If there was one of the Berlanti-verse shows with a lot riding on its new season, it was Supergirl. Having moved from CBS to its child-channel The CW, its budget was cut and with it its losing Calista Flockhart as a main member of the cast (we know, we’re devastated. It just won’t be the same!)
But that’s about it. That’s the only thing that they’ve lost.
From the opening moments of the episode it doesn’t feel like anything has changed. Picking up exactly where Season One left off, we see Kara and Hank take off to save the day. To be cliché, it hits the ground running, or, well, the sky flying. And it doesn’t really stop.
Fast forward a little, Kara (Melissa Benoist) is having to make decisions about her life, and is consistently flappable about every choice she has to make. Cat Grant (Flockhart) is cutting as always as she drives Kara towards her own answers, and realises a few things about herself along the way.
Let’s be honest, it’s the newcomers that we’re really interested in here. We never thought we would see the day when the Man of Steel would hit our TV screens as a part of the four CW shows, so we were pleasantly surprised to hear he was being used.
With the biggest supernatural credit to his name being Teen Wolf some might be a little dubious of Tyler Hoechlin’s credibility to take on the iconic role, but from the very first words he utters as Clark Kent all sense of doubt is washed away. He is every bit the dashing hero, but he’s also just as much of a nerd as his cousin. The two of them in a scene together you end up hoping nothing catches fire or they don’t hurt themselves (it might not be possible, but they would find a way!)
Hoechlin’s just as convincing as his alter ego as he is as Clark, and the proud look on his face whenever he witnesses Kara doing some saving is something to behold. His sway with Cat is refreshing – not just for the show, but for Hoechlin as an actor to stretch is comedy muscles. Oh, and his bromance with James is everything you would want it to be. They have a handshake! A handshake!
He’s not the only new face on the block, enter Merlin’s Katie McGrath as Lena Luthor (obviously they couldn’t get the rights to use Lex outright…). With Cat’s semi-exit imminent, they’ve done well to bring in another strong character to take her place. The head of L Corp, Lena is certainly taking no prisoners. Even in the face of death, her ‘will do’ attitude makes her a welcome addition to the pack.
It’s a very strong start to the new season, with lots of new threads to take hold of. Up, up and away!
Supergirl is airing on Mondays on Sky1.
