Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 2, Episode 7 - The Darkest Place

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.





Plot

James Olsen's new life as a hero may be cut short when a violent vigilante frames The Guardian for one of his own murders. Meanwhile, J'onn experiences odd symptoms following his blood transfusion from M'gann and Kara enters into Cadmus to rescue a captive Mon-El only to come face to face with the real Hank Henshaw!


Influences

Superman: The Movie (Lillian Luthor talks to Kara through a high-pitched signal and uses a threat to lure Supergirl into a trap), the third and fourth seasons of Justice League Unlimited (Cadmus as an anti-superhero organization) and the Superman comics of Dan Jurgens (character of Cyborg Superman).


Goofs

Mon-El asks about the proper procedure for "finding a mate" in Earth culture. Give he's apparently seeing at last three women, you would think he would have asked about that particular custom before now!

It seems highly unlikely that pouring Kryptonian blood on a Kryptonian computer console would cause it to assume that the person standing before the console matched the blood.

Even if that did work, shouldn't Kelex have auditory and visual censors that would allow him to "see" that Cyborg Superman is not Kara Zor-El?

Even allowing that The Cyborg Superman could be using his technopathy to confuse the computer, why did they need Kara's blood if he was capable of that in the first place?


Artistry

The direction for this episode is top-notch, darker and more intense than is typical for the series.

The editing between the various flashbacks in the first segment works well, as does the scene being filmed with a circling camera moving around the table filming Kara, Alex, Winn and James as they talk about The Guardian.

The set-design for Cadmus is truly spooky and the atmospheric music helps build the tension of the scenes there.

The fight scenes involving Guardian are some of the best this series has seen.


Super Trivia

Kara makes reference to her cousin working with a vigilante who had "tons of gadgets" and "lots of demons". This is almost certainly a reference to Batman.

Kara mentions a blonde Valeronian as one of Mon-El's regular lovers. In the DC Comics universe, Valeron is an alien world whose dominant sentient lifeforms resemble Earthlings. It is most well known as the homeworld of Vartox, The Hyper-Man - a super-being who is even more powerful than Superman.

M'gann makes K'rkzar's Tonic for J'onn - an old Martian folk remedy, apparently similar to chicken soup for Earthlings. In the original DC Comics universe, K'rkZar was the name of an alien philosopher who traveled the universe, studying the religions of all sentient races - including The Martians - searching for one great universal truth. J'onn went off in search of K'rkzar in Martian Manhunter Special #1 (July 1996) in the hope that he might have met other Martian survivors in his travels.

The mysterious Cadmus scientist from the previous episodes is finally identified by name in this episode as Lillian Luthor. Lillian Luthor first appeared in Superman #292 (October 1975). She never received any development beyond being ashamed of her infamous son Lex Luthor and is primarily a footnote in comic book history.

Lillian Luthor did get developed somewhat more in the Smallville TV series, where she was portrayed as a spirited woman from a rich family, who stood up to her equally stubborn husband Lionel on a great many things before her death.  She was not a scientist, however, so the DCTU characterization of Lillian Luthor is wholly original.

Lillian Luthor uses some kind of hypersonic radio to get Supergirl's attention. This is similar to how Lex Luthor got Superman's attention in Superman: The Movie.

According to Lillian Luthor, Cadmus was the first hero in Greek Mythology and is only remembered today for killing monsters. Ironically, she forgets an important part of the myth - that Cadmus created most of the monsters he killed, planting a dragon's teeth like seeds and killing most of the legion of fierce men - The Spartoi.- who grew from the teeth.

This aspect of the legend - a man creating supermen - is what inspired the name of The Cadmus Project in the original comics.

Cadmus is also remembered as the founder of the city of Thebes and being the first King of that city.

Hank Henshaw first appeared in Adventures of Superman #465 (April 1990). Created as a sort of parody of Reed Richards from Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, Henshaw was an astronaut that was part of the doomed crew of a space shuttle that was exposed to cosmic radiation as part of a LexCorp experiment. The radiation transformed all of the crew in horrific fashions, prompting all of them - except Henshaw - to commit suicide.

Blaming Superman for the incident and left with the power of technopathy (controlling machines through pure thought), Henshaw devoted himself to destroying Superman. To that end, he fashioned a new body for himself based on Kryptonian technology and Superman's DNA that he gathered after broadcasting his mind into the ship that carried Superman to Earth as a baby. He appeared to the people of Earth as The Cyborg Superman for the first time in Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993) and set about trying to destroy Superman's reputation in the wake of his apparent death.

It's worth noting that Supergirl and the Cyborg Superman have a more direct relationship in the New 52 DC Comics Universe. There, The Cyborg Superman is Zor-El - Kara Zor-El's father.  After sending his daughter to Earth, Zor-El found a way to protect Argo City from the destruction of Krypton using Brainiac technology. Brainiac then infected Zor-El, transforming him into a half-electronic/half-organic being under Brainiac's control.

Both versions of Cyborg Superman have the standard super-powers of a Kryptonaian under a yellow sun, in addition to their technopathy.

It is not explained in this episode how the DCTVU version of Hank Henshaw was transformed into The Cyborg Superman, but he shows strength and durability on-par with Supergirl. There's no visible evidence of his having technopathic powers but it is possible he is using his powers to manipulate The Fortress of Solitude computers and robots in the final scene.

The prison cells in Cadmus are made of unbreakable Nth metal, which Mon'El notes is from Thanagar. In the DC Comics universe, N'th metal is indeed from Thanagar but it has far more unusual properties than merely being strong. Nth metal has the ability to nullify gravity and magical energy. A person wearing an object made of Nth metal - such as a belt - would be able to fly and be protected from most forms of magic. It would also protect the wearer from the elements, speed the healing of wounds and increases their strength. A weapon made of Nth metal could penetrate protective magic spells and disrupt magical energy fields.

It is worth noting that in Legends of Tomorrow, Vandal Savage's immortality was caused by exposure to an N'th Metal Meteorite, as was the reincarnation cycle of Hawkman and Hawkgirl.

It is confirmed that - as in the original comics- Daxamites are allergic to lead.. Unlike the original comics, however, the poisoning is treatable and temporary.

The violent vigilante is revealed to be a Navy Seal named Phillip Karnowsky, who lost his wife to violence and began targeting criminals he felt escaped justice due to legal technicalities, like his wife's murderer.

In the original DC Comics, Phillip Karnowsky was a career criminal known as Barrage, who used a high-tech suit of armor to commit crimes. After losing an arm during a fight with Maggie Sawyer, Barrage developed a stronger suit with a robot arm with an energy cannon to use in his quest for revenge.

The DCTVU version of Barrage is very much like his comic book counterpart in terms of powers, save that his armored suit has a machine-gun arm rather than an energy cannon.

Mon-El says that marriages on Daxamite are prearranged at birth and people become bonded to one another at a certain age. This seems similar to how marriages are handled on some versions of Krypton in the comics.


Technobabble

In addition to his shield, James's Guardian costume comes equipped with smoke bombs, a wrist-mounted bola-launcher and a wrist-mounted grappling hook.

K'rkzar's Tonic is a popular Martian folk remedy prepared for those who are recovering from an illness. While impossible to replicate perfectly on Earth, M'gann attempts to make it for J'onn by substituting ghost peppers for z'arr roots.

Snapper Carr refers to the confirmation bias - the tendency to interpret any evidence to fit a previously established belief. In this case, James Olsen's belief that any costumed vigilante is automatically good.

N'th Metal comes from the planet Thanagar and is unbreakable, according to Mon'El.

Lillian Luthor has a helmet capable of absorbing the energy of Supergirl's solar flare power.

Daxamites are dangerously allergic to lead.

Alex determines that J'onn's blood has low hematocrit levels. A hematocrit the ratio of the volume of red blood cells to the total volume of blood. Alex says this could be due to dehydration or a higher concentration of sodium.

Green Martian blood and White Martian blood are apparently visibly different at a microscopic level.

The White Martians developed an alternative way to exterminate the Green Martians, by turning their blood into a mutagen that would transform Green Martians into White Martians. This is confirmed to be the cause of J'onn's illness and halucinations.


Dialogue Triumphs

(The crook has been snared by The Guardian and is hanging upside down.)
Crook: You ain't the police! This is wrongful imprisonment!  Kidnapping! I know a lawyer, you freak!
Guardian: Good. You're going to need one.

Kara: Are you still feeling sick from The Parasite?
J'onn: I keep seeing my wife and daughters. K'hym. T'ania. Like they're in the room with me.
Kara: Maybe this has something to do with M'gann?
(J'onn just shrugs a bit.)
Kara: When I got to Earth, I saw my parents everywhere. I was in my room one night. I remember looking up at the stars... and feeling so alone. I started to cry. And Eliza came in my room and I yelled at her to get out.
J'onn: Yelled? It's hard to imagine you as a teenager.
Kara: Well, I wasn't always this mature.
(J'onn smiles at that and nods for Kara to continue.)
Kara: Eliza refused to leave. She said... that my parents would want me to be loved. That nothing would replace them. That they were a part of who I am. (sniffles a bit) That was the first time I ever let her really hug me. And that was the first time I didn't feel alone anymore. Having M'gann in your life doesn't mean losing your family. It means feeling whole again.

Kara: If I leave you here, Alex will never forgive me!
Jeremiah: Kara, if you die here, there will be no one to forgive.

(Guardian is running from Barrage's bullets.)
Winn: Go high and to the left!
(Guardian shoots out his grappling hook and does so, only to be knocked out of the air by a sudden explosion.) 
Guardian: I thought you said to go high and left?!
Winn: That was to avoid bullets. I did not realize he had grenades!


Dialogue Disasters

Supergirl: Why are you doing this?
Cyborg Superman: Because it's time for you to die! You and the rest of the alien scum have no place on this planet!


Continuity

Mon-El has apparently been sleeping with Darla (the bartender at the alien bar, who used to be in a relationship with Maggie Sawyer), Eve (James Olsen's personal assistant, Miss Teschmacher) and an unnamed blonde Valeronian.

J'onn said his grandmother used to make K'rkzar's Tonic for him whenever he was sick.

The blood transfusion J'onn received from M'gann causes him to hallucinate - first visions of his dead wife and children. Then delusions that one of his fellow DEO agents was a White Martian.

J'onn learned Tai Chi from a Shaolin monk in the late 1800s.

Alex figures out that Winn is involved with The Guardian based on Winn's inability to lie after he defends The Guardian.  Winn confesses to her that James is The Guardian.

Alex knows six painful ways to get a person to talk using only her index finger.

Lillian Luthor refers to the events of 106 and Kara's losing her powers briefly following her use of her "solar flare" power.

Daxamites have an allergy to lead, similar to the effects of Kryptonite on a Kryptonian.

M'gann reveals that the story she told J'onn in 204 is true but that she was the White Martian who refused a kill order rather than one of the victims who escaped Mars.

Mon'El is about to tell Kara something about Daxam when they are rescued by Jerimiah Danvers.

The Cadmus base is empty when the DEO storms it.

J'onn locks M'gann up in a cell in the DEO base.

Maggie and Alex agree to remain friends.

Mon'El shows signs of being romantically interested in Kara.

Cyborg Superman is apparently strong enough to lift the key to The Fortress of Solitude.


Location

The final scene takes place in The Fortress of Solitude.


Untelevised Adventures

We have yet to learn how Hank Henshaw was transformed into The Cyborg Superman.


The Bottom Line

A rare episode where the best parts lie in the execution of the technical elements rather than the performance of the cast. Between J'onn confronting M'gann, Mon-El needing a rescue, Guardian fighting Barrage, the return of Jeremiah Danvers and Alex dealing with Maggie's rejection there's a lot going on in this episode and the cast doesn't get enough time to truly develop the material they are offered. And the first appearance of The Cyborg Superman is just lame, even ignoring David Harewood hamming it up.

Superman: Lois And Clark #7 - A Review

In the wake of Intergang's attempt to kill Lois Lane (aka Author X) and her young son, Jonathan's powers have been revealed. Thankfully, Superman is along shortly to get them to safety. But even Superman may not be able to rebuild the bonds of trust in his own family in the wake of the revelation that he and his wife have been hiding their real selves from their son for his whole life.


This series has been building up to this moment since the very beginning. And Dan Jurgens plays it out perfectly. Lois, Clark and Jonathan sound like a real family - something that is surprisingly rare in most comic-book portrayals of parents and children interacting with one another.


Once again I have to praise the efficiency of the art team on this issue. Typically, when you have two pencilers and three inkers on a comic, the result is chaotic and messy. Shockingly, the visual continuity of this issue doesn't suffer at all despite having numerous cooks working on the dish, so to speak.

Superman: Lois And Clark #6 - A Review

Intergang makes their move on Author X aka Lois Lane, abducting her and her son. This looks like a job for Superman... but he's otherwise occupied with the super-villain Badrock - start of a new reality show that just became a little too real! Thankfully, salvation may come at the hands of a most unlikely source...
I can't say enough good things about Dan Jurgens writing. Jurgens has been writing Superman for a long time and we can only hope he'll continue to do so once the line-up for Rebirth is announced. This series is quite honestly the best Superman story we've seen in years.



Jurgens' writing is equaled by the quality work of Lois & Clark's art team. Lee Weeks' characters are cleared designed and well-rendered. Scott Hannah's inks achieve the perfect balance between mere outlining of the original pencils and over-enhancing them. And Jeromy Cox's colors are divine.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 17 - Manhunter

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.




Plot

His identity as an alien revealed along with his masquerading as Hank Henshaw, J'onn J'onzz tells the tale of how he saved the life of Jeremiah Danvers and came to become director of the DEO.  At the same time, Kara tries to cope with most of the people of National City fearing her and considers revealing her secret as a gesture of good will, as Siobhan begins to plot against Kara for getting her fired.


Influences

Predator (the jungle sequences with the DEO team tracking J'onn through the jungle) Enemy Mine (the interaction between J'onn and Jeremiah Danvers), Men In Black (the scene of J'onn introducing Alex to the DEO HQ) and Man of Steel (the sequence of a teenage Kara losing control of her super-hearing and x-ray vision mirrors a similar sequence involving a young Clark Kent in this movie, the scene where Jeremiah Danvers talks to Kara about hiding who she is after she saves someone in a visibly flashy way mirrors a similar scene with Pa Kent and a young Clark after he saves a bus full of children from drowning)


Goofs

Granting that her father's rank probably helped expedite matters, it still seems incredible that Lucy Lane was able to reenlist in the Army (much less regain her old position) so quickly after quitting her job at CatCo.

Kara and Alex talk about not implicating themselves within a few feet of the Marines that are watching everyone in the building for suspicious behavior

CatCo has a shocking lack of security - both in how there is no one to stop Siobhan from sneaking into the building in the early evening and in how Kara's work computer is open to her e-mail when she was out sick the whole day.

Then again, Siobhan is kind of an idiot to think she can do what she does without being seen on the interior security cameras.

How are lead-lined frames supposed to prevent Kara from using her x-ray vision? The glass would need to be lead-lined as well.


Performances

There's one great scene early on in which Mehcad Brooks and Calista Flockhart have a conversation without a word being said as Cat's phone starts ringing and there is nobody else to answer it. The non-verbal acting in this moment is fantastic.

David Harewood is fantastic throughout. He plays three different characters in this episode - the original Hank Henshaw, the version of Hank played by J'onn J'onzz and J'onn himself - and this hour is a fine showcase for how versatile he is at playing different levels. It's reminiscent of Stephen Amell's work on Arrow, playing different versions of Oliver Queen at different points in time and around different people.


Artistry

Though the dialogue is rather sexist, with Jeremiah Danvers basically saying "You don't need to save people - there's already a man to do that!", the scene in which Kara's foster dad talks with her people's reactions to a young girl doing impossible things is a great improvement on the similar scene between Pa Kent and a young Clark Kent from the movie Man of Steel.


Super Trivia

J'onn is seen eating Chocos cookies in his cell at the DEO - a gift from Alex, who deduced they were his favorite. This is a nod to the comics, where Chocos were Martian Manhunter's favorite snack.

At one point it was revealed that the affect of Chocos on Martian physiology mirrored that of addictive narcotics in humans. J'onn was able to cure himself of his addiction by using his shapeshifting powers to expel the mass of cells responsible for causing the addiction.

In the comics, James Harper was the real name of a masked superhero called The Guardian. A Metropolis police officer in his day job, Harper created the identity of The Guardian to go after the criminals who couldn't be prosecuted legally. He was aided in his protection of the Suicide Slum neighborhood of Metropolis by a group of orphaned newspaper boys he adopted, who became known as The Newsboy Legion. The newsboys later grew up to become scientists, who started the comics book version of The Cadmus Project.

The DCTVU version of James Harper is a Colonel in the United States Marine Corps.

J'onn is seen to be visibly uncomfortable around the fire Jeremiah Danvers makes to keep himself warm at night. In the original comics, fire weakened Martians and made them unable to use their powers in the same way that Kryptonite depowers Kryptonians.

The reasons for the Martian weakness to fire have changed several times over the years. Most frequently, it was a physiological weakness akin to Kryptonite. One story said that it was a psychological effect, as the Martian god of chaos took the form of a wild fire. Another said that it was a genetic flaw programmed into their race by The Guardians of the Universe in order to prevent The Martians from becoming an unstoppable race of conquerors.

The DCTVU version of J'onn is uncomfortable around fire due to it reminding him of the fiery death of his race during the war between the White and Green Martians. This is also the reason for J'onn's weakness to fire in the New 52 DC Comics reality.

Col. Harper says J'onn and Alex are both being taken to Project Cadmus. In the comics, The Cadmus Project was a genetics lab that devoted itself toward the creation of heroic alien/human hybrids. They also created a younger clone body for Jim Harper, allowing The Guardian to continue fighting crime with the vigor of his original youth.

In the Justice League Unlimited TV Series, Project Cadmus was an initiative sponsored by the United States government to monitor metahumans and develop plans to neutralize the threat they posed. This version of Cadmus combined elements of the comics version of Project Cadmus, Task Force X (aka The Suicide Squad) and the covert organization Checkmate.

James Olsen describes the DCTVU version of Project Cadmus as the reason why Superman won't work for the American government.  He says that if the DEO is a prison, than Project Cadmus is a dissection lab. It's a genetic engineering facility that treats aliens like lab rats, weaponizing alien abilities for military purposes and using humans as guinea pigs.

As in the comics, Kara cannot use her x-ray vision to see through lead.

The DEO alerts Kara to a bank robbery on the corner of 10th and Shukert. This is likely a tribute to Supergirl staff writer Rachel Shukert,


Technobabble

Col. James Harper's team developed a stasis field that prevents J'onn from using his powers. It generates a smell like burning rubber. It also seems to generate some kind of static that prevents Supergirl from hearing anything within the field

The DEO has Remote Outpost Probes that allow them to detect the presence of aliens on Earth.

Henshaw uses a thermal tracker, which indicates that J'onn was active within a two mile radius of their current position.

Jeremiah Danvers made Kara a pair of glasses with lead-lined frames to help her suppress her vision powers.

Winn analyzed the typing speed and patterns on the hard drive of Kara's computer and determined it didn't match Kara but it did match Sibohan.


Dialogue Triumphs

(J'onn sits in his cell, ripping open a package of Chocos as Alex enters.)
Alex: You don't look so dangerous shoving Chocos in your face.
J'onn: (smacking his lips as he eats) How did you know they were my favorite?
Alex: You eat them at 3 am. Only your favorite will do at 3 am.
J'onn: You have to stop these visits.
Alex: I like taking care of you, for once.
J'onn: My mission as Hank Henshaw was to protect you.
Alex: Missions change.
J'onn: Not this one. Which is why I'm telling you, you have to distance yourself. Don't check in on me. Stop bringing me cookies. Just say you never knew about me. Say I betrayed you.
Alex: I would never do that! J'onn: There has to be a reckoning, Alex. An alien lied and took command of a government organization. This doesn't end with people getting fired or even going to jail. People get disappeared for this sort of thing. They're going to tear this place apart looking for whoever helped me.
Alex: I'll lie. I'll convince. I will do everything that you taught me to do. But I am not abandoning you! This is rock bottom. And I know what kind of person I'm going to be.

J'onn: I've dedicated my life to protecting this world and if you want to take me down for being different, so be it.

Lucy: Why would I help you? You and Hank? Why do you all lie?
Kara: When you're an alien and you've lost your world and you're dropped into a new one? You don't have a choice.

(To Lucy Lane)
Kara: I know you're feeling betrayed and alone. But if you go along with Jim Harper, just to feel like you fit in?  To feel like you belong somewhere? Ultimately, the only person you're betraying is yourself. It wasn't easy for me to show you who I really am. But I did it because I trust in who you are. Who you really are under that uniform. And I trust  you'll do the right thing.

(After revealing that she saw through Siobhan's incredibly stupid plan to get Kara fired)
Cat: I don't have very many regrets, Siobhan, but I do regret firing you the first time. I wish to God that I could fire you again. With feeling.


Dialogue Disasters

Jeremiah Danvers: I know you were only trying to help. But the world already has a Superman. All you need to be is Kara Danvers.


Continuity

Lucy Lane has been reinstated to her position as a Major in the United States Army.

J'onn apparently was hiding in the Peruvian Amazon, where the local natives thought that he was Supay - the Inca God of Death.

J'onn does not have a physical weakness to fire but is uncomfortable around it due to the fiery death of his race.

Superman reportedly described J'onn as the most powerful being on Earth.

J'onn has regenerative powers  - presumably a function of his shape-shifting allowing him to reshape the damaged areas of his body.

Jeremiah Danvers died saving J'onn from Hank Henshaw. He was able to throw Henshaw off a cliff, but not before being fatally stabbed.

Col. Jim Harper was the best friend of the original Hank Henshaw.

J'onn is over 300 years old.

Cat Grant is friends with Princess Kate Middleton.

Alex Danvers was recruited by J'onn for the DEO three years ago.

Kara reveals her secret identity to Lucy Lane.

Kara began working for Cat Grant two years ago.

J'onn has super strength.

J'onn has refined his control to where he can erase memories more precisely with his telepathy. As a result of this, he accidentally discovers that Jeremiah Danvers is alive at Project Cadmus.

Alex and J'onn go on the run, determined to find Project Cadmus and rescue Jeremiah.

Col. Jim Harper resigns his position and insists on Lucy Lane being placed in charge of the DEO.

At the end of the episode, a drunken Siobhan falls off a roof and is able to save herself as her scream turns into some form of sonic blast that allows her to levitate.


Location

The Peruvian Andes, on the border of the Amazon jungle.

Midvale Junior High School in the city of Midvale.


The Fridge Factor

Jeremiah Danvers argument against Kara trying to help people boils down to "Superman is already doing that sort of thing, you silly girl!"


The Bottom Line

A rushed episode that seems to be doing too much while simultaneously ignoring several urgent plot lines (i.e. the public no longer trusting Kara) in favor of a series of flashbacks that offer some much needed development to several characters who are quickly ushered out of the series. Still, if this turns out to be the back-door pilot for a Martian Manhunter solo series, I'll cope.

Superman: Lois And Clark #5 - A Review

The most dangerous villain Clark Kent has encountered upon this Earth - the psychic known as Blanque - has broken loose of his cell in the new Fortress of Solitude. What is worse, he now has control of this world's Hank Henshaw, who may or may not have just gained the powers of his otherworldly counter-part, The Cyborg Superman! It will take all of Clark's power and cunning to save not only his family but the whole world!

If this issue has a flaw, it is that Lois' storyline regarding her her ordeals with this world's version of Intergang is put on the back-burner for a good, old-fashioned superhero smackdown. That being said, this issue is a good one, as far as good, old-fashioned superhero smackdowns go. Dan Jurgens tells this sort of story well and the issue still has plenty of touching moments of Lois and Clark bonding as a couple in spite of the emphasis on the action.


Neil Edwards (most recently seen on The Four Doctors) and Scott Hanna do their usual stellar job on the artwork for this issue. You would never know there were two inkers at work here. And Jeromy Cox's colors are as subtle and suitable as ever.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 2 - Stronger Together

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.





Plot

As Kara tries to build a good working relationship with her sister Alex and the rest of her DEO team while they peruse one of the escaped alien criminals, Cat Grant begins to pressure James Olsen to deliver an interview with Supergirl.


Influences

Superman: The Movie (the opening scene of Kara chasing the missiles as training mirrors the climax of this movie, the montage of Kara helping the people of National City mirrors Superman's first night as a superhero, right down to her rescuing a little girl's pet from a tree and the hologram of Alura In-Ze is straight from this movie), Superman II (the character of General Astra is basically a female version of General Zod), Man of Steel (the theme of distrust regarding an alien savior), various Supergirl comics, but particularly New Krypton, which dealt with a group of rogue Kryptonians on Earth and features Supergirl and her mother, Alura In-Ze, as prominent characters.


Goofs

Apparently the DEO has procedures for training an alien to become a field agent. Even though they didn't have any interest in recruiting an alien field agent last week.

For that matter, they were able to get a fighting arena with Kryptonite emitters embedded in the wall built on a week's notice so Alex could teach Kara how to fight? Along with a private room with a Kryptonian A.I.?


Performances

Mehcad Brooks is doing a great job bringing Jimmy Olsen to life. The best moment of the episode comes with his speech about wanting to be his own man and not depending on his relationship with Superman to define his career.

Melissa Benoist continues to impress as Kara. She was born to play this role, managing to portray Kara as confident in the heat of battle but still scared senseless of her boss.

On that note, it's worth noting that Calista Flockhart is very effective at playing Cat Grant as the kind of character you love to hate.


Artistry

The montage in which Kara flies around helping the people of National City under James and Winn's direction, set to Pat Benetar's Hit Me With Your Best Shot is magical. It shows off Kara's powers in a fun way and makes a far better "girl-power" statement than any forced dialogue with Director Henshaw.


Super Trivia

Dodging missiles and moving in such a way as to cause them to take themselves out is a fairly standard trick for both Superman and Supergirl in the comics.

The line "This looks like a job for Supergirl" is a nod to one of the most famous lines from the classic Superman comics. Many heroes have appropriate the phrase since then, but the original wording was "This looks like a job for Superman."

Kara's issues with saving the oil tanker during the dock fire are clever nods to the problems certain superpowers would have in regards to real-world physics. For instance, while Super-Breath is routinely used to put out fires with ease in the comics, any wind of sufficient force to extinguish a fire would run the risk of spreading the flames if not properly focused. And while Supergirl may have the strength to push an oil tanker, the side of the tanker may not be strong enough to withstand her pushing it with all her might.

In the original DC Comics, Maxwell Lord was a shrewd and powerful businessman who was instrumental in the formation of Justice League International. Max later developed the ability to control the minds of other people, following the Invasion! storyline.

Maxwell Lord's characterization has been amazingly inconsistent since his creation. Some writers portrayed him as an amoral con-artist whiles others depicted him as an easily-tempted but ultimately redeemable figure, who was inspired to be a better man by the heroes he managed. That all went out the window during Countdown To Infinite Crisis, where Max was revealed to be a criminal mastermind and secret leader of the organization Checkmate. It was further revealed that Max had used his position with the JLU to render the group ineffectual, so that humanity would have time to develop safeguards to protect itself from the menace of super-powered beings.

The DCTVU version of Maxwell Lord seems to be cut from the same cloth as his earliest incarnation, being a businessman in National City who holds a low opinion of superheroes. He appears on TV speaking as to the negative effects Superman has had on Metropolis while pledging to use his fortune to clean up the oil spill Supergirl accidentally caused.

Cat Grant drops the names of Lois Lane and Clark Kent when speaking disparagingly of "the hags" at The Daily Planet. Clark Kent is, of course, Superman's secret identity and Lois Lane is his chief rival - and later love-interest - at the Metropolis newspaper The Daily Planet.

We get our first look at The Hellgrammite at Plastino Chemicals.  This is named in honor of Al Plastino - the artist who co-created Supergirl, as well as the Superman villain Brainiac and The Legion of Superheroes.

Hellgrammite is discovered in Sector 52 of Plastino Chemicals. This is a nod to the importance of the number 52 in the DC Comics Universe.

In the original DC Comics, Hellgrammite was the name of a super-villain and enemy of Superman. Originally an entomologist named Roderick Rose, The Hellgrammite was created after Rose exposed himself to a mutagen that transformed him into a giant, grasshopper-like insect. The mutation gave The Hellgrammite increased strength, the ability to leap long distances, a super-dense exoskeleton and the ability to secrete natural adhesives that could be used to craft cocoons. He later developed the ability to transform other people into "larvae" under his control and worked as an freelance assassin before joining the super-criminal organization Intergang.

In our world, Hellgrammite is also the technical name for the larvae of The Dobsonfly. It does not seem to have any relation to the super-villain apart from having a fearsome sounding name. They are popular as bait with angler fishermen.

The DCTVU version of Hellgrammite is an alien. Hellgrammite is the name of his species. He is seen climbing on walls like a spider and has the jumping powers of his comic-book counterpart. Unlike the comics version, this Hellgrammite has poisonous stingers, which it shoots out of its hands. It is a shapeshifter, capable of posing as a normal human and has an enhanced sense of smell. It is not immune to its own poison and it dies after Alex Danvers forces it to stab itself in the chest with its own stinger.

In the flashback, Alura In-Ze makes reference to the Kryptonian Military Guild. Before its destruction, The Military Guild was an organization which combine the duties of police officers and military soldiers. They were charged with keeping the peace on Krypton.

The idea of Kryptonians being easily beaten in a physical fight by Earthlings with advanced combat training once deprived of their powers is a fairly common trope in DC Comics. Early on, both Superman and Supergirl depended exclusively on their powers. Superman eventually sought martial arts training from Batman and Supergirl - in the post-Crisis DC Universe, at least - spent some time on Themyscira being trained by The Amazons.

Cat Grant says that she started out as Perry White's assistant before finally getting a chance to write a gossip column for The Daily Planet. In the comics, Perry White is the editor of The Daily Planet. However, in the original comics, Cat was a successful syndicated gossip columnist in her home town of Los Angeles before she was hired at The Daily Planet, though she did wish to be taken seriously as a real reporter and attempted to infiltrate Intergang on her own to prove herself.

General Astra In-Ze is an original creation unique to the DCTVU. Thus far, she seems to be a female version of General Zod, who just happens to be Supergirl's aunt.

In both the comics and the movies, Zod was a military leader on Krypton who lead a military coup against what he saw as a corrupt and ineffectual government. He and his followers were punished with banishment to The Phantom Zone. Eventually they escaped and contested with Superman - usually over Zod's plans to conquer or destroy The Earth. Both Superman II and Man of Steel were based around the conflict between Zod and Superman. In most of the comic books - and both films - Zod bore a grudge against Superman's father, Jor-El.

This episode establishes a similar conflict between Supergirl and General Astra, with Astra holding a grudge against her sister Alura. While the exact nature of Astra's crimes are not explained, she claims that her own sister imprisoned her for telling the truth.

The name Astra has multiple meanings. In Greek, it means "star".  In Latin, it means "of the stars". In Norse, it means "divine strength". Tellingly, Kara makes reference to her aunt showing her all the stars and telling her their names when she was a child.

In the 1950s, DC Comics published a sci-fi series called Astra - Girl of The Future. The book centered on a futuristic television reporter named Astra.  It is worth noting that one of Superman's many titles was The Man Of Tomorrow.

Astra's two minions - while not named in the episode - are identified in the cast list for the episode as Commander Gor and Lieutenant Mur.  Gor and Mur are based on two characters from the original Superman comics. They appeared in the Return to Krypton story-line, where they were two of the 600 soldiers trapped in the Kryptonian city of Kandor, which was shrunk, trapped in a bottle and stolen by the evil A.I. Brainiac. Later, when Superman found a way to restore the city, they learned of General Zod's imprisonment in The Phantom Zone, and bargained for his freedom. They later served under General Zod when he attempted to declared war on Earth.

The DCTVU versions of Commander Gor and Lieutenant Mur appear to serve a similar function, save that they are underlings of General Astra rather than General Zod.

The first crime James and Winn send Kara to stop is the armed robbery of a pizza place on 5th and Sigel. This is a reference to Jerry Siegel - the writer who, along with artist Joel Shuster, created Superman.

The next problem James and Winn send Kara to help with is an ambulance stuck in traffic on Donner Avenue. This is a reference to Richard Donner - the film director who, among other great movies, directed Superman: The Movie and most of Superman II.

Saving kittens from trees is another classic superhero trope. Superman does it in Superman The Movie. This may be the first time, however, that the pet a superhero needed to rescue was a snake.

The exact meaning of the stylized S-Shield used as an emblem by Superman and Supergirl has changed over the years. Originally, it was indeed a stylized-S. It was first used as a coat of arms for the House Of El in Superman: The Movie, at the suggestion of actor Marlon Brando.

Both the 1987 comic mini-series Man of Steel by John Byrne and the novelization of the 2006 movie Superman Returns by Marv Wolfman made reference to the S being a stylized snake. The former story said that Jonathan Kent designed the emblem based on a Native American legend regarding the snake being the symbol of the healer. The later story said the shield was a Kryptonian symbol, representing one of the three great houses that helped to stabilize the planet after a violent civil uprising. The snake-coiled-in-a-shield emblem was meant to be a symbolic warning against returning to the ways of violence and treachery.

The 2004 comic book story Birthright established the idea of the S-Shield being the Kryptonian symbol for hope - an idea that was later utilized in the 2013 movie Man of Steel. Writer Geoff Johns confirmed that the S-Shield was both the Kryptonian symbol for hope and the coat of arms for the House of El in his story, Superman: Secret Origins.

The idea put forth in this episode - that the S-shield is also the family motto of The House of El and meaning "stronger together" - is a new conceit.

Director Henshaw makes reference to having had a family once. In the original comics, Hank Henshaw lost most of his family due to the space-shuttle crash that gave him super powers.

Alex makes a reference to Superman having a hidden base - a fortress - in the Arctic. This is a reference to The Fortress of Solitude.  She also makes reference to the base allowing him to commune with his Kryptonian ancestors, though it is not explained how the DEO knows this.

The DEO set up a similar room to what they believe is in The Fortress of Solitude, using an interactive artificial intelligence program culled from living memory, located in the rocket that took Kara to Earth. This artificial intelligence takes the form of Kara's mother, Alura In-Ze. This is just like the interface Jor-El created to run the Fortress of Solitude in Superman: The Movie.  Later Superman movies revealed other Kryptonian elders made manifest through the Fortress' computer.

We see Director Henshaw's eyes flash red at the end of the episode. This may be another reference to his eventual fate as The Cyborg Superman, who also had red glowing eyes in some artistic interpretations.


Technobabble

The DEO determine that the chemical factory The Hellgrammite was robbing manufactured sodium hypochlorite and ammonium nitrate.  Sodium Hypochlorite, when dissolved in water, becomes liquid bleach, though it can also be used to make chlorine gas. Ammonium nitrate is used as both a fertilizer and a mining explosive. They theorize that The Hellgrammite may be building a chemical bar.

Hellgrammites are an insectoid species, but they can camouflage themselves into any shape they want.

Winn notes that a fulled-.loaded ambulance weights 9200 pounds - just over 4.5 tons. This means Kara needs to use a maximum of 44,498 Newtons of force to move it.

The Hellgrammite is a chlorine-based life form, rather than a carbon-based one like all life on Earth.

Alex realizes all of the chemical plants The Hellgrammite robbed were used to store DDT - a chlorine-based pesticide. She theorizes that The Hellgrammite has been eating the DDT as it is one of the few things on the planet it can eat safely.

The DEO sets up a private room that only Kara can open, containing an hologram generated by an interactive artificial intelligence program that was on the rocket that carried Kara to Earth. This hologram looks like Alura In-Ze and can answer any question based on her experience and knowledge.


Dialogue Triumphs

Supergirl: For the last 12 years I hid who I was. I don't have to anymore. And I don't want to waste a minute of it. Besides, this sounds like a job for Supergirl.

James: Kara, look out the window. Tell me what you see.
Kara: Buildings. Billboards. There's that bar where that guy always cards me. He knows how old I am...
James: I see a city full of people who need help. Who need a hero.
Kara: You really think so?
James: If anybody can fill Superman's boots, it's you.

(Supergirl floats down from a tree, holding something as she approaches a young girl.)
Girl: Fluffy!
(Pan to Supergirl, who is holding a large snake.)
Supergirl: Here you go.
(She passes off the snake to the girl. Once distracted with her pet, Supergirl makes a grossed-out face and surreptitiously tries to wipe her hands clean before whispering into her mike)
Supergirl: I thought you said it was a cat?
Winn: Who names their snake "Fluffy"?

Alex: Do you really think it was a good idea to tell your friends who you are?
Kara: Yes. Because they're my friends.

James: You know, it's been like this for a while. Back when I first started, I was this nervous kid with his camera, just trying to get noticed. And then one day, everybody knew my name. And not because of anything *I* did. Not really. Because I was friends with somebody who was making a difference. I dunno - I just thought... I could escape all that if I moved here. Be my own man, you know?
Kara: Back on Krypton, no one was their own man. Growing up, I was taught that to accept help from people is not a shame. It's an honor.
James: Your cousin never talks about Krypton.
Kara: He was a baby when we left. But I remember it. All the time. Did he ever tell you what that "S" means?
James: The House of El.
Kara: Yes, but it also stands for a Kryptonian phrase. Our family motto - "El mayarah". It means "stronger together". You say people will see me the way they see Superman one day. But I don't want to be a hero like him! My cousin - he's so used to going it alone. He doesn't know any other way. But I do. I see it now! You, Winn, my sister, Ms. Grant even. You all showed me that!  James... part of being your own man is knowing when to accept help.
James: You really want to do that interview?
Kara: First I was scared, but I'm not anymore. I want to do it
James: For me?
Kara: For what we're trying to do here together.  For us.

Astra: I let one planet die. I will not do so again.
Supergirl: Funny. I was going to say the same thing.

Kara: I'm not quite sure what to ask...
Alura AI: Whatever it is you wish you could ask Alura, you may ask me.
Kara: (starting to tear up) I'd ask for a hug.
Alura AI: I'm not programmed to do that.
Kara; (sniffling and then steeling herself before speaking again) Then tell me about my Aunt Astra.


Dialogue Disasters

Supergirl: Are these tests mandatory for everyone? Or just because I'm a- ?
Dir. Henshaw: It is not because you're a woman, Miss Danvers. The DEO requires rigorous physical and psychological evaluation for all perspective field operatives.
Supergirl: I was going to say "alien".


Continuity

Supergirl can fly faster than the speed of sound.

Alex Danvers trained for a full year with the DEO before she was allowed into the field.

According to Maxwell Lord, the city maintenance budgets for Metropolis have quadrupled since Superman's arrival. Lord blames this entirely on metahuman fights in the city.

Winn Schott's idol is Maxwell Lord. He owns several of Lord's watches as well as his biography and autobiography.

Kara is aware that Clark Kent is Superman.

Kara's father has many fine qualities but he is a terrible cook.

Alura In-Ze was an adjudicator - a Kryptonian position equivalent to a prosecuting attorney.

The Military Guild is a Kryptonian peace-keeping force, combining the roles of soldiers and police officers. It is they who arrested The Hellgrammite on Krypton.

Kara refers to her defeat of Vartox in 101.

Apparently only the DEO knows about the existence of Kryptonite. At the very least, it is not public knowledge.

Alex Danvers spent twelve hours a day for five months doing nothing but combat training when she joined the DEO.

Kara has no formal combat training.

Both Winn and James are astonished to learn that the other one knows Kara's secret identity as well. Together, they work on helping inform Kara about trouble Supergirl can help with.

The leader of the Kryptonian criminals on Earth is General Astra In-Ze. She is Supergirl's aunt, the twin sister of her mother Alura In-Ze. She is apparently bullying the other escaped prisoners into working for her.

Kara was scared of the Danvers' popcorn maker as a girl.

The Hellgrammite robbed six chemical plants around the USA over the past year.

"El mayarah" is the family motto of The House of El and the symbol relating to that phrase is their coat of arms (i.e. The S-Shield worn by Superman and Supergirl).  Translated from Kryptonian, it means "stronger together".

Director Henshaw had a family at some point.

Astra confirms that she and Alura were twin sisters. She notes that twins were rare on Krypton. She says that her goals are to save humanity - not kill it, but does not elaborate on that plan.

Astra was imprisoned in The Phantom Zone by Alura for "speaking the truth, while she told only lies" and "being a hero and trying to save their world."

Kara says that Astra taught her the names of all the stars as a girl.

Director Henshaw is armed with a kryptonite knife.

Kara asks Alex to teach her how to fight.

Alex reveals the AI room with the hologram of Alura to Kara. It was built at Alex's request as a favor from Director Henshaw.

Henshaw's eyes flash red as he walks away from Alex near the episode's end.

Cat Grant gets her interview with Supergirl, though the episode ends before we hear it.


The Fridge Factor

Kara makes a few rookie mistakes early on but seems to be given a harder time about it because of her gender.


The Bottom Line

A marked improvement on the first episode. It's gratifying to see they won't be dragging out the mystery of who the mysterious general is and that the Astra/Alura/Kara triangle has been established this soon. The best bits of the show continue to be James and Kara playing off one another. The action sequences are largely excellent, though the final fight between Astra and Kara is shot a little too close. Really, the only serious complaint I have is that I wish Winn would get some more development beyond being the quirky geek guy.

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot

For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.


Plot

24 years ago, Kara Zor-El was sent to Earth from the planet Krypton to look after her baby cousin, Kal-El, in the wake of their planet's destruction. But something went wrong and Kara's rocket became trapped in The Phantom Zone. It eventually escaped, but also opened the way for Fort Rozz - a Kryptonian prison containing the worst criminals in the universe - to follow her to Earth. She was found by Kal-El - known to the world as Superman - and entrusted to the care of The Danvers Family.

Now, 12 years later, Kara lives in National City, employed as a personal assistant to media mogul Cat Grant. It isn't a bad life but Kara feels like she should be using her powers to follow Superman's example rather than staying hidden, as her adoptive sister Alex suggests. But when Alex's plane is wrecked by a bomb, Kara throws herself into action and assumes her heroic destiny.


Influences

Action Comics #252 (first appearance of Kara Zor-El), Action Comics #279 (First appearance of The Danvers family), Superman/Batman: Supergirl (first revised origin of Supergirl), the DC Comics series Chase (development of the DEO as a group), Superman: The Movie (Kara's saving a plane and Vartox's method of getting her attention) and The Devil Wears Prada (basic set-up of Kara's job, and the boss character provides the personality for the DCTVU version of Cat Grant).


Goofs

In the opening narration, Kara says that Krypton was destroyed 24 years ago. She then spent 24 years in The Phantom Zone before being found by Kal-El. Shouldn't she have said Krypton was destroyed 35 years ago, since she's been on Earth for 12 years at this point?

So Superman has never checked up on Kara in person in the last decade? She asks Jimmy what he is like... so logically she must not have seen him at all since she was 13?  What a dick!

Granting that the DEO have never been a bastion of competence in the comics, the version we see here seem to be even worse. They've apparently known about Kara and her powers for years and done nothing about her for good or ill.  Given Henshaw's obvious fear of aliens of any kind, it seems shocking that he wouldn't have brought Kara in for experimentation and he clearly doesn't trust Alex enough to leave her sister alone out of respect. Yet once they are given a superhuman who is willing to work with them who would be capable - with guidance and knowledge - of being able to deal with nearly any of the threats they are afraid of, Henshaw dismisses her and tells her to stick to fetching coffee!  What an idiot!

On that note, Henshaw says the DEO's job is to cover up the existence of aliens on Earth. What's the point in doing that if Superman is operating publicly and everyone knows he's from another planet?

For that matter, the DEO sucks as a covert organization. Henshaw mocks the subtly of a flying woman in a bright red skirt yet the DEO has helicopters launching explosive missiles next to a power plant in the middle of the day as part of their efforts to stop Vartox!

If being called Supergirl in the press really bothers Kara that much, why doesn't she go to another media outlet, give them an exclusive and say that she's Superwoman?


Performances

Melissa Benoist is perfectly cast as Kara, playing her perfectly as a geeky but well-meaning heroine who shows her steel when push comes to shove.

Mehcad Brooks is a perfect Jimmy - er - James Olsen, projecting the character's optimism with every smile and affirming statement.


Artistry

The special effects are on-par with what we see on The Flash and quite impressive for a television series budget. The sequence in which Supergirl saves the plane is particularly noteworthy.


Super Trivia

Kara's background on the show most closely emulates her origin in the most recent retellings of Supergirl's origins from the comics

In Action Comics #252, it was revealed that the Kryptonian city of Argo City was able to survive the destruction of the planet, encased within a force-field which clung to a meteor that was formed by the planet's explosion. Eventually, the lead shielding protecting the city failed and Argo City's chief scientist, Zor-El, sent his daughter to Earth in a rocket, having somehow learned of the Kryptonian hero Superman.

In Superman/Batman: Supergirl, things were modified so that Kara escaped Krypton at the same time as Kal-El, but her ship became encased in a Kryptonite meteor that eventually reached Earth over a decade after Clark had established himself as Superman. This time Clark entrusted Kara to Ma and Pa Kent, who were still alive in this reality.

In the current Supergirl series, Kara Zor-El was once again sent to Earth to look after her baby cousin. This time, however, she was clearly an older teen - perhaps 18 - when she arrived and she set about looking after herself and establishing her own life on Earth, independent of her cousin.

Kara describes The Phantom Zone as a region in space where time doesn't pass. In the comics, The Phantom Zone is typically portrayed as another dimension outside the usual boundaries of Space and Time. However, Krypton in the comics - much like Krypton in the show - made use of The Phantom Zone as a prison. Those who are trapped in The Phantom Zone are able to perceive the physical world but are unable to interact with it.

In Action Comics #252, Superman quickly realized that Kara was his first cousin but - being unable to care for her himself without attracting suspicion (in that day and age, a bachelor like Clark Kent couldn't be expected to take care of a teenage girl!) - he dropped her off at an orphanage, where she was eventually adopted by The Danvers in Action Comics #279.

In the comics, The Danvers were named Fred and Edna. Fred was a cop and Edna a homemaker.

In the DCTVU, The Danvers are named Jeremiah and Eliza. They are both scientists and they reportedly helped Superman to gain control of his powers in the DCTVU.

Jeremiah Danvers is played by actor Dean Cain, who played Superman in the TV series Lois and Clark.

Eliza Danvers is played by actor Helen Slater, who played Supergirl in the 1984 Supergirl movie.

The Danvers' daughter's name is Alex. Or "A Lex" as in Lex Luthor - the traditional enemy of Superman and all Kryptonian heroes. Alex's relationship with Kara starting out is rather adversarial, discouraging her from heroism out of fear that the existence of a Supergirl somehow diminishes her accomplishments... much as Lex Luthor is jealous of Superman.

In the comics, Catherine "Cat" Grant was originally a gossip columnist for The Daily Planet. She briefly dated Clark Kent and had a reputation for being flirtatious and provocative, causing nearly as many scandals as she reported.

Before the New 52 reboot, Cat Grant developed an adversarial relationship with Supergirl, due to a perceived lack of respect and her accidental injury during a metahuman fight Supergirl had trouble containing. Cat started a slander campaign and turned many people in Metropolis against the Girl of Steel.

Winslow "Winn" Schott shares a name with the DC Comics villain Toyman. In the comics, Schott is a sociopath and technological genius who developed a number of lethal weapons disguised as ordinary toys, which he used in committing his crimes. Among these crimes were the murder of Cat Grant's young son. Here, he's an IT guy at CatCo.

In a nod to his comic book counterpart, Winn's desk at CatCo is covered with toys and action figures.

James "Jimmy" Olsen is famous even to non-comics readers as Superman's Pal. He says he prefers to be addressed as James, allowing only his mother and Superman to call him Jimmy. Here, he is a Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer and the new art director for CatCo, having just left his job with The Daily Planet.

In the comics, James Olsen won The Pulitzer for his work during the Infinite Crisis story line. In the DCTVU, he won it for taking the first picture of Superman.

Apparently Superman has taken an more hands-off approach to his cousin than he did even in The Silver Age, with Kara asking Jimmy Olsen what he is like. In The Silver Age comics, Superman left Kara in an orphanage but he checked in on her regularly and trained her to use her powers personally, only revealing her to the world once she was ready and had a stable home.

As in the comics, Kara uses glasses and a mousy personality as a disguise in her secret identity. Jimmy comments that she looks a little like Superman right around the eyes.

There is no indication that Kara knows that Clark Kent is Superman. Indeed, the name Clark Kent is not mentioned anywhere in this episode.

Saving a flying vehicle from crashing in your first public appearance is something of a Super-family tradition. Superman did it twice in his first night on the job in Superman: The Movie, saving Lois Lane's helicopter and Air Force One in two separate incidents. He saved an experimental space plane in the 1987 comic series Man of Steel and saved a passenger jet in Superman: The Animated Series. He also saved an airplane in his first public appearance upon his return to Earth in Superman Returns.
One of the news reporters covering the plane rescue describes Kara as " a guardian angel". In the 1990s, Supergirl was given a new origin where she was a literal guardian angel.

The Otto Binder Bridge - which Kara damages while trying to save the airplane - is named in honor of Otto Binder - the writer who created Supergirl.

Supergirl is described as being 5'9". This is taller than her height in the pre-Crisis comics (5'7") and post-Crisis comics (5'5")

The reptilian criminal Vartox is quite different from his comic book counterpart. Here, Vartox is a murderous thug, who appears to be Kara's superior in terms of strength and durability.

In the comics, Vartox was a hero and an ally of Superman.  Another lone survivor of an alien species who gained fantastic powers on his adopted home world, Vartox was described by Superman as a much more experienced hero, who had been saving the universe since he was a super-tot. Vartox was on par with Superman in terms of strength and durability, but possessed many powers Superman did not, such as telekinesis and the ability to temporarily transfer his powers to other people.

Kara's mother, Alura Zor-El, is usually referred to in the comics by her maiden name, Alura In-Ze. In the reality of the DCTVU, Alura was somehow responsible for the imprisonment of the criminals incarcerated in Fort Rozz in The Phantom Zone, being described by Vartox as "judge and jailer".

Alura was a much more sinister figure in the comics.  Like Kara, she survived Krypton's destruction, eventually being found by the malevolent computer Brainiac and trapped in Kandor - a Kryptonian city Brainiac had stolen and shrunk.  Superman eventually rescued the city and found a way to restore it.  Alura became the leader of a faction of Kryptonians who wished to build a new Krypton rather than adapt to life on Earth. This would eventually lead to a war between New Krypton and Earth, with Superman stuck in the middle.

The costumes that Kara tries before deciding on her final costume are based on various designs Supergirl wore at various points in the comics, with her skirt-length varying over the years. The hot-pants and belly-shirt combo she starts out in combines two impractical pieces - the hot-pants bottom of her costume in the '70s and the belly-bearing tops of the '90s and '00s.

The bank robbery Kara stops is at the corner of 6th and Sprang. This is a reference to comics artist Dick Sprang, who is probably most famous for his work on Batman in the 1950s. Sprang was also the artist who designed the costume of the first Supergirl back in Superman #123, though that Supergirl was an imaginary being wished into existence by Jimmy Olsen. Still, that story proved popular enough to fuel demand for a reoccurring Supergirl character and Sprang's design provided a template for Action Comics artist Al Plastino in creating Kara Zor-El.

As in the comics, the symbol on Supergirl's chest is not a stylized 'S' but the coat of arms of the House of El.

The fire Kara is en route to when she is captured by the DEO is located on the corner of Gates and Igle.  This is a reference to writer Sterling Gates and artist Jamal Igle, who created what are probably the most beloved Supergirl comics in recent memory.

The Department of Extranormal Operations or DEO is based on an organization from the DC Comics Universe. First appearing in Batman #550, the DEO were a government organization devoted towards monitoring and investigating metahumans and metahuman activities. The DCTVU version is exclusively focused on extra-terrestrials and was apparently founded in response to the appearance of Superman and the revelation that aliens exist.

Hank Henshaw is quite different from his comic book counterpart as well.  In the DCTVU, he is leader of the DEO and appears to come from a military background. In the comics, Hank Henshaw was a scientist and astronaut, who gained strange technopathic powers after his shuttle crashed. Blaming Superman for the death of his wife, Henshaw used his ability to manipulate machines to construct a new body out of robotic parts and Kryptonian DNA and sought revenge as The Cyborg Superman.

Fort Rozz was originally a Kryptonian military installation in the pre-Crisis comics. In more recent comics, it was a holding area for those criminals sentenced to be sent into The Phantom Zone until an accident with an exploding projector caused the entire prison to be sent into The Phantom Zone.  Once there, the prison existed as an anomaly within The Phantom Zone, where those who entered it once again had mass and felt the passage of time.

The high-frequency broadcasting device Vartox uses to call out to Kara is reminiscent of a similar device used by Lex Luthor in Superman:The Movie to contact Superman.

Kara rips open her shirt to reveal the S-shield on her chest. This is one of the oldest of superhero tropes.

As in the comics, Kara's x-ray vision cannot see through lead-lined objects.  Vartox is smart enough to take advantage of this fact in his choice of battleground. However, he forgets that Kara's hearing is good enough to hear his heart beat at close range. Superman used this same trick to confront a similarly clever criminal in the My Girl episode of Superman: The Animated Series.

When given the box with her mother's message by Alex, Kara comments that the box is covered in Kryptonese writing. While the comics have varied on whether or not the language of Krypton is called Kryptonian or Kryptonese, most Super-fans consider Kryptonese to be more properly correct. This is due to editor E. Nelson Birdwell creating a fictional language he dubbed Kryptonese, after growing annoyed with fan attempts to translate the random scribblings used to denote the language of Krypton at that time. The language was revised twice - once in 1986 and once again in the 2000s. A separate Kryptonese language was created for the movie Man of Steel.

The axe Vartox uses is reminiscent of The Atomic Axe wielded by the Legion of Superheroes villain called The Persuader.

Winn refers to himself and Kara as the Superfriends. This is a reference to the classic 1970s cartoon series starring Superman.

James gives Kara a gift from Superman - one of his old baby blankets to make a new cape. In the comics, Superman's costume was made from his baby blankets, which were made of a cloth that was nearly indestructible.


Technobabble

Krypton is 2000 light years away from Earth. To put that in perspective, the closest star to Earth's sun - Proxima Centauri - is 4.24 light years away.

Winn designs the second cape for Kara's costume out of a structured polymer composite after her first cape proves to not be bulletproof.

The DEO uses restraints made of low-grade Kryptonite than can weaken Kara without killing her.They also apparently have a sedative laced with Kryptonite that can be used to knock Kara out along with some kind of hypodermic needle dart capable of piercing her skin.

Alex Danvers has a background in bio-engineering. This somehow makes her an expert on alien physiology.

The device Vartox uses to contact Kara broadcasts on a frequency of 50,000 htz. This is 2.5 times higher than the highest frequency a human ear can hear.

Vartox's axe has a unique nuclear thumbprint. It is powered by a self-generating atomic-charge which reaches temperatures up to 2500 degrees. If it becomes hotter than that, it will explode.


Dialogue Triumphs

(In response to Kara's asking what Superman is like)
James: He is... everything you want him to be and more.

(describing what flying feels to Alex)
Kara: ... scared but good scared. Like.. like that moment right before you kiss someone for the first time!

Kara: I've always felt the need to help people and tonight I finally got that chance. I didn't travel 2,000 light years just to be an assistant.

Kara: Clever. Picking a spot lined with lead. But I can still hear your heart beat.

Vartox: On my planet, females bow before males!
Kara: This is not your planet!

Alura: Kara, my brave daughter. By now you have become the woman I knew you would grow up to be. And though you were sent to Earth to protect young Kal-El, your destiny is not tied to his. There is no correct path in life. You will lose your way many times. What is important is that you find your way back to the brave girl you always were. Be wise. Be strong. And always be true to yourself.

Kara: I was sent here to protect my cousin. Turns out he didn't need my protection. But there is a whole planet full of people who do. Earth doesn't have just one hero anymore. Now it has me. Now it has Supergirl.


Dialogue Disasters

Cat Grant's "what's so bad about being a girl?" speech, which is so painfully bad I can't bring myself to transcribe it.


Continuity

Kara was 13 when she left Krypton. She's been on Earth for 12 years.

This would make Superman 36 years old, given that he was 24 when he found her.

Kara reveals her secret identity to Winn Schott.

Kara's heat vision glows blue rather than red and can generate temperatures of at least 2500 degrees.

Vartox kills himself rather than be captured.

James Olsen was told about Kara by Superman. He too knows her secret identity.

The General who is coming to Earth is apparently Kara's aunt.


The Fridge Factor

Averted with gusto for the most part, though there are a few crisis-of-faith moments where Kara needs a pep-talk to go on.  Thankfully, these pep-talks come from Alex and Alura rather than a male character and Kara actively tells off the men who try to tell her what to do.


The Bottom Line

When Supergirl tries to be a superhero show, it's very good. The rest of the time... it's difficult to sit through. Still, this is a pilot and they're still working the kinks out. Maybe things will be better now that we don't have to listen to Cat Grant justifying why calling someone a girl isn't sexist and Henshaw is actually inclined to utilize a good resource. In any case, there's enough right with the show to be hopeful for the future.