Taking Flight: SUPERGIRL Soars with Ep 201 "The Adventures of Supergirl"

Last night SUPERGIRL debuted as the highest rated show ever in its time period among men (18-24), on The CW, and tripled the network's performance in total viewers in all key demos.

That's not to say Supergirl did it alone. She had a little help from a certain Kryptonian kinsman who seemed as though he were sent to us in a pod directly from the Donner-verse.

If you haven't yet watched last night's episode you can check it out on The CW app available on itunes and Google Play.

***Minor Spoilers Ahead***

Episode 201 was appropriately named "The Adventures of Supergirl", as a play on the classic comic book title for Superman back in the day. To start the season off on a new network, they did a great job finding ways to define the important elements of the show, that some people may have missed while it aired on CBS. It was done without distracting from the story or talking down to returning fans by integrating it all into the current story.

There were some clear changes made to a few of the set pieces as well, now that the filming is being done in Vancouver. The DEO is no longer located in a cave as it has been moved, in Alex Danvers words, "About a block from my apartment". Overall the transition to The CW and new filming location seems to be as smooth as steel.

Special effects for the show have greatly improved, and without having actual numbers to determine SUPERGIRL's budget, it's clear that the production team at The CW has put in work. Explosions, space flight, heat and x-ray vision, crashing pods and the morphing Martian Manhunter were on full display. And almost none of it looked hokey. The Martian Manhunter thing will always be a little hard on the eyes, but they definitely get high marks for the effort.

***Major SPOILERS Ahead***

This year it's clear that we're going to see an evolution for our lead character. She's embraced her role as Supergirl but has yet to find her calling as Kara Danvers. Struggling to balance her work life with her personal life, she crashed and burned at several attempts to start a relationship. A few sparks began to fly between her and James Olsen near the end of last season, but last night she firmly friend-zoned the photographer. It doesn't appear to have an impact on their friendship, although you could see he was clearly disappointed by the decision.

As the episode got further in, you could see the interruptions slowly tear down any romantic chemistry they might have had. James is friends with Superman, he's seen how relationships can work and he surely felt like he could handle it.

And speaking of Superman...

Just like this article, you needed to wait a little while before getting introduced to him. Tyler Hoechlin was superb in his portrayal of not only Superman, but also of mild-mannered, and often clumsy, Clark Kent. His on-screen charisma and chemistry with the entire cast was spot on. The showrunners clearly wanted you to know that this Superman, their Superman, was one of hope, optimism and an indomitable spirit.

There were so many wonderful callbacks from the 1978 classic SUPERMAN starring Christopher Reeve. References to the movie were as plentiful as Kryptonite in SMALLVILLE. From a question about the earthquakethat was caused, to Calista Flockhart doing her best Gene Hackman impression by screaming "Miss Teschmacher!!". When you watch the episode you will get giddy at all the references made.

This version of Superman has been around for quite some time now and his aura of confidence displays his level of experience. He offers advice to Kara, never looks beaten and remains humbled as people look upon him with awe. He is a hero and understands what he means to the public and takes time for everyday citizens of National City, just as he would for those in Metropolis.

One thing to keep an eye on: Superman has a tenuous relationship with Martian Manhunter. They touch upon something that happened in the past regarding the retention of Kryptonite they discovered together. Naturally, the knowledge that J'onn still has it concerns Clark because his cousin works alongside the martian. If that Kryptonite falls in the wrong hands, it could spell doom for her. While they remain civil with each other, you could see the uneasiness between the two men as they have differing opinions about it.

The introduction of new characters is well played out as we meet the new girl in National City, Lena Luthor. While her namesake indicates villain, her hands seem pretty clean of any wrong doing in this adventure. As a matter of fact, she is the victim of instense sibling rivalry from behind the scenes. John Corben is hired by an imprisoned Lex Luthor to attack and kill Lena. After several failed attempts, Corben finds himself in a throwdown with Alex Danvers that led to him holding her at gunpoint. During the scuffle he ignored his target, Lena, who retaliated by gunning him down from behind, saving Alex.

This is really the origin of a villain. And while, on the surface, he appears mediocre at best, it's really a setup for the second part of the story, featuring Metallo! Created by Cadmus labs; they kept Corben alive to do their bidding. Which, if you recall (and for those who don't know) Metallo is powered by Kryptonite. Didn't we just mention someone having a supply of Kryptonite laying around?

While there's a good chance that Supergirl and Superman will handle Metallo in next week's episode, the bigger picture still has yet to be painted. Cadmus Labs appears to be the major antagonist for season 2, especially if they're creating villains specifically to combat Supergirl.

The series is seriously upping it's supervillain game.

"The Adventures of Supergirl" was the best season premiere, of a returning show, that I've seen in a long time. Having Superman aboard helps for sure, but the showrunners had a clear vision on how to take flight with a new era of SUPERGIRL. It was a great launching point that is setting up what's sure to be a super season. The biggest problem they'll have is figuring out how to put the Kryptonian back in the pod (so to speak).

Versus last season’s time period averages, SUPERGIRL was +246% in total viewers, +200% in adults 18-34, and +267% in adults 18-49. Compared to last season’s season finale on CBS, SUPERGIRL rose +29% in adults 18-34. Based on the ratings, how could they do anything but see a successful formula staring them in the face?

We've now seen Superman on the small screen and it couldn't have been more perfect. Fans, like myself will be clamoring for more. So he either needs to be a series regular or...

...well, I think I'll save that discussion for another article. For now, we're taking flight with a great start to a new season of SUPERGIRL on The CW.

UP, UP and AWAY!