"Supergirl" Recap: "Stronger Together"

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

I had only one real question in my mind when it came to Supergirl after the stellar series premiere last week, specifically...how on earth were they going to top the pilot? I mean that first episode was absolutely top notch and when I settled in for last night's episode, I got my answer...stick to what worked in episode one, throw in more of a super villain and make your characters even more colorful than they were a week ago.  All of that made for one incredible episode, one that actually managed to blow the pilot away believe it or not and in two short weeks this show has completely managed to reel me in. 

So where to begin with this excellent episode, well let's work a little in reverse this week and talk about the villains the show is bringing forth because well...they're something special. After all, most comic book villains in film and television managed to be pretty freaking one dimensional and in a way they have to be. The show is about our hero and their journey and the baddie of the week or the season villain serve their purpose just for that. But already, Supergirl is doing something different with their villains. Already General Astra's plans for world domination seem a little different than we are used to. She's not just here to wipe us all out, she's here to rule us, giving her a God complex you rarely see on television and I love that. Not to mention, even our baddie of the week has a purpose since the throwaway alien this episode wasn't trying to do anything else but eat on this planet...that was a new twist that I really enjoyed. 

But outside of the villains, the show's strength is already its character development and well...one of the grand debates is how on earth do you make a superhero that is invulnerable and can fly and basically do anything they want relatable? Well they figured out how to do that last night, by doing something I've never seen before with heroes of Kara's caliber...let her make mistakes. Supergirl pulls off one blunder after another with this being her first week as a superhero and I absolutely loved this touch. We've never seen our heroes make mistakes like this. They get their powers and are experts at salvation in record time...so to add this little wrinkle to the fold is nothing short of genius.  

But the last thing that caught my eye last night...was Hank Henshaw. When I heard that name last week, chills ran down my spine because the last interaction I saw with that character was when Superman died and Hank Henshaw assumed Kal-El's identity and well...bad things happened. I kind of let it go since he's the boss and is trying to make the world a safer place...but then this week they go and give us the glowing red eyes and now I have to wonder...is Hank friend or foe and were the glowing eyes due to the fact he's already a cyborg like in the comics? This is going to be something worth keeping an eye on and I won't lie...if they bring out the cyborg I may giggle and squeal, he's one of my favorite villains in the "Super-verse".

In the end however, I love the character growth Kara is going through on this show. A lot is being thrown at her week in and week out and while she is stumbling and making mistakes, she is handling adversity like a champ. She could easily fold, she could easily walk away but instead she's sticking it out in every way possible. Doing everything to be better and live up to the S that is now famous on planet earth and I love it. She's an incredibly strong character and completely relatable and I'm totally rooting for her. I want to see her defeat her evil aunt and I want to see her become the incredible hero that resides deep within her heart. Until next time.

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