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Season 1 x 02 Spoilers and Discussions Stronger Together

26 Oct 2015 12:34 #44731 by lfan
Please post all discussions about the second episode, "Stronger Together", in this thread.

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27 Oct 2015 14:21 - 27 Oct 2015 15:00 #44784 by lfan
First of all, let me say that the Coming This Season trailer (supergirl.dcentertainmentnews.com/article.cfm?aid=25332) looks fantastic, but that trailer as well as the one for "Stronger Together" (episode 2) both not only showed Aunt Astra but also Kara getting into some sort of superpowered smackdown with her. This begs the question:

Are they going at too quick a pace?

Having Kara not only meet the main baddie of Season 1 (as indicated by the producers in interview) but having her confront her seems a little fast. Combine that with the fact that her existence and role wasn't even revealed to the viewers until the last 2 minutes of episode 1 just makes it seem a little unorthodox. Now I'm sure they aren't planning on having either of them "win" the fight, and there will be more rounds to come I'm sure (well, pretty sure), but it just seemed a little strange that they'd pull that ace out so quickly.

Just my $.02
ElF
Last edit: 27 Oct 2015 15:00 by lfan.

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27 Oct 2015 14:59 #44785 by Sarge395
I will also be very disappointed if Astra is subdued this episode. She will likely get away and then we will work back up to the season ender.

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27 Oct 2015 15:20 #44786 by shadar

Sarge395 wrote: I will also be very disappointed if Astra is subdued this episode. She will likely get away and then we will work back up to the season ender.


Sarge makes a good point. I suspect Astra's appearance in ep2 will be to reinforce that she's a real badass who wants to (and can) kill Kara. Basically, just establishing her badassness.

I suspect we'll encounter Astra periodically as Kara grows stronger and more confident until some final encounter much further downstream where Kara defeats her.

After all, this isn't Game of Thrones. This show will be fairly predictable in terms of Kara and the bad guys. They will kick her ass and threaten others on a weekly basis, with Kara gutting out some hero shit near the end of every episode to save the day, which will be followed by a "cute and touching moment".

Not complaining... It's the formula. Knew it going in.
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27 Oct 2015 23:53 - 27 Oct 2015 23:54 #44807 by Sarge395
So I am totally in the bag for the new show. I am completely biased. But I still have an analytical nerd brain. And I ask myself 'how does she get her combat confidence, her fighting skills, and her bravery'?

She has remained hidden. She hasn't had a Yoda figure or a martial arts background. She hasn't been tested. In reality against her foes she is dead meat. I can say that the difference between seasoned troops and noobies is huge. Where did she get her bravery? Is it a kryptonian trait?

I like how the show is diving right in instead of seven seasons of milking it like Smallville. But it is just a little quick to be believable.
Last edit: 27 Oct 2015 23:54 by Sarge395.

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28 Oct 2015 00:22 - 28 Oct 2015 00:28 #44808 by Monty

Sarge395 wrote: So I am totally in the bag for the new show. I am completely biased. But I still have an analytical nerd brain. And I ask myself 'how does she get her combat confidence, her fighting skills, and her bravery'?

She has remained hidden. She hasn't had a Yoda figure or a martial arts background. She hasn't been tested. In reality against her foes she is dead meat. I can say that the difference between seasoned troops and noobies is huge. Where did she get her bravery? Is it a kryptonian trait?

I like how the show is diving right in instead of seven seasons of milking it like Smallville. But it is just a little quick to be believable.


Good post that, Sarge., I also think that she hss been thrown in the deep end, (although being in the uk, I haven't seen the full pilot). Perhaps more will be learned later from her upbringing and her standing out from her sister and others , although quietly.
Last edit: 28 Oct 2015 00:28 by Monty.

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28 Oct 2015 04:03 #44818 by Random321
I guess it all depends on what they do with her back story on Krypton. I do think we are diving in really quick - I hope the writers keep having creative ideas that can keep it moving at this kind of break neck pace.

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29 Oct 2015 00:00 #44837 by kikass2014
New promo for season 1, with new footage :)



(Tnx to eddie666 on another forum for posting it. Had no idea this was up).

Enjoy :)

Peace.

/K
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29 Oct 2015 00:24 #44838 by lfan
Saw 3 preview clips also up at Supergirl.dcentertainmentnews.com

ElF
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29 Oct 2015 12:58 #44845 by jdrock24
Looks like they are having fun at a table read for episode 10:

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29 Oct 2015 18:02 #44850 by kikass2014
^ Yup for sure :)

I get the impression that there is a really good vibe behind the scenes on this show, like everyone is really invested in it, giving 100%. And I think that def. translated into the pilot. That general sense of "having fun" :)

Hopefully that carries on throughout the season :)

Peace.

/K

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29 Oct 2015 22:46 #44853 by SupergirlTV
We've got 5 videos for the up coming episode if you want to see it: www.supergirl.tv/ep-2-stronger-together-preview
Also not sure how many people are interested in spoilers or not, but I've seen the episode already and its fantastic. I've got my top 5 things to look forward to in the episode (spoiler free).
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29 Oct 2015 23:55 #44859 by kikass2014
"Also not sure how many people are interested in spoilers or not, but I've seen the episode already and its fantastic."

You tease :P have a couple more days til I can see it :D

/K

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30 Oct 2015 02:04 #44862 by SupergirlTV
he he, its awesome!

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30 Oct 2015 12:35 #44870 by five_red
I think one of the points of this episode is to highlight it isn't Supergirl versus the bad guys, its the DEO versus the bad guys. Basically the DEO are in just as much danger from being targeted (we already saw they went after Alex once in the pilot.)

There's a fair bit of action (well, you'd expect that), some of the fight scenes work well... some not so well. (There's some criticism already online of one or two special effects shots -- blows that don't connect, etc.)

Clark Kent and Lois Lane get a name check -- so we can all stop panicking now that they don't exist :)

Lots of action, but nothing as cool as the Otto Binder bridge.

R5

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31 Oct 2015 12:30 #44899 by bach2990
Supergirl - Stronger Together Sneak peek number 4

US youtube link


EU
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01 Nov 2015 10:02 #44912 by mo
Looks amazing although I hope they tone down the just a woman angle sooner rather than later even if that was just a joke this time.

Seriously tho, can't wait for the episode!!

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02 Nov 2015 23:27 - 02 Nov 2015 23:28 #44944 by five_red

lfan wrote: Having Kara not only meet the main baddie of Season 1 (as indicated by the producers in interview) but having her confront her seems a little fast. Combine that with the fact that her existence and role wasn't even revealed to the viewers until the last 2 minutes of episode 1 just makes it seem a little unorthodox. Now I'm sure they aren't planning on having either of them "win" the fight, and there will be more rounds to come I'm sure (well, pretty sure), but it just seemed a little strange that they'd pull that ace out so quickly.


There's more to Astra than just a generic power-mad wanna-take-over-the-world baddie. I think the idea is that they will slowly reveal the mystery over the coming seasons.

There's an interesting back story set up between Alura and Astra, two very powerful women on Krypton, part of which involves why Astra survived Krypton's destruction. We'll also likely see a lot more of Alura, because -- just like Jor-El in the Donner movies -- she's got a hologram thingy of her own in Superman's "fortress", it seems.


R5
Last edit: 02 Nov 2015 23:28 by five_red.

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03 Nov 2015 02:19 #44951 by Sarge395
Just watched 1x02. Not going to ever be able to be impartial. I'm totally in love. Mostly with Melissa. Without her the show would need too much help. We went forwards and back. I think this will happen a lot. Bit of backstory history and a bit of fighting the bad guy of the week with Astra and her possible 'shadowy superior' in the background.

The FX I thought were really well done and so much flying! After the land bound Smallville this is incredibly nice to see. Tossed in a great fight with Astra to include heat vision that is blue (?), superbreath, speed, and of course a lot of super hits. Not sure it was a good idea for the kryptonite knife to come out. Kryptonite is going to be used a lot I'm afraid. Only way to keep humans actively involved and able to attack/defend in a reasonable manner. Without it they are just flailing around. Pretty realistic I suppose. "You humans are so fragile" if I got that quote right.

Miss Grant is a bitch. I really don't like her as a person and I feel like the show is trying to humanize her through Kara. If I was Jimmy I would have quit right there. Great to see Kara hover over Grant at the end. SOOO Superior to her in every way. Not sure how Kara lifted the car without it being tossed in the air like a raft in a tidal wave. Minor quibble. You can't expect a physics expert to be assisting the script. Couple of us die hard nerds would be just as good and we are free if anyone is listening.

Want to see more of Kara training with her sister. She didn't do too badly in episode 1 but my complaint was heard (Hah) and they are going to get her into shape fighting wise.

Why didn't Kara's helpers assist when the trap was sprung? Realistically they and Astra could have just melted all of them from a distance. If Astra is really some smart general she would have used her abilities better. Why have a knock down fight when you can just kill your opponents from miles away with no danger to yourself. Not as much fun for the tv audience to see.

Ok, done. Loved it. Went forward, went into the past. Laying foundation as we go and setting us up for episodic action and a climax.

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03 Nov 2015 02:35 #44952 by YAGS
Just watched episode 2 as it aired in eastern/central time, USA. It was a mix of good and bad, IMHO.

The characters all get fleshed out more here, except for Winn, who got so much screen time in the pilot that his time was severely cut back here by comparison. As noted above, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Perry White all get mentioned here, as well as a cameo appearance by another character from the comics, which was an interesting surprise. I'll be curious to see where they'll go with Maxwell Lord.

The concerns about Supergirl's lack of training are addressed head on, with good results. She needs training, and now she knows it. I really liked the loyalty she showed to Jimmy Olsen, and the scenes with Cat Grant. Cat's discomfort at having her car carried across town was amusing. But so far, Cat has been shown to be a bitch who's usually right about everything. Again, I'll be curious to see where they go with that.

The supervillainess Astra is interesting. I love the concept. The down side is the execution. There's a Supergirl vs Superbitch fight, and we can't really make out what's happening half the time. There were a couple of good blows shown on screen, but between the fast action, bad lighting, closeups at bad times, showing things from the wrong angles, etc, I'm just having a hard time really enjoying the action on this show. Heck, Astra uses superbreath, which is a favorite of mine, and we don't even get to see her face when she does it, just the result.

Honestly, this has been a complaint of mine for a lot of recent superhero movies. I like being able to see and enjoy the details of the action, but more and more, it's done in a way where you can't tell what's going on half the time. I really hope this trend doesn't keep up on this show.

Oh yeah, and "Fluffy" was awesome. I was expecting Streaky, but this was WAY funnier.

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03 Nov 2015 03:07 #44954 by steelknight3000
Replied by steelknight3000 on topic Season 1 x 02 Spoilers and Discussions Stronger Together
Quick thought. Liked the oil tanker scene where she crunched the metal with her bare hands while moving the ship. It was great when it cracked due to the force too.
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03 Nov 2015 05:12 - 03 Nov 2015 05:19 #44957 by lfan

YAGS wrote: Just watched episode 2 as it aired in eastern/central time, USA. It was a mix of good and bad, IMHO.

The characters all get fleshed out more here, except for Winn, who got so much screen time in the pilot that his time was severely cut back here by comparison. As noted above, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Perry White all get mentioned here, as well as a cameo appearance by another character from the comics, which was an interesting surprise. I'll be curious to see where they'll go with Maxwell Lord.

The concerns about Supergirl's lack of training are addressed head on, with good results. She needs training, and now she knows it. I really liked the loyalty she showed to Jimmy Olsen, and the scenes with Cat Grant. Cat's discomfort at having her car carried across town was amusing. But so far, Cat has been shown to be a bitch who's usually right about everything. Again, I'll be curious to see where they go with that.

The supervillainess Astra is interesting. I love the concept. The down side is the execution. There's a Supergirl vs Superbitch fight, and we can't really make out what's happening half the time. There were a couple of good blows shown on screen, but between the fast action, bad lighting, closeups at bad times, showing things from the wrong angles, etc, I'm just having a hard time really enjoying the action on this show. Heck, Astra uses superbreath, which is a favorite of mine, and we don't even get to see her face when she does it, just the result.

Honestly, this has been a complaint of mine for a lot of recent superhero movies. I like being able to see and enjoy the details of the action, but more and more, it's done in a way where you can't tell what's going on half the time. I really hope this trend doesn't keep up on this show.

Oh yeah, and "Fluffy" was awesome. I was expecting Streaky, but this was WAY funnier.



Agree almost with everything, especially your crits of the action. Often in the fight, it made me think of other unwatchable fight scenes like the ones in Transformers (take your pick) where everything is just a blur of edits and punches. I know they are superfast, but the execution should be better. One of the things that Man of Steel I thought did well was the fight scenes and how they conveyed the superspeed of Kryptonians in "spurts" (Faora's fight with the military comes to mind) when needed. But that is nit-picking.

Another thing I'm kinda rolling my eyes at are all the "she's only a girl" or "because I'm a woman" references, like its getting shoved down our throat. I understand it's trying to make a statement, but after Cat's "girl power" diatribe in the Pilot I thought they might put it on the back burner. I hope a reference doesn't appear every episode....

What was good? Everything else!!! Mel Benoist is a superstar and, as Sarge said, makes the show worth watching by herself. Her emotions and acting skills have her plausibly vacillating between gawky and awkward nerd (staff meeting ) to unsure heroine (fire on the dock) to fierce warrior (fight at end) at the drop of a hat. Saying she runs the gamut of emotions from A-Z would be spot on, IMO.

FX? In a word, dazzling! Sure there are some "less seamless" VFX (like the bow of the ship breaking off) but overall, very impressive! And as Sarge referenced, their attention to certain details (e.g. fingers carving grooves in the ship) is impressive. The fight scene at the end as well as the fire on the dock come to mind as being done really well. The set designers (and the FX team) also really did a great job with the DEO headquarters and their "danger room".

In terms of the other characters, Alex was great in this episode. Much less forced than in the first I thought, and I loved how they are exploring their sister relationship. And Cat, who I probably liked the least in the pilot, really was great this episode. She's a little less "Miranda Tate" in this episode and more of just a ball-busting, snarky boss in this one -- definitely some comic relief. I'm reserving judgment on James, as I'm still kinda waiting to see where they go with the James-Kara-Lucy dynamic. Hank and Wynn were good this episode as well, albeit in smaller doses than in episode 1. Astra was great, and I think her "discovery" of Kryptonite was a nice way of breaking up the fight as a "draw", though it's surprising to me that with Superman around for X number of years, neither the Fort Roz crowd or Kara herself knew about it.

Best part of the episode was already mentioned: Saving Fluffy

Most disappointment: While there was a nice array of uberness, so many lost moments....lifting the ambulance, lifting Cat's limo, the pizza robbery. I know they are on a budget, but they could have been far more spectacular IMO (now, I'm nitpicking).

I remember when the show was first announced, and there was speculation amongst some that we'd see Kara as Supergirl maybe 10-15 minutes tops per episode. So far, this show is vastly exceeding expectations in that department, and I hope they keep it up. Bring on Reactron!

ElF
Last edit: 03 Nov 2015 05:19 by lfan.
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03 Nov 2015 11:21 - 03 Nov 2015 12:44 #44962 by five_red
[Warning, this may contain very minor spoilers for future episodes.]

For me it was a so-so episode.

Coming off the back of the pilot, it was definitely a step down in terms of action and story, but that's to be expected -- and not necessarily a bad thing. This was a filler episode -- just a competent hour of tv that wasn't trying too hard to wow, but instead gave a bit of breathing space to fill in some of the gaps in the pilot and to let the characters settle in to their new roles.

Cat was a bit better in this episode, largely because she wasn't spitting venom with absolutely every sentence. I'm still left with a bit of a problem with Cat -- she's supposed to be this super-savy former gossip columnist who's worked her way up to be "the most powerful woman in National City" by being one step ahead of everyone else, yet she can't see that the PA who she spends most of her working hours talking to, and the costumed woman on the giant screens behind her, are the same person. James' default argument (people see what they want to see, not what they actually see -- which is an old comicbook standby) might work for the majority of people... but if Cat really was Cat, surely she should see beyond that?

I really like Laura Benanti -- she's smart, and very funny, and talented. Unfortunately, she turns in a pretty wooden performance as Astra in this episode. No subtly, no hint of any depth, no nuance -- a total pantomime villain from start to finish. :( Her Alura isn't all that good either -- and I'm not just referring to the robo-hologram.

[Edit: Benanti has a lot of experience of acting through musical theatre -- but for a role like Astra they really needed to cast someone with a wider range of experience at screen acting. For a reoccurring villain you need some who can do more than just voice the lines and scowl.]

The special effects were mixed. Some good, others not so; the worst offender being the Kara/Astra fight which had some pretty dodgy flying (very concious of the removed wires in some shots!) and blows that didn't look like they connected, yet sent the opponent reeling. The other 'fight' sequence, Hellgrammite vs the DEO, was much better.

The humour didn't seem to have been as well handled in this episode... it seemed forced compared to the pilot. Perhaps this is because a lot of the smiles were supposed to come from James and Winn's interaction, and that is still a pairing that's new to the audience. Winn's goofiness worked well opposite Kara in the pilot -- not so well when James is the straight man in episode two. Perhaps this will grow on me, though(..?)

Oh, and they're using kryptonite again... so early on. I'd have much preferred it to see the Kryptonians be not so all-invulnerable, so we didn't have to rely on magic glowing rocks every other episode to solve problems or create a sense of danger. There's a reason why Julius Schwartz tried to banish Kryptonite from the Superman universe, and that reason has to do with the promotion of lazy storytelling.

On the plus side, the cast seem to be settling in nicely, the script was competent, the pacing was better (as you'd expect) and the dialogue was mostly okay. It was a fairly solid hour of tv to follow up an ambitious pilot... but nothing to write home about. Perhaps that's a good thing.

POSSIBLE MINOR SPOILERS: As for the future: so we've had it confirmed that Hank is a cyborg already (those 'jokes' from David Harewood at Comic Con turned out not to be jokes after all, as many suspected at the time, although he won't be Cyborg Superman... not in the comicbook way) and we can see the setting up of the four core superfriends team: Alex, Winn, Kara, and James. Initially Alex is going to find it hard to accept that Kara has chosen to trust outsiders (Winn and James) as part of her team -- you already saw a brief fragment of that in the episode three preview -- but the long term plan, it seems, is to have the four of them work together as the show's primary crime busting outfit. Which begs the question... where does Hank and the DEO fit in? I guess we'll see as the show progresses.

Next episode ups the pace, just a little. ;)


R5
Last edit: 03 Nov 2015 12:44 by five_red.

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03 Nov 2015 12:14 #44963 by Markiehoe
LOVED episode 2!!!!!!
As noted lots of Supergirl in costume action.
Krtyptyonian smack down in the second episode!
I actually liked both of Cat's speeches in this episode.
They got the all to true "Women have to work harder" speech out of the way early.
Now we can move on.
Cat's little talk to Kara about Supergirl trying to hard was brilliant.
She was using Supergirl as a metaphor to help Kara.
Cat must really see something in Kara and she must believe in "tough love"
General Astra is a great character.
She reveals herself to Supergirl and actually holds back in their fight to toughen her up.
She wants to recruit Supergirl not destroy her.
The krypto knife was an unseen variable which now makes her have to adjust her plans.
I liked Hank, right up to last scene scene with the "big tease"
Fluffy: Best scene ever.
James Olsen:
I'm a "Gosh Mr. Kent" Jimmy Olsen fan.
James is just all to perfect and put together.
Most unbelievable character on the show.
Win has taken on the Jimmy Olsen role.
Which makes me wonder why did they switch up the characters?

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03 Nov 2015 14:38 #44970 by lfan

five_red wrote: [Warning, this may contain very minor spoilers for future episodes.]

I really like Laura Benanti -- she's smart, and very funny, and talented. Unfortunately, she turns in a pretty wooden performance as Astra in this episode. No subtly, no hint of any depth, no nuance -- a total pantomime villain from start to finish. :( Her Alura isn't all that good either -- and I'm not just referring to the robo-hologram.

[Edit: Benanti has a lot of experience of acting through musical theatre -- but for a role like Astra they really needed to cast someone with a wider range of experience at screen acting. For a reoccurring villain you need some who can do more than just voice the lines and scowl.]


R5 managed to share my sentiments perfectly on Astra. While I said she was great, I was referring more to the concept of the Astra character as a whole. I loved the fact that the "big baddie" not only is her equal (or superior?) powers-wise, but she also has family ties to Kara -- and a family grudge to boot!

My issue with Astra, like R5 said, was her personality. found General Astra as pretty over-the-top and very similar to Vartox. Granted, she is a general and should be "stoic and disciplined" but it comes off wooden. Michael Shannon portrayed a Kryptonian General with much more panache, IMO. It's early, so I'll reserve final judgment but I hope they give her more depth of character and let Benanti give her more of a personality. As for her duel role as Allura, I'll give her a pass as she IS playing a computer and doesn't really get to explore a lot of range there.

ElF

I
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