Supergirl Super Sucks

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a… dud? Last year when CBS announced that it would begin airing a television show based on the girl of steel, I was ecstatic! I love female superheroes. Then, over the summer, the pilot episode leaked online and I scoured the darkest reaches of the internet to find it. I never expect too much from a pilot episode, because it takes time to become emotionally invested in characters and plotlines.

However, over the course of the premier episode, I began to grow less and less excited. I found the show to be cheesy, boring and with the exception of the main cast, the acting was terrible. By the time that fall arrived, I was more than ready to give the show another chance. I watched the first and second episodes when they aired on TV and still couldn’t get over the disappointment. So with sadness I left the show and hoped that it would find its footing over the course of the season and I would tune in at a later date to check it out again.

Then a couple of weeks ago, CBS announced that Supergirl would be crossing over with CW’s The Flash. To say that I was excited was an understatement, as not only do I love The Flash, but I also love the idea of a shared TV universe for these superheroes. So, Monday night I tuned in once more to give the budding new show a chance.

The episode started off with an introduction to a new villain, but I really didn’t care about the character because the actress was terrible. Over the course of the episode the scarlet speedster and the girl of steel are pitted against two foes. During the final standoff, the villains defeat both Supergirl and The Flash. In a cheesy anticlimactic turn of events the citizens begin to stand up to the villainesses. I’m sure this scene was meant to be an inspiring moment, but what we’re treated to instead was the cheesiest scene I’ve ever watched on television. The acting and delivery of the script was so terrible that it almost literally hurt to watch.

Finally, the two bad girls are taken down by a little squirt with the fire hose. REALLY? These two women take out two super powered heroes and then are taken down by a little water? Not only do I not buy this, I also think it was just a waste of time and only proved that Supergirl is too weak to stand up on her own. After this, we’re treated to a race between the two heroes that ends with Barry getting sent home.

Now, what could the show do better if it hopes to make it past this season? The writers need to take a different approach to the characters. Look at Marvel’s Jessica Jones as an example of how to deliver a female superhero show. Show how strong and capable Supergirl can be, show more emotion and dig deeper into your characters. The characters on the show now are too flat with no storyline to grow into.

Next, and this goes for the entire DC comics universe, start connecting your universes. If Marvel can connect every single franchise they own into one shared collective universe, then so can you. Instead, we’re given Gotham and Supergirl as having their own separate universe (the crossover between the Arrowverse and Supergirl explained that the two stories unfold in different dimensions. So in essence, it doesn’t count as a connection.) To top that off, DC is setting up a shared movie universe that has nothing to do with the characters on TV.

Look to Marvel as the example of how to handle your franchises DC. I could really get behind a shared united DC universe, but until then I will probably ignore anything that’s not on the CW right now. I would be willing to watch Supergirl if they connected it better with the other shows and made a few changes before the next season, but for now, it’s just a poorly executed, cheesy, stereotypical mess.