SHE’S FUN
At a time when all the superheroes on screen are deep, dark, torn-up and brooding, Supergirl is a breath of fresh air because she’s just the opposite. Supergirl is bright, fun, campy, colourful and unapologetically optimistic.
Yes, Kara Zor-El/ Supergirl’s disguise is glasses and a nervous attitude and no one sees through it! But that’s what’s fun! Also fun is seeing Superman (yes, he drops in) and Supergirl — they are cousins — having fun doing simple things like saving a building from collapsing, or stopping an armed robbery. Nothing world-saving, but an important something that the big screen films have forgotten about Superman.
But don’t for a minute think that it is all fluff. The show is poignant when necessary and tackles many issues that are important, from friendship, family and feminism to self-discovery and, most importantly, hope.
What the show does is establish Supergirl (played by the charming Melissa Benoist) as a hero not just because of her powers — which for the uninitiated are identical to Kal El/Superman’s — but because she inspires people to be the best version of themselves. People want to do their bit to save the world because Supergirl does it. She is truly a symbol of hope, something that literally saves the day at the end of Season 1.
THE SISTER ACT
If Melissa’s Kara Danvers is charming, Chyler Leigh’s Alex, Kara’s adoptive sister, is kickass. An agent with the Department of Extranormal Operations (D.E.O), she doesn’t back down from a fight with an alien with superpowers just because she is human.
Her relationship with Kara is #SisterGoals. Alex takes on the role of protector, adviser, confidante, shoulder to cry on, motivator and champion as and when Kara needs, and Kara is her strength, like when Alex is struggling to come out as gay. It is not that Alex doesn’t crib about what she has given up to protect Kara, but as they realise in the end, they might be terrific alone but even more awesome together.
THE FRIENDSHIPS
Of all the relationships that we see on Supergirl, some of our favourites are the ones with the boys — Winn Schott and Jimmy Olsen.
Kara and Winn have been friends since their first meeting in CatCo Worldwide Media. Well, Winn did have a crush on Kara but that never derailed their friendship. He was the first person she revealed herself to outside her family. Thick or thin, bad guys or romantic disasters, they always have each other’s back.
Then there is Jimmy, yes the same photographer friend of Superman. Kara was the one with the crush here, but it was always friendship before everything else.
We must also mention the bromance between Jimmy and Winn, which makes us ship them pretty hard! They bicker, try and one-up each other and are always so much fun. Plus, Winn is the “man in the van” to Jimmy’s Guardian. Who wouldn’t adore that duo?!
THE SHIPS IT HAS SAILED
KaraMel: The romance between “a boy from Daxam and a girl from Krypton” gave us googly eyes, they were so adorable. The best part? Kara and Mon El were also a lot of fun. We refuse to accept the sinking of this ship, despite the timey-wimey twist.
Sanvers: Yet another heartbreak we’ve had because of a ship but refuse to believe is over, is the one between Alex and tough cop Maggie Sawyer. Two badass women who are gooey together, they are #RelationshipGoals. They were going to marry, till Alex wanted a baby and Maggie didn’t. #JustNo
SuperCorp: If you see Kara and L-Corp head Lena Luthor’s chemistry, you are not going to wonder why we ship them so hard. Unlikely that there is going to be something coming out of that, especially with the sparks that are starting to fly between Lena and Jimmy Olsen , but their chemistry is still off the charts.
WinnMon: They are just so much fun together, with Winn teaching Mon El the ways, and of course the words, of the world and Mon El getting Winn in trouble. Who wouldn’t ship such a cute bromance?
THE CROSSOVERS
Well, you have to be updated with Arrow and The Flash, and at least have a working knowledge of The Legends of Tomorrow (not a show we would request you to watch), but the result is worth it.
From the first time Barry Allen aka The Flash lands up on Supergirl’s Earth in Season 1, you’ll make them your OTP (#OneTruePair). Once you watch the Glee stars (both Melissa and Grant Gustin were part of it) sing and dance together in Supergirl and The Flash, you’d be cursing because travel between the two worlds is not possible by local train.
Then the fun quadruples when Team Arrow and Team Flash join hands with Team Supergirl over three episodes of each show, with the Legends of Tomorrow, rounding off the fourth. There is one this season too.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT’S GIRL POWER ALL THE WAY
That scene in the first episode of the show where Cat Grant (an unputdownable Calista Flockhart), the former CEO of CatCo Worldwide Media and Kara’s boss, decides to name Kara Supergirl, says a lot about the show. Kara protests, saying that calling her “girl” is undermining her and anti-feminist, to which Cat replies: “What do you think is so bad about girl? I’m a girl. And your boss, and powerful, and rich, and hot, and smart. So if you perceive Supergirl as anything less than excellent, isn’t the real problem you?” Attagirl!
Cat Grant herself is iconic. Head of a media empire (now White House press secretary), single mom, savvy, powerful and a champion of people with potential, she was (she’s been MIA for a while) one of the biggest wins for the show. Cat pushed Kara to achieve her potential. She believed in standing for the truth and against any kind of misogyny, even if it is from another woman. Like in the case of her protege Leslie Willis (the villain Livewire) who ridiculed Supergirl in public. Cat would have none of it, even if it earned her a dangerous enemy. Oh what we wouldn’t do to have her back!
It is not just Kara and Cat, the show has a long list of spunky women... Alex, Lena Luthor, Lucy Lane. You’ll never have a shortage of role models.
WE WANT CLAIRE UNDERWOOD TO LEAD HOUSE OF CARDS... AND SOME OTHER FEISTY FEMALE CHARACTERS WHO CAN HEAD THEIR OWN SHOWS
Claire Underwood, House of Cards
Netflix’s decision to end House of Cards following sexual harassment allegations against lead actor Kevin Spacey seems totally unnecessary because Robin Wright as Claire Underwood had anyway stolen the show from him, becoming the President of USA. We’ve seen her go from heading an NGO in the first season to Second Lady, First Lady, ambassador to the UN, Vice President and finally President. Smart, lean, ruthless, manipulative, intimidating and efficient, Claire with her quotable quotes, political ambitions and sexual appetite is the one we want to watch. And we can’t think of anyone but Robin Wright doing that power walk and talk.
Talking about Wright and spin-offs, there is one big screen movie we want, right now, and that is one on Antiope the Amazonian General who stole the show in Wonder Woman, despite all of Gal Gadot’s awesomeness. Fierce, fearless, badass, super agile, disciplined and all-round incredible, Wright’s Antiope is the woman we all want to grow up to be!
Misty Knight, Luke Cage
Mercedes Kelly ‘Misty’ Knight is an NYPD detective when we meet her first in the Netflix series Luke Cage and she is busy bringing down criminals like Cottonmouth. Misty stands out in a series where women like Jessica Jones, Elektra and Colleen Wing kick ass, even in The Defenders when all these women are together, because unlike the others she is all smarts and guts. She knows what’s right and what’s wrong and no one can accuse her of vigilantism. Now with her strong bond with Colleen and her career in jeopardy after she helps the Defenders, Simone Missick’s Misty might just be ready for the Knightwing agency of the comics. Especially since new stills from Luke Cage Season 2 show her with her iconic bionic arm!
Brienne of Tarth, Game of Thrones
The HBO series has some feisty female characters and we have got our fill of Daenerys and Sansa and Arya and Cersei. The one character we would love to be invested in — and we mean a whole new show — is Brienne of Tarth, played by Gwendoline Christie. There’s so much more we want to know. How did she become a knight? What was it like being a female among what must have been a male-dominated profession? Her towering physique has made her a target of ridicule, so how did she become the confident woman she is today?
Irene Adler, Sherlock
She was The Woman for Sherlock. His perfect match. In a show that threw up interesting female characters like the darling Molly Hooper and the super-capable Mary Watson, Irene Adler left us intrigued and craving more. We would love to see how she became the dominatrix and gatherer of information which she used as leverage. Imagine how sexy and twisted the show could be with all the powerful clients and power play! And Laura Pulver is sexy enough to keep us hooked.
Lydia Martin, Teen Wolf
With the show coming to an end this September, those of us left with a Teen Wolf-size hole in our life would love to have it filled by Lydia Martin, played by Holland Roden. Yes, we mean the popular mean girl from Beacon High who uses her persona to hide a genius IQ. She’s the crush of fan-favourite Stiles Stilinski who turned out to be a Banshee. She packs quite a punch, whether she is using her sonic scream or taking a baseball bat to a fight. We wouldn’t mind watching her be the superhero saviour of a new city. And because she ended up with Stiles, maybe we can continue having that hottie in our lives as well!
Berta, Two and a Half Men
Armed with a sharp wit and a sharper tongue, which often stumped Charlie Sheen and his brother Walden, Berta, played by Conchata Ferrell, was one hell of a housekeeper in the two-and-a-half-men family. She waltzed in and out of the scenes with her wisecracks, was privy to all the goss and was treated like an honorary family member. It would be fun to have a full-on comic show with motormouth Berta at the centre.
Cat Grant, Supergirl
As we’ve said, in a show where the superhero is a girl it is difficult for any other female character to shine, though not for Cat Grant. Calista Flockhart’s Cat is a super-achiever who takes no prisoners. She’s anal about her coffee and food orders, brutal to her employees and has a nerve of steel. But she has a good heart underneath and prides herself on knowing people’s potential and pushing them to bring out their best, though not always in a friendly manner. We would love to see how Cat became the Cat Grant.
