Let's re-watch Supergirl Season 1 together!

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.

Was anyone expecting that would happen when you first saw this episode? Cat finding out Kara is SG ?

I assumed Cat would figure it out eventually, but I was surprised that she confronted Kara so soon. More specifically, I was surprised that the show's writers would do this in only the eighth episode of the series. I had figured they would drag it out, with Cat dropping hints, but not openly confronting Kara, for at least the rest of the season, and possibly longer (remember, at this time we had no reason to think Cat would leave after S1).
That scene on the balcony is still my favorite scene of the entire series.

True, but is Cat really one to "beat around the bush"? And she thought that Kara doing being Supergirl AND her Assistant was a problem.

"Livewire" is another of my favorites from Season 1, principally because it introduced one of the Series' best villains, wonderfully played by Brit Morgan. She reprised the character in some later episodes and never disappointed. It would be great to see her miraculously reappear at some point. Livewire's campy dialog regarding Cat (here kitty kitty, etc) really connected with my recollections of comic books from my childhood.

The backstory of how the Danvers family became connected to the DEO provided interesting context which became important as the season progressed. Eliza's initial tirade against Alex was hard to understand (I mean what was Kara supposed to do, stand idle while Alex died in a plane crash?) but some tender later scenes between Eliza and Alex repaired the damage.

Calista also had some fine moments, especially showing compassion after hearing that Kara's parents had died. And her interactions with Leslie/Livewire were pitch perfect.

I liked that Supergirl defeated the rogue alien prisoner without anyone's help, and then later used her strength and wits to defeat Livewire, again without help.

Some humorous moments: Kara using her heat vision to finish cooking the turkey, and Cat calling J'onn "Agent Mulder" following Livewire's attack.

Great episode!

I think one of the reasons we see the others helping more is that the first Season was extremely tough on Melissa. I remember David using the word "shattered" to describe her which in British slang means "dead", "exhausted" etc. She was sick in several of the episodes as well. So I think they tried to take some of the load off of her shoulders to keep that from happening in other seasons.

However, IMHO, they have gone way too far. I think there is a balance they can find, but unfortunately the CW tends to try and service far too many characters on their series. I would like to see more of solo Supergirl in the future.

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.

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.

Thanks for taking point, Meadows!

Thanks for doing this. It will be fun!

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


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.

It was a great little sequence, Kara is so desperate to make Cat think she's not Supergirl but the stress of it all causes her to no longer know what's she's doing.

I think the fact Cat knows Kara is Supergirl is possibly what made their scenes in this episode so good. Its great to see Cat with the heartfelt desire for Supergirl to be helping others rather than being her assistant and it troubles her that someone may not be getting saved because of it.

Kara protecting Alex was what I call a cape trick!

I think one of the reasons we see the others helping more is that the first Season was extremely tough on Melissa. I remember David using the word "shattered" to describe her which in British slang means "dead", "exhausted" etc. She was sick in several of the episodes as well. So I think they tried to take some of the load off of her shoulders to keep that from happening in other seasons.

However, IMHO, they have gone way too far. I think there is a balance they can find, but unfortunately the CW tends to try and service far too many characters on their series. I would like to see more of solo Supergirl in the future.

Wow that's an interesting tidbit. Would not have thought she would be suffering like that.
Quite a few of us think that season 1 did quite well on focusing on Kara, but that got lost at some point in the following seasons.

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

I think this will be fun, too!

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.

Oh, we really needed this after the last few days!

Viewing the Pilot reinforced some of the high points for me from 5 years ago: the great plane save; Kara's adorable dorkiness; the great cast, especially Calista's disdain for Kara; Winn's face after Kara shows him she can fly; some great action scenes battling Vartox. (One has to wonder how difficult those action scenes must have been for Melissa, especially in season 1, considering the hell she was experiencing in her private life. I like to think that playing Supergirl may have helped in her healing process.)

A few hints about things that became significant in later episodes: Kara's fingering her necklace; Ft. Rozz following her pod to Earth.

Fun scenes: Kara's tentative look leaving the elevator at Catco after saving the plane vs her swagger after defeating Vartox.

Favorite scene: Kara's pure joy and excitement after saving the plane, while watching TV reports and especially when greeting Alex.

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.

After reading everyone's comments and observations on the pilot episode I'm in full agreement. The one thing that I enjoyed and now miss is Cat Grant running Cat Co. And the terrifying look on Kara's face when she was called into the office. I always felt that Cat Grant kept the show spinning with fun like a golden spoke of a wheel.
And of course the introduction of Melissa Benoist who I never heard of before and now is my favorite tv and broadway star. It's been one fun filled journey with some bumps along the way.

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.

Immediately after viewing the Pilot, I described the premise to MrsPrime as "Supergirl meets The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo with aliens instead of ghosts and a dash of Doctor Who's UNIT." She instantly grasped and approved of the concept.

(In the 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, Scooby and Shaggy had to chase down and capture history's 13 most terrifying ghosts after inadvertently freeing them from their prison.)

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

"Livewire" is another of my favorites from Season 1, principally because it introduced one of the Series' best villains, wonderfully played by Brit Morgan. She reprised the character in some later episodes and never disappointed. It would be great to see her miraculously reappear at some point. Livewire's campy dialog regarding Cat (here kitty kitty, etc) really connected with my recollections of comic books from my childhood.

The backstory of how the Danvers family became connected to the DEO provided interesting context which became important as the season progressed. Eliza's initial tirade against Alex was hard to understand (I mean what was Kara supposed to do, stand idle while Alex died in a plane crash?) but some tender later scenes between Eliza and Alex repaired the damage.

Calista also had some fine moments, especially showing compassion after hearing that Kara's parents had died. And her interactions with Leslie/Livewire were pitch perfect.

I liked that Supergirl defeated the rogue alien prisoner without anyone's help, and then later used her strength and wits to defeat Livewire, again without help.

Some humorous moments: Kara using her heat vision to finish cooking the turkey, and Cat calling J'onn "Agent Mulder" following Livewire's attack.

Great episode!

I have to say that Livewire is my favorite Supergirl villain! I love it that she is both good and bad. In this episode, she seems more bad than good, but we see more of her in later seasons, and that helps flush out her character.
One of my favorite scenes is when Leslie is in the hospital and Cat mentions her "Katy Perry" hair.
I too was bothered the first time I watched this episode with the overwhelming responsibility that Alex's mom put on her regarding Kara. Of course, I can see Eliza's point of view, too--Kara had just lost everything, including her home planet. I can't even imagine how that would feel. Still, it's a bit much to put so much responsibility on Alex.
Livewire, Kara, and Cat in CatCo with Livewire hunting Kara and Cat is just fantastic. Also, how many times did the big pink panther get destroyed in Season 1?
The beginning of this episode is excellent! I like when Supergirl says, "Oh, respect!" when Hank tells her the alien she defeated is a female.
I use the heat vision turkey scene in my classes for the Thanksgiving holiday. It's just fantastic. Maybe the writers could add more mini-scenes where we see Kara using her powers clandestinely. I loved it in Season 5 when Supergirl used heat vision to cauterize William's wound, for example.
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'll bet most of us agree that this is one of our favorite Season 1 episodes. I wonder what we can take from this that we would like to see more of in future episodes. I would love to see more of Supergirl's array of powers instead of her always being wiped out immediately or sidelined because of Kryptonite, for example. I also would love to see Livewire again!! I remember the scene from Season 3 where Supergirl finds her sitting outside of a diner where she has been waitressing. Absolutely hilarious!!! Her name tag says "Roseanne," which is such a fitting tribute to the television series, Roseanne!

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.

My Comments for Season 1, Episode 2: Stronger Together

Again it was nice to watch a SuperGirl episode about SuperGirl. I loved the title and the theme of this episode.

Things I did not like
I loved everything.

Things I loved about this episode

1. We saw the following powers used by SuperGirl: Superhuman strength; ability to stop a bullet by being bullettproof; Superhearing; Flight; Heat vision.
2. Loved when Ms. Grant says she wants a video of SuperGirl and Kara laughs and then tries to talk her way out of why she was laughing.
3. The fight in the training room showed that strength can be weak if not directed correctly.
4. Loved all the talk scenes between Alex and Kara. Loved it when Alex said: "I will always be your big sister."
5 When James is talking to Kara about her being a hero - you could tell they were falling for each other.
6. In another scene where James is describing how people know him for who he knows but not for what he can do. In this early episode we get the hint as to why James became the Guardian in later seasons.
7. Adorable when both James and Winn met in the ally both not knowing the other had knowledge of SuperGirl
8. The show gets across the message that the Kryptonians are the strongest of the aliens. This is seen in the interaction between the Hellgrammite and General Astra.
9. In this episode it is when SuperGirl lets you know that she does not enjoy working alone. She states: "My cousin is so use to going it alone..... Part of being your own man is knowing when to accept help.....El May Arah - stronger together."

I loved this episode. Again, just like episode one, it was an episode in which Kara/SuperGirl was the focus with the help of the supporting actors. I will never grow tired of season one - nor will I grow tired of any episode where the focus is on our Superhero and her supporting cast (doing just that - being supportive without trying to be the main titular character.