After a solid series premiere last week, the second episode of Supergirl was a strong follow-up, as the series went deeper into Kara’s character with her now being the protector of National City, a job that’s tougher than she imagined as she balances her heroic acts with her other life as Kara Danvers.
While I wasn’t entirely sure how a DC Comics character like Hellgrammite would be done in live-action, thankfully Supergirl didn’t make him too bug-like, as I would have been way too creeped out by it. Justice Leak was fun in the role, and as someone who has been used to seeing meta-humans for the past year over at The Flash, it was cool to see another alien, which we’ll be seeing a lot of on Supergirl. Something that is hard for a lot of new TV shows is to have a really strong second episode after a strong series premiere. Supergirl, however, was able to be almost better than its pilot in tonight’s installment, which was something that other comic book shows like Arrow, Gotham and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. weren’t able to.
As much as I enjoyed all the action scenes in this episode, the emotional moments in “Stronger Together” were what stood out the most for me, from Kara having to deal with her new super-life, while also juggling the Danvers persona. While we can expect great superhero adventures from Supergirl, with all of Kara’s powers, bad guys, and more that the shows has to offer, I also appreciate when comic book series can give us the psychology of a superhero. There has to be obstacles in different forms, whether it is Kara finding out that her evil Aunt Astra is the enemy she has to go up against, or her having to deal with the demanding and difficult boss that is Cat Grant. I do appreciate Kara coming face to face with her wicked aunt this early, because it’s not what we’re used to. It was also fun to get some of those Superman nods with references to The Daily Planet, Lois Lane, Clark Kent, with Supergirl‘s characters just being able to say “Superman” without overdoing the “winking” at the audience like in the pilot.
I think the heart of Supergirl so far is the relationship between the Danvers sisters and how Alex continues to just surprise me. I was really convinced before seeing the pilot that she would have somewhat of a frenemy-dynamic with Kara. Instead, she continues to be a great supporting big sister who wants the best for Kara; there are plenty of moments where Alex illustrates this in different ways in “Stronger Together,” with her pushing Kara as they trained together, them teaming up to battle Astra and Hellgrammite, and her revealing Kara’s own “Fortress,” where she will be able to learn more from her A.I. mom. While I absolutely love how both Jimmy and Winn helped form a team of sorts for Kara in this episode, it’s just refreshing to have two strong female characters enjoy this type of dynamic together while also having such a positive effect on each other.
I also love how supportive Kara can be for her allies as well, especially for Jimmy in this episode, as Cat was threatening to fire him if he didn’t set up an interview with Supergirl. In a way, this storyline served as a commentary about people that have always seen Jimmy Olsen as just Superman’s pal and nothing else; Supergirl is going to show viewers why he is more than just that.
Also, I didn’t mention it above, but what in D.E.O.’s name is Hank Henshaw’s big secret, and why did his eyes glow red?! Only time will tell.
While not many new shows often have strong second episodes, Supergirl not only matched the quality of its pilot in “Stronger Together” but, in many ways, improved upon it. The series continues to pull you in and makes you to spend as much time in this world as you can.
Supergirl airs Mondays at 8/7c on CBS.
[Photo credit: Michael Yarish/CBS]
Follow Us
