Let's re-watch Supergirl Season 1 together!

When it comes to Episode 10 Childish Things I will always firstly mention what is probably my ultimate Supergirl fantasy where she utilises 5 of her superpowers to save everyone's life and capture the villain. We start off with invulnerability and the always cool sight of bullets bouncing of her chest and piling up on the floor, saving Winn's life in the process. Then it's X-Ray Vision to locate Toyman and see that he starts the timer for the bombs to go off, a little flight and hovering follows then Heat Vision to set the sprinklers off followed by the very cool (pun intended) use of Freeze Breath to create an Ice wall to take some of the force of the bomb explosion, no-one dies and I'm a happy camper. I really liked the finish as Toyman runs away but then stops as he's confronted by the Girl of Steel and a look of resignation comes over his face, sorry Mr Schott no escape for you today .

There was one other really nice Supergirl save in the episode that I liked a lot, when she inhaled all the gas and flew up to a safe distance and exhaled it.

This episode had my favourite Melissa and Jeremy (Kara and Winn) scenes of the series. It was such a pleasure to watch them together in what were some pretty heavy scenes between the characters. I enjoyed listening to Kara say what Winn meant to her as a close friend.

Last but not least I enjoy watching Kara hang out in her apartment with her Supergirl costume on, just go and relax on her couch and eat pizza with Alex.

Its the first time I've seen how well toned Melissa's legs are, I wonder what her workout routine would be/is.

I recall Melissa has talked about working on her core a lot especially as it pertains to flying. Found an article (https://www.trainforher.com/melissa-benoists-workout/) where she talks about this.

I noticed in a Season 4 episode where Kara and Lena were at the gym that Melissa had some nice muscle tone on her arms and shoulders so she definitely works at the physical requirements of playing Supergirl.

Even in Season 1 with the attached photo from Falling one can notice development in her shoulders that I don't imagine was there in her Glee days.

Finally I watched a SuperGirl show about SuperGirl!!!

Things I did not like
I liked everything.

Specific things I liked
1. In one episode we got to see Super hearing; heat vision; seeing through things (i.e. airplane); Flight; bulletproof; able to withstand an explosion; fire proof; Super strength.
2. Kara is so adorable. James is very cool. Winn is adorable too. Cat is great. Alex is Alex (and I like Alex's hairstyle on this episode the best).
3. So it would seem that Kara was 13 years old when she arrived and KalEl was about 24 years of age.
4. The show concentrated on her fighting escaped prisoners - no trying to make a political statement. Just good ole fashion fighting the bad guy.
5. Thousands of prisoners escaped Fort Rozz - the show should have stayed on SuperGirl fighting the various prisoners.
6. I got to hear the famous phrase of Alex to Supergirl - "Hey I'm here - I gotcha"
7. Adorable the way Winn has a crush on Kara and she doesn't even realize it.

The one person in the episode I would have like to punch
1. Kara's date - he didn't even have the courtesy to say goodbye instead he told the other girl he was talking to - to put her number down on paper.

The best thing about this episode is that SuperGirl was the center of attention and the supporting cast did just that - they supported the superhero. Not like these later episodes where there are so many superheroes that you sometimes wonder where SuperGirl is. The writers should go back and look at season one and then write their next episode using season one as a guide.

Human for a Day is a great episode, but it's not my favorite episode of Season 1. Still, it was enthralling to see Supergirl wrestle with how it feels to want to help people but to be unable to do so. One of the most riveting scenes in t his episode to me is when she tries so hard to use her xray vision to see inside the man in the alley who is dying. Melissa did a fantastic job of getting those emotions across to her audience!
One of my favorite scenes in this episode is when Supergirl comes flying up the elevator with James in her arms and the moment right before that, when we see that she has her powers back. When I first watched this episode, I'll bet I was just like almost every other viewer, watching so closely to see when those powers would return. Supergirl at her all-powerful best enthralls me.
The music is not to be discounted, for sure! I don't think the music for the seasons after Season 1 is as good in general as the music was for Season 1. At least, I don't seem to notice it as much, although I do catch it when they play Kara's theme.
Once again, though, note that this episode centers around Kara and Supergirl. The supporting cast is absolutely fantastic, but they are in supporting roles. I think so far if we can take anything from Season 1, it's the superb focus on Supergirl herself.

For the Girl Who Has Everything (113)

One of the best episodes of the series. Melissa and Chyler were brilliant.

Chyler was great in the scene where she pleaded with Alura to help her save her sister, but she then topped that in her desperation to convince Kara to reject the fantasy and return with her to Earth. Her agony was written on her face and in her voice. Chyler has given us many great moments, but this was her finest.

Up to this point in Season 1, I had been delighted with Melissa's portrayal as Kara/Supergirl. After viewing this episode I stopped seeing her only as a perfect casting for this role, and recognized her extraordinary talent which places her in the top tier of actors I have seen. Her confusion immediately after awaking in a dream state on Krypton was totally convincing, and her stony expression as Alex fought to reach her was a perfect complement to Chyler's performance. Her face after awaking, when she asked "who did this to me?" was chilling. But it was a sequence from 33:40 to 39:00 of the episode that really hooked me as a fan of Melissa. Her utter ferocity as she confronts and battles Non is followed moments later by a tender moment of sorrow as she kneels over the dying Astra. These two scenes demonstrate tremendous range as an actor, and I do not believe anyone could have done them better.

With all the drama of this episode, there were some humorous moments:

J'onn, as "Kara," stumbling while walking in high heels.

Cat calling her "Karla," perhaps a subtle hint that she recognized that something wasn't quite right with "Kara."

Cat accusing "Kara" of a "Catskill summer stock performance" after she tearfully apologized.

Last but not least, Peter Facinelli giving another nice portrayal as Max Lord, not only saving the day by creating a helmet enabling Alex to access Kara's dream state, but by the great line "that was one messed-up daffodil." Yeah, I do miss Max Lord. Of the cast members who have left, I miss Peter and Calista the most.

Writers during Season 1 did a wonderful job of slamming viewers with the true value of Indigo. We wouldn't have had Kara/Supergirl without her. It might have been nice to see Kara/Supergirl reflect a little upon how Indigo actually saved her. Melissa does an excellent job of reacting to this news from Indigo, and note the complete anger and disdain in Indigo's voice and expression as she explains how she used Kara's pod to bring Fort Rozz to earth. I remember this really slammed me the first time I saw this episode, and I thought then what a fantastic plot twist this was.

Episode 16 'Falling' was an exceptional episode driven by what IMHO is still Melissa's best performance of the entire series. Watching the episode again tonight I was struck by how fast it went which is a sign of an excellent episode even after multiple viewings.

What impressed me most about Melissa's performance was the many emotional states of Kara she had to act through the episode:

- There was heroic Kara (Supergirl), I liked the way she put the bullies in their place not by being mean to them but by saying how awesome Laura (the girl that was being bullied) was. Of course I loved Supergirl saving the fireman.

- There was innocent Kara who didn't like what she saw with her x-ray vision through the door. Melissa and Jeremy were so good in that little scene. Kara to Winn "You missed a button", funny.

- There was super-confident Kara walking out of the elevator to Paloma Faith's Ready for the Good Life. The following quote is from Admin on the music page of this website and describes that scene pretty well "Kara enters Catco dressed to the nines and ready to crush Siobhan".

- There was couldn't care less Kara (Supergirl) putting her feet up at the DEO with J'onn saying "Am I boring you Supergirl?" and easily taking down the K'und and treating him with disdain, "get out of my sight"

- There was mean girl Kara who seriously dissed Lucy to James while they were dancing.

- There was brutal Kara with her savage verbal take-down of Alex.

- Then there was heartbroken Kara with the first thing she asked "Did I kill any-one?", what followed as Kara cried her way through the person she had become was one of the most tug at your heart strings moments of the entire series and superbly acted by Melissa.

I also liked the homage to Superman 3 when Kara was flicking peanuts at the bottles.

So thanks Mel for one heck of a performance and letting us enjoy your hard work and acting talents.

Falling is definitely one of the best episodes of Season 1. Melissa does a fantastic job of portraying her evil self.
Has anyone seen the Star Trek episode where Capt. Kirk gets split into two personalities, one all good and one all bad? It's a fascinating episode. Falling reminded me of that.
My favorite scene is when Supergirl is flicking the peanuts at the bar. It's hilarious, and it is a fantastic way to show her super strength and just how dangerous she really could be. It's also a tribute to a scene from the Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve.
Also, the scene where Kara beats Alex with words in Kara's apartment is just gut-wrenching. Poor Alex! On the other hand, though, the scene where Supergirl comes to herself and apologizes to Alex is just as gut-wrenching. Excellent acting!
I have to agree with superbill that the scene where Supergirl tosses Cat off the balcony is excellent. It's actually hilarious. I re-watched it numerous times during Season 1 and laughed out loud each time.
I have to admit the news of Season 6 being the last season of Supergirl has damped my enthusiasm for our little project here, but I'm going to keep going.

Sorry for posting this ahead of others but I watched Better Angels tonight and wanted to talk about it while fresh in my mind.

Near the very end of the episode Kara said she was happy (as you would be after saving the world) so I hope the showrunners (JQ and RR) who I'm going to assume will write the series finale take note of that and end the series with Kara being happy.

Better Angels was a very satisfactory ending to Kara's journey in Season 1 and there are 5 things that I want to make special mention of:

1) Helen Slater (Eliza Danvers) getting what I like to call 'a Supergirl moment' by getting Alex out of mind control, this was so nice to watch and was beautifully acted by Helen.

Before this series started I wondered if any homages would be paid to the 1984 Supergirl Movie (which holds a special place in my heart being my first anything Supergirl and Helen totally sold me on the character with her endearing performance) and I was delighted with what Season 1 gave me in that regards. Firstly and most importantly having Helen be part of the series has been most enjoyable (especially scenes with Melissa). Secondly Melissa's Supergirl costume being the same style as Helen's was such a delight. Thirdly the pronunciation of Kara was the same as the movie (differed from Smallville) which I thought was a nice touch. And lastly the one that surprised me the most but gave me the biggest smile was the Omegahedron, so cool to see it in Better Angels, I was even happy just to hear Supergirl say the name Omegahedron .

2) The Hope Speech. More than the speech itself I really liked Melissa's delivery of it with the accompanying wonderful Blake Neely music.

3) Kara's goodbye speech to Winn. Their friendship was one of my most enjoyable pleasures of Season 1 and to hear Kara confirm that as being such an important part of her life was genuinely heart-warming.

4) Lifting Fort Rozz into Space. This still remains for me the most jaw-dropping Wow!!!!!!! moment of the entire series. Just amazing to watch as Supergirl slowly lifts the spaceship into orbit and then picks up speed as she gives everything she's got to save the world followed by silence as Supergirl floats unconscious in Space. Special mention to Blake's music again which added so much to that scene especially with the choir.

5) The toast to Family with Kara, Alex, Eliza, J'onn, Winn and James. Such a lovely way to end the episode, something to make you smile and feel good.

So that concludes a wonderful journey with Kara Zor-El, the season of the show that will always be tops for me.

Au Revoir.

World's Finest

I think in later seasons we rarely got anything like the level of fun we do in this episode combined with the great action sequences.

The people of National city standing up for Supergirl was a great scene, and it was touching to see Kara gaining their trust and respect again where they were prepared to put their own lives on the line to save her.

So retrospectively watching this episode after Crisis on infinite Earths it now appears that to most of the inhabitants that the Flash and Supergirl have always been on the same Earth.

Also I think Cat knows not that just Barry Allen saved her but Kara Danvers too

I quite liked the track playing where James and Kara kiss (Bloodstream by Transvilot) so much so that I Shazamed it when I first saw this episode and bought it.

Childish Things

This episode has really grown on me over the years, and I appreciate it much more now than I did when I first saw it. Maybe I had a bad day back then, or was distracted. Whatever.

It starts with a great scene of Supergirl and Martian flying, and Melissa flashes that awesome smile, pure joy and exhilaration.

As Kiwi noted, a variety of Supergirl's powers are on display, including the ability to inhale the poison gas, saving Winn and the FBI agents. Followed by the great comic line: "I don't normally inhale." A flashback to the 1990s. LOL.

Saving Winn from the hail of bullets at the convention was also very cool.

The scenes between Kara and Winn were excellent, especially the final one where Winn confesses his love to Kara. Great, emotive work by Jeremy and Melissa, but it was the heartbreak and pain on Melissa's face which really made the scene special to me. Probably the best scene between those two actors in the entire series.

Last point. Supergirl has battled many villains, most of which have had a more-or-less understandable motive, whether it be revenge, greed, harsh "justice," intolerance, or world domination. Toyman is different. He's just bat s**t crazy. Creepy, diabolical, manipulative. He stands apart from all the other villains, in my judgment.

OK, I guess I can start.

Way back when the Pilot aired, I was wowed. The cast, effects, production, music, everything was so good. A joy to watch. So cinematic.

Revisiting it now just reinforces those impressions. The plane sequence is probably still my favorite Arrowverse action sequence.

The initial costume Winn made is so awesome, highlighting some of the more questionable Supergirl costume decisions over the years--even the headband.

James worked so well as the connection with the "big guy."

Some new observations in light of 5 years:
- OMG, Melissa looks so young! I'd have carded her.
- I have a better impression of Alex than when I first saw it. After seeing how they have each other's back, I can see Alex's point of view more.
- I cannot imagine this version of Cat being played by anyone else than Calista Flockheart.
- Blake Neely did some of his best work ever for the pilot.

Supergirl S1E1

Wow, I really needed this! Here are some things that stood out to me in S1E1:
1. Kara's run down the alley. It's just so powerful when she first tries to fly and falls, and then suddenly just takes off! I think she becomes Supergirl at that moment.
2. Alex and Kara's relationship is always tops. Even from episode 1, that relationship has really been the heart of the show, I think. Maybe the show has strayed from that some, but we did see some of it in S5.
3. The episode really does focus on Kara becoming Supergirl, but it had to; it's the first episode of the series.
4. There aren't a lot of secondary characters in this episode, and that does work well. It's easy to keep up with what's happening and who everyone is.
5. Emotion. This episode has a lot of emotion, and that's one of the keys to a great show. Audience members have to feel what the characters are experiencing.
6. The CGI is great. I read some articles that said the CGI might not be as good on The CW, but I haven't really noticed any bad CGI so far through S5. Of course, I'm such a plot person that I might overlook that. The saving the plane scene is one of my absolute favorites of the series, and I love the way the Thomas Coville episode (which is one of my favorite episodes) was tied back to that same scene. I love seeing scenes from the points of view of other characters. Maybe in Season 6, the writers can tie more of the Season 6 plot back to previous seasons.
7. Note how the villains do not take over the show. Lex Luther really has taken over seasons 4 and 5, I think. I hope we get to move on from him in the beginning of Season 6.
8. I don't mind political messages, but they are missing from S1E1. Of course, the writers had to get a lot of things into the first episode, so there might have not been room. I remember people saying even in Season 1 that the show is "liberal." I think the show has done a good job across five seasons of showing all sides of issues.

At least I got my Supergirl fix for the week! S1E2 for Sunday, June 7!

Becky

Quoting Meadows: "I'm curious how you all feel about this--is there more of a connection between Eliza and Kara or between Eliza and Alex? Does it seem more like she has the same relationship with both? Is that realistic?"

I'm not a parent or a psychologist, so you can take my input for what it's worth. I think the connection between Eliza and both Kara and Alex is the same, that of a parent to child. She loves them both, equally. And that is to her great credit. However the relationship with each is greatly different. Alex is an extension of herself and thus Eliza holds her to a higher standard, wanting Alex to be a better version of herself.

On the other hand, Eliza has responded to Kara's special and tragic circumstances to the point of over-compensating. In these early episodes she is still relating to Kara as a 13 year old girl, instead of the adult woman she has become. Over time, Eliza will recognize Kara for who she has become, not who she was when she first arrived.

The sister relationship between Alex and Kara is the most compelling and complex relationship in the series, IMO. Their bond is real and demonstrably durable. They have both worked to make it so, but I think Alex has done more of the heavy lifting than Kara. There are still underlying issues that burst out from time to time, most recently about attending Jeremiah's funeral. Exploring this relationship and the feelings of the two sisters offers a lot of interesting possibilities for future episodes.

One thing rewatching the videos has shown me is just how much more action from Supergirl that we got in Season 1. I'm up to Episode 7, sorry guys I binged it yesterday.... but the amount of great action sequences where she actually fights rather than just using heat vision, etc was fantastic in Season 1.

You know, Supergirl Season 1 has such a strong focus on Kara and Supergirl, and one way it accomplishes that is that Supergirl has the supreme power over the villains (with the exception of the use of Kryptonite). She's really the only one that can battle with Astra and Non, for example, and the other villains she really does seem to defeat by herself, or at least primarily by herself (Team Supergirl operates behind the scenes). We lose that in subsequent seasons, and that's one way I think the focus has strayed from her. There doesn't seem to be a doubt about her power in regard to the other characters. In subsequent seasons, we often see her wiped out easily or up against villains that have Kryptonite.

I watched "Red-Faced" on Monday. This episode has always been a popular one with many viewers because of its great action sequences, specifically Supergirl fighting Red Tornado, and also Alex battling Dr. Morrow. And rightly so; those scenes set a worthy standard for action scenes in the show.

There is a lot more to this episode though, and that is what I want to mention today.

The special effects were great, especially the tornado and Supergirl flying in the opposite direction to dissipate it. I also liked Supergirl tunneling underground before erupting to hit Red Tornado from behind. It's not really special effects, but the demonic glare from Red Tornado's eyes was also really creepy.

Cat Grant telling off her mother and J'onn putting Gen. Lane in his place both got a cheer from me. Her mom and the general need a big dose of humility.

A+ acting throughout by the entire cast. Two sequences stand out in particular. The first begins with Cat berating Kara, Kara erupting in anger, Cat taking her to a bar and assuming the mentoring role, and ending with Cat staggering out after consuming three martinis. That sequence shows the full range of emotions, includes a bit of humor, and represents a big leap forward in the relationship between Cat and Kara. "Find the anger behind the anger" remains a memorable line. Excellent work by Melissa and Calista.

The second sequence is the one where Kara and James meet to punch things and dispel their anger. It's a brief scene, but one that provides so much understanding of who these two are and what motivates them. Great work by both, but Melissa in particular is brilliant. The dialog itself is great, but the magic she brings to it is what really makes the scene memorable. I've said it many times before, but her mastery of inflection and expression is a gift that few actors have. It's the little things she does, like the pain on her face as she worries about never finding her perfect partner, and the eye roll after being called away by a phone call, that sets her apart.

Melissa and Callista worked so well together. I would have watched a non-super office dramedy with the two of them.

They are great foils for each other. I'd like to see a short series which focuses on Cat interacting with 'both' Supergirl and Kara Danvers

My longer Episode 9 'Blood Bonds' review: While this was lighter on Supergirl action it was heavy on Melissa's acting talent especially when it comes to emotional acting where she really brings her A game. My highlights on that front were:

- Melissa was so so good as a stressed Kara awaiting the arrival of Cat to the office. "Today we have to act really really normal like like not just normal normal but Super normal, only no Super" , which had Winn questioning whether she was having a stroke. Then there was the heating of and spilling of the coffee followed by forgetting her glasses. Mel was just so entertaining to watch

- The other scene that was tops for me was an initially angry (at James and Winn for taking on Maxwell Lord without her) and then overwhelmed Kara. I liked that scene a lot and it was a brave move by Winn to stand in the doorway to stop her from doing something that she'll regret. I liked Winn and James both holding Kara's hand and providing that emotional support to her. Later on Kara said thanks to them both for stopping her and Winn replied "Hey, it's why you keep us around right?" .

All of the Kara and Cat scenes were thoroughly enjoyable in the episode and they were my favourites of them from the entire series. Both Melissa and Calista were especially good in the scene the Season 1 Soundtrack calls 'Catty Questions'

I loved the way Supergirl saved Alex from the bomb by shielding her with her cape. I also liked Supergirl saving the solider's life and how later on he recoginsed that and let her proceed when General Lane wouldn't.

I enjoyed Melissa in the little scene where she plays Kara and MM disguised as Supergirl. Kara to MM Supergirl "I really like your outfit" MM Supergirl to Kara "I like your glasses" . So sweet and funny.

Kara talking to J'onn on the rooftop and then chatting with Clark on IM was a nice scene with some lovely music (especially the piano) to accompany it.

One of the funniest lines was Supergirl saying to Alex and J'onn " I can keep a secret" and they both reply together "No you can't" .

Blood Bonds was a really enjoyable episode, next comes Childish Things and one of my absolute favourite scenes from the entire series.


Totally unrelated comment, I was watching a Quiz show tonight and this question was asked "Supergirl had the name of Kara Zor-El on which planet?", a man answered correctly with Krypton. Always cool to hear Supergirl related questions on quiz shows.

'Human for a Day' was an episode for me that had some mixed emotions, it was an excellent episode but I was quite disappointed they went with a Supergirl losing her powers story so early in the piece, felt it's something they could've left till Season 2 or preferably never at all.

I kind of fall in the opposite camp. I felt this episode established something really important about Kara. She is who she is not because she is strong or bulletproof or shoots heat rays from her eyes. Her powers allow her to do things far beyond the power of mortal men, but she is defined by her compassion and determination to do right as she sees it.

Honestly, anyone could go out and talk down a gunman in a convenience store if they're invulnerable. It takes a hero to do it when a single panicked gunshot would end your life. Kara cared about those lives so much at that moment, she was willing to trade literally everything else she could ever do afterward for their sake. Because that's who she is.