Supergirl Supergirl Season 2 Episode 1 - "The Adventures of Supergirl" MAJOR SPOILERS

[LL2K2]

I have to say the music was one of my favorite things about this episode. It was fantastic.

The best part? There was no need for Blake Neely to incorporate any portion of John Williams' iconic Superman score into the soundtrack here.

Surprising? Sure. But that's because Neely's score is so Williams-esque, they didn't even need the familiar march when Hoechlin's Superman came onscreen. It was similar to Supergirl's main theme but with some lower brass in there.

Pretty cool.

 

[jmc]

Just finished watching episode 1. Ok opener, dude who plays Superman feels miscast to me, but then again this really isn't his show so it's not a big deal.

 

[BH/HHH]

Just finished watching episode 1. Ok opener, dude who plays Superman feels miscast to me, but then again this really isn't his show so it's not a big deal.

In what way?

Given all the praise and love he's getting I don't know if you can say he's miscast really. Of course it's each to their own mind.

 

[Dr.]

Oooook, time for my 2 cents
...
Clark/Superman -- I thought Tyler was really good, but kind of blah in some of his line delivery at times. BUT, sometimes I end up changing this after a couple of viewings so that may be the case this time around.

To be fair, this was a tricky area for the production to handle. Many fans were happy that Supergirl delivered the classic/“boy scout-y” version of Superman. But for all its charm, such an interpretation can tend toward… a benign blandness.

Moreover, there was probably some effort made to ensure that Superman wouldn’t outshine Supergirl on her own show - yet another constraint on how Supes (in this particular context) would be written and how (in this particular context) Hoechlin would portray him.

 

[Kelly]

To be fair, this was a tricky area for the production to handle. Many fans were happy that Supergirl delivered the classic/“boy scout-y” version of Superman. But for all its charm, such an interpretation can tend toward… a benign blandness.

Moreover, there was probably some effort made to ensure that Superman wouldn’t outshine Supergirl on her own show - yet another constraint on how Supes (in this particular context) would be written and how (in this particular context) Hoechlin would portray him.

(In Bold) I highly doubt this happened to any degree. The only thing that shows this AT ALL, is screen time.

And as far as my thoughts on a few of the lines? purely opinion on my part. I enjoyed him as Superman immensely, just a few lines were to the degree of my opinion above.

 

[Osiris-Rex]

Just finished watching episode 1. Ok opener, dude who plays Superman feels miscast to me, but then again this really isn't his show so it's not a big deal.

Maybe as Superman. But he made one of the best Clark Kents ever. I might be committing heresy, but maybe an even better Clark Kent than Christopher Reeve.
That talk he gave to Kara was they were walking down the street was brilliant. You could tell Clark Kent is who he is and Superman is just what he does.
Just like Kara is Kara and Supergirl is just what Kara would be if Kara had superpowers. If that makes any sense.

 

[BH/HHH]

He was a more modern Clark Kent IMO, I think it's fine to say you preferred it to another version. I did myself, it was closer to the comics version that is my favourite.

I personally thought he was great as Superman aswell.

 

[Guard82]

This was a strong opening to the season. Supergirl and Superman were awesome as teammates, and their flying scenes were done excellently. The aerial effects looked great. I really liked Tyler as Superman and Clark, and he worked very well with Melissa.

 

[batdude]

I would like to see more of Tyler as Superman to make up my mind, but he did make a good Reeve style Clark. I think it's pretty obvious that Lex Luthor and Lois Lane will show up eventually.

 

[vantheman77]

Comic Book Resources came up with an article that had a great point. When Smallville ended, it ended with Clark ripping his shirt off to become Superman. When this season premiere began, we see Clark ripping his shirt off to become Superman as if it spiritually picked up where Smallville left off.

 

[Dark Raven]

The best part? There was no need for Blake Neely to incorporate any portion of John Williams' iconic Superman score into the soundtrack here.

Surprising? Sure. But that's because Neely's score is so Williams-esque, they didn't even need the familiar march when Hoechlin's Superman came onscreen. It was similar to Supergirl's main theme but with some lower brass in there.

Pretty cool.

Yeah, the Supergirl theme sounded great when Superman was running into action with that shirt rip and then took off down that alley. That could easily have been a theme for a new Superman series.

 

[jmc]

Maybe as Superman. But he made one of the best Clark Kents ever. I might be committing heresy, but maybe an even better Clark Kent than Christopher Reeve.
That talk he gave to Kara was they were walking down the street was brilliant. You could tell Clark Kent is who he is and Superman is just what he does.
Just like Kara is Kara and Supergirl is just what Kara would be if Kara had superpowers. If that makes any sense.

The Clark Kent aspect I agree with, the Superman part he doesn't really fit for me. He was definitely channeling Reeve as Kent, his Superman just lacked presence. But ultimately it's not his show, so it's not a deal breaker. I was kinda hoping he'd be better though, two live action superman's an neither really hit the mark.

 

[NotNickFury]

I will say that, production-wise, the show luckily doesn't look any different from CBS to the CW aside from the DEO, which is nice, and at least there's a nice meta reference about the many DEO locations. As far as the episode itself, nice starter. Almost veered too much on the '78 Superman references, but not the point where it felt blatant.

Glad that Jimmy and Kara, for now, are not an item. One, because their chemistry is just awful. And two, Kara's still in her journey of discovering who she is. Not that being with Jimmy would hinder that, but hey, her superhero life takes priority.

As for Tyler Hoechlin as Clark/Superman, he made a good first impression. He doesn't overdo the bumbling stuff and feels genuine, but as the show mentioned, this is a Clark many years into his journey, so he's had time to develop. He's good for the small screen. And no, I don't particularly prefer one interpretation over the other because there are things about Hoeclin's Superman, from what I've seen here, that I like over the film. Conversely, there are things about Henry Cavill's take on Superman that I prefer over this version.

So at the very least, there's hopefully something for everyone here. And I like that it's a small sign of the DC Universe coming to more life in TV and film.

Four years ago with Arrow, you couldn't tell me that there'd soon exist a multiverse, Batman references OUTSIDE of Fox's Gotham on both Arrow AND Supergirl, despite the Bat-embargo, we have two different versions of Barry Allen, Superman, Luthor, it's only a while before there are two versions of Green Arrow, Supergirl, and so on. It's nice to see the rules slowly changing for the DC Universe on TV and film.

 

[Kelly]

I'm not sure that I would go and see a Supergirl movie that was not starring Melissa Benoist. Maybe I would....but "I" wouldn't bet on it.

 

[NotNickFury]

I get it, but we know it's coming eventually, whether as her own film or supporting role, same way there's a Flash film on the way with a Barry Allen that isn't Grant Gustin. It's gonna happen.

 

[flickchick85]

I'm certainly more attached to Melissa's version of this character than I am to any of the other Berlanti heroes (though I am also quite attached to Gustin's Flash). But I'm a sucker for all things Super so if they made a Supergirl movie, I'm sure I'd be there opening weekend. I just have a hard time imagining I'd like whoever played her more than Melissa at this point.

 

[godisawesome]

I think I'm on for this season thanks to this episode. I liked pretty much all episodes aimed for my demographic, and I don't mind having a few minutes off when the soap opera romance arcs start up. Corben was a good villain, McGrath was excellent as Lena Luthor, and I liked this Superman.

Let me say that I don't see Superman in this episode as being a Reeves-lite; he feels more like an amalgamated Superman. His Clark seems more genuine than Silver Age Superman, his powers (right now) seem as limited as Supergirls, so we're not being told that dramatic tension will die once the writer's get too lazy, he's dating Lois Lane who knows who he is, and yet he's got all the stuff that Silver Age fanatics seem to love. If they actually do this right, we may finally have some version of the character to match the amalgamated Luthor who showed up in the comics.

 

[Kelly]

I get it, but we know it's coming eventually, whether as her own film or supporting role, same way there's a Flash film on the way with a Barry Allen that isn't Grant Gustin. It's gonna happen.

I never said it wasn't going to happen, I'm just saying I probably will not have a whole lot of excitement about it since I know that as is with all others it won't be Melissa playing Supergirl, it will be someone else....that's all. Sure it's going to happen, but the fact is, at this point I see it as happening off the wake of how people have taken to Melissa playing the part...not necessarily the popularity of Supergirl comics. IMHO...

But, that is for another time and place, back to the Supergirl we have now, and her series......

 

[Binker]

I was watching Kieralinn's reaction to Supergirl S2E1 and she had to rant at the end of the video, which is what everyone is saying, including me. She, like me, is so sick of the Chris Reeve Superman still being used in current day media versions of the character, and this includes Hoechlin's version here. Demanding everyone to move on. And yes, like me and everyone else, she prefers Cavill's Superman.

Yeah, I agree. Guys, MOVE. ON.

 

[Osiris-Rex]

I'm certainly more attached to Melissa's version of this character than I am to any of the other Berlanti heroes (though I am also quite attached to Gustin's Flash). But I'm a sucker for all things Super so if they made a Supergirl movie, I'm sure I'd be there opening weekend. I just have a hard time imagining I'd like whoever played her more than Melissa at this point.

I wouldn't mind seeing another actor play Supergirl as a supporting character in a Superman movie or a Justice League movie, but just as I am not really interested in a Flash solo movie
because I already have Flash on TV, I'm not really interested in a Supergirl solo movie because I already have Supergirl on TV. And other than more elaborate CGI, I am not sure what
I would get out of it other than just basically two episodes of the TV show. Especially because I'm not sure they could find someone else as charming as Melissa Benoist.

 

[Osiris-Rex]

I was watching Kieralinn's reaction to Supergirl S2E1 and she had to rant at the end of the video, which is what everyone is saying, including me. She, like me, is so sick of the Chris Reeve Superman still being used in current day media versions of the character, and this includes Hoechlin's version here. Demanding everyone to move on. And yes, like me and everyone else, she prefers Cavill's Superman.

Yeah, I agree. Guys, MOVE. ON.

Is there any legitimate reason to move on? We had a perfectly fine version of Superman. Why should we be forced to accept some unlikable version of
Superman just for the sake of "modernizing" the character, what the hell ever that means. Maybe Snyder's version of Superman needs to move on,
in that he is so despised by so many people. While this Supergirl version of Superman is receiving almost universal praise because he feels like what
Superman is supposed to be.

 

[flickchick85]

I was watching Kieralinn's reaction to Supergirl S2E1 and she had to rant at the end of the video, which is what everyone is saying, including me. She, like me, is so sick of the Chris Reeve Superman still being used in current day media versions of the character, and this includes Hoechlin's version here. Demanding everyone to move on. And yes, like me and everyone else, she prefers Cavill's Superman.

Yeah, I agree. Guys, MOVE. ON.

I don't know if you've noticed the online conversations around here and elsewhere since the premiere aired, but it's hardly "everyone else" that feels the same way you do. I certainly prefer Hoechlin's Supes over Cavill's, and I'm obviously not alone if you look around. Go look at Rotten Tomatoes for some other opinions or the piece over at IGN about how they got him so "right." It's fine that you prefer Cavill's but let other people have their preferences.

As for "moving on," I'm not a fan of the Reeve version personally, but I liked this version, partially because it includes aspects of several other Supermen besides Reeve, as I've stated before. So I don't see it as some "stuck in the past" version like you do. Instead, I see it as more of a amalgamation of Reeves/Reeve/STAS/Cain that forms something new that feels fresh-yet-familiar at the same time. Like a new classic version. You're welcome to feel otherwise, of course, but kindly refrain from dismissing the opinions of others who feel differently.

 

[jmc]

Is there any legitimate reason to move on? We had a perfectly fine version of Superman. Why should we be forced to accept some unlikable version of
Superman just for the sake of "modernizing" the character, what the hell ever that means. Maybe Snyder's version of Superman needs to move on,
in that he is so despised by so many people. While this Supergirl version of Superman is receiving almost universal praise because he feels like what
Superman is supposed to be.

I think the 'right' Superman for the modern audience sits somewhere between this one on Supergirl and Cavil's portrayal.

 

[Nathan]

I'm not a fan of Reeve's version of Clark, but I had no problem with Hoechlin's portrayal at all. He still comes across as nerdy and clumsy, but imo not overly so.

 

[aNarcHy2day]

I REALLY dug the premiere. It had maybe an even lighter tone actually then Season 1 which felt good-Season 1 was tonally inconsistent a lot of the time.

I liked how they handled Superman, and Hoeclin's portrayal in general. Though ya, he maybe lacks a bit of presence as Superman.