Round Two: Supergirl

Supergirl: Season 1, Episode 2 “Stronger Together” (B+)

It didn’t take long for Kara to encounter a very personal nemesis whose existence means she’s going to have to fight very hard to stay alive and safe in her newly revealed identity. Having it be her aunt, who happens to be her mother’s identical twin, is a convenient twist that also allows Laura Benanti to play both characters, since Kara’s own fortress of solitude now permits her what comes close to an audience with her late, beloved mother. The framing of this show makes it so that Kara is constantly trying to get out of her cousin’s shadow, but I think this hour actually did pretty well in advancing her from train wreck to something closer to a revered hero. Ending the episode with Supergirl carrying Cat’s car into the sky to give her the interview of a lifetime was triumphant, and it will certainly help Kara’s self-esteem to know that she was able to leave her tyrannical boss speechless, even if she didn’t know it was her. James’ explanation of why people can’t recognize Clark or Kara when they’re wearing the S was fun, and I like that this show is acknowledging its silliness while still doing a good job of keeping things dramatic and thrilling. There’s plenty of secrecy abound, but the biggest revelation of all is the one that was barely mentioned, which is that Hank is more than a skilled agent, but instead a red-eyed alien of some sort who possesses a Kryptonite knife capable of crippling Kryptonians. But whose side is he on? It seems like the good one, but only time will tell.