TV Show Review

TV Review: SUPERGIRL: Season 1, Episode 3: Fight or Flight [CBS]

Melissa Benoist Mehcad Brooks Fight or Flight Supergirl

CBS’s Supergirl Fight or Flight TV Show Review. Supergirl Season 1, Episode 3: Fight or Flight had Kara (Melissa Benoist) trying to make a name for herself as Supergirl without living in her famous cousin’s shadow as she took on one of the Man of Steel’s enemies, Reactron (Chris Browning). Kara also had to prove to the press that she could stand on her own without the help of Superman. Kara learned a lot about herself and how she distinguishes herself from her cousin.

Picking up where last week’s episode left off, we see Supergirl giving Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) the big interview that she asked for. Things went south when she gave a bit too much information, especially when she accidently slipped out that she is Superman’s cousin. There was a moment during that interview that confirmed that the show was embracing feminism. When Cat asked Supergirl is she wanted to start a family, she replied by telling her why Superman was never given those questions. It’s a great way to tackle sexism in the media, while at the same time; it became a strong moment for the titular hero.

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The episode’s plot dealt with the tech villain Reactron who finds out about Supergirl’s relationship to the Man of Steel, so he ends up going after her to fulfill his revenge on him for his wife’s death and the accident that turned him into the villain. This was one of the first episodes that gave the villain an in-depth backstory, which was a nice change from spouting Krytonian villains out of thin air. Reactron’s backstory also showed what Kara had that her cousin was lacking: empathy. One of the best parts of the episode was Supergirl’s determination to reason with Reactron before beating him to a pulp.

The episode ‘Fight or Flight’ fed us with the most important question that was shown: Why won’t Kara ever call Superman for help? It’s good that the show is addressing this head on so early, because Kara could call Superman for help anytime. However, the main thing for Kara is to stand on her own without his help. Kara pointed out that Clark didn’t have any help when he started out as a superhero, so why shouldn’t she?

The only problem was that Superman did show up when Kara was in danger during her battle with Reactron at the junkyard. It was disappointing to see that Superman didn’t have faith in his cousin to fight his enemy by herself, but it was revealed later on that James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) was the one who called him. It was comforting for us that Clark did chat with Kara online telling her that he spoke with James about the situation and assured her that it won’t happen again.

Because of what just happened though, the episode felt kind of strange for the former Daily Planet photographer. During the last episode, James stood out as a character because of his desire to make a name for himself in National City without his friend in blue helping him. He even wanted that same determination for Kara, which is why it was so confusing that James immediately lost faith in her when she was in trouble and called Superman to help out when Kara told him not to. It was even weirder that James let it slip out to Winn (Jeremy Jordan) about the secret identity of the Man of Steel. James kept that secret for years and then he lets it out to a guy he’s only known for a week? Even though James restored his trust in Kara when he used himself as bait against Reactron, this felt like such a huge slip-up in the growth of this character.

Speaking of which, it was enjoyable to see the drama unfold when the show started planting seeds into the rivalry between Winn and James for Kara’s affections. We may have a love triangle develop between these three characters as we move forward in the season. It’s like watching an early version of Jimmy Olsen going up against an older and more experienced one. The sudden appearance of James’ ex-flame Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan-Tatum) should make the romance between Kara and James more interesting, so it will be exciting to see where that goes.

We were also introduced to billionaire Maxwell Lord (Peter Facinelli), the man whom Reactron kidnaps in order to force him to repair his suit. Facinelli doesn’t offer anything new on the table with this character, reminding us that this is just a plain imitation of Tony Stark. Even his casual encounter with Cat Grant at the party was just awful. Flockhart gave a knockout performance as Cat during this episode as her character went from being unlikable to likeable. We hope we get to see more of that flare on Cat in the upcoming episodes.

‘Fight or Flight’ was an episode that focused on Kara trying to prove that she can take care of herself. It was a great episode that felt short due to the missteps in James’ development and didn’t leave a good impression on Maxwell Lord. The love quadrangle with Winn, James, Lucy, and Kara will be something worth investing in on the show, so we can’t wait to see how that progresses.

Leave your thoughts on this review and this episode of Supergirl in the comments section below. For more Supergirl photos, videos, and news, visit our Supergirl Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+ or “like” us on Facebook.

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Mufsin Mahbub

**Fired from FilmBook for Plagiarism** Mufsin is a freelance writer from New York who has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism at Long Island University. He has written for publications like HollywoodLife, Clubplanet, and Heavy. He is an avid lover for everything related to TV and film. He has gone to dozens of film screenings, press events, and loves to attend New York Comic Con every year. He gives an honest opinion on every TV show or film that people are going to be talking about.
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