TV Show Review

TV Review: SUPERGIRL: Season 2, Episode 1: The Adventures of Supergirl [The CW]

Tyler Hoechlin Melissa Benoist The Adventures of Supergirl

Supergirl The Adventures of Supergirl Review

The CW’s Supergirl Season 2, Episode 1: The Adventures of Supergirl had a lot riding on the fact that the show is now on the new network. The change in shooting location from Los Angeles to Vancouver hasn’t faltered the show from becoming great. Supergirl has basically succeeded in focusing more on the qualities that made the show great when it first premiered. There were a few changes in how National City was being shown due to location, but it still feels like we never left the city. The episode also marked the first on-screen appearance of Superman (Tyler Hoechlin).

‘The Adventures of Supergirl’ turned out to be a great premiere episode despite it’s many changes. The switch into a new network came with a lot of changes that were presently shown in the second season premiere. The DEO has upgraded into a new facility overlooking National City, which is a nice change from the brooding basement. Even some of our characters ended up switching jobs like Winn (Jeremy Jordan) who now has become part of the DEO and Kara (Melissa Benoist) who wants to become a reporter. Bringing in Superman was also a nice change after only getting to see glimpses of him and having Kara and Clark message back and forth.

So do all these new changes falter Supergirl’s story? As it turns out, these changes brought in the same charm from the first season and may be better off for it. With the special effects used on the show, CBS had a chance to use some great visuals for some of the fight scenes but they ultimately looked too solid and unconvincing. Shows like The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow proved that you could do so much for less when it comes to the VFX effects. With Supergirl joining the ranks of these shows, they also have taken advantage of it. The flight sequences with Supergirl and Superman may not have been stellar, but the VFX scenes were just excellent.

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The big question on everyone’s minds for season two is how the show will change with Superman around. The first season of the show needed to let Supergirl find her own identity, which was the reason why we only get to see glimpses of Superman. But not featuring him drew some concern with fans since the Man of Steel also is a part of this world. However, the episode did make up for that with Tyler Hoechlin filling in some big shoes as both Superman and Clark Kent. There were some skepticism when the photos were released of the actor in his suit, but his portrayal proved that he has what it takes to play the iconic role. His personality took some cues from the Christopher Reeves’ version as well as Dean Cain’s take on it. Hoechlin nails the Clark Kent persona perfectly with his simple yet awkward attitude. Even his Superman is bright, confident, and full of hope. It’s far from the DCEU version, who is dark and brooding. Superman is someone who gives hope and confidence, which is something Hoechlin portrays really well at first glance.

Hoechlin’s Superman also matches perfectly with Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl for so many reasons. They both share the same charisma and sincerity on screen. They’re also great at differentiating their clumsy civilian selves with their superhero alter egos. These two actors also manage to play off each other so well when their characters share the same traits. It’s pretty easy to see the bond that their characters share when we see them together onscreen. It will be interesting to see what kind of role Superman will play in recurring basis as he is set for two episodes for now. We learn that Superman and J’onn (David Harewood) have been at each other’s throats for a while. It’s revealed that these two have worked together in the past, but a falling out has fractured their friendship. It will be good to see if their friendship gets repaired. Maybe Supergirl can help make that happen?

All we can say is that Hoechlin’s debut on the show didn’t take us away from Benoist, who still pulls off Supergirl really well. Kara is about to embark on a powerful arc this season, as she tries to navigate what she wants in life both personally and professionally. She wants to find out if she can balance her love life, career, and being a superhero. As fun as it is to see Kara being an assistant to the mean but kindhearted Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart), it’s great that these two will move on to bigger and better things this season. Even seeing Cat as her old self with a new assistant shows us just why her character is so amusing. Despite her reduced appearance this season, the show will surely be able to utilize her wisely.

With Cat not in the picture as much, this should make things easier on the show to focus more on Kara’s superhero life. The show tried to show Kara’s life at the office and the other as a superhero but it failed to give that proper balance. With Winn working for the DEO, here’s hoping that the second season focuses primarily on Kara’s work for the DEO and a little less time at CatCo. Even Kara’s love life was a little mishandled as she decided to end things with James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) after finally getting together last season. At least Kara is free of having a relationship for a while, unless we get another potential love interest in the picture, whether it’s human or alien.

Supergirl hasn’t been up to the mark when it came to their line of supervillains. It’s still too soon to say if the show will fix that, but so far, it’s starting rather nicely. The show debuted Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) and John Corben (Frederick Schmidt) in the premiere. Lena may turn out to be just as calculating as last season’s Maxwell Lord, so it will be hard to tell in the beginning who’s side she’s on. However, it will be interesting to see what kind of direction the show will have Lena go on. Schmidt did well as John Corben. We look forward to seeing Corben turn into Metallo once that happens. We didn’t learn anything about Mon-El (Chris Wood), the man inside the pod that Kara finds this season. Hopefully we learn more about him on whether he’s friend or foe as the season progresses.

Overall, Supergirl’s trip from CBS to The CW went rather smoothly. The show’s light-heartedness is still intact and makes good use of the new sets with some improvements at the DEO. Superman makes a very welcome addition to the show and adds the charm to the show. Moving away from some of the premiere’s flaws, we can say that the new season is taking off in a big way.

Leave your thoughts on this review and this episode of Supergirl in the comments section below. Readers seeking more TV show reviews can visit our TV Show Review Page, our TV Show Review Twitter Page, our TV Show Review Facebook Page, and our TV Show Review Google+ Page. Readers seeking more Supergirl can visit our Supergirl Page. FIlmBook staff members publish articles by Email, “follow” us on Twitter, Tumblr, Google+, and 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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