Is Supergirl too much of a girl?

[dropcap]I[/dropcap] watched the first episode of CBS’s Supergirl (shown in the UK on Sky1)  with a degree of reluctance. Its initial trailer didn’t exactly wow, although in fairness a lot of that had to do with the dodgy choices in music and its undeniable similarities to a particular SNL sketch.

Having watched the show, the overall tone is pretty much The Devil Wears Prada with superpowers, complete with a Miranda Priestly-alike in Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) – not that that’s a bad thing. However, it’s also heavily invested in a bit of good old-fashioned ‘girl power’.

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman. Image: Wikimedia Commons / ABC Television

There are plenty of people arguing that Supergirl shouldn’t have to constantly remind us that its lead character is female. Critics have pointed to a plethora of strong female characters, from the perennial Buffy Summers, to more recent efforts such as Marvel’s Agent Carter. On the other hand, there haven’t been new episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer since 2003 and Agent Carter took an extra six months to be shown in the UK. When it comes to DC, there hasn’t been a female-led television series since Linda Carter’s Wonder Woman way back in 1975. It seems like there’s ample room for an unapologetically female hero.

‘Unapologetically female’ is exactly what Supergirl is.

Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist) might be the cousin of Superman but in the initial stages of the episode she’s more concerned with finding an outfit for her date and fitting in at work than being faster than a speeding bullet. The well-trodden narrative of not hiding what makes you special is told in a particularly bright and entertaining way, in part due to Benoist’s portrayal. You can really feel her joy in getting to help people and be a hero.

Her femininity isn’t treated like a pair of glasses; a disguise to be cast off. It’s an integral part of her and reconciling this aspect of her character with the superhero narrative is the key to her success.

Audiences can root for her and little girls can aspire to be her.This is summed up in the show when a waitress considers the arrival of the ‘girl of steel’: “Can you believe it? A female hero. Nice for my daughter to have someone like that to look up to.”

I’ll admit, the female empowerment messages are sometimes a little heavy handed, with Kara’s adopted sister Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) in particular having several clunky lines of dialogue. Her scathing “why, because she’s just a girl?” retort to Hank Henshaw’s (David Harewood) scepticism in Kara’s abilities is moderately groan inducing.

Melissa Benoist. Image: Wikimedia Commons / Red Carpet Report

On balance, however, I rather liked the conversation between Kara and Cat about the choice of ‘girl’ in the moniker of Supergirl, particularly for Cat’s mention of the powers of representation that the media has. Christine Wong’s prediction for Supergirl becoming a “great role model for females everywhere” seems to be coming to fruition already, if this picture on Benoist’s Instagram is any indication.

Finally, being an individual in possession of high morals, I didn’t watch the pilot when it leaked back in May, but my overall impression of the episode is one of agreement with Patrick Sambiasi’s article at the time, particularly his suggestion that “every single superhero TV show needs some time before it can get you hooked.” Its unsubtle barrage of girl power lessons might put some people off but the message is, on the whole, a good one, and it’s worth giving Supergirl a chance.

So while we may not need to be told that girls are just as good as boys again, I for one am perfectly happy hearing it.