Looking Ahead To SUPERGIRL - Warped Factor - Words in the Key of Geek.

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Looking Ahead To SUPERGIRL

Tyrell Williams looks up to the skies...


CBS's latest upcoming series Supergirl is one I am very excited for. To a lot of people, it is just DC's version of the SNL Black Widow parody sketch, but in reality it's much more.

It follows twenty-four-year-old Kara Danvers, Superman's not-so-distant cousin, as she finds a way to work as the assistant to Cat Grant, a self-made media mogul and founder of CatCo, while simultaneously embracing her powers after so many years of hiding them. Melissa Benoist, most known for her portrayal as Marley Rose in Season Four of Glee, now steps into the limelight and the lead role in one of DC's newest television series.


DC is really bringing its A game and completely dominating the superhero TV universe - and while I am a huge Marvel fan, DC is kind of winning me over with the amount of awesome TV shows it’s banging out. It’s not that I don't enjoy Daredevil and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, I really do, but DC is getting gritty and action packed with Arrow and Gotham, light-heartedly throwing in the grit and fun  with The Flash, and the then there’s the awesomeness that hopefully comes with the Legends of Tomorrow which is set to debut in 2016. Which includes my favourites, White Canary and Hawkgirl in the mix.

But again I take an issue that all these have all male leads. Supergirl not only has a female lead, it also has more women as main characters than men, passing the Bechdel test, which is a huge plus for my feminist side. 



In regards to the whole Black Widow SNL parody sketch comparison, it basically tells me that the only type of female superhero we are generally served up is one that isn't 'girly'. For example Black Widow, she's great because she’s kick ass and a better spy than anyone in the room; Agent Peggy Carter is acceptable because she's mature and well put together, she’s clever and witty, and I like that. They are both amazing characters played by fantastic actresses.

But Supergirl isn't them, she isn't like that at all. She's young and silly and nervous and unsure of herself. Those things are just awful for a female character to be, right? You know what, it all reminds me of - oh that’s right - being a teenage girl. And as a teenage girl who does rather enjoy a bit of grit and darkness in a TV show, Supergirl is looking exactly like I hoped it would be. Sweet and fun and a female character who has traditionally feminine interests and mannerisms while still being a freaking superhero. In a world where all too often "strong female character" means having traditionally masculine traits, and even going close to feminine traits is regarded as weak or vain, this is a pleasure. This is the TV show that young girls need, this is the character that all girls now get to aspire to be.


The six-minute long trailer summarizes her origin, establishes her powers and her relationships with the supporting cast. It contains action scenes including being bullet proof and saving a plane, as well as giving us a peek at the over-arching plot for the series. It also shows classic Superman shots like Kara in flight and Kara doing the superhero costume-under-clothes thing (which, by the way, took Smallville - the origin story of Superman - TEN whole seasons to reveal). And probably my favourite scene in the trailer where the token straight, white guy assumes she's gay because she doesn't want him [insert eye roll here].



Anyway, to finish, I'm just saying “give it a go”. It might be your cup of tea, it might not be, but don't judge it just on the trailer alone. Watch an episode or two, then make your decisions.

Supergirl is scheduled to premiere on CBS in November 2015.

Having grown up in a dungeon it isn't any wonder that Tyrell is a little bit weird, though her mother (Gail) would say she's a big part of the occasionally wonderful too. Knowing her ranking against the world's most demanding cat, Tyrell manages to slip the manacles off to run barefoot through a world worth ranting at.

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