'Supergirl' Recap: 'Girl of Steel'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

When we last left the incredible Kara Zor-El, she was in quite the bittersweet spot. On the one hand, she had established herself as the earth's champion by defeating the ruthless Queen Rhea and her bloodthirsty forces and what made her victory so bittersweet, was that it came at a great cost. In order to save her beloved Mon-El from suffering a painful death by way of the super weapon she deployed to make the planet uninhabitable to Daxamites, she sent him away to find a new fate amongst the stars. But despite the power and anguish that came with such a tough decision, Kara would find a way to get by...wouldn't she? 

Well as it turns out, there is no easy way to get by when making that kind of call and last night's series three premiere of Supergirl, 'Girl of Steel', ended up being quite the fascinating character study, where we saw the more human side of this incredible heroine, despite the fact that she wanted to keep that humanity hidden and buried. Because the fact of the matter is, Kara really couldn't live with herself after sending Mon-El away and she came to believe that by opening her heart to just about anyone, family and friends included, she now put them at risk every single time she unveiled her cape and well...that sent Kara into one isolated place. 

She stayed away from social gatherings. She ignored her duties at CatCo, she simply wanted to become the only thing that she believed stood for good in this world; Supergirl, and this was a genius stroke in storytelling because in way, Kara wasn't wrong. Supergirl can't be hurt, can't be stopped, she's an extraordinary heroine so why not hide behind the S and bask in the glory of saving the world and innocent lives time and time again? But unfortunately for Kara, she can't hide from who she really is forever, and thanks to a harsh reminder from Alex and her own heart for that matter as well, Kara was able to steer clear of the void and find her way back to her friends and family. 

However, despite that amazing storyline, this particular tale was rife with plenty of the cool moments we've come to know and love from this show. For starters, it continued it's strong political commentary with a few thinly veiled pot shots at a particular world leader that came courtesy of Cat Grant from her new post as Press Secretary for the President of the United States and the side plot involving real estate magnate turned murderous villain in Malcolm Edge was nice little touch as well and the twist at the end with Lena Luthor outright buying CatCo to save it from a fate worse than death under Edge's leadership was simply wonderful since Kara can at last work side by side with her best friend. 

But while all of that was fun and interesting, I'm still in awe of the wonderful exploration that was put on display when it comes to Kara's journey and pain. What has made Supergirl a cut above the rest when it comes to superhero shows is the fact that it is more than willing to shatter the tropes of this genre, specifically in that the hero and/or heroine must remain bold and strong at all times regardless of the circumstances and I love the fact we were able to see Kara feel and hurt like the rest of us, before slipping back into inspirational mode and becoming the true hero that she has always been from day one. If anything, I'm hoping season three continues exploring her quest to heal her broken heart because to have everything fixed in a single episode would feel cheap, and I'm curious to see how long before Malcolm Edge is dealt with since it seems the big bad for this year, the one that the season two finale hinted at, is starting to realize her power and potential...until next time...

---