Supergirl Discussion: “Fight or Flight”

Supergirl faces one of Superman’s villains (in fairly well-done fight scenes), we learn more about Maxwell Lord, and the Man of Steel puts in a cameo. We have no review this week, but I have a couple of lingering questions that might kick-start discussion:

I understand that the show (1) wants to address why Superman doesn’t just show up when Kara faces trouble and (2) tell the story of Supergirl establishing herself. While these are good things, Supergirl faces a villain this week who has fought Superman and walked away. Wouldn’t an organized, two-Kryptonian approach make sense in this particular case? Shouldn’t they even float the idea?

Why is it such a big idea that Supergirl drops her relationship to Superman? Yes, one of his villains targets her but, honestly, wouldn’t everyone assume that a second survivor of his doomed planet, with the same powers, wearing a matching outfit, performing similar public service, feels some kinship to him? How does using the word cousin make her more of a target?

James Olsen has the signal watch. How cool is that?

8 replies on “Supergirl Discussion: “Fight or Flight””

  1. Stopping a live electrical wire by snapping it like a bone or a snake… nope. That’s right up there with freezing laser beams.

    Otherwise the episode was OK, aside from occasional expected comic book physics. Flights and landings looked better this week, the fights were well done also. Ending was still heavy on the cheese.

    And her disguise is still comical.

    • The electrical wire thing was a bit off, but (see my comment below) it’s technically something that COULD be done – you’d make all the shorts/arcing inside the wire. But, like I said, I don’t see how you could do it that fast with just a snap.

      Superman’s disguise was never just the glasses, it was the way he acts as Clark Kent.

      Now, the thing with Kara is she keeps arguing with Calista Flockhart very strongly from Supergirl’s point of view. Which, first, no boss like Calista Flockhart would take from their assistant, and second, is kind of drawing way too much attention to herself.

  2. Snapping the electrical wire was… well, the silly thing is it’s kind of possible that she ripped the wires in a way that made the short inside the wire rather than outside, but I don’t see how Supergirl’s powers would do that.

    Now, here’s my thing about, what was it, Reacto?

    First time she sees him, he’s thwarted by a car door.

    And naturally the next few times they meet Supergirl doesn’t even consider picking something up and blocking his beams again. Also, his beams just short of kill her, and the NEXT time they meet she blocks them with her hand…

    • Re: Wire, I meant to go back and look but I swear the other side of that cable was across the bus and also arcing, maybe that was another cable (reminded me of Final Destination where the live wire arcing and chasing them was connected _to the house_ not the pole…)

      And the car door/hand thing got me as well… I also kept thinking “Why doesn’t she just heat vision the guy’s chestpiece?

      But like The Flash, some of that can be hand waved by inexperience.

      • This week’s The Flash kind of redeemed the hell out of itself with the villain battle.

        I think the argument we’re having about the arc wire in not whether it was stupid, but just HOW stupid (:

        • Indeed, that was a pretty good battle on The Flash (physics of grabbing a lightning bolt aside)

          I’d say this isn’t even an argument but each of us finding new and fascinating ways in which the whole wire gag was bad and poorly executed. :-)

  3. I haven’t been watching this, but I’m curious which Superman it is? Is this in Smallville’s earth, one of the movies, or something separate?

    • This is its own show, unconnected to either the movies or the WB DC-verse. Superman and Supergirl are the only superheroes, and the briefly-viewed Man of Steel in this universe is very much the superhero idol-of-the-masses that he’s usually been in comix. It doesn’t really fit into Smallville, either.

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