) and Colin Salmon (Walter Steele) all appear in DC TV universe shows.

 

[DrCosmic]

The producers of Supergirl have stated that they are big fans of Doctor Who. The DEO, which is the equivalent of UNIT from Doctor Who, even uses the call signs "Greyhound Leader" and "Trap One" just like UNIT did, as an homage to Doctor Who. As a long-time Doctor Who fan, hearing those call signs gives me goosebumps all over.

Re-watching "Myriad", I suddenly saw the similarity between it and Doctor Who's 50th anniversary episode "The Day of the Doctor".

Supergirl is faced with the terrible choice of killing thousands to save millions, and doesn't see any way out. She has a beautiful conversation with Cat, in which Cat encourages her not to make decisions based on fear. Cat says, "Just be Supergirl. That's all anyone's ever needed from you." This inspires Supergirl, and gives her an idea on how to save everyone.

So I'm flashing back to Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, and a conversation between Clara and the Doctor, in a scene so powerful it moved me to tears. The Doctor is contemplating the same choice, and Clara challenges him to do better. She says, "Just be a Doctor." This inspires the Doctor, and he suddenly sees an alternative.

I don't know if the similarity in storylines is a coincidence, or if it means anything at all, but it's very strong.

That is a cool parallel. I thought the line was a little weird, despite being very inspiring, in Cat's mouth. But knowing they cribbed it from somewhere helps me understand way.