Originally aired Oct. 26, 2015 on CBS, the first season of the televised series Supergirl has been released on Netflix and has been received rather well by the public online. With IGN giving it a 7.3 and Rotten Tomatoes a 97%. We are living in the golden age of feminism with television and film showcasing more strong female characters arising to the occasion of being more than a stereotypical damsel in distress. The Super hero genre in general has skyrocketed so much in recent years that now we have a vast variety of televised shows on several networks to choose from, but this was not always the case. Once a rarity it has now flourished to the mainstream so much that our lovely ladies of the comic universes are now getting their paid dues in the lime light as heroes equal to their male counterparts. Many were highly skeptical the show could impress. I never intended on watching more than just the pilot episode but once it began there was no stopping the gravitational pool of nerdism. Every episode draws you in more and more into this web of intricate story-line with characters full of depth. Kara Zor-el (i.e. Supergirl/Kara Danvers played by Melissa Benoist) at the age of 12 years old is sent in an escape pod by parents Zor-El and Alura towards earth pending the doom of Krypton to follow behind Kal-el (aka Superman) her then infant cousin but not before being informed by her mother she like her cousin would have extraordinary powers from the Earths yellow sun. She is thrown off course due to the shockwave of Krypton’s explosion and pushed into the Phantom Zone where she is frozen in time for the next 20 something years. Until she eventually lands on earth still a child and her cousin now Superman takes her to the Danvers who then become her adopted family. Ironically Dean Cain star of the hit 90’s television series “Superman: The Adventures of Lois and Clark” plays her adopted father Jeremiah Danvers, while Eliza Danvers her adopted mother ironically is played by Helen Slate who played none other than Supergirl herself in the 1984 “Supergirl” movie. Kara is raised with older adopted sister Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) who for years while under pressure of her parent’s to protect her adopted little sister, pressures Kara to suppress revealing her powers for protection of her identity and those around her. Alex is later recruited as an adult by Hank Henshaw of the DEO (Department of Extra-Normal Operations) a governmental organization created following Superman’s arrival to the planet. Hank ex-partner to her father Jeremiah who went missing after being recruited by the DEO, seems to know more about his disappearance than he lets on. Spoiler Alert for those who don’t know he is later revealed as J’onn J’onzz/Martian Manhunter. This series brings to light a cast full of diversity. Kara like her cousin works a day job to conceal her identity (with signature disguise glasses of course) as a personal assistant to the owner and founder of media conglomerate CatCo, the sassy and sarcastic Cat Grant. Infamous photographer James “Jimmy” Olsen, friend to Superman and Supergirl’s main love interest being portrayed by actor Mehcad Brooks who finds himself in a love triangle with Kara and Lois Lane’s little sister Lucy Lane. Winston “Winn” Schott, friend to Kara and tech expert who works alongside her at CatCo. He like James and big sister Alex are one of the few people she trusts with her secret identity. Together he and James both work as allies with Supergirl helping aid in her adventures in protecting the citizens of National City. Ms. Grant (Portrayed by Calista Flockhart) is a strong willed feminista minded mogul who even though seems heartless and rough around the edges in the beginning is in fact one of Supergirl’s biggest fans and inspirations for strength often times defending or protecting her in the media. After Supergirl comes out publicly as the protector of National City it is revealed that while in her cryo-like slumber in the Phantom Zone she unintentionally pulled Fort Rozz with her crash landing to Earth. Fort Rozz, Krypton’s maximum security prison of which many of its prisoners placed there by Kara’s mother Alura. Quite a few vengeful metahuman villains emerged following Supergirl’s arrival to the public. Also revealed is Supergirl’s aunt and her mother’s twin sister, eco-terrorists Astra who w/ Husband Non who were imprisoned by Alura for their extremist acts in their attempts to save Krypton from the environmental destruction that in the end guided Krypton to its inescapable doom. Astra and Non attempt to utilize “Myriad” a mind control technology to execute their failed plans on earth in hopes of preserving and controlling the planet. With their bandwagon of rebel Kryptonians they continue to terrorize Supergirl throughout most of the season in between her battling alien convicts out for vengeance. There are many other characters who belong on the list of honorable mentions for this season such as Maxwell Lord of Lord Technologies the brilliant genius responsible for creating Bizarro Supergirl and Red Kryptonite which turned Supergirl into her evil alter ego that caused her to lose control and attack those she’d sworn to protect. The list of villains goes on to include names such as Live Wire, Silver Banshee, Reactron and Indigo. We also see a few cameos by The Flash and The Man of Steel himself which can be assured many were looking forward to. As exciting as that was it is important to remember that this show revolves around Kara and her story as a sole survivor of a lost world sent here to protect her infant cousin. The true heir of the house of El because unlike her cousin she was raised on Krypton and still knows the ways of her people. Supergirl is bringing strength and integrity to a generation of little ones hopefully inspiring the hearts of many soon to be heroes. She might have a skirt but she packs a punch with the gains to stand on her own without the intervention of little big cousin Kal-El. She is an orphan searching for her place and purpose on this alien planet, and uses her fears of being one of the last of her kind to inspire hope within herself and for the people of planet Earth.
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Supergirl is bringing strength and integrity to a generation of little ones hopefully inspiring the hearts of many soon to be heroes. She might have a skirt but she packs a punch with the gains to stand on her own without the intervention of little big cousin Kal-El. She is an orphan searching for her place and purpose on this alien planet, and uses her fears of being one of the last of her kind to inspire hope within herself and for the people of planet Earth. Desiree |