Seeing as the show’s pilot was leaked to the internet, I figured I’d be one of the first to review it!
Based on the titular character from DC Comics, “Supergirl” revolves around 24 year old Kara Zor-El(portrayed by Melissa Benoist previously seen on Glee), cousin of Kal-El aka Superman who was sent to Earth as a young girl to survive the fate of the planet Krypton’s destruction. Raised among the Danvers(Dean Cain and Helen Slater both Superman franchise alums) as Kara Danvers for 12 years, she then adjusts to life on Earth taking on a job as a personal assistant to Cat Grant(portrayed by Callista Flockhart). Along the way, we also meet Winslow Schott (portrayed by Jeremy Jordan) and Jimmy Olsen (portrayed by Mehcad Brooks) both of whom are co-workers to Kara. As a crisis presents itself, Kara embraces her destiny to protect National City against alien threats that present themselves just like her famous cousin Superman in Metropolis.
Overall, the episode was entertaining and does a great service to the character. This isn’t that much of a surprise considering both Andrew Kreisberg and Greg Berlanti, producers of successful superhero television shows Arrow and The Flash as well as the upcoming DC’s Legends of Tomorrow are at the helm of all this. However, the big mistake I felt after watching the episode was that the six minute trailer released previously showed way too much footage to the point where the pilot was simply an extended version of the trailer. They used all the best scenes from beginning, middle and end in that same order in constructing the trailer which makes the pilot somewhat underwhelming.
Melissa Benoist portrays a honest young woman who’s learning her own path in the world. Audiences will find themselves rooting and cheering for 
her as she learns how to save the day. It was also rather charming to watch her take on similar mannerisms to previous takes on the Clark Kent persona as she tries to pass herself as “normal”. Her interactions with the supporting cast especially Callista Flockhart and the status of the word “Girl” were really meaningful to Kara’s character development. It’s a shame I already saw the whole thing before I saw the episode. Speaking of interactions, the sibling dynamic between Kara and Alex(Chyler Leigh) would be an interesting one to watch out for. Now that Kara’s out in the world, how will she take to her growth and change?
The action and visual effects weren’t too bad either. With a TV budget, they were able to pull off a reasonably decent job with the effects called for when it comes to adapting one of the more sci-fi sections of the DC Universe. A good example of this was the plane catching scene which again, I already saw. Other good instances were with the fight scenes with minor DC Comics villain Lumberjack who was re-imagined as an escaped Phantom Zone prisoner. She was good at communicating that she was a total novice at all of this. It would be nice to see her grow as the series progresses. One set of action scenes I wish that they expanded upon was the montage of Kara stopping various crimes. This would have been nice opportunity to see how people are taking to this saviour on a face to face civilian level. It was also funny to see a homage to the 1990’s series Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman as she tries on different outfits.
The show also doesn’t shy away from setting up possible plot threads to be expanded upon in future episodes. The DEO organisation seems like S.H.I.E.L.D. on the surface but comic readers would instantly recognize the name Hank Henshaw and what he’s done in those aforementioned comics as Cyborg Superman. The same could also be said about the character of Winslow Schott. Would Kara friend-zone him to the point where he goes villainous? Like most superhero shows these days, there’s that final stinger. It’s an intriguing one as we get to see a side of the House of El we never really explored.
I also wonder whether how much they’ll explore Superman or when will the other superhero shows come into play too.
