Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.
As we wait for the third season of Supergirl to debut on the CW this October, Supergirl: The Complete Second Season is released with plenty of time for binging on either your favorite moments from the season or to play catch up on any episodes you may have missed…and, if you did not watch this season faithfully, you missed a hell of a lot!
As a fan, I was worried about Supergirl’s future at CBS. The show just did not seem to fit. Luckily, for fans and cast alike, Supergirl was relocated to the CW, which, aside from Gotham, is the place to tune in for DC television shows. Even though the show changed hands and even changed shooting locations in order to curb some of the cost, the CW did not do a total overhaul on the show. Melissa Benoist returns as the titular Supergirl/Kara Danvers, along with her sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh), coworker and pal James Olsen (Mehcad Brooks), best friend Winn (Jeremy Jordan), and DEO director and hard-ass Hank Henshaw/Martian Manhunter (David Harewood). The suit and sets also remain the same. In fact, instead of disappearing without a trace a-la Buzz and Sonia Harper on Mama’s Family, Alex, James, and Winn are explored more in depth including motives that do not centralize solely on Kara. We do get the Bubba Higgins and Iola Boylan treatment with the introduction of a few new faces. Perry White, oops, I mean, Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart), is MIA during most of the season, only to return towards the end, but I really did not miss her celebrity name dropping.
In this season, Kara has become a report at Catco, instead of a lowly assistant. Instead of dictating Grant’s demands and fetching coffee, she struggles to earn the respect and even acknowledgement of grizzled and famed reporter Snapper Carr (Ian Gomez). Although, his character is a complete one-dimensional stereotype skeptic, I really enjoyed the fact that he is not a fan of Kara nor Supergirl. He also is not won over in a single episode, either. He resents the fact that Kara has not earned the title of reporter and refuses to even acknowledge her. Kara happens to have an in with Lena Luthor (Katie McGrath) and Supergirl. Even though she books exclusives no one else can, Carr forces Kara to revise and teaches her how to bring a neutral and objective voice to reporting.
While Cat is on hiatus, she has put Catco in the hands of James Olsen who struggles to find his voice and decide how he wants to rule as boss. After Carr takes over during a staffing meeting, Olsen decides how to be a boss in his own style other than following in the designer shoes of Grant. This is where I have one of my biggest issues with the writing on this show. Most issues are solved safely in 45 minutes and characters learn a valuable character building lesson during the time. Even though I love sitcoms of the 80s and 90s, I long for some of the darkness and grit that Gotham, brings. I want that in moderation though. Remember, that big red “S” stands for “hope.”
Olsen and Winn both find themselves unhappy living in Kara’s shadow. They both yearn to help fight crime and be heroes. Winn is once again happy with building the costume and being “the man in the van” while Olsen suits up as Guardian. This is of course all behind Kara’s back and all the members of the DEO are in the dark. This is another point I take issue with. The DEO is a secret government organization that keeps tabs on alien life forms, but the agency missed out on their newest IT guy who works alongside Supergirl building a high tech crime fighting suit. I also wonder when Winn and Olsen have time to moonlight as crime fighters. Bruce Wayne does not have to report to a job. He is portrayed as aloof playboy an easily hides his out all night and sleep all day activities as partying with ladies in clubs or seeing the world. Kara has super speed on her side and also falls back on stories written about Supergirl.
Alex does not seem to mind playing second fiddle to her sister, but we do get to see more into her character. Instead of existing to bring over ice cream or pizza for sister night or to try to protect her super sister at work, we see Alex seriously struggle with her own sexuality as she falls for local cop Detective Maggie Sawyer (Floriana Lima). Sawyer is another new character who just so happens to only date aliens and develops a working respect with Alex when she discovers Alex does not work for secret service, but the DEO that Sawyer has heard about through the rumor mill. She is a detective overall and Alex’s fibs are pretty lame. Comic book fans may recognize the character as Batwoman’s lesbian lover.
Once again, the storyline is fairly watered down. Sawyer, a detective who is interested in cases involving metahumans and aliens, confidently suggests in a throwaway statement that Alex is interested in her. After that, Alex cannot get her off her mind and begins questioning herself. After a couple episodes, she comes out to Kara (who Winn thought was coming out as gay in season 1, remember) who accepts her and encourages her to pursue Sawyer. I am not sure if this was the direction Alex’s character was headed all along or it was decided she needed a little depth and a little love, but her character provides a good example to lesbians as well as a positive “coming out experience.” Many people already see superheroes as a metaphor for homosexuality. Sawyer does introduce Alex to a bar that caters to aliens where they can be themselves. Of course, no one on the show questions how sex between a human and alien works or what that says about Sawyer’s sexuality! The introduction of the bar does provide a way to introduce more aliens to the show and provide a place for our main characters to get information about other aliens and their possible illegal activities.
I do find myself seeing interesting parallels between our own political climate and the politics included in Supergirl. For it to be a little bit on the Full House side of writing, it provided a nice topical political commentary. Madame President Marsden (Lynda Carter) signs a bill granting aliens, extraterrestrial albeit, citizenship, rights, and protection from discrimination. This is met with fear and opposition. Lillian Luthor (Brenda Strong) wants aliens to be outed and put on a registry. She blames Superman for Lex’s incarceration and feels that humans should be protected from aliens and their powers. When a group of Daxamites, led by Teri Hatcher, who portrayed Lois Lane on Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman and was in some kind of show about rich housewives later, want to take over Earth and claim it as their new home, technology developed by the Luthors is used to protect the planet. Daxam was a planet that was destroyed by large debris when Krypton was destroyed, but Kryptonians regarded them as thieves, liars, murderers, and cheats. When Kara meets a Daxamite survivor, Mon-El (Chris Wood), she must overcome her own prejudices and see him for the man, er, alien he is. Mon-El becomes an integral part of the main characters and even a love interest for Kara. The season ends in a tear-jerker worthy of the CW.
So, to recap, James Olsen is a superhero, Alex is gay, Kara FINALLY gets a love interest instead of just teasing us with crushes, oh yeah, we finally get a decent helping of Superman/Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin). Could his inclusion mean a new series is on its way?! My only complaint about Superman is that he seems incredibly young in this version and he is no way dorky enough as Clark Kent. Other than that, it is fun to see Kara interact with him. It is a fun relationship and opens up a side of Kara that we got a glimpse of when The Flash crossed over last season.
Special Features
Supergirl: 2016 Comic-Con Panel – As is Warner Bros.’ standard practice, we get to see a comic-con panel which is pretty boring. The moderator is busy trying to sell us on Supergirl and teases the cast in hopes of a major reveal which will not happen. The cast is polite and seems to share a common respect, but not the camaraderie and relaxed candor casts that have worked together longer share. Instead of a Comic Con panel I can see for free on YouTube, I would like to see some type of interesting documentary or look at Supergirl as a character or the transition from the comics to the big screen and back to the small screen. I want to see something that makes me think or introduces me to something new.
“Supergirl: Did You Know?” Fun Facts for Fans – In this featurette, some of the cast and crew tell us some facts. I like this section and crave more. The core cast has grown extensively this season, maybe each member could share a fact? The “fun fact” shared by Mehcad Brooks was incredibly lame. I expected to hear crickets on the track. The featurette is so short that it seems like a teaser for the actual featurette. I would love to have more trivia facts. May I swap the Comic-Con panel for seconds, please?
Supergirl: Alien Fight Night – This was a surprisingly interesting special feature. It is what I expect and want in a featurette. In episode four, Supergirl and the DEO infiltrate an alien fight club run by Roulette (Dichen Lachman). The episode is rather gritty and stylistically would be something I would expect from a Batman franchise, but was excited to see it here. The elite and rich of National City anonymously watch and bet on alien fights. In the featurette, crew and writers discuss the implications of the episode, how what is considered to be a lower race by the upper crust fight while the rich exploit them and feed their voyeuristic appetites.
Supergirl: Aliens Among Us – I have saved my favorite for last. This season is all about aliens. More aliens are introduced and we see their interactions as well as humans interactions with them. Humans have to face their own prejudices and different alien races find themselves challenging their history and feelings with others. This season also depicts that there is not just black and white, but a gray area also exists. Aliens are not always 100% good or evil and neither are heroes or villains. Writers also bring up some interesting arguments for Lillian Luthor and point out, even though our initial feelings are to dislike her and see her as bad, she does introduce some valid points.