[tps_header]Supergirl[/tps_header]
Airs on: CBS
Seasons: Currently amidst first season
Episodes: 9
Comparison: Richard Donner’s Superman
Who should watch it: Life-long comic book fans (particularly Justice League readers)
Comicbooki-ness: High
We all know that Kal-El’s (aka Superman) parents sent him to Earth in order to escape his dying planet, however, outside of hard-core comic readers, not many people know that his older cousin Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist) was sent to Earth in order to protect him. While making the journey to Earth, Kara’s ship gets trapped in a place called the phantom zone (a space-prison containing intergalactic criminals), preventing Kara from reaching Earth. Years later, Kara’s ship manages to escape the phantom zone and reach its destination, but at the cost of creating a breach which allows all manners of alien outlaws to escape onto Earth. The show picks up with a 25-year-old Kara taking on the mantle of Supergirl while also containing alien threats and learning what it takes to be a hero.
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Supergirl stands out for accurately capturing the spirit of the character — the show exudes optimism in a genre that is overwhelmingly cynical. The films Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises deal with iconic characters Superman and Batman at points in their lives where they are are unwilling to embrace their heroic destinies. In Supergirl, Kara want’s to be a hero even though she isn’t very good at it. Her enthusiasm towards embracing a heroic role as well as bringing out the best in others is what separates the character from our current crop of emo super heroes. Supergirl is just as much about a young woman forging her identity in a man’s world as it is about punching aliens and robots in the face. The series is bright, idealistic and fun and also throws in enough Easter Eggs and beloved characters to keep comic book fans engadged.
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