When I first watched Supergirl, I didn’t really like it. Obviously it had nothing to do with Kara Danvers being a woman, nor did I have a preference for Superman. The show just didn’t catch my attention in all honesty. However, after watching a few more episodes into the first season, I think it is my new favorite DC comics show (it was The Flash before).
If you haven’t watched Supergirl yet, let me give you a little background. Kara Danvers, originally Kara Zor-El, was sent to Earth when she was thirteen, along with her baby cousin, Clark. She was sent with Clark to protect him as he was just a baby. But as they were leaving Krypton, Kara’s spaceship was hit with forces after the destruction of the planet. This caused her to be lost in the Phantom Zone where time doesn’t exist, so she never aged. When she finally landed on Earth, baby Clark Kent was now the Superman everyone knows, so he did not need any protection. Kara was then left with a family Clark was close to, and she grew up trying to have a normal life. Kara comes out as having powers in the first episode, but reveals later in the season that she’s cousins with the world-known Superman.
One episode I particularly like myself is episode six, titled ‘Red Faced’. In this episode, Kara is under stress for a few different reasons. Her stress levels causes her to lose her cool while she’s saving a group of students as Supergirl. She was also asked to fight against an android from the military, where she goes a bit too far because of her stress. To add to it, Kara blows a fuse while she’s at work too when she’s talking to her boss, Cat Grant. Cat, who is a powerful woman in the media industry, tells her why she is expected to act on a higher status in comparison to men. This episode is not the first one to cover this certain issue. The show does a great job on showing the frustration on what it’s like being a woman in certain industries in having to always act like the bigger person. Or always having to ignore something that bothers you, so you are not deemed as just a woman with crazy hormones.
Not only that, but when she first came out as having powers, Kara was quickly compared to Superman, even before everyone finds out she’s related to him. Kara absolutely felt the need to be separated from her cousin, so the people of National City wouldn’t feel that she is just some consolation prize. She has to constantly prove to everyone that she is just as good at saving people as Superman is. Just like in episode three, titled ‘Fight or Flight’, where Supergirl is fighting Reactron, but as she’s losing, James - who works and is friends with Kara and knows Superman - calls Superman for help. Kara is upset at this because she wants to be able to fight her own fights without the help from specifically her cousin. She wants to make a name for herself as Supergirl, not the cousin of Superman. This is a big deal in the show and to Kara. They show the battles that women essentially have to go through to sometimes prove themselves worthy of their counterparts.
I’ve watched more episodes since I began writing this article, and there’s more that I’ve wanted to write about that I’ll probably save for a separate article. I’m glad that I kept watching because not only is it a well-produced show, but I like the statements that they have made so far. Season one is great, but I’m even more excited now for what season two has in store, especially now that they have moved Supergirl to the CW, with other DC comic shows like The Flash and Arrow. Supergirl is obviously a feminist icon, and I’m all here for it.
