Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like any of the show's real problems were dealt with. The move from LA to Vancouver is fine. The show looks fine. But the whole thing is still under-cooked.
First of all, Clark. Yes, he smiled. Not surprising since this is just a rehash of the same thing we've been watching the character do for the past 80 years or whatever. He's "aw gosh" and fun and light, which would be fine if it were in context of making him a real character. Smallville's Clark Kent was a Kansas boy, with down-home values, whose favorite hangout was a barn. Yet, they (mostly Tom Welling) managed to make him relatable. He had layers. He was too good to be a real person most of the time, but he wasn't a cardboard cutout of a cartoon character either.
The Supergirl version is, much like the rest of the show, flat. Bland. Goofy. Cartoonish. And I still have to say, horribly miscast. It's like they waned to hire someone who wouldn't make Supergirl look tiny, but in doing so, they cast someone who makes Superman look like Superboy.
People make fun of Cavill's Superman, but the thing I love about that interpretation is that the writers broke down the character and developed him as though he were any other character in a film. Who he is can be traced back to where he comes from and how he was raised. The flaw in so many Superman incarnations is that the writers base their whole approach on old lunchboxes. When I look at these versions, I don't see me. I don't see the best of humanity.
But Clark is just a guest star. This is Kara's show. So, if they want to make him the cartoon version of Superman, fine. But they should at least invest in the real development of her character. And they don't. They don't even base her on Supergirl lunchboxes, they base her on old, rusted, smelly Superman lunchboxes. Kara/Supergirl is nothing. There is nobody there, except a shadow of Superman. And every time they have a chance to make her more than that, they ignore it. At times, she is way, way too childlike. This chick watched her entire plant blow up. She lost everything she ever knew or loved. She had to rebuild her life on an alien world from scratch, learning the language and learning how to blend in, all while mourning for her entire civilization.
Barry Allen lost *one* person.
For me, everything comes down to character. And I'm fine with making her an optimist. She watches her world blow up, but she survived. She can ride high on that. But none of her history is apparent, so why bother having it there in the first place? Why give her a backstory that even Clark can't wrap his mind around? I hate it when writers ignore the story, just so they can force their will on the characters. And there is a difference between having characters who are fun and optimistic, and having characters who act like their work day should include recess and nap time.
Plot...
There wasn't much to talk about. Kara's sudden shift away from Jimmy didn't make sense, but they never really made sense in the first place. The James character feels really unnecessary at this point. And with Cat going away, I'm not sure that I see the point in keeping the Catco element at all.
Winn working with Alex makes sense (though I don't like the military setting for Supergirl, but whatever). But if they're going to have Luthor Corp as a recurring element on the show, they need to teach Jeremy Jordan the difference between the words "Corp" and "Corps". Luthor has a corporation, not a military branch.
It seems like they're really digging in deep with the show's flaws. And as time goes on, they're just becoming more pronounced. I was hoping that at least the production side would seem more organized, but it doesn't. We have Kara changing outfits three times in ten seconds, and then the editing made it seem like she took five minutes to get into her Supergirl costume.
I really don't think that the L Corp building would be cleared for normal business. I mean, it didn't fall down, which is a victory, but I wouldn't really call that the end of the story.
The drama between J'onn and Clark was so weird and stupid. Clark is pissy about the DEO having a weapon that could kill a kryptonian? So? A few hours earlier, Supergirl was battling an army of bad kryptonians! Not to mention the fact that every person in the DEO (including Clark) had the means to kill any human in the place. Why is it offensive to have a weapon against an alien threat, but just good common sense to have a weapon that would work on any normal person?
The whole thing was just frustrating. I hope they don't cross over too much.
On a lighter note, Brenda Strong is on the show now. She seems to be popping up everywhere now. Good for her! I actually met her... it was awkward.
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