Advance Review: The Supergirl Season Premiere Is Absolutely Super

I grew up at an interesting time to be a Superman fan.

While those older than me might pick George Reeves or Christopher Reeve as their “favorite and only” Superman, and a younger generation who grew up watching Smallville or the new Zack Snyder movies might insist on Tom Welling or Henry Cavill, I grew up at a time were yeah, the Reeve Superman movies were cool and seemed like a comic book flying at the screen, but at the same time, younger portrayals like Gerard Christopher or Dean Cain might have also been familiar as inheritors to the role. I myself feel I’ve had the unique experience of seeing that variety of actors and appreciate aspects of each and every one of them — including the massively underrated Brandon Routh.

A new Superman is introduced in the Season 2 premiere of Supergirl titled “The Adventures of Supergirl” where he’s played by Tyler Hoechlin, who I see as a worthy addition to the pantheon. As Superman, he’s played as an authoritative yet likable figure; as Clark, he’s dorky and clumsy, but maybe a little less overdressed than Christopher Reeve had been. He’s certainly not “cool” like Dean Cain or Henry Cavill, and may be closest to what I remember Gerard Christopher’s Clark or the version played by Brandon Routh as being. Like Melissa Benoist’s Kara/Supergirl, this Superman cares about other people, but he won’t hesitate to make it known when he doesn’t like someone — and in National City, there are definitely a few “someone”s that he has history with, and not all of them are good. Oh… and this Superman smiles!!

How right is he in this season premiere, which airs October 10 on The CW?

Let me put it this way: While thankfully not overpowering Melissa Benoist out of her own show, Hoechlin immediately fits in with the ensemble in a way that the best comparison might be Grant Gustin’s two appearances introducing Barry Allen in Arrow Season 2. Seeing how the other characters interact with him is a joy; a lesser actor would not have been able to look so at ease in the role. I, too, pictured an older actor for the part, considering that he has had more time to age than Kara has, but at the very least, that aspect is lampshaded and mentioned. Also, like how Barry Allen made references (either indirectly or directly) to Iris and the Reverse-Flash, we already see what relationships Hoechlin’s Clark has with Perry White or Lois Lane. That’s just fun. We also get some references to famous moments in Superman media history, so listen closely. But best of all, this Superman feels fully-formed as soon as we see him; a lot of thought and care clearly went into creating this version of the character, and we’re spared yet another “origin of Superman” story.

The move to Vancouver for the show’s Season 2 production has some amusing elements and some that don’t really work as well. On the bright side, CatCo and Kara’s apartment both look very much the same as the sets that we watched in all of Supergirl Season 1. The DEO, however, has a brand new location, and there’s a really funny joke about it as if it’s been there all along. (Goodbye, weird cavern place and frequently used stock shot of that truck coming in!) Also amusing is that, being The CW, it looks like the makeup plan has changed and all of the characters look 5-10 years younger than they did in Season 1. TV magic!

I will miss the exterior shots that were genuinely shot in Los Angeles last season; already in a scene where Lena Luthor makes a big announcement in a park, it looks like a park we’ve seen on shows like The Flash before. Initially, I thought Supergirl’s Luthorcorp building might have been the same one used on Smallville, but after further inspection I’m not so sure.

Not all of Season 2’s new characters are introduced in the season opener, though we do first meet Lex Luthor’s sister, Lena, as played by one of my Merlin favorites, Katie McGrath. First off, if you haven’t seen Merlin already, you should, though be warned its finale was more disappointing than even Smallville’s was. I find the Lena character to add an interesting wrench into the works and I’m curious where they go with it; however, I do wish they had kept Katie McGrath’s natural accent, as right now it’s at a weird mix of things that I can’t quite place but don’t really care for. EW has also already taken the lid off the notion that my Dallas/Desperate Housewives fave Brenda Strong is playing a mysterious role, and I can’t wait to see what they do with her. If my “Queen” Calista Flockhart can’t be on Supergirl every week, Brenda Strong is also a close favorite in the “playing strong women” category.

Flockhart does play a good role in the season premiere, and I hope she will continue to do so whenever the show is able to get her. Cat Grant was a gem in Season 1, and it will be very hard to replace her, though the changes set forth in this season premiere might fly Kara to a place that might not necessarily be the CatCo building anymore. Interpersonal relations in this premiere are key and set up what could be very interesting moments, whether it’s Kara/Alex, Kara/Cat, Cat/Clark, J’Onn/Superman, Winn/Superman, Kara/James, or any other combination. I do wonder, though, if we’ll find out where Lucy is, or if Jenna Dewan Tatum is just too busy to go up to Vancouver anymore. Oh – and I’m sure this will be properly spoiled on the Internet by the time the episode airs, if it hasn’t been already, but just wait until you find out who Cat’s new assistant is! I will miss Kara’s chances to get older words of wisdom from Cat once Flockhart departs, though. Sure, she can talk to her cousin (on camera!) now, but the relationships between women on this show also makes Supergirl special. Hopefully Alex can pick up the slack, or I can hope we will see more of Eliza Danvers at some point.

(Oh, and before anyone accuses me of forgetting: Containment and Vampire Diaries favorite Chris Wood‘s Mon-El is seen in the premiere, though sparingly, and sadly missing his Containment scruff. Containment, we miss you! In any event, I’m looking forward to seeing what they do with this character.)

Most of all, though, like “Worlds Finest” last year, the Supergirl season premiere makes me happy. I generally judge how much I liked a TV show or a movie by how many times I want to see it repeatedly. Let me put it this way: I want to see “The Adventures of Supergirl” many, many more times. If you’ve been on the fence about watching the show, it’s a good jumping on point. And to The CW: THANK YOU for giving us more of this. This is only the start of what I think will be something truly fantastic. I’ve been waiting over a decade to finally see Superman in full costume on The CW, and now thanks to this show, I got it, and as I tweeted after I first watched it, it is appropriate that this episode airs on 10/10 because I rate this episode a 10/10. Great job all around.

The Supergirl season premiere airs October 10 on The CW. Take a look at some photos from the premiere here and if you want to talk Supergirl with other fans, come by our discussion forum… yes, the KryptonSite Forums still exist!