Like last year’s pilot of The Flash, CBS has found themselves as the latest victim of leaks as Supergirl was released on to the internet Friday morning. The leak was released in full 1080p at a file size of 6.38 GB with no watermarks. The Supergirl pilot was quickly converted by other torrent groups to smaller formats and as of this morning downloaded over 120,000 times.
With Supergirl out in the wild and being consumed by the masses, The Workprint has decided to release their first impressions of the pilot. Don’t worry; there aren’t any spoilers in this post. Well, not anything more than what you’d have already seen in the trailer.
- Melissa Benoist as Kara Zor-El is adorable. (Greg Berlanti is a fan of Glee alum, no?)
- I like that Supergirl skipped the stereotypical training montages and jumped right into the superhero business. In a 45-minute premiere, a lot happens to Kara, including donning the suit and landing the Supergirl title.
- The sister dynamic seems to take precedent over all other relationships. Much like Xena (I love saying that), it appears as though many of the main characters (main villain included) will be female.
- Supergirl is campy and the writing at times is cliché and redundant. It struggles in the more serious moments, especially when Kara talks about her parents. Nevertheless, it’s ultimately fun and light-hearted, a much-needed change from the darkness in movies and shows like Nolan’s Batman and Marvel’s Daredevil. (I never imagined the DC shows would be more cheery than Marvel’s TV endeavors.)
- Supergirl isn’t motivated by revenge, but just by the need to be a good person. It’s kind of a “Ugly Betty Goes Hero” TV show, but it works well; definitely a kid-friendly addition to CBS’ lineup.
- Several times Supergirl breaks the fourth wall, making mention of the world’s need for a female superhero so she can be a role model for young girls. Kara’s boss, talking about the introduction of Supergirl and defending the “girl” part of the name says, “So if you perceive Supergirl as anything less than excellent, isn’t the real problem…you?” Toyman (Jeremy Jordan) even has a moment when Kara removes her glasses and he’s laughably speechless at how gorgeous she is.
- Kara’s male relationships could prove to be interesting. Her rapport with her (almost infatuated) coworker, Toyman could venture into a solid male/female friendship. However, I’m more interested in Kara’s relationship with James Olsen, since he has ties to Superman.
- Speaking of Superman, he’s kind of treated like Voldemort in the show. He’s referred to as “him” and “the big guy”, rather than with his title. While it does add a bit of mystery to his character, it allows Supergirl to shine more with her “super” mantle.
- The music, the colors, the wide smiles, and over-dramatic villains hark back to earlier days when superheroes weren’t meant to be taken so seriously. Supergirl is intended to be fun. Reading into it anymore than that takes away from the story. Unfortunately, this also means that much of Kara’s journey to being a superhero will be predictable.
- With the escape of several alien prisoners on to Earth, Supergirl sets itself up as a more episodic show than serial, depicting Supergirl battling a new villain each week, but like all of the other superhero shows on television, Supergirl has her own arc to follow.
- I’m really, really excited to watch more Supergirl. I know the show has issues; as mentioned, some of the writing and acting is cringe-worthy and won’t impress you with creativity, but ultimately, it’s an entertaining and upbeat hour of television. More importantly, this is only the pilot, setting up for the series as a whole, so naturally it’s going to follow some superhero tropes.
- I’m looking for to seeing younger generations’ reactions to the show, especially young girls.
Here’s the Supergirl first look trailer, for those who haven’t watched yet. (What are you doing with yourselves?)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm46-envrHo
